Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority - STA License

[wx9svr]

From the Eligibility section:
"90.35a - We plan on using the frequency immediately for passenger train testing. This is an extension of existing territory."

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
WSFK963

ULS License - Industrial/Business Pool, Conventional License - WSFK963 - MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

 

[ecps92]

From the Eligibility section:
"90.35a - We plan on using the frequency immediately for passenger train testing. This is an extension of existing territory."

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
WSFK963

ULS License - Industrial/Business Pool, Conventional License - WSFK963 - MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

Looks to be the new South Coast Operation

South Coast Rail | Projects | MBTA

Official website of the MBTA -- schedules, maps, and fare information for Greater Boston's public transportation system, including subway, commuter rail, bus routes, and boat lines.

www.mbta.com

 

[Mikejo]

They appear to be NXDN Frequencies?

Ch #’s 371,375, and 449

If true, very, very interesting!

 

[ecps92]

They appear to be NXDN Frequencies?

Ch #’s 371,375, and 449

If true, very, very interesting!

Licensed for both Analog and NXDN - I would be surprised to see this one line go NXDN when the rest of the system is Analog
Doesn't hurt to licenses them for both from the begining

 

[ComradeGlock]

The frequencies for AAR371, AAR375 and AAR449 equate to AAR039, AAR041 and AAR078 so they would be licensed for both analog and NXDN.

However, if the AAR Channels have been identified by the MBTA as AAR371, AAR375, and AAR449, then they are NXDN per the AAR Band Plan.

 

[kb1kvd]

That license is for our two radio sites in Berkley. South Coast rail is using the same road channel as the Old Colony, Boston South dispatchers. I had the coordinator add those frequencies to a new license. At those two sites the only frequencies used are the South Coast Dispatcher on AAR 041 (160.725), Mechanical trouble desk AAR 090 (161.460) and Cobble Hill MW AAR 039/097 (160.695/161.565).

As for the NXDN stuff we do have a few frequencies where we use it. One of them is our departments shop channel and the other is BET facilities B&B crews. As the AAR coordinator recommends we added NXDN to every license. Doesn't by any means that we are using at that location but it's there incase we need it. It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Another thing that the AAR coordinator strongly recommended to us was to add as many frequencies to each license. Doing that makes it stand out on a coordinators search and is a good way to keep someone getting on a frequency that you have on a statewide license in another area outside of our coverage. When coordinators are looking for frequencies they will look out a certain distance from where the proposed site would be. If they see something that is on a tall site on a statewide they tend to back away and look somewhere else.

We learned this lesson when the State of Maine got a couple of our channels along with the P&W road and CSX. Maine's trunking system blast two of our base sites regularly with P25 noise. I've been in phone calls and email discussions with the engineer for Maine's system and he as made efforts to reduce the usage of 160.590 which is our Boston West dispatcher.

 

[Kitn1mcc]

That license is for our two radio sites in Berkley. South Coast rail is using the same road channel as the Old Colony, Boston South dispatchers. I had the coordinator add those frequencies to a new license. At those two sites the only frequencies used are the South Coast Dispatcher on AAR 041 (160.725), Mechanical trouble desk AAR 090 (161.460) and Cobble Hill MW AAR 039/097 (160.695/161.565).

As for the NXDN stuff we do have a few frequencies where we use it. One of them is our departments shop channel and the other is BET facilities B&B crews. As the AAR coordinator recommends we added NXDN to every license. Doesn't by any means that we are using at that location but it's there incase we need it. It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Another thing that the AAR coordinator strongly recommended to us was to add as many frequencies to each license. Doing that makes it stand out on a coordinators search and is a good way to keep someone getting on a frequency that you have on a statewide license in another area outside of our coverage. When coordinators are looking for frequencies they will look out a certain distance from where the proposed site would be. If they see something that is on a tall site on a statewide they tend to back away and look somewhere else.

We learned this lesson when the State of Maine got a couple of our channels along with the P&W road and CSX. Maine's trunking system blast two of our base sites regularly with P25 noise. I've been in phone calls and email discussions with the engineer for Maine's system and he as made efforts to reduce the usage of 160.590 which is our Boston West dispatcher.

Just hope you guys don't blast us down here at the Valley on 39/39.
that state of Maine system should have never went on the RR channels. when the band is open i can hear it down here in ct .

i noticed this license is only good until april of 2025

 

[kb1kvd]

We shouldn't really be bothering you down on the Valley on 039. That has been our output of the Cobble Hill MW radio system for probably close to 40 years if not longer. Our furthest west site with that frequency is in Worcester but we have a site on Blue Hill as well.

Correct the STA is only good till April 2025 and will be converted to a proper license. This was done that way because the contractor who was supposed to build out our radio site completely messed it up beyond recognition and I had to send down my team to fix it. Once the territory is handed over to us we'll be able to correct the issues that the contractor did, and maybe get the system to match what my senior engineer and myself had designed.

 

[Kitn1mcc]

We shouldn't really be bothering you down on the Valley on 039. That has been our output of the Cobble Hill MW radio system for probably close to 40 years if not longer. Our furthest west site with that frequency is in Worcester but we have a site on Blue Hill as well.

Correct the STA is only good till April 2025 and will be converted to a proper license. This was done that way because the contractor who was supposed to build out our radio site completely messed it up beyond recognition and I had to send down my team to fix it. Once the territory is handed over to us we'll be able to correct the issues that the contractor did, and maybe get the system to match what my senior engineer and myself had designed.

Really how hard is it to setup an analog system like that. makes you wonder

 

[Kitn1mcc]

back in the day when the nycta transit police were on VHF they were on our frequency and would slam into us. since they merged with nypd went uhf no more noise

 

[kb1kvd]

When ever the band opens up we get blasted by SEPTA on our Boston West channel. Often I end up getting the late night call from the dispatcher claiming that someone is issuing form d's on their frequency. The one thing that we used to get constantly is Maine state trunking system blasting us on our Branchline dispatcher, Worcester dispatcher,and Boston West dispatcher. It got so bad at one point that the Chief dispatcher actually stopped all movements on the fairmount line until it cleared up. What ended up happening was a hi rail could not hear the dispatcher asking them to clear up for a movement. That led to me talking to the system engineer for the Maine system and asking him to pull our affected channels of their system or least not have the control channel on those frequencies. Of course they tried to claim that it was only happening during a band opening until I sent them the recordings. At that point they changed course and moved our channels down the pick list on the trunking controller. Which reduced the amount of times we hear them on our railroad but it seems like the blast the P&W road constantly now.

 

[kb1kvd]

Really how hard is it to setup an analog system like that. makes you wonder

Oh I know. It really blew my mind that the engineer for the project had no clue how our tone knock down system worked. Despite sending him all the drawings and even wrote up a procedure on how to enable it on our radio system. To add insult to injury they didn't even program the base radio correctly or wire in the battery backup system. This was all work of a commercial two way radio company and a engineering firm who specializes in two way radio system.

 

[Kitn1mcc]

Oh I know. It really blew my mind that the engineer for the project had no clue how our tone knock down system worked. Despite sending him all the drawings and even wrote up a procedure on how to enable it on our radio system. To add insult to injury they didn't even program the base radio correctly or wire in the battery backup system. This was all work of a commercial two way radio company and a engineering firm who specializes in two way radio system.

humm sounds famillar. i took care of the valley for years until about 2012 before narrow banding . gave them prices for narrow band radios also we had issue with the cdm1250 having a delay on rx. they decided to go with the local shop then president was friends with owner. they went with 25watt radios and early nextedge they had so many issues the new president called me back. went back analog with xpr and some 45 watt kenwoods they had, the little nx series did not like being in a steam loco

When ever the band opens up we get blasted by SEPTA on our Boston West channel. Often I end up getting the late night call from the dispatcher claiming that someone is issuing form d's on their frequency. The one thing that we used to get constantly is Maine state trunking system blasting us on our Branchline dispatcher, Worcester dispatcher,and Boston West dispatcher. It got so bad at one point that the Chief dispatcher actually stopped all movements on the fairmount line until it cleared up. What ended up happening was a hi rail could not hear the dispatcher asking them to clear up for a movement. That led to me talking to the system engineer for the Maine system and asking him to pull our affected channels of their system or least not have the control channel on those frequencies. Of course they tried to claim that it was only happening during a band opening until I sent them the recordings. At that point they changed course and moved our channels down the pick list on the trunking controller. Which reduced the amount of times we hear them on our railroad but it seems like the blast the P&W road constantly now.

was picking up septa a few weeks ago here in aar18

 

[kb1kvd]

humm sounds famillar. i took care of the valley for years until about 2012 before narrow banding . gave them prices for narrow band radios also we had issue with the cdm1250 having a delay on rx. they decided to go with the local shop then president was friends with owner. they went with 25watt radios and early nextedge they had so many issues the new president called me back. went back analog with xpr and some 45 watt kenwoods they had, the little nx series did not like being in a steam loco

It's amazing how commercial two way radio shops don't get how railroad radio systems operate or the technical requirements of the equipment. Luckily for us we only deal with other radio shops on big projects like South Coast rail. Good thing we're a fully fledged radio shop and were considered a dealer with the radio manufacturers, so we can design,maintain and repair everything in house.

 

[Kitn1mcc]

oh i hear that. right now we are in the middle of the Christmas system running 4 trains at once no signals no dispatcher. just time and the trains talking to them selfs. this summer with the wet weather and a lack of brush cutting we had some issues