MD DNR Eastern Shore

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tolley

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Seems that the DNR on the Eastern Shore has been operating on 151.205 lately. The FCC database indicates they have repeaters located up and down the shore on this frequency. I have been monitoring them regularly and they come in loud and clear. Ocean City seems to have their own site and the Upper Shore seems to operate using mutlisites. Not sure about the lower shore counties like Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester. Anyone else noticed this as well?
 

doctordave

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Yes. I have less of a handle on how the other new & known VHF-High freqs are distributed around Central MD.
 

doctordave

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Tolley,

Any idea if 151.205 is the primary operating freq for NRP boats in the Chester River and in the area of Annapolis? I need to plug in the various other NRP VHF-High freqs and try to better pin down how they are being utilized.
 

hill

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MNRP is one my favorite agencies to monitor on the scanner. I don’t think that MNRP is using 151.205 Mhz with a tone of 103.5 Hz in the Annapolis area, but not really sure of the Chester River. This would be two different NRP Regions Southern and Eastern. I think that NRP vessels in Annapolis area are on 155.370 MHz, but you need to try all of the new ones. I hear units in Baltimore County using 159.090 and 159.3825 MHz. I know from visiting the Ocean City area that NRP is using 151.205 with the above tone off the Ocean City tower. NRP units around Ocean City use radio callsigns in 100 series. I have all NRP channels in one of the scanners in the car and still don't have the NRP's radio plan/channel assignments down yet. it was sure simpler when all NRP vessels were on 39.22 MHz, but as I posted in earlier post they don't use the low band anymore. I will have to listen more to the locations/frequencies in use and others on this forum will have to monitor NRP in there local areas of the Maryland to get this information in the database.

Larry
 

Radar412

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This is a copy of a post I sent to Scan DC

From my recent observations from all across the state, they seem to be transitioning to possibly a region based, multi site voted receiver system with different transmitter outputs linked together with one or two being high power and the others being low power fill in sites. Heres what I have so far:

Eastern side of the bay :
151.205 dcs 532 linked to all of the following
154.1675, 151.4225, 151.4675, 159.09, 151.34 not quite sure in the exact locations of each but all of them tranmitting dcs532

Southern
155.37 pl 103.5 no other transmitter links but seems like it may be a voted receiver

Central
151.2425 (Frederick transmitter) linked to 159.3825 dpl 631

Western (still the same)
151.205 (all sites so far) pl118.8

All of the southern and eastern channels are now carrying marine traffic

Parks statewide (still the same) 159.45 but DNR officers have access for law enforcement purposes.

There is one more system I've monitored that I'm not quite sure yet what is going on with: That is that the 159.09 under a different dpl and the 155.37 under a different dpl (both dpl 632) are also linked somewhere in central MD. May be specifically to cover Patapsco ?

Hope this helps, Karl
 

doctordave

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Very helpful, guys. Hopefully we'll be able to precisely clarify the layout of the channel plan.

Hearing quite a bit of NRP marine patrol activity near Annapolis tonight on 155.37 PL 103.5.

Earlier today, I heard some unidentified radio traffic with Tawes on 151.205 PL 103.5 ....Karl, are you only copying 151.205 in Eastern MD with the dcs of 532?

Curiously, the Annapolis area radio traffic I was copying on 155.37 PL 103.5 was rather faint (I'm in Northern Balt Co)....but a morse code ID just came across 155.37 without any PL decoded - and the signal was a full 5/5. Similar morse code ID on 159.09 without a PL and that signal strength was 5/5.

Interesting to note that DNR actually cites the standard mountain rescue / SAR frequency for the region (155.16) on their website as a means of contacting / working with them on searches: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/nrp/volunteer.html
 
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hill

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Tonight heard MNRP on 159.090 MHz and 155.370 MHz simulcast on both frequencies. The 155.370 MHz one was much stronger here in Baltimore County. I heard a unit on land in Cecil County using 159.3825 MHz. Unknown is NRP is using the same radio tower sites that the State Parks used before the rangers were merged into the NRP. I live less than one mile away from a DNR fire tower that had been used for a transmit site. Unknown if still being used as a site for DNR/NRP, but MSP has a transmitter located in my area of Cub Hill.

Larry
 

Radar412

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Dave, I've only heard them with the DCS 532, however, I haven't been to OC in a while. Its possible they're using 151.205 with both tones to separate them. If its used at the Matapeake site ( I think ) then if the other one was in OC they should be far enough apart to limit interference with each other. Another guess might be that the OC area traffic isn't tied into the rest of the network because of a higher volume of traffic.
Karl
 

hill

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I guess all the new radio channels and tones carry the radio traffic that had been on the low band channels. 151.205 with a tone 103.5 is used by MNRP at Ocean City, as least the last few times when visiting. I make a two or three trips to this area every year to see my brother and most likely will be going to Ocean City in September. I don't think that their is anymore traffic on the Ocean City tower as any other NRP system in the State, due to size of the force and only a handful of officers in each county. They are a very small police force to handle the inland and water patrol duties in the State. Their force is only about 240 police members and that is if at full strength.

Larry
 
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doctordave

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A few more observations....was boating on the Chester River much of the day yesterday and did copy quite a few marine patrol-related transmissions from Annapolis area units on 155.37. Oddly, I could only copy some very distant NRP chatter on 151.205 and simply could not pin down the units' location. Makes me wonder if Kent/QA County activity was simply very light that day or if NRP was using some other frequencies in that area. In the past, NRP has used 151.205 off of the Still Pond tower when working locally and the signal has been booming throughout Kent/QA. Was monitoring these freqs in CSQ mode. The channel plan still remains a bit of a puzzle...but I'm sure we'll piece it together.
 

scansomd

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DNR down south

In Saint Mary's county, 155.37 is utilized out of Leonardtown. It has excellent coverage.

It is my understanding 155.37 is used throughout the state. The input and output frequencies remain the same, only the CTCSS tone on the input is varied. The different CTCSS Tones determine which transmitter site will relay the signal.

While listening to 155.37, I often hear DNR talking on 'Crownsville' and 'Baltimore' towers. (A little scratchy here in 'the county').

Northern listeners, you will hear our DNR guys talking on 'Leonardtown' and 'Waldorf' towers.
 

doctordave

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155.37 actually being used right now by an NRP vessel responding to a water rescue in the area of Rock Hall Harbor. Interesting.... I might have thought that 151.205 would be used.

159.09 being used by an NRP vessel in the area of Hart-Miller Island....this fits with the theme of this particular freq seemingly being used in Central MD.
 

doctordave

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In recent days, I've sometimes heard simulcasting of transmissions on 159.09 with PL 631 with 155.37 with PL 631......but only for short periods of time.

155.37 and 159.09 boom up here in Northern Balt Co with the 631 PL. I've also copied scratchy PL-103.5 transmissions on 155.37 and even some faint 118.8 PL-related transmissions on that freq.

Interestingly, sometimes a unit will be hailed on one particular freq, but will answer on an entirely different freq and the conversation will simply be conducted on the second freq without missing a beat. Quite a schizophrenic little system that they have....but they don't seem to mind a bit.
 

fiveradams

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Hi,I'm a newbie.I want to know if I can listen to the frequencys on this site? I have been listening to scanner channels on team speak until now,but they don't have anything from annapolis md.If you can help let me know.Thanks, fiver adams
 

tolley

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Here in Dorchester DNR has been using and citing the Vienna tower located near the intersection of US Route 50 and MD Route 331. I register a DCS of 532. Last week Taylor's Island fire company had a boat in distress off of James Island and DNR was told to switch to the Leonardtown Tower which operates on 155.37. Ironically, Taylors Island tower also has 155.37 licensed from FCC but I haven't heard much activity from it lately. Maybe it will come on later or be used as a backup.
 

Radar412

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I still am not hearing any traffic in the
Western region other than the normal legacy freqs. I will be on the eastern shore for about a week starting Tuesday, should be able to do some significant monitoring, maybe put some more pieces together of the puzzle, Karl
 

doctordave

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Today, I stumbled upon a tower repeater output of 151.225 (although this certainly could have simply been the known Forestry freq of 151.25) being used by NRP 200-series units on land in Kent & QA Counties and on a vessel off the coast of Dorchester County....routine patrol activities & they were being dispatched by Tawes. Hmmm...this may explain why I'm no longer hearing the usual activity in that area of the Shore on 151.205. I was not in a position to capture PL data. I was monitoring this from Northern Balt Co...curious if anyone on the Shore has a good copy on this freq. Oddly, they never did say what tower they were operating off of during transmissions- like they normally would on other VHF-high freqs.

EDIT....well, DNR is licensed for 151.25 all over the state - but the listings suggest very low-lying antennas (rooftop, etc) for that freq.....BUT there is a listing for DNR at 151.2275 on a Rock Hall tower - I'm guessing this may be it. Will try to catch a PL tomorrow. Judging by the activity I heard today (and I was monitoring our other known NRP freqs), this may well be the primary operating freq for NRP from Kent County down through Dorchester Co. We shall see.

Any other observations out there to share?
 
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WCRadioGuy

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I do know that DNR has a repeater in Somerset at the Marion Tower Site. Worcester has a repeater at the Berlin MSP Site and I think the Klej Grange tower site.

Seems that the DNR on the Eastern Shore has been operating on 151.205 lately. The FCC database indicates they have repeaters located up and down the shore on this frequency. I have been monitoring them regularly and they come in loud and clear. Ocean City seems to have their own site and the Upper Shore seems to operate using mutlisites. Not sure about the lower shore counties like Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester. Anyone else noticed this as well?
 

Radar412

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Hey Dave, Sorry I haven't got to post all my finds from last week, however, you will find that the 151.205 is indeed no longer used on the central eastern shore. It is now a standalone system for Worcester and Somerset using output 151.205 with a PL out of 103.5 and an input of 159.24 with varying input PL's for Ocean City and Johnston towers. The central ES is now using the ones I posted in my earlier with the exclusion of 151.205 and replacing that with 151.2125 broadcasting from Easton tower. I also confirmed 159.09 from the 50&404 tower, 154.1675 from the Taylors Island tower, 151.4675 from the Vienna tower, and 151.4225 from the Matapeake tower. They are all linked together. I also found at least one input of 153.9725 DPL 172. Getting there slowly but surely. Also found more on the central MD links but I'll have to get home to my notes to do any more posts on that. Karl
 
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