Middlesex Fire Band- Old Timers

[PriorMike]

Most of the time the only people with hand held radios were the officers. We didn't have enough radios to issue to the inside guys.

Fair enough.

 

[tech2461]

If I recall...GSP used their old microwave and simulcasted on 2 frequencies alternating every other site from Oradell all the way down so you could hear them anywhere. 154.905 and 155.505 I believe. NJTPK also had their "amber" channel they used between cars when doing speed traps. That was a life saver listening to that.

Parkway simulcast the entire length. From time to time you could hear the noise when the system was out of phase. Turnpike ran a station by station repeater system where each station had its own repeater on a huge tower at the barracks. They were all on 155.19 with different PL tones. If you had a good enough antenna you could hear Newark, New Brunswick and Moorestown all on 155.19. The amber Channel was 155.19 talk around direct and the red channel was through the repeater on a different PL tone car to car so the dispatcher didn't hear you.

 

[tech2461]

Fair enough.

To be honest, here's the way it was in our FC. Back then, almost all our pumper jump seats for the interior attack guys was open. Just kind of a roof overhang. The rest was wide open to the elements. We could put an MT500 with a vehicle charger in the closed cab, but what would likely happen to it even sitting under that open overhang? We had Mitrek radios that were supposed to be virtually water proof always out for repair from our 57 Mack and Brush truck from water damage...and they were IN compartments out of the elements until someone threw a wet pony hose in the cabinet. The bigger problem was where to put the radio on a guy wearing an SCBA. If you grabbed it from the wall charger, and shoved it in your side turnout pocket, guess what happens when you strap on the pack? On mine, one of the straps would go right across where the radio was. I had no place to clip the remote mic that it would stay put, either. Eventually they started sewing in radio pouches into turnouts...

 

[tech2461]

Unless you are as old as I am, you probably can't answer this question so I hope there's some old timers that can recall... Back in the 80s most of Middlesex County used the old 33.82 fire band. As far as I can recall none of the Monroe, Jamesburg, Helmetta or Spotswood FC's used a CTCSS. We were all CSQ. Does anyone know or have some old data material on what FC's in Middlesex County back then used a CTCSS on their 33.82 radios?

Hey guys, this has been a great discussion. Thanks for the info some of you have passed along. Good to see Jim Robbins is still hanging in there. I'm amazed someone had audio from the 85 Forge Road fire. That was a fun coincidence. I was with that Monroe fire company with the yellow trucks. Back when I first joined, we had two trucks still using the old Motorola pre- pre Motrac full tube radios. The tone encoder at PD was an old Plectron in a metal box with six huge push buttons on it. We had the old brick style hand held radios. So many memories.

 

[n2mci]

My brother worked at South Plainfield PD and in the 80s he was working Dispatch during one summer. He told me he was listening to all the wild fires be dispatched in Southern California on the county fire. He wasn't sure why, but I explained it to him.

Pete