MSHP Car Antennas? What are all 8 for?

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stlouisx50

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I couldn't help but notice a few weeks back 4 MSHP cars with all the antennas. I counted a total of 8 on majority of the cars and swore there were 12 on the SUV I saw. What are all of the antennas for?

I figured;

1- Gps
1- VHF-Low
1-VHF-High
1-MDT
1-ESP
1- 800 MHZ?

I could totally be wrong about the above, but as far as the other antennas, I have no clue what they could be for. The one antenna looked like it was barely an inch high,the other had the round black plastic circle.
 

scanman1958

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Also a scanner antenna. They monitor a lot in their respective patrol areas and will sometimes notify their dispatcher that they are headed to a disturbance or hold up etc in a nearby county or city to assist those officers. I am sure the farther out you get from the urban areas the thinner the police coverage is.
 

iamhere300

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The Motorola radio has 2 antenna, one VHF and one 800
Add to that
VHF
Lowband
Cellular data
Vehicular repeater
GPS
Possible UHF depending on the area they are working
Most of them don't have scanners.
Among others
 

n5ims

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A group of 4 VHF antennas arranged in a square pattern - LoJack tracking system.
A group of 3 VHF antennas arranged in a triangle pattern - Bank holdup tracking system.
 

factorone

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I used to work for a public safety install shop in the KC area up until last year, and we occasionally would have an MHP unit stop in (though rarely, as both KHP and MHP tend to do their own installs at a state facility).

The one that I can recall had the following:

800 stub (for dual-band XTL5000)
VHF stub (for dual-band XTL5000)
GPS/WiFi puck (for digital video)
GPS puck (for MDT)
WaN puck (for MDT)
VHF whip (for lo-band)
UHF stub (for regional radio)
VHF quarter-wave (for scanner)

The wireless mics are almost always tied to the mobile video camera system (as in, 99.9% of the time), and those systems have antennas that are usually attached either to the windshield on the inside of the vehicle, near the passenger-side A-post, or just underneath the headliner up front. Rarely will you ever see those outside the car (if ever).

I do recall assisting on a wreck while on company time just outside of Sweet Springs on I-70 back in 2012, where a pair of MHP troopers showed up in Tahoes that I believe only had six antennae each, but I wasn't particularly paying attention to that at the time (a Lee's Summit PD officer had wrecked his brand new Victory bike at highway speeds, so I was more concerned with that situation).
 

stlouisx50

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I used to work for a public safety install shop in the KC area up until last year, and we occasionally would have an MHP unit stop in (though rarely, as both KHP and MHP tend to do their own installs at a state facility).

The one that I can recall had the following:

800 stub (for dual-band XTL5000)
VHF stub (for dual-band XTL5000)
GPS/WiFi puck (for digital video)
GPS puck (for MDT)
WaN puck (for MDT)
VHF whip (for lo-band)
UHF stub (for regional radio)
VHF quarter-wave (for scanner)

The wireless mics are almost always tied to the mobile video camera system (as in, 99.9% of the time), and those systems have antennas that are usually attached either to the windshield on the inside of the vehicle, near the passenger-side A-post, or just underneath the headliner up front. Rarely will you ever see those outside the car (if ever).

I do recall assisting on a wreck while on company time just outside of Sweet Springs on I-70 back in 2012, where a pair of MHP troopers showed up in Tahoes that I believe only had six antennae each, but I wasn't particularly paying attention to that at the time (a Lee's Summit PD officer had wrecked his brand new Victory bike at highway speeds, so I was more concerned with that situation).

Great info. factorone, what are the wireless mic frequencies that you have seen used lately? I have seen old to new posts saying anything from 167-174 mhz , 220 mhz , 900 mhz and 2.4 ghz (digital) .
 

polo807

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One antenna you all have not mention is for a Citizen Band Radio. I have heard them say they hear the Truckers are talking on the CB about the speed trap.
 

factorone

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Great info. factorone, what are the wireless mic frequencies that you have seen used lately? I have seen old to new posts saying anything from 167-174 mhz , 220 mhz , 900 mhz and 2.4 ghz (digital) .

It varies between camera manufacturers, though most seem to be around the 900 area. I doubt many would be above that, since you'd be getting into a pretty crowded portion of the spectrum.

Most WAN antennae are in the 2.4-2.5 GHz portion of the spectrum, and WiFi is in the same bandwidth as anything else for that same application.
 

stlouisx50

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It varies between camera manufacturers, though most seem to be around the 900 area. I doubt many would be above that, since you'd be getting into a pretty crowded portion of the spectrum.

Most WAN antennae are in the 2.4-2.5 GHz portion of the spectrum, and WiFi is in the same bandwidth as anything else for that same application.

Thank you very much for the info. Thankful that you shared your knowledge with us.
 

JRsTheMAN

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Reeds Spring, Missouri
I have not seen MHP patrol car with a CB antenna since the early 90s if that. If there is one, it would be something the individual patrolman would add and it would have to be using a magnetic antenna because they would not allow it to be installed.
 
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