NC Highway Patrol Frequencies

[SouthernRoller]

Living in Western NC (Ashe County) What frequency does the HP use? I have been told it's 42.600 for base to car. What frequency do the cars respond back on? Always seems as if I'm just getting a one sided conversation only hearing the Newton Dispatch and never hearing the cars respond back to them.

Basically my question would be is what all frequencies do I need to have programmed into my scanner so I can monitor all HP traffic for my general area?

 

[N8IAA]

You might want to check out the sticky at the top of the NC forum titled Viper P-25.
Larry

 

[fyrboy]

NC Department of Public Safety Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference seems to show Ashe County's troopers responding to Newton on 42.66. You may hear troopers speak to each other on 42.6. If your scanner has the capability, lock out "delay" to hear responses more quickly. Hearing troopers is a matter of closeness to your location. Of course the P25 system is available if you have a digital scanner. Don't expect to receive all transmissions on any frequency/channel since mobile display terminals - MDT's - are commonly used. I regularly hear Troop G on 42.62 & 42.78 in Henderson County.

 

[SouthernRoller]

So am I understanding this correct, that the NCHP has moved away from the low band system?
Why is it a dispatcher in Newton can hear the cars respond back to them but I can't hear them locally?
This is confusing......

 

[fyrboy]

So am I understanding this correct, that the NCHP has moved away from the low band system?

Yes, to P25, reception of which requires a digital scanner. See VIPER Statewide P25 Trunking System, Varies, North Carolina - Scanner Frequencies & http://forums.radioreference.com/no...66-viper-p25-9600-baud-system-discussion.html

Why is it a dispatcher in Newton can hear the cars respond back to them but I can't hear them locally?

You can if you're close enough to the trooper. It's the nature of low-band.

 

[SouthernRoller]

Looks like I won't be monitoring the NCHP anymore then. As I doubt my Realistic pro-2021 will receive this P-25 system.

 

[EZlistener]

The low band channels do not use mobile relays (repeaters). The odd-numbered channels are two-channel SIMPLEX. You will not hear the transmissions of the mobile unless you are very close to the mobile unit. VIPER may change this.

 

[SouthernRoller]

Why is that their base unit in Newton can hear the mobiles, but yet I can't hear them here in the county?

 

[WA4MJF]

The low band channels do not use mobile relays (repeaters). The odd-numbered channels are two-channel SIMPLEX. You will not hear the transmissions of the mobile unless you are very close to the mobile unit. VIPER may change this.

I think you mean DUPLEX, station and car can talk at the same time.
My recollection is that the even channels are SIMPLEX, only one station talks at a time.

As I remember, 5 was duplex for C troop and 6 was simplex, often referred to as
3 way.

Ronnie

 

[SouthernRoller]

Back a couple years ago I was told Troop F was on 42.600 for base to car, and 42.660 for car to car.
But I have never heard any traffic on 42.660, not even cars answering dispatcher.

 

[CCHLLM]

Since no one else answered your question, I'll give it a shot. The base station is controlled with a microwave uplink from the comm center, and the receiver audio goes back to the comm center on the microwave downlink. Since the mobile traffic is not repeated (full duplex) over the dispatch frequency, you won't hear the mobile unit's traffic unless you have a good low band antenna and you are relatively close to the mobile unit transmitting.

The low band system is semi-duplex for car-to-base and base-to-car. In other words, the base station transmits on one frequency, receives on another, but the received traffic is not repeated. When units talk car-to-car, they are able to switch to a base station transmit frequency to talk, and that mode is simplex and is referred to as "3 way". The pair for Troop F is 42.600 for base-to-car and 42.660 for car-to-base. "3 way" or car-to-car is 42.600 simplex.

Look in the database and you'll find the respective frequency pairs that each comm center uses to communicate with the cars on low band. There are 9 base station pairs and one simplex Events channel which is called Channel 19. That one gets a good bit of use in some areas.

The 800 MHz trunked radio system called VIPER has already superseded the low band system in Troop A, and also some areas in other troop zones. Eventually VIPER will supersede the rest of the low band system as the VIPER system is completed, and low band will be done away with.

 

[SouthernRoller]

Thanks for the reply, that explains it rather well..

 

[CCHLLM]

The state of the State's low band system is a wing and a prayer in some most cases. Some of the base stations are 50+ years old, and probably none are less than 25-30. The mobiles range from 20-30, and since the major radio manufacturers are no longer building low band base stations and hardly any are building mobiles, the future of low band is bleak.

Your best bet is a digital scanner. You'll hear both sides of the conversation on VIPER.

 

[yardbird]

The Low Band channels that Newton Highway Patrol are still in use.

I work for the Highway Patrol and I listen to Newton calling both Troop F & Troop G cars all the time.

That is pretty good since the location were I work is down in sort of a low valley.

Also if the weather is just right I can pick-up Elizabethtown too.

David

 

[SouthernRoller]

Thanks yardbird, I'll keep monitoring 42.600 and 42.660 to see if I hear anything. Any other frequencies I should be monitoring from the SHP for Ashe County?

 

[N8IAA]

Thanks yardbird, I'll keep monitoring 42.600 and 42.660 to see if I hear anything. Any other frequencies I should be monitoring from the SHP for Ashe County?

Depends on what antenna you are using to hear the Lo Band frequencies. You need to have something that is reasonably close to frequency.
It was always hit or miss when trying to hear the mobiles even when they were close on my trips to W NC.
The base and mobiles are linked via VIPER. I have no trouble listening to the NCHP Troop G when traveling now.
Larry

 

[reconrider8]

I still hear troop c on lb sometimes simplex on low band is funny most of the time but I run a Larsen nmo 40 in tuned and hear them pretty well

 

[yardbird]

I do know that most of if not all the trooper cars in the Troop F still have the big fender mounted ball antennas.

I asked why they still had them and the rest of the state has discontinued them. I was told that due to the mountainous terrain the fender mounted antennas provided the best coverage.

With the new budget being passed and all most $ 3K being allotted for new 800 Mhz. radios who knows.

I do know there is a push to install 800 Mhz. radios in all SHP Patrol units across the state. What they will do with the low band stuff is anybody's guess.

I also know that the Troop radio shops are having to scrounge parts from other Motorola X-9000's just to keep all the current working radios in use operational.

I figure one day you will eventually see a whole lot of pallet lots of Motorola X-9000's appearing on the state surplus auction site. I have seen both low band Motorola Maratracs and Motorola MT-1000' s before.

I know that most of the forestry service has done auctioned off most if not all of their low band stuff.

Low Band is great, but is a thing of the past.

David

 

[CCHLLM]

Those base loaded low band antennas mounted on a bracket create a 2.8 to 3 db loss compared to the 1/4 wave whips according to the antenna manufacturers. There's a top view photo from one of the manufacturers showing an efficiency comparison of antenna locations on a sedan that can be found by a bit of Googling. In fact, it shows that where the NCSHP mounts that base loaded antenna on the rear fender is the worst location possible.

NCSHP got some of the surplus Syntor X9000s from the NCFS not long after they were removed from the NCFS vehicles. The ones I have direct knowledge of were mostly used to replace many of those miserable other brands of low band radios that were continual unreliable pains-in-the-butt.

The state has made the decision to not spend any money maintaining the low band system and is cannibalizing units for parts, and that's just as well since GE and Motorola low band parts are now made of Unobtainium. The MaraTracs and Syntor X9000s are both very obsolete, but are still very reliable and still in use for the time being. Once VIPER is 100% operational mobile, portable, and site-wise, NCSHP low band will become history.

 

[yardbird]

True

ALE, SBI and other state agencies have gone way from Low Band.

I think DOC still has some mounted in their vehicles. I am unsure if they still use them or not.

I know that the two old ALE frequencies were assigned to the Highway Patrol for channels 17 & 18

David