oops

[trainwreck100]

sorry, didn't mean to start a flaming session

 

[K5MAR]

Not your fault, I don't believe. But could you answer my questions? What freq was being used, and are you sure it was a helo, not a fixed wing?

Thanks,
Mark S.

 

[mam1081]

I've heard them south of Ardmore (I-35) on "side 1" lowband - 44.70 MHz. I could only hear the report of the speeder - the car description, location, lane, speed and time.

 

[trainwreck100]

It was on 44.7 (car to car I believe) and I could catch brief flashes from where I was as he moved, they pretty much came from the same place in the sky (maybe it was aliens :shock: ), and all his reports were at 114 so I believe he had to have been hovering. He was also giving speeds, and I don't know if that would be possible from an airplane.

 

[dbestfirefighter]

Im about 95% sure that it was an airplane. Mostly likely one of their Cessna 172's and yes they can catch speeders, next time your on a highway look off to the edge you will see a cross or maybe a yellow dot that is how they can identify your speed. They use a stop watch and some looking glasses. I know of only one jet ranger that OHP uses in the city. Its hangered at Wiley Post they use it for Paul unit transports and man hunts. The jet ranger came from the army national guard. I cant see why they would use a ranger that operates at around 800.00 dollars and hour doesnt come close to the range the the cessna does.

 

[CommShrek]

Im about 95% sure that it was an airplane. Mostly likely one of their Cessna 172's and yes they can catch speeders, next time your on a highway look off to the edge you will see a cross or maybe a yellow dot that is how they can identify your speed. They use a stop watch and some looking glasses. I know of only one jet ranger that OHP uses in the city. Its hangered at Wiley Post they use it for Paul unit transports and man hunts. The jet ranger came from the army national guard. I cant see why they would use a ranger that operates at around 800.00 dollars and hour doesnt come close to the range the the cessna does.

I'm glad you typed it and not me, saves me the trouble and it was a good explanation. I would bump that probability up to 99% though on the fixed wing. Also, there are white stripes painted on the road that are used as stop and start known distance markings. That explains why it was all called in at about the same mile marker. They were watching one set of stripes. They don't really need looking glasses, they aren't very high up above the road, but I guess it's possible.

 

[crayon]

I know of only one jet ranger that OHP uses in the city. Its hangered at Wiley Post ...

I've counted two JR's in the hanger.

 

[K5MAR]

I've heard them south of Ardmore (I-35) on "side 1" lowband - 44.70 MHz. I could only hear the report of the speeder - the car description, location, lane, speed and time.

Down there I would expect them to be using 45.22, as that's Ardmore's main freq, but I personally haven't heard them down there, so I can't say of my own knowledge. I understand in some areas where the ground units are so-equipped that they use either the state TRS or the NPSPAC freqs, but haven't heard that either. Up here in Troop K they use 44.70, and Enid (Trp J) uses 45.22.

Oh, and the Cessnas fly a racetrack course over the same stretch of road when working traffic. Real obvious if you're a plane watcher, like I am. Comes of having a father who was a Lt. Cmdr in the Navy as an avaitor during WW2, and an older brother (#2) who was a Air Force pilot (Major, USAF ret.) My father retained his ratings - Multi-engine, Instrument, carrier-qualified (no, THAT he dropped) Instructor into his sixties when he could no longer pass the medical, so I got an early exposure to flying. But I'm colorblind and nearsighted, so no flying career for me! Wouldn't you know, another brother (#3) of mine who has perfect vision gets airsick during takeoff in a jumbo! Argghhh!

Mark S.

 

[trainwreck100]

Okay, musta been a plane. I've seen their lines around on different highways, never I-40, but I thought they were just a mile marker to tell those on the ground how far out a violator was, never considered timing them. Yeah, Canadian County had one of the rangers come out to look for a four wheeler wreck after dark one time, it was kind of interesting to hear that.

Greg

 

[K5MAR]

The common term for this is VASCAR - Visual Average Speed Computer and Recorder. There are fancy units sold to do the calculation and record the data, but in it's simpliest form it's a stopwatch with the scale in MPH instead of seconds. When a vehicle is timed over a known distance, you can determine the speed. The stopwatch scale makes it easy to do, start the stopwatch when the vehicle passes point A and stop it at point B, and the speed is right there on the dial.

That's why you'll hear the trooper in the plane giving the data to the ground unit: location, speed and time. If the violator challanges the ticket, the trooper has it all recorded or written down and can access the information when testifying in court.

Mark S.

 

[K5MAR]

For anybody that might be interested, I just heard that a couple of Ocean units (aviation) are inroute to the Turner - mile 203. Possibly an air assignment - traffic enforcement.

Mark S.