Palm Beach PD Radio

[ocguard]

This may be off-topic, but...

watching some older episodes of COPS, I see the officers in Palm Beach FL carrying older radios. Some of them have large square speaker-mics with the top left corner "cut off" making a diagonal corner. Other radios seem to have "hanging" antenna, that just hang down off the radio as opposed to being rigid. Seem to have BNC connectors. Any idea what models radios these are?

 

[WayneH]

Moved to the Florida forum.

 

[N4DES]

It's actually the Sheriff's office and not Palm Beach PD but the radios were Standard HX400 VHF portables and they were matched with the GX3000 VHF mobiles.

The antennas that hung down were called "dribble antennas" and are still available from Centurian. We used them because the HX400, while being a good radio, had serious issues with the vertical antenna up against the body where the signal would cut out even in high signal areas. These fixed the problems even though they looked a bit funny. I think I still have one in my gun bag. lol

 

[ctrabs74]

Realted but slightly deviating from the primary topic...

The interesting thing is that in some of those same COPS episodes from Palm Beach County, they had a few segments from Martin County when they were operating their EFJohnson radios (I think this was prior to moving to their P25 TRS).

Anyway, I had been wondering the same thing about PBSO's radio mics and am glad that we got an answer. Hope you don't mind asking, but do you know if some of those deputies who appeared on those COPS episodes are still on the job?

 

[N4DES]

Some still are but they now have bars and other sorts of insignias on their shoulders.

 

[ocguard]

Thanks for the replies! Glad I'm not the only one who was wondering the same!

 

[ocguard]

http://www.lairdtech.com/pages/products/Two-Way-Radio-Model-DR.asp if anyone is interested. Appears to be available only in VHF-Hi.

 

[N4DES]

That be the antenna....

 

[visegrip72]

Heard via COPs (Citizen Observer Patrol, not the tv show) That they will be replaying those episodes or having new ones on this coming week(s), from June 16 to July 7. Tonight's had Hillsborough and Palm Springs (according to cops website, I missed the shows), check http://www.cops.com for show info.