Rats!......lol!

[ka5lqj]

Hi Guys! (Well, I'm "assuming" you're all guys)

I've been told on good authority that Smith County Texas and most of East Texas and Southwest Arkansas, have "abandoned" their VHF, low-band, 37 mhz frequencies. Rats! So how does this affect Louisiana? Well, for those of us who are into severe wx, it will hamper our ability to "hear" those agencies possibly reporting bad weather from a farther distance than we can hear on hi-band VHF or even 800 mhz trunked.

I've also been told that several agencies here locally in the Shreveport area have abandoned the 39.?? mhz allocations as well. Most have even abandoned VHF and even the low-band UHF (400-512 mhz) frequencies for 800 mhz trunked. No one I know of here has a digital scanner capable of picking up the 700 mhz LATIE band, so no telling how many are "testing" there up here in N.W. La.

I could care less about the day-to-day police messages. I don't care to hear about drug bust as I'm not a "user", LOL! Now, fire calls, ems calls, and occasional "vice squad" bust peak my interest. I'm not going to jump into the F-150 and impede the fire personel from doing their job, nor would I hold up an ems unit from getting to or from an emergency. GOD BLESS everyone of them. But, I find it fascinating just to hear the calls go out, at fireground calls and even the patient's vitals being given. I never know the patient's name, but it doesn't matter, I keep them in my prayers though.

Still, with "Cycle 24" starting it's upward climb, there are a lot MORE interesting monitoring that should be coming up soon on low-band FM as the years pass. Hopefully, I'll be around to work a bunch of 10 meter and 6 meter contacts or even hear low-band business comms calling their service trucks.

Well, time for some "lunch" and maybe a nap.

Respectfully,
73,

Don/KA5LQJ

 

[KD5ZZK]

Long live VHF Low Band!

Back in the 1980's the state calling frequency of 39.50 Mhz was fun to monitor on a scanner. When conditions allowed, you could hear the whole state! This would cause 39.50 to get quite busy. It would turn onto a party line. This was not always a welcomed characteristic of low band FM for public safety use. I love it when 6 and 10 meter FM open up. Pileups trying to work you from across the country are challenging and fun. However, trying to call for back-up and having to wait for the frequency to clear would not be good. In addition, there is ALOT more RF pollution from wireless devices today than there was in the 1980's. QRM is worse on low band FM. Here in Baton Rouge we have a channel 2 TV station (WBRZ). It makes 6 meter FM almost useless here. I can't wait for the switch to digital TV in Feb '09. Hopefully, the noise floor will quiet down a bit on 6 meter FM.

 

[ka5lqj]

Now we're Talking, LOL!

Well,

Maybe if Ch.2 quiets down, we can all start using 6 meters and have FM repeaters in Baton Rouge, N'Awlins, Lafayette, Alexandria, and even down here in Shreveport. I'm not sure if the one in Monroe is still active. So far, I haven't been able to bring it "up" with the Icom 706MII-G. :-( Guess I need a quad to do so 'cause just the 100 watts isn't getting it with the half-wave whip.

It's MY understanding that the "change-over" will move all the VHF TV stations to UHF channels. So there won't be any VHF digital transmissions of TV stations. If this is true, as I understand, the F.C.C. is planning on auctioning off this empty space...but to whom? If the wireless ISP's plan on using these, it won't be long before someone figures out how to "decode" the digital transmissions and what folks think is "secure", won't be and you're information can be compromised. The "crooks" will just be able to monitor your wireless modem from a farther, safe distance, LOL! No more driving down the street with a laptop and wireless card to access someone else's I-Link.....Muhahahahahahahahaha! <evil laugh>.

I have better things to do than to do this. I'd rather be on 17, 12, 10 and 6 meters, "talking" than worry about what my neighbors are looking at on the Web. Probably porn, LOL!

Respectfully,
73,

Don/KA5LQJ

 

[red8]

I could remember back in the 70's when I started scanning as a hobby, that 39.5 was a busy channel. In fact when I worked at the Sheriff's Office back in 82, the deputies were allowed to have So radio in their personal cars. My radio was a Motorola 2 channel model that had 39.5 for F1 and the 39.54 dispatch F2. The radio came in handy when working extra duty. I remember some times switching over to 39.5 to listen to other agencies (i.e. KZO 353 ) Ascension Sheriff. To a lot of those small agencies, 39.5 was their main dispatch. And they could contact the nearest State Police Troop in case they needed to get a trooper to handle wreck. Some times I miss those good old days
red8

 

[KD5ZZK]

39.5 Mhz, the original Totally Interoperable Invironment

Here in Louisiana, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) has implemented the Louisiana Totally Interoperable Invironment (LATIE). This system is a trunked 700Mhz APCO 25 digital communications system. There are multiple permanent tower sites around the state as well as moble tower trailers that can be put up if a site goes down. The individual user's radio will "roam" this system as the user moves around the state. Different agencies across the state can talk on mutual talk groups anywhere in the state. This system is being hailed as a giant step forward with inter-agency communication short falls experienced in New York city (9/11 attacks) and in New Orleans (post Katrina).

"Now different agencies from across the the state can finally communicate with each other over a common radio channel." This statement was made by a GOHSEP spokesperson a few months ago. Hmm, didn't we already have this twenty-eight years ago with 39.5Mhz? Why did we get away from interopability? This is not a new concept. During the 1990's, Louisiana metro areas and the LA State Police moved to 800Mhz trunked. The suburban parishes and small towns went to 450-470Mhz UHF. The rural areas kept 39Mhz VHF low-band, or moved to 155Mhz VHF hi. Now it's back to basics, and maybe some good deals on used radio equipment at the state and parish auctions! How about a used VHF GE Master II for 2 meters?

 

[cajunjerry]

Rats........lol

One reason we got away from 39.5 is because of the skip factors..When the skip was right you could not talk, You could not repeat 39.5 either..Many other reasons/

Its kind of funny.I am orig.from Homer in Claiborne..Back in the day I could barely pick up cars in lincoln parish..Hear the disp just great..But when I moved to work in Mich..Some years I could hear all of La from there on 39.5

 

[ka5lqj]

Troll or Yoouper? LOL!

Jerry,

You still in Michigan? If so, you a "Troll" or "Yoouper"? LOL! Seems ashamed that 39.5 couldn't be used for SOMETHING. I'm thinking a digital network with radio transmissions being set up for particular "addressee's" or a general "net" message. If a radio could "hear" it and it wasn't addressed to that radio, the "traffic" just wouldn't 'decode' and the message would just "pass through" to be repeated on to another area. I'm not sure if this is what is called "packet", but I remember something like this on 2 meters. Messages were sent and repeated across the U.S. and you only "saw" the message if it was addressed directly to you.

If there ISN'T a system like this, there should be.

Many years ago, back in the daze of Class D. E.F. Johnson came out with a side accessory that could be used to "tone page" another unit and open up it's squelch to let a voice message get through. Otherwise, you and all the other units were "quiet". There was also an option for a "net page". Now, I don't remember just how many tones there were to "page" with, but it seems that you could use all 23 channels (at the time) and have each channel loaded with the all the tones(i.e. 6 tones X 23 = 138 units)

Now, I'm sure there are more ways to do this better, using a radio/computer's address to send these messages. And if I remember correctly, not TOO long ago there were ham radio manufacturer's wanting to encode the ham's call sign in the radio so it would ID in CW or subaudible when each radio transmission was made. I believe D-Star radio's do this now, so you can't "ker-chunk" their repeaters, LOL!

I'm not very smart, but I have smart friends. ;-)

GOD BLESS,
73,

Don/KA5LQJ

 

[cajunjerry]

rats....lol

Oh no..I've been back in La. now over 12 yrs and I work for http://www.paffordems.com
Im on Cullen FD and we still have 39.5 in some trucks....

 

[charlie12]

I could remember back in the 70's when I started scanning as a hobby, that 39.5 was a busy channel. In fact when I worked at the Sheriff's Office back in 82, the deputies were allowed to have So radio in their personal cars. My radio was a Motorola 2 channel model that had 39.5 for F1 and the 39.54 dispatch F2. The radio came in handy when working extra duty. I remember some times switching over to 39.5 to listen to other agencies (i.e. KZO 353 ) Ascension Sheriff. To a lot of those small agencies, 39.5 was their main dispatch. And they could contact the nearest State Police Troop in case they needed to get a trooper to handle wreck. Some times I miss those good old days
red8

And I bet when you were on 39.54 you hear KKC654 calling you. Too bad you didn't have a four channel radio so you could also have 39.4 & 39.88.

I used to have people from Central sub call me to find out what they were saying on F4

 

[ka5lqj]

Cullen FD ??

Oh no..I've been back in La. now over 12 yrs and I work for http://www.paffordems.com
I'm on Cullen FD and we still have 39.5 in some trucks....

Well now,

Cullen FD doesn't show up in the F.C.C. database that I've been searching, LOL! But then, mebbe it's listed differently. Sometimes an agency's transmitter location and where it's based out of are different:

WPFE-774 Evergreen VFD SHOWS Minden, but the repeater is located in Shongaloo, LOL!

Now, since Cullen still has 39.5 capability, do you ever hear any 'traffic' on it. All I hear are "tones". But then, I'm about a mile, mile & a half from Shreveport Communication's tower and their paging system.

Respectfully,
73,

Don/KA5LQJ

 

[cajunjerry]

rats....lol

No Cullen FD does not have its own frequency as of yet..I hear only mexican skip now on 39.5

 

[riccom]

Good evening from the lovely area of nola!

The lowband i remember was so active and the old 33 mhz fire band was really fun to minitor, being in arizona , i had got it all from kinnibunkport me, to i think virgina.

but the old low vhf was fun to listen to , now with advancements it has taken away alot for the hobby.

And jerry my friend, how are you, hopw all is well in my old stopming grounds of springhill!

 

[red8]

And I bet when you were on 39.54 you hear KKC654 calling you. Too bad you didn't have a four channel radio so you could also have 39.4 & 39.88.

I used to have people from Central sub call me to find out what they were saying on F4

I had in my car a Bearcat 250 scanner with the other 2 channels in it. Some the deputies that had those radios were indeed 4 channel. But me, all I could afford at the time was the 2. And yes the skip wopuld get bad at time that I could not talk because ouf Fairfax County, Cuyahoga County and Last and certainly not least Los Angeles County beaming in.

 

[bessiedawg]

Hello from Indiana ! I just happened to stumble onto your thread. I grew up in Illinois and listened to an old Bearcat as my first scanner. At that time, 39.50 was the common frequency for Illinois county agencies. Like you guys, it was great to listen to all surrounding agencies. But oftentimes we could very clearly hear skip traffic from Louisiana. Here I was a "Yankee" teenager listeniting to "Cajun" police radio. It was a whole new world. I recall Lake Charles seeming to be the strongest signal. I would get out a road atlas and try to match up the towns and road numbers that I heard.

We were also able to sometimes listen to traffic from California. CHP, but most often the Los Angeles County Sheriff with the beep tone that they used when mobiles were transmitting.

The 800 trunked systems are great, but i sometimes long for 39.5 !!!!

Happy New Years to all of you in the warm and friendly South !!!