Saying "over" at the end of a transmission

[LocalScanner45]

I have a question about a frequency that I discovered recently. I've been monitoring it the past few days but really haven't heard enough to figure out who or what it might be, but this particular frequency is operating in DMR mode and is infrequently used. When they are done transmitting they'll say "over" I know what this means but I've never heard it used on a DMR frequency before. I've only heard this used in analog mode on Amateur radio and railroads.

I've looked through the FCC licenses which revealed only two possible users for this frequency. The other possibilities are too far away from my location. The first possibility is a church that only puts out 4 watts of power with no repeater on this frequency but it's licensed for analog emissions only. The other possibility is a school district that puts out 40 watts of power with a repeater. Keep in mind that I'm several miles from the church, to give you an idea it's definitely more than 5 miles.

I understand it's proper radio etiquette but personally speaking I have never heard a school or church say "over" at the end of their transmission which brings me to the question I want to ask all of you. Have you ever heard a school or church say "over" at the end of their transmission? Who or what do you think I'm hearing?

~ LocalScanner45 ~

 

[mlindler]

Who are your two possible stations? What city as well.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Have you ever heard a school or church say "over" at the end of their transmission? Who or what do you think I'm hearing?

It's impossible to determine the licensee solely by their use of "over" to end a transmission. Concentrate more on what is discussed if you want to narrow down possibilities. Also what days & timeframes is the frequency most active? I'd assume there'd be a lot of activity on Sunday if it's a church but picking up a 4 watt ERP user is highly unlikely from 5-6 miles, may be real scratchy at best from 1 mile away. Listen to the frequency with no digital mode/code set. Do you hear a callsign ID? If yes then this is when it pays to know some morse code (at least the trailing digits) to help you nail down a licensee for sure. Good luck!

 

[LocalScanner45]

It's impossible to determine the licensee solely by their use of "over" to end a transmission. Concentrate more on what is discussed if you want to narrow down possibilities. Also what days & timeframes is the frequency most active? I'd assume there'd be a lot of activity on Sunday if it's a church but 4 watts ERP is a stretch from 5-6 miles away. Listen to the frequency with no digital mode/code set. Does the repeater ID itself? If yes then this is when it pays to know some morse code (at least the trailing digits) to help you nail down a licensee for sure. Good luck!

Whiskey3JMC,

The only reason I say that about the use of "over" at the end of a transmission is because I've never heard it used by a school or church before plus I've never heard it used on DMR. I do listen out for keywords that might be able to help me identify the user, but as far as what's being discussed, not a whole lot has been heard, matter of fact the only thing I have heard is someone mention an office then I heard someone say that their radio or radio battery was dying and they had to go get a new one. On Friday, someone pushed the PTT button three times but didn't say anything by the way all this activity occurred last week.. I haven't heard anything so far this week. I would say it's probably active Monday through Friday because I usually hear it middle to late week anywhere from Wednesday to Friday from 11:30 am to 12 pm but also heard a little bit of chatter nearing 5 PM as well. But from what I can tell, the activity seems to stop after 5 PM. Knowing my two possibilities, I did monitor the frequency during church service hours on Wednesday and Sunday but heard absolutely nothing. I would definitely say 4 watts would be a stretch because I'm way more than 5 miles away, I just don't see how it could be possible. I do not hear it ID-ing itself like what you would hear from amateur radio if that's what your talking about, but I do hear something that sounds like short data bursts followed by a longer data burst after a few minutes if that makes sense. All the activity seems to stop either before or right at 5 PM, once activity stops it returns back to doing the data bursts followed by the longer data bursts until the next time it's used. However, the church doesn't have a data emission listed on their license but the school district does.

 

[ten13]

. Have you ever heard a school or church say "over" at the end of their transmission?

What would you expect them to say: "Amen"?

 

[a417]

I've heard it used by schools and such who "think they had to", because that's what they did 40 years ago on the chicken band in their pee-paws pick up truck. It has nothing to do with the protocol/modulation being used, it's the user.

To each, their own.

 

[WeldGuy]

Back in the CB days, a heated discussion was taking pace over the use of the "Roger Beep."
One ol' timer chimed in, "I figure when you all quit talkin' it's my turn."

 

[LocalScanner45]

Who are your two possible stations? What city as well.

mlindler,
to answer your question the two stations are WQYV287 and WQGR449. The city is Anderson.

 

[ind224]

 

[dave3825]

It only lets me select one, so


and

 

[TomLine]

Saying "over" is handy when your signal noise ratio is poor or background noise is bad. Imagine a radio operator in a battle trying to manage multiple callers with bombs and gun fire going off. I find it handy in a group of talkers to just say their call sign at the end to help others keep track of who's turn it is.

 

[KevinC]

Saying "over" is handy when your signal noise ratio is poor or background noise is bad. Imagine a radio operator in a battle trying to manage multiple callers with bombs and gun fire going off. I find it handy in a group of talkers to just say their call sign at the end to help others keep track of who's turn it is.

I find saying over (or some equivalent) more appropriate on digital. With no static you sometimes can’t tell when the other person is done talking. I get that a lot on analog to digital PS conversions.

 

[TomLine]

I find saying over (or some equivalent) more appropriate on digital. With no static you sometimes can’t tell when the other person is done talking. I get that a lot on analog to digital PS conversions.

On modern phone systems they added white noise because the silence was annoying and confusing.

 

[wtp]

NYCFD

K

 

[LocalScanner45]

Saying "over" is handy when your signal noise ratio is poor or background noise is bad.

I find it handy in a group of talkers to just say their call sign at the end to help others keep track of who's turn it is.

Yes I agree! These are two very good points. Thanks for your feedback, TomLine.

 

[LocalScanner45]

I find saying over (or some equivalent) more appropriate on digital. With no static you sometimes can’t tell when the other person is done talking.

I agree with you on that! Appreciate your feedback, KevinC.

 

[mmckenna]

The only reason I say that about the use of "over" at the end of a transmission is because I've never heard it used by a school or church before plus I've never heard it used on DMR.

I have a few hundred radios at work. I've also got a package that I rent out to groups that don't have their own radios.

It's —very— common to hear users say "over". It's not because it needs to be done. It doesn't have anything to do with a school or church. It doesn't have anything to do with DMR.

It has everything to do with them mimicking what they see on TV/movies.

It's just something that some users think they are required to do, simply because "someone else did it".
You can incite it by getting on the radio, sounding official, and then saying "over" at the end. Suddenly everyone feels like they are supposed to do it. Then you just sit back, listen and enjoy.

I would definitely say 4 watts would be a stretch because I'm way more than 5 miles away, I just don't see how it could be possible.

Distance doesn't mean quite as much as antenna location, topology and how good the antennas are on the the radios (including yours).

There is absolutely NOT a "miles per watt" thing involved here.

I do not hear it ID-ing itself like what you would hear from amateur radio if that's what your talking about, but I do hear something that sounds like short data bursts followed by a longer data burst after a few minutes if that makes sense. All the activity seems to stop either before or right at 5 PM, once activity stops it returns back to doing the data bursts followed by the longer data bursts until the next time it's used. However, the church doesn't have a data emission listed on their license but the school district does.

There's a number of things that can cause that. Could be trunking, could be beaconing, could be short data transmissions.

Also, a lot of churches do a lot of activities other than on Sundays. Some churches are very active with other activities.

Also, don't put all your faith in the FCC database. It is not at all uncommon for those with long expired licenses to suddenly decide they want to use radios again and just assume that it's OK to use the same frequencies.

There are shops that don't bother with licensing.

There may be users licensed "statewide", multiple counties, etc.

And then there are those that randomly pick a channel and start using it. Those are the type that cannot even spell FCC, never mind understand the requirement for licenses, frequency coordination, etc. Thanks to e-Bay, Amazon and the flood of Cheap Chinese Radios, there are those that assume that licensing isn't required because "we bought it on Amazon", or "The company out of China told us it was OK".

In other words, you may not get a correct answer from here. You may have to spend some time listening and hope someone says something that gives them away.

 

[LocalScanner45]

I have a few hundred radios at work. I've also got a package that I rent out to groups that don't have their own radios.

It's —very— common to hear users say "over". It's not because it needs to be done. It doesn't have anything to do with a school or church. It doesn't have anything to do with DMR.

It has everything to do with them mimicking what they see on TV/movies.

It's just something that some users think they are required to do, simply because "someone else did it".
You can incite it by getting on the radio, sounding official, and then saying "over" at the end. Suddenly everyone feels like they are supposed to do it. Then you just sit back, listen and enjoy.



Distance doesn't mean quite as much as antenna location, topology and how good the antennas are on the the radios (including yours).

There is absolutely NOT a "miles per watt" thing involved here.




There's a number of things that can cause that. Could be trunking, could be beaconing, could be short data transmissions.

Also, a lot of churches do a lot of activities other than on Sundays. Some churches are very active with other activities.

Also, don't put all your faith in the FCC database. It is not at all uncommon for those with long expired licenses to suddenly decide they want to use radios again and just assume that it's OK to use the same frequencies.

There are shops that don't bother with licensing.

There may be users licensed "statewide", multiple counties, etc.

And then there are those that randomly pick a channel and start using it. Those are the type that cannot even spell FCC, never mind understand the requirement for licenses, frequency coordination, etc. Thanks to e-Bay, Amazon and the flood of Cheap Chinese Radios, there are those that assume that licensing isn't required because "we bought it on Amazon", or "The company out of China told us it was OK".

In other words, you may not get a correct answer from here. You may have to spend some time listening and hope someone says something that gives them away.

mmckenna,

You're absolutely right and everything you said makes sense. I appreciate helpful, honest answers like this. I'll keep listening to see if I can figure out who it is, hopefully they will give themselves away eventually.

 

[tvengr]

The word "Over" is commonly used in military radio communications. That means your present transmission is completed and you are waiting for a reply. "Out" means you are finished transmitting. "Roger" is a confirmation that you received a message. If someone asks you to take an action, "Wilco" means will comply. I previously worked in emergency radio communications and we were trained by an army signal officer.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

NYCFD

K

It's FDNY...TEN FOUAH