Will, whom I have know for some 40 years now, had a similar career path to my own. He was a police officer/detective in suburban Chicago and retired a few years before I did. We talk on the phone daily these days and have swapped war stories often as cops are want to do. We have had many similar experiences, and I have heard these stories from him more than once.
He was (and is still) well known as a “Radio Guy” not only within his own community but all around the area. As such he had received many calls to assist in radio interference issues or when an offender is caught with radios, and they need assistance determining who the bad guy was trying to listen to. Here are a few of his stories from over the years:
A Public (Works) Organ:
In around 2001 his towns Public Works Department could not hear their radios over a strong dead carrier, centering on a very large golf course subdivision. They used a VHF High-Band channel with no PL (Carrier Squelch) at the time. They soon asked Will for help. He had a BC780XLT in his detective car, a VHF portable with the PW channel as well as a PRO43 in his duty bag. He and a friend found the house and was certain it was that particular house due to being able to hear the offending carrier with no antenna at full strength on the handheld.
He knocked on the door and identified himself. The residents denied any part in the interference. He was allowed in to find the offending device and he followed the signal strength to an electronic organ that was turned off. He found a device plugged into the organ that connected the organ wirelessly to the home’s intercom system. When he asked the resident to turn off the power to the device the interference disappeared. He asked the homeowner to contact a service/repair guy, and they reluctantly agreed.
A couple days later the interference reappeared. Will went back to the home and knocked again. This time the wife was home and was asked to turn off the wireless connection device. She was not particularly cooperative and would not do anything without the husband being there.
The police chief lived a few houses down and Will asked him for assistance (It was a small town…). The Chief said he would take care of the problem. Five minutes later the interference disappeared again and never returned. Apparently, the Chief made an impression.
Fire Apartment:
One of the local fire departments asked for Wills help on a constant carrier on the local fire channel, 154.250 (CS) in a large apartment complex (about 28 buildings of 24 apartments each). It caused interference so bad that when the local FD pulled into the complex (which was often) they couldn't hear dispatch or even each other. Will eventually figured out that the buildings old Master TV antenna system with amplifiers, roof antennas splitters etc., was left connected and plugged in when the complex reused the existing coax cables to connect to cable TV. Apparently one or more had gone bad causing a wideband signal to be transmitted. He had to go to each building and unplug the old amplifiers; many were still connected to antennas on the roof, some were even hot-tarred to the roof!
The DVD Blues:
Another nearby fire department had a problem with a constant carrier on the output of their repeater (153.635, PL 146.2) that even had the matching PL! They too called Will and asked for help. He, along with local police detectives, a fire department Lieutenant and an FCC investigator soon found the house with the offending device less than a block away from the fire station. The grandma answering the door didn't speak a lick of English, luckily, she got in touch with her grandson who was on his way home. He soon arrived stunned to see all these officials in his driveway and street.
They went upstairs and discovered it was coming from his bedroom. He was asked if there was anything new electronic in the house. It turns out it was a DVD player, not turned on but plugged into the television and the cable TV line. When unplugged the interference went away. He was advised by the FCC investigator to return it to the store as defective.
Drunk and Disorderly:
Harassment of local female police officers on the police radio was an issue some years ago in still another nearby town. Their dispatch center contacted Will; he was able to locate the offender following these female officers around town and making cat-calls on the police frequency at them. This went on for quite a long time. As luck would have it Will happened to see the offender with an HT in his hand at the same time the cat-calls were going on.
Will had followed the female officers for several hours, who were instructed to become very active in order to draw out the offender. The tactical unit followed them all in unmarked cars. After Will observed him, they stopped the 23-year-old offender. Several other Patrol vehicles arrived to assist, that made for a terrific show of force. It turns out the offender was the son of a local village official who took Daddy's radio out in a drunken episode of idiocy. The radio had both the police and local government channels in it. He was charged with Obstructing a Police Officer and Malicious Conduct and perhaps DUI (Time affected memories) and they sent a copy of the report to the FCC. The radio was denuded of police frequencies and returned to the village official.
These are just a few of the instances where a “Radio Guy” on a small police department comes in handy. There are more but they are not as interesting.
He was (and is still) well known as a “Radio Guy” not only within his own community but all around the area. As such he had received many calls to assist in radio interference issues or when an offender is caught with radios, and they need assistance determining who the bad guy was trying to listen to. Here are a few of his stories from over the years:
A Public (Works) Organ:
In around 2001 his towns Public Works Department could not hear their radios over a strong dead carrier, centering on a very large golf course subdivision. They used a VHF High-Band channel with no PL (Carrier Squelch) at the time. They soon asked Will for help. He had a BC780XLT in his detective car, a VHF portable with the PW channel as well as a PRO43 in his duty bag. He and a friend found the house and was certain it was that particular house due to being able to hear the offending carrier with no antenna at full strength on the handheld.
He knocked on the door and identified himself. The residents denied any part in the interference. He was allowed in to find the offending device and he followed the signal strength to an electronic organ that was turned off. He found a device plugged into the organ that connected the organ wirelessly to the home’s intercom system. When he asked the resident to turn off the power to the device the interference disappeared. He asked the homeowner to contact a service/repair guy, and they reluctantly agreed.
A couple days later the interference reappeared. Will went back to the home and knocked again. This time the wife was home and was asked to turn off the wireless connection device. She was not particularly cooperative and would not do anything without the husband being there.
The police chief lived a few houses down and Will asked him for assistance (It was a small town…). The Chief said he would take care of the problem. Five minutes later the interference disappeared again and never returned. Apparently, the Chief made an impression.
Fire Apartment:
One of the local fire departments asked for Wills help on a constant carrier on the local fire channel, 154.250 (CS) in a large apartment complex (about 28 buildings of 24 apartments each). It caused interference so bad that when the local FD pulled into the complex (which was often) they couldn't hear dispatch or even each other. Will eventually figured out that the buildings old Master TV antenna system with amplifiers, roof antennas splitters etc., was left connected and plugged in when the complex reused the existing coax cables to connect to cable TV. Apparently one or more had gone bad causing a wideband signal to be transmitted. He had to go to each building and unplug the old amplifiers; many were still connected to antennas on the roof, some were even hot-tarred to the roof!
The DVD Blues:
Another nearby fire department had a problem with a constant carrier on the output of their repeater (153.635, PL 146.2) that even had the matching PL! They too called Will and asked for help. He, along with local police detectives, a fire department Lieutenant and an FCC investigator soon found the house with the offending device less than a block away from the fire station. The grandma answering the door didn't speak a lick of English, luckily, she got in touch with her grandson who was on his way home. He soon arrived stunned to see all these officials in his driveway and street.
They went upstairs and discovered it was coming from his bedroom. He was asked if there was anything new electronic in the house. It turns out it was a DVD player, not turned on but plugged into the television and the cable TV line. When unplugged the interference went away. He was advised by the FCC investigator to return it to the store as defective.
Drunk and Disorderly:
Harassment of local female police officers on the police radio was an issue some years ago in still another nearby town. Their dispatch center contacted Will; he was able to locate the offender following these female officers around town and making cat-calls on the police frequency at them. This went on for quite a long time. As luck would have it Will happened to see the offender with an HT in his hand at the same time the cat-calls were going on.
Will had followed the female officers for several hours, who were instructed to become very active in order to draw out the offender. The tactical unit followed them all in unmarked cars. After Will observed him, they stopped the 23-year-old offender. Several other Patrol vehicles arrived to assist, that made for a terrific show of force. It turns out the offender was the son of a local village official who took Daddy's radio out in a drunken episode of idiocy. The radio had both the police and local government channels in it. He was charged with Obstructing a Police Officer and Malicious Conduct and perhaps DUI (Time affected memories) and they sent a copy of the report to the FCC. The radio was denuded of police frequencies and returned to the village official.
These are just a few of the instances where a “Radio Guy” on a small police department comes in handy. There are more but they are not as interesting.
