All summer and this fall I have been getting skip from NY city fire. I am located in south Jersery over 100 miles away according to google earth. I get it on every radio I have, portable with rubber duck antennas to my base sets. Queens dispatch loud and clear this morning on 154.400, usually ends mid morning(about 10 am this morning). Not sure if they were running a drill or if they actually had a serious structure fire. Question is, I have that frequency programed for my county(cumberland) but with a different PL (179.9), why am I able to receive them if the DB is correct showing there PL as 186.2 , Back in the summer I was also picking up Manhattan but only in the early morning hours.
Skip from FDNY
- Thread starter kennyloatman
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I was at Big Pocono State Park, 980 Camelback Rd Stroudsburg, PA last year. From The top of the mountain, I was hearing NY PD.
There signal is impressive, but my real question is how are they getting passed my PL tone. I am hearing them on 154.400 with a tone of 179.9 ?
MrAntiDigital
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Just as a point of interest, I used to pick up Cumberland County, NJ pretty regularly, on 154.43 MHz, on a skip in Eastern, Ct about 120 miles northeast of NYC. So that's about 220 miles away.
Kenny, what scanners are you using to monitor them? Some scanners, you may have to "close" the bank.
In the PRO-96/ 2096, if you want to listen to a freq with a specific PL/DPL tone only, the bank should be checked to "Closed" mode.
When you have it in "Open" mode, it will display any and all tones on that frequency, regardless if you set one to a specific PL/DPL or not.
In the PRO-96/ 2096, if you want to listen to a freq with a specific PL/DPL tone only, the bank should be checked to "Closed" mode.
When you have it in "Open" mode, it will display any and all tones on that frequency, regardless if you set one to a specific PL/DPL or not.
w2xq
Mentor
Simple answer is temperature inversion as the sun warms the atmosphere. Closer to the shore, signals up and down the coast can be day-long. Been here in Burlington County for four decades. Usually hear their FD best during spring and fall, but this summer was cool. Want an idea of propagation? See what NOAA NWS you can hear on the 162 MHz channels at various times of the day. I would expect you'll hear them from MD and VA too, perhaps even during mid-day. HTH.
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In the house I am receiving on a 796D with a Discone about 25 foot up on a chimney post. I do have it set to TONE SQ only and I still get bleed from them in the mornings. As a experiment, late afternoon yesterday I put it on TONE SEARCH. They started coming in loud and clear at a time when I wasn't otherwise getting them. The search did indicate a PL of 186.2, I also have that frequency programed in a Yaesu VX7R with the duckie antenna. Outside it does the same even though I have a PL of 179.9 set on 154.4
radioman2001
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Not that unusual, back in the 70's and early 80's before FDNY installed PL on their radios it was not uncommon to pick up Virginia Beach Fire breaking through their repeaters on the Bronx and Manhattan freqs, or the proper term mixer off system.
While down in VB I never did pick up FDNY but I am sure it was also common for them to hear FDNY all was needed was a good weather front to channel the signals up and down the coast. Still a common problem for a lot of New Jersey agencies using "T" band as they pick up Boston TV stations when the weather is just right blocking their signals.
While down in VB I never did pick up FDNY but I am sure it was also common for them to hear FDNY all was needed was a good weather front to channel the signals up and down the coast. Still a common problem for a lot of New Jersey agencies using "T" band as they pick up Boston TV stations when the weather is just right blocking their signals.
MrAntiDigital
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On a Fourth of July night while in Providence, R.I., I picked up FDNY Brooklyn, on 154.37 MHz (same as Providence then), while using a PORTABLE Scanner with a rubber duckie antenna. Both places were extremely busy on that night and it was almost impossible to follow the action on one or the other due to the huge amount of radio traffic going on.
Also on nights Philadelphia F.D. would interfere with FDNYs Brooklyn inbound repeater frequency. It was high band but I don't remember what frequency it was (same as FDNY Brooklyn inbound mixer frequency though). At times Brooklyn would tell their units to "Stand by - Philly has a multiple alarm fire". Also, I would sometimes hear Philly FD from Bridgeport, Ct.
Also on nights Philadelphia F.D. would interfere with FDNYs Brooklyn inbound repeater frequency. It was high band but I don't remember what frequency it was (same as FDNY Brooklyn inbound mixer frequency though). At times Brooklyn would tell their units to "Stand by - Philly has a multiple alarm fire". Also, I would sometimes hear Philly FD from Bridgeport, Ct.
Adam-14
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Although I've been reading RR for a number of years, this thread made me nostalgic and decided to join to post some information that may bring back memories for others.
Years ago, I had a Bearcat 250 and the big A/S MonR8 antenna on the roof. I had programmed the 5 FDNY VHF frequencies in it but never expected to ever hear anything on it, being that I am 160 air miles from NYC. One night as I was going to bed, 154.250 started making noise and then the other FDNY frequencies started coming alive. I couldn't believe my ears, so I grabbed the cassette recorder and recorded the weak but readable transmissions. It all started around midnight and ended withing an hour.
This thread made me dig out the cassette tape and play it back. The date was May 27 to 28, 1987.
I wrote down some of the dispatcher numbers, hoping this will bring back some fond memories for some out there.
Manhattan: 37 and 234
Brooklyn: 209
Bronx: 287
Queens: 160
These guys were amazing to listen to. Busy as heck and just so professional. Maybe some of those gentlemen are even here on RR??? I know Mr. Raffa is on here and maybe can comment too.
Thanks for listening to my story!!
Years ago, I had a Bearcat 250 and the big A/S MonR8 antenna on the roof. I had programmed the 5 FDNY VHF frequencies in it but never expected to ever hear anything on it, being that I am 160 air miles from NYC. One night as I was going to bed, 154.250 started making noise and then the other FDNY frequencies started coming alive. I couldn't believe my ears, so I grabbed the cassette recorder and recorded the weak but readable transmissions. It all started around midnight and ended withing an hour.
This thread made me dig out the cassette tape and play it back. The date was May 27 to 28, 1987.
I wrote down some of the dispatcher numbers, hoping this will bring back some fond memories for some out there.
Manhattan: 37 and 234
Brooklyn: 209
Bronx: 287
Queens: 160
These guys were amazing to listen to. Busy as heck and just so professional. Maybe some of those gentlemen are even here on RR??? I know Mr. Raffa is on here and maybe can comment too.
Thanks for listening to my story!!
MrAntiDigital
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Adam 14, I enjoyed reading your story. The dispatchers numbers, I don't know who they are BUT, I do remember Dispatcher "287" talking. he would end the dispatch message with just his number "2-8-7 at the time given. Example; "2-8-7-at 2-1-0-4.
Now here is the interesting point. just about two months ago I was on a web site Nycfire.net. a guy on there asked if anybody had any tapes from when he was a fire dispatcher. I believe he said his number was 287. So I posted on there just what I said here. how I remember him ending the message with 2-8-7. He was thankful for that.
"Adam 14" keep this in mind. I'm going to ask for Dispatcher 287 to get back to me. I can't remember who it was but he acknowledged that he was the guy. I'll give it a try and hopefully he'll come back on.
If I get any response, I'll get back to you.
By the way, F. Raffa is a good guy. he did me a big favor about three years ago that I didn't forget. he might know me as "NFD2004" or Bill D. (aka Willy D)
Now here is the interesting point. just about two months ago I was on a web site Nycfire.net. a guy on there asked if anybody had any tapes from when he was a fire dispatcher. I believe he said his number was 287. So I posted on there just what I said here. how I remember him ending the message with 2-8-7. He was thankful for that.
"Adam 14" keep this in mind. I'm going to ask for Dispatcher 287 to get back to me. I can't remember who it was but he acknowledged that he was the guy. I'll give it a try and hopefully he'll come back on.
If I get any response, I'll get back to you.
By the way, F. Raffa is a good guy. he did me a big favor about three years ago that I didn't forget. he might know me as "NFD2004" or Bill D. (aka Willy D)
MrAntiDigital
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"Adam-14", I'm sorry but after checking into it, the Bronx Dispatcher I was referring to is actually Dispatcher 1-8-7, not 2-8-7.
But Adam 14, thanks for telling your story. I enjoyed reading it.
And just as a side note, I live 120 miles from New York City. I would look forward to the summer months because that's when the FDNY skip came in the best. There were nights when I would sit in my car and be able to listen to it. Also there were some areas where I would sit and it would come in better than others.
If I was able to hear them in the day, generally speaking, that night I would be able to monitor them for hours. Only thing, getting up the next morning to go to work was pretty tough. I would also pick up my home town of Bridgeport Police and Fire ( PD 154.725/FD 153.77 ) some 75 miles away.
Of course the new Ultrahigh frequencies of the FDNY do not have the distance spread as the high band did. I loose them as soon as I reach the Connecticut/New York border on I-95. Maybe about 15-20 miles out. While the high band I could always pick them up in my car some 50-60 miles out.
I'm just very thankful that they did NOT go to digital and they looked into it before making any move.
Mr Antidigital, aka Willy D
Adam-14
Member
Mr. AD,
Thank you for your information too.
I listened to the tape again and heard one of the field units call a dispatcher "George" and I believe it was Dispatcher 160.
Too bad that was not 287 that you were in touch with on nycfire.net because I could have somehow provided some weak but readable transmissions to him.
The internet made things too easy for monitoring but just like listening to vinyl records, there is NOTHING like being able to receive distant signals on your own scanner - not just because of a band opening, but getting them direct by using the best coax, high antenna and sensitive but yet selective scanner.
Adam-14
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