Skip is back!!!!

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Chris52

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I’ve been hearing a lot of other state PD’s and FD’s I heard the FDNY on 154.1900 early this morning!


I just love low band skip. It brings back such fond memories of a time when low band ruled...a time just about lost. Memories of warm weather, sweet corn on the cob, real red garden fresh tomatoes, ripe sweet watermelon, mounting better and better antennas on the roof of the house to see how much further you could hear, Motorola Micor and Mitrek radios (Mitrek being the best radio ever made!) in those police cars with great audio that is almost non-existent today, Systems 90 scan heads, full 1/4 wave ball & spring mount antennas, troopers and sheriffs cruising the long state roads with awesome low band coverage, hilltops and towers with low band antennas on them, scanners that could hear low band stations for hundreds of miles across the state, strong distant skip voices from other parts of the country with funny accents, even the rate of fading going up and down on the signal like great waves ionosphrere power brings back such joyful feelings. Remember how strapping the audio was back in the 70's? Remember those intersystem frequencies like 39.280 and how all the Sheriffs cars in the state had that channel and would talk to one another? Remember how you could hear just about any state when the band was open, and how you were trying to figure out what state you were hearing during those monster openings??? It was a glorious time for radio. A time almost gone and forgotten. A time of QUALITY radios and robust audio (long gone). A time when it didn't cost billions of dollars for a good sounding and effective radio system!

Once they got away from those stylish looking crystal radio designs, and went to "black box" synth radios, it all started to change. Audio quality went downhill, noise blankers did not work as well, and everyone started moving to higher bands that required more tower sites due to lower range. Car to car range dropped dramatically. Intersystem channels went by the wayside. It just was never as good! How I wish we could go back. Maybe plan better frequency reuse, but bring back those radio designs with stylish looks and strapping audio. Bring back the quality we once had! Does anyone else miss that???
 

NYCRADIO

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154.190 is bronx and staten island fd wow pretty cool you heard that pretty big skip lol
 

brian13pickle

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Ahh memories of sitting out on a warm summer evening,listening to my first low band Bearcat III scanner. 39.44mhz and picking up Los Angeles P.D. or the Cuban cab Co,Another thing I miss is when the police officers would key up their mic,s and make funny comments or noises.Ahh the good old dazes.
 

The_B_Chief

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Chris52, I love your post and feel the same way when I hear skip. I didn't grow up in Maryland but I live here now. It was the same way where I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa. It's sad to hear all this digital stuff out there. I grew up in the fire department as both my dad and grandfather were firemen. Part of the romance and appeal to the job was a great sounding radio and a awesome dispatcher that knew his job, his area, and how his services operated. They always addded their own twist to it that made it even better. Great post Chris.
 

baybum

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Been picking up some great skip for the last hour on low band....33, 39, 42, 45Mhz.
42.580 is very strong....
Sounds like mostly Texas.

Chris, you are right on the money!
Back in the early-mid 70's, I had the old Lafayette scanner going, picking up L.A. county from Hyattsville...Had a coat hangar sticking out the back of the radio. Mom yelling up the stairs, "does that thing have to be so loud?"

I'd love to have those old days back, for alot of reasons.

OK, gotta go. I hope we have more Fresca in the fridge. Is that Jiffy-Pop I hear?
 
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talkpair

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Mom yelling up the stairs, "does that thing have to be so loud?"

My mother didn't ask questions.........she said "Turn it down NOW ! ! !"

Scanner users today are spoiled with repeaters....Anyone who scanned 30 years ago had to seek better antennas, better coax, and better location to monitor simplex communications...........Repeaters were pretty much unheard of around here, except on the newly opened UHF band.

Anyone that has stayed in the hobby this long most likely has a favorite antenna amongst numerous antennas purchased over the years.

I still have my Antenna Specialists MONR-31 that is probably 35 years old (at least), and still performs very well....No other antenna in my antenna-arsenal does the low-band justice.

The Missouri Highway Patrol is still on low band using a half-duplex operation....Because the car-to-car chit chat happens on the dispatch side of the channel pair, or the car-to-car channel, some interesting conversations can be heard. I seriously doubt these conversations would even take place (over the air) if they knew they were overheard at the console, or went through a repeater.

.......Motorola Micor and Mitrek radios (Mitrek being the best radio ever made!) in those police cars with great audio that is almost non-existent today,..............

Don't forget the Mocom 70....... probably one of the most serviceable radios made....The output from the stock speaker seems 10 times greater than anything made today...........Mom should be thankful I didn't have a Mocom 70 !
 
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