Thp

[dustinoboy]

I travel through Tennessee once a month, or so. Every time I program the THP frequencies in my scanner but hear nothing. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks & God bless,
dustinoboy

 

[ButchGone]

They're pretty quiet. Besides, all you'll hear THP dispatch say is "10-4," or "tag comes back negative." It's like listening to paint dry! If you want to hear activity in the areas you travel program the county's police/fire/ems systems. Of course if there's anything major on a highway going on the locals will be hopping.
BG..

 

[dustinoboy]

Thanks BG. It is my understanding that the mobile units cannot be heard anyway unless you are close to the officer. Is this correct?

 

[n4yek]

Thanks BG. It is my understanding that the mobile units cannot be heard anyway unless you are close to the officer. Is this correct?

Not correct, depending on what part of the state you are in depends on where you can hear them.
In the eastern part of the state, you can hear the mobile reply to dispatch on 72 MHz links, some other parts of the state use UHF.
Go down to the fixed relay's section of this link and you will see the freqs you can hear them reply to dispatch:
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=641
Take care.

 

[cpsTN]

Not correct, depending on what part of the state you are in depends on where you can hear them.
In the eastern part of the state, you can hear the mobile reply to dispatch on 72 MHz links, some other parts of the state use UHF.
Go down to the fixed relay's section of this link and you will see the freqs you can hear them reply to dispatch:
Highway Patrol (THP) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference
Take care.

Davidson Co (Metro Nashville) and the surrounding counties use the 42MHz area. Nashville is digital Trunked and my scanner (PRO-164) can't receive it. Listening to the THP help me get through an accident on I-24 on the way home the other day, so they are breathing.

 

[Viper43]

You sure they are breathing? 3 days in Cumberland Co. and I didn't hear a peep on the THP channels on 4 different radios. I heard everything else though, even USFS.

V

 

[cpsTN]

You sure they are breathing? 3 days in Cumberland Co. and I didn't hear a peep on the THP channels on 4 different radios. I heard everything else though, even USFS.

V

Breathing, but asleep?

 

[BoxAlarm187]

As a former Virginia State Police dispatcher, I find this pretty intriguing. Is there that little activity for THP to be involved in, are they using MDT's, or is there some other reason that we could go three DAYS without hearing something from them? Are they using the local PD or SO for some of their traffic?

 

[W4EMS]

They are busy but all of the other is correct. In mid TN they are using MDT's for majority of traffic. They use local LE freq's to interop in their zone & to coordinate accident response. They use lo band simplex for most on air traffic which makes hearing mobiles tenuous at best. However, since they use a lot of remote bases you can listen for the ones that use links in the VHF range and 70 MHz range. Unfortunately for us as listeners several of the links have gone to hardline or microwave.

I still hear fair amount of traffic from bases to mobiles but do not hear mobiles unless within 1-2 miles.
They occasionally use lo-band and VHF repeaters, usually during events (Bonaroo) or pursuits.

Good news is they will migrate to the new 700-800 statewide system in time. Probably several years yet to complete but growing in east TN.

I have heard the statewide link in Murfreesboro at MTSU and it sounds really good just limited range.

 

[Viper43]

As a former Virginia State Police dispatcher, I find this pretty intriguing. Is there that little activity for THP to be involved in, are they using MDT's, or is there some other reason that we could go three DAYS without hearing something from them? Are they using the local PD or SO for some of their traffic?

lol, I'm thinking they aren't doing anything. In those three days I saw 1 trooper and that was on 127 about 10 miles South of the Kentucky line I believe. He was watching Southbound traffic.

V

 

[jimg]

They are busy but all of the other is correct. In mid TN they are using MDT's for majority of traffic. They use local LE freq's to interop in their zone & to coordinate accident response. They use lo band simplex for most on air traffic which makes hearing mobiles tenuous at best. However, since they use a lot of remote bases you can listen for the ones that use links in the VHF range and 70 MHz range. Unfortunately for us as listeners several of the links have gone to hardline or microwave.

I still hear fair amount of traffic from bases to mobiles but do not hear mobiles unless within 1-2 miles.
They occasionally use lo-band and VHF repeaters, usually during events (Bonaroo) or pursuits.

Good news is they will migrate to the new 700-800 statewide system in time. Probably several years yet to complete but growing in east TN.

I have heard the statewide link in Murfreesboro at MTSU and it sounds really good just limited range.

On 6/20/10 I posted a question asking if THP was on the TVRTS, as I had been told that some of the THP cars in the Chattanooga district had the new radios installed. Any idea what the frequencies or talkgroup numbers are or will be?

 

[3381]

I'm new here and know pretty much nothing about scanners. I think my question belongs in this thread rather than a new one... I have a very good friend thats a Trooper in Rutherford County and I would love to hear the radio traffic that doesn't go through the MDTs. As I'm in Hamilton County, is it possible? My understanding is that they are currently still on low band (all the new cars also have the new radios too). Doesn't Low Band have a really long range? I'm listening to Rutherford County SO because they don't work ANY injury crashes or hit and runs so I know THP is responding to those calls but it would be nice to hear what THP traffic there is. Thanks!

 

[jimg]

I'm new here and know pretty much nothing about scanners. I think my question belongs in this thread rather than a new one... I have a very good friend thats a Trooper in Rutherford County and I would love to hear the radio traffic that doesn't go through the MDTs. As I'm in Hamilton County, is it possible? My understanding is that they are currently still on low band (all the new cars also have the new radios too). Doesn't Low Band have a really long range? I'm listening to Rutherford County SO because they don't work ANY injury crashes or hit and runs so I know THP is responding to those calls but it would be nice to hear what THP traffic there is. Thanks!

Rutherford Co.is in the Nashville THP district, #3. The dispatch frequency is 42.36 mhz and the cars also transmit on this frequency, which then goes through a relay/repeater back to the dispatcher in Nashville, which I think is now on microwave. I don't know of any way you would be able to hear them in Hamilton Co. In fact, you would need to be within a couple of miles to hear the cars transmit back to the post in Nashville.

 

[W4EMS]

I concur. Even though the cars run high RF output it seems you must be within a couple miles to hear the mobile side. The Rutherford county remote pick-up used to be the way to listen to mobiles but as jimg said it is either microwave or hard line now. I live in an adjacent county and even with an outside antenna hearing the mobiles is chancy at best. Ask your friend if he ever uses the VHF repeater. You would likely be able to hear it if you can hear Rutherford SO which surprises me you can hear them.

 

[motorola_otaku]

The reason you guys aren't hearing much is twofold: many/most scanner antennas aren't up to the task of VHF low-band reception, and the scanners themselves don't have real great sensitivity down on low-band. The Radio Shack 20-032 is a decent performer for low-band but even it can't hold a candle to a 1/4-wave whip cut to 42 MHz. Pretty much everything else out there (including the Laird/Antenex and PCTEL Maxrad "wide band monitor" antennas) is garbage as far as low-band is concerned.

I travel through Chattanooga/Knoxville up 75/40/81 twice a year. One year I did it with a Motorola Syntor X9000 programmed with THP receive and a Larsen NMO50 antenna. I heard plenty of activity, including the mobiles from several miles out. The difference between that and a Bearcat 780 with a Maxrad scanner antenna was.. well, night and day (the scanner heard nothing mobile and would only hear post/base communications within maybe a mile of the tower.)

If you're monitoring from a base station, I highly recommend buying or building a low-band ground plane or half-wave dipole antenna. If you're monitoring mobile you have more options: a commercial low-band base load antenna (tuning isn't critical, just get one for the 42-54 MHz portion of the band), the Radio Shack mag-mount previously mentioned, or even a CB antenna in a pinch. Then go through your scanners and see which one works best. You may find that older conventional scanners will outperform newer models on low-band. And finally, if you're serious about being able to listen look into getting a commercial radio to scan with. It doesn't have to be Motorola either; a Kenwood TK-6110 will work light years better than any scanner made, and the necessary programming hardware and software isn't hard to come by.

 

[jimg]

The reason you guys aren't hearing much is twofold: many/most scanner antennas aren't up to the task of VHF low-band reception, and the scanners themselves don't have real great sensitivity down on low-band. The Radio Shack 20-032 is a decent performer for low-band but even it can't hold a candle to a 1/4-wave whip cut to 42 MHz. Pretty much everything else out there (including the Laird/Antenex and PCTEL Maxrad "wide band monitor" antennas) is garbage as far as low-band is concerned.

I travel through Chattanooga/Knoxville up 75/40/81 twice a year. One year I did it with a Motorola Syntor X9000 programmed with THP receive and a Larsen NMO50 antenna. I heard plenty of activity, including the mobiles from several miles out. The difference between that and a Bearcat 780 with a Maxrad scanner antenna was.. well, night and day (the scanner heard nothing mobile and would only hear post/base communications within maybe a mile of the tower.)

If you're monitoring from a base station, I highly recommend buying or building a low-band ground plane or half-wave dipole antenna. If you're monitoring mobile you have more options: a commercial low-band base load antenna (tuning isn't critical, just get one for the 42-54 MHz portion of the band), the Radio Shack mag-mount previously mentioned, or even a CB antenna in a pinch. Then go through your scanners and see which one works best. You may find that older conventional scanners will outperform newer models on low-band. And finally, if you're serious about being able to listen look into getting a commercial radio to scan with. It doesn't have to be Motorola either; a Kenwood TK-6110 will work light years better than any scanner made, and the necessary programming hardware and software isn't hard to come by.

It is true that you must have a long whip to receive THP on low-band, especially the cars. I've tried several antennas and the one that works the best for me is a 47" whip I have mounted on a Maxrad no-load base.