Tornado's Touchdown in Dexter Area, Massive Damage Reported

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W2GLD

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One or several tornado's have touched down in the Dexter area around 17:30pm EST...

Multiple damage reports, possible natural gas explosions, etc. are reported.

Radio traffic being carried on the Washtenaw Simulcast system, MPSCS Site 222.

G-EVENT14

81INTEROP4

81INTEROP5
 

Jay911

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You can definitely tell the difference between analog comms and (what I think is) MPSCS on the Washtenaw feed - it sounds like the digital comms are failing badly, at least coming in to the scanner.

Heard someone talking about a landing zone a moment ago. People actually consider taking helicopters up in this mess? I hope after the danger is long past!

Warnings all over the place on the other side of the border. Everybody keep your heads down over there!
 

W2GLD

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You can definitely tell the difference between analog comms and (what I think is) MPSCS on the Washtenaw feed - it sounds like the digital comms are failing badly, at least coming in to the scanner.

Heard someone talking about a landing zone a moment ago. People actually consider taking helicopters up in this mess? I hope after the danger is long past!

Warnings all over the place on the other side of the border. Everybody keep your heads down over there!

Washtenaw is a tough system to monitor with a scanner as is just about EVERY simulcast system. I'm not sure who is hosting the feed, but they may need to use a directional antenna and the ATT function in order to remove some of the choppiness.

That said, certainly analog ALWAYS sounds better, especially over the web. I wish we could stay analog but the powers that be are forcing us all into the digital world...

As for the choppers, they we flying in behind the storm; cool news footage with some good lightning and storm shots.
 

krokus

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The LZ was for the Survival Flight helicopter. The media helicopters were buzzing around the area, obviously, focusing on the areas with the most damage.

I was in the staging area, and looked up to see a helicopter landing somewhere north of me. I asked the HVA supervisor who was, 10 feet from me, if it was Survival Flight, which he confirmed. (This was earlier in the event, when they were expecting to find severe injuries in the collapses.)
 

krokus

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I'm not sure how many feeds there are, but one of them is provided by a buddy. We have been trying to figure out how to stabilize the signal.

He has tried stock antenna, 800 antenna, directional antenna pointed in various directions, and various attenuators. It's still a work in progress. (He has tried pointing the antenna directly at various towers, and even away from towers.)
 

krokus

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I know it's a bit late now, but comms between the CP and staging ended up on Interop3. Interops4 & 5 ended up being used by the units out on a mission, from the staging area.

When I left the station, I had left my scanner behind, and didn't take the time to ask any troopers or checking with my handheld, to see where they were operating. (I'm guessing, now, it was Event14.)

I am hearing traffic on Event14, right now. It is law enforcement traffic, for the affected area. I am hearing Washtenaw County Sheriff units, state police units, and the command post.
 

kd8ati

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I'm not sure how many feeds there are, but one of them is provided by a buddy. We have been trying to figure out how to stabilize the signal.

He has tried stock antenna, 800 antenna, directional antenna pointed in various directions, and various attenuators. It's still a work in progress. (He has tried pointing the antenna directly at various towers, and even away from towers.)

At the risk of going off topic I will post this anyways. When Washtenaw switched from Analog to Digital, I am likely one very few that benefited from this change. I am close enough to the closest tower to be able to pick it up with very little problems, but far enough away to eliminate most if not all multi-pathing issues, normally associated with simulcast systems.

Krokus you mentioned your buddy streams one of the 2 feeds for that area. If your buddy is a amateur radio op that is streaming the fire & police for the county then he is the one I gave that county to, to stream. I use to stream the old analog system, in addition to Wayne County. However back when they were analog, I was to far away to get any kind of stable strong signal, so I released that area to him.

Don't feel bad though. I can not get the Detroit simulcast system to save my life, and I live near 9 Mile rd and Woodward Ave. It is painfully sad that I can monitor a system 45 minutes from me with little problem (on a 800mhz rubber duck even!), but I can not monitor a system less then 5 minutes away. I do think the scanner manufactures still have a lot of research to do, to try and get this multi-pathing issue resolved, now more then ever since so many counties / areas are switching over to simulcast systems.
 

nodak1crdet3

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Heard someone talking about a landing zone a moment ago. People actually consider taking helicopters up in this mess? I hope after the danger is long past!

That was REDBIRD. It's the TV chopper for CH 2, 4, & 7. Each station used to have their own choppers a while back. Now they share REDBIRD, N36CC (Was ex FOX 2 N102FX. EUROCOPTER AS 350 B2). He was trying to find the American Legion Hall on the north side of town to land there & pick up an Emergency Manager so he could get a look at the damage from the air before it got to dark. I was listening to REDBIRD's LMS Base on 450.4125, (I couldn't hear REDBIRD answer, to low) & watching the same Live shots on all 3 stations. This helo is all red with all 3 station logo's on each side of the helo.

There is also a traffic helo N2BQ that can also shoot video. That helo is a Bell 206B Jet Ranger. I don't recall if he was up during that time. Normally he does the afternoon traffic from 4pm till about 5:30pm.
 

rdale

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EVENT14 continues to carry traffic from the Dexter area ops.
 
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