Warrensburg
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n1das
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Wow, this thread sure brings back some memories from my early days of scanning. I grew up in Hanover NH and lived up on a hill with good exposure to the west and could hear WCSO on 154.725 using an old original Bearcat 210 scanner. I had a fairly straight shot from Hanover NH to Prospect Mtn in Lake George NY with only the Green Mountains in VT somewhat in the way. Signal strength wasn't great but I could find a hot spot in my bedroom and hear them good with the built in whip antenna. They really boomed in during band openings. This was back in the late 1970s and WCSO's callsign on 154.725 was KEC855, prior to KNED338. I noticed all units simply referred to the callsign when calling WCSO dispatch. It wasn't called "base" or "dispatch" etc. It was simply the callsign, KEC855. Routine traffic was something like "526 to KEC855, 10-8" etc. Last time I listened to them about 25 years ago they were using KNED338.
I've heard WCSO during band openings on the UNH campus in Durham, NH back in the '80s. I was living on campus in one of the high rise dorms at the time and on the 9th floor so I had great scanner coverage. I was listening on a Regency M400 scanner with nothing more than a whip antenna on the back of the scanner. I've also heard them atop Mt. Agamenticus ("Mount Aggy") in York, ME on the coast. Strafford County SO in NH is also on 154.725 and I would hear WCSO on the UNH campus during band openings.
I noted a few things about WCSO's repeater on 154.725 back in the 70s and 80s when the old KEC855 callsign was used. The repeater always had excellent repeat audio quality and probably transmitting 20K0F3E type emissions. The audio reproduction was superb and good enough that it would sound like simplex except for the repeater tail. The repeater input on 158.79 did not use CTCSS/PL, it was on CSQ with a 1750Hz tone burst required to initially bring the repeater up. The repeater hang time was about 4 seconds. The repeater didn't transmit any CTCSS/PL tone on the output. The repeater had a 1750Hz notch filter in the audio path which muted most of the 1750Hz tone burst. You could faintly hear the tone burst bleed through at the beginning of a unit's transmission. Given the repeater was on CSQ and required the tone burst to bring the repeater up, there were many times where legit WCSO traffic would bring the repeater on the air and then weak and distant traffic on the input (Kingston NY on 158.79) would hold the squelch open and keep the repeater on the air until that traffic was done. WCSO appeared to accept the behavior as normal and ignored it. I don't know when the repeater was finally replaced with a modern repeater and using PL127.3. Things have come a long way since the days of ancient Motorola Micor repeaters and CSQ w/tone burst access.
I also listened to WC highway dept's repeater on 154.980. I could hear them in Hanover NH similar to WCSO on 154.725. The highway dept repeater also used CSQ and 1750Hz tone burst for access. I noticed the CSQ threshold was set real tight and signals that were slightly weak and with mobile flutter on them sounded very choppy into the repeater as they popped the (tight) CSQ.
I could also hear WCFD on 33.90 and 154.175, just the base only from my location in Hanover NH. The same 1750Hz tone burst was used at the beginning of a transmission. Lakes Region Mutual Aid Fire in NH also uses 33.90.
Lots of old memories from my early scanning days.
I've heard WCSO during band openings on the UNH campus in Durham, NH back in the '80s. I was living on campus in one of the high rise dorms at the time and on the 9th floor so I had great scanner coverage. I was listening on a Regency M400 scanner with nothing more than a whip antenna on the back of the scanner. I've also heard them atop Mt. Agamenticus ("Mount Aggy") in York, ME on the coast. Strafford County SO in NH is also on 154.725 and I would hear WCSO on the UNH campus during band openings.
I noted a few things about WCSO's repeater on 154.725 back in the 70s and 80s when the old KEC855 callsign was used. The repeater always had excellent repeat audio quality and probably transmitting 20K0F3E type emissions. The audio reproduction was superb and good enough that it would sound like simplex except for the repeater tail. The repeater input on 158.79 did not use CTCSS/PL, it was on CSQ with a 1750Hz tone burst required to initially bring the repeater up. The repeater hang time was about 4 seconds. The repeater didn't transmit any CTCSS/PL tone on the output. The repeater had a 1750Hz notch filter in the audio path which muted most of the 1750Hz tone burst. You could faintly hear the tone burst bleed through at the beginning of a unit's transmission. Given the repeater was on CSQ and required the tone burst to bring the repeater up, there were many times where legit WCSO traffic would bring the repeater on the air and then weak and distant traffic on the input (Kingston NY on 158.79) would hold the squelch open and keep the repeater on the air until that traffic was done. WCSO appeared to accept the behavior as normal and ignored it. I don't know when the repeater was finally replaced with a modern repeater and using PL127.3. Things have come a long way since the days of ancient Motorola Micor repeaters and CSQ w/tone burst access.
I also listened to WC highway dept's repeater on 154.980. I could hear them in Hanover NH similar to WCSO on 154.725. The highway dept repeater also used CSQ and 1750Hz tone burst for access. I noticed the CSQ threshold was set real tight and signals that were slightly weak and with mobile flutter on them sounded very choppy into the repeater as they popped the (tight) CSQ.
I could also hear WCFD on 33.90 and 154.175, just the base only from my location in Hanover NH. The same 1750Hz tone burst was used at the beginning of a transmission. Lakes Region Mutual Aid Fire in NH also uses 33.90.
Lots of old memories from my early scanning days.
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FallenAnjel
Member
I was up in warrnesburg and stony creek a few years ago in august and my gosh was it beautiful. it was in the 40's that night too. In august. My friend and I visited a friend of hers and he lives on the edge of state land in the "North Country" as he called it. (Off State's road in Stony creek). Cell service was almost non existent since we were in the mountains. but everyone had wifi. it was worth it tho. Have a great time.
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