What agency is on 453.525 MHz

Status
Not open for further replies.

dragon48

Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
Messages
462
Location
Boynton Beach, Florida
Listening from Manhattan 01:20 UTC.

Sounds like some kind of highway patrol. I heard somebody mention mile marker 16 and described a car that had just passed. Not a lot of voice traffic, but I also heard two instances of one party reading off a license plate and the other giving out information about the registrant.

I've heard the term, "New York," as part of an identifier a few times.

Does anybody know what highway the officer was referring to? Regarding mile marker 16, I'm curious as to how far away of a transmission I picked up.
 

dragon48

Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
Messages
462
Location
Boynton Beach, Florida
453.525 is NY State Thruway.


Mile marker 16 is Harriman. I drew a straight line on Google maps from my apartment to the destination and it's a little more than 39 miles. Is it believable that I indeed picked up a State Trooper near mile marker 16, that far away? I'm listening on my Baofeng UV-5R, with a Nagoya 15.6 inch antenna.
 

GTR8000

NY/NJ Database Guy
Database Admin
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
15,412
Location
BEE00
Please look in the database, @k2hz provided you with a direct link to the NYS Thruway page. They operate on a vast network of linked repeaters that span literally the entire NYS Thruway from NYC to Buffalo and all points in between. The transmitters alternate between 453.425 and 453.525 along the entire stretch of roadway. They've been on those frequencies for nearly 50 years now. You are picking up a transmitter in Westchester, probably Yonkers. So no, you're not hearing the trooper "direct" from Harriman. Listen for a little while and it will become abundantly obvious that you are listening to a repeated system.
 

Disp46

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 2, 2007
Messages
94
Does anyone else have a sinking feeling reading questions of this nature and seeing UV-5R in the same subject? I'd feel much more comfortable seeing Uniden or Whistler. Like all of us, we all started from scratch and were mentored by other peers in the hobby, but not with a transmitter capable of transmitting on any frequency in two bands.
 

dragon48

Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
Messages
462
Location
Boynton Beach, Florida
Does anyone else have a sinking feeling reading questions of this nature and seeing UV-5R in the same subject? I'd feel much more comfortable seeing Uniden or Whistler. Like all of us, we all started from scratch and were mentored by other peers in the hobby, but not with a transmitter capable of transmitting on any frequency in two bands.

I was hesitant about mentioning my radio in the thread, for fear of offending somebody or causing controversy. I’m not inviting a long thread about the legality and ethics of using the UV-5R – there are enough topics about this. I’m just writing to address the last poster:

A while back, I was talking to somebody on FRS and expressed disappointment with my Midland “bubble pack” pair. He suggested the Baofeng UV-5R and told me about the CHIRP programming software, so I picked up a pair.

I’ve been very happy with the transmit and receive range, as well as all of the features. I’ve only transmitted on FRS and MURS. I’m not going to be transmitting on a police or ambulance frequency, or doing anything else stupid and dangerous with the radios, and nobody who would consider doing such things will ever be in possession of them.

@Disp46, I hope that my reply has done something to alleviate your “sinking feeling,” and that you have a good day. 😊
 

vagrant

ker-muhj-uhn
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 19, 2005
Messages
3,149
Location
California
In before the thread is locked!

dragon48, before others knee jerk and grind away...that Baofeng is not certified for use on FRS, MURS and GMRS. Also, it puts out more power and has a detachable antenna. Many people do not realize this, so you are not alone. Even if you turn down the power, it would not comply.

Ultimately, radio is about not being a jerk. Taking turns using a busy frequency and not causing interference with others. Also, as children are often using and listening on those frequencies, language is key. I encourage you to get an amateur or GMRS license and join in on the fun with the correct radio. It will also be educational.

Also, people forget that at one time they did not know what a repeater was and would have been curious as you were. Clearly you realized something was peculiar and asked. Unfortunately some were not kind in their response, or lack the ability to recognize your familiarity level and provide an informative response.
 
Joined
Apr 13, 2005
Messages
789
Location
Northwest Bergen County, NJ
Listening from Manhattan 01:20 UTC.

Sounds like some kind of highway patrol. I heard somebody mention mile marker 16 and described a car that had just passed. Not a lot of voice traffic, but I also heard two instances of one party reading off a license plate and the other giving out information about the registrant.

I've heard the term, "New York," as part of an identifier a few times.

Does anybody know what highway the officer was referring to? Regarding mile marker 16, I'm curious as to how far away of a transmission I picked up.
You are most likely hearing the repeater located here (Elmsford, NY - antenna tip @ 626 feet above sea level):

 

seagravebuff60

Well Known MRRS Hater
Feed Provider
Joined
Jun 11, 2016
Messages
853
Location
New York State
Mile marker 16 is Harriman. I drew a straight line on Google maps from my apartment to the destination and it's a little more than 39 miles. Is it believable that I indeed picked up a State Trooper near mile marker 16, that far away?

Mile Marker 16 Is in South Nyack Just after you cross Tapan Zee Bridge into Rockland County. Exit 16 Is Rt 6/17 up in Harriman. There's a difference. The exits are not mile marker based. If you heard a trooper at Mile Marker 16 they were in South Nyack, not Harriman. And South Nyack is in the middle of 2 repeaters Spring Valley and Tarrytown.
 

k2hz

Member
Database Admin
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Messages
1,812
Location
Rochester, NY
Mile Marker 16 Is in South Nyack Just after you cross Tapan Zee Bridge into Rockland County. Exit 16 Is Rt 6/17 up in Harriman. There's a difference. The exits are not mile marker based. If you heard a trooper at Mile Marker 16 they were in South Nyack, not Harriman. And South Nyack is in the middle of 2 repeaters Spring Valley and Tarrytown.
It is also worth noting that, regardless of which repeater the unit is near, all transmissions are relayed on every repeater in the zone. Listening to a Zone 1 (New York Division) repeater, you will hear all activity between Yonkers and New Paltz. The repeaters are on either 453.425 or 453.525 with the same traffic on both frequencies so you only need to monitor the frequency of the nearest repeater. All Thruway zones are like this on the same frequency pair but with 97.4PL for Zones 1 & 3 and 123.0PL for Zones 2 & 4.
 
Joined
Apr 13, 2005
Messages
789
Location
Northwest Bergen County, NJ
Mile Marker 16 Is in South Nyack Just after you cross Tapan Zee Bridge into Rockland County. Exit 16 Is Rt 6/17 up in Harriman. There's a difference. The exits are not mile marker based. If you heard a trooper at Mile Marker 16 they were in South Nyack, not Harriman. And South Nyack is in the middle of 2 repeaters Spring Valley and Tarrytown.
FCC records do not show a repeater in Spring Valley. The toll plaza has been removed. Last time I was through there, the tower that used to be at the toll plaza is gone. I believe that area is covered by the Tarrytown repeater. Next repeater up is in Harriman.
 

GTR8000

NY/NJ Database Guy
Database Admin
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
15,412
Location
BEE00
FCC records do not show a repeater in Spring Valley. The toll plaza has been removed. Last time I was through there, the tower that used to be at the toll plaza is gone. I believe that area is covered by the Tarrytown repeater. Next repeater up is in Harriman.
The repeater in Spring Valley is still licensed under KRA529, in fact it was updated back in 2017, as well as a repeater added at the Sloatsburg rest area under the same license. There are also repeaters licensed under WQMB370 in Hillburn and Tuxedo.

Covering the entire length of the Thruway from the bridge up to the Harriman toll using only two repeaters on each extreme end of that stretch is not happening. There used to be a repeater in Mahwah as well, but it appears that has been decommissioned and split between Hillburn and Sloatsburg. That repeater was removed from KRA529 in 2017 when the Spring Valley toll repeater was updated.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Apr 13, 2005
Messages
789
Location
Northwest Bergen County, NJ
The repeater in Spring Valley is still licensed under KRA529, in fact it was updated back in 2017, as well as a repeater added at the Sloatsburg rest area under the same license. There are also repeaters licensed under WQMB370 in Hillburn and Tuxedo.

Covering the entire length of the Thruway from the bridge up to the Harriman toll using only two repeaters on each extreme end of that stretch is not happening. There used to be a repeater in Mahwah as well, but it appears that has been decommissioned and split between Hillburn and Sloatsburg. That repeater was removed from KRA529 in 2017 when the Spring Valley toll repeater was updated.
Interesting as I receive absolutely no heterodyne at all in northern Bergen County when listening to them. I would suspect if Tarrytown, Spring Valley, Sloatsburg, Hillburn, and Tuxedo were all simulcasting, I'd be hearing heterodyne in a least a few spots around the area. Is there some sort of selection process based upon which repeater is receiving mobiles the best?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top