What do you use to Monitor the Railroad ?

[Railham_CJ]

Last time i seen they had GE 12R in the loco that was stoped one that and with a long range lense i could see the radio .

 

[nickwilson159]

Last time i seen they had GE 12R in the loco that was stoped one that and with a long range lense i could see the radio .

I know that much, I'm just wondering if the digital variation has made any appearances yet.

 

[kevin2525]

My base station, I use my Uniden BC796D.
My mobile, I use my Icom 2200H.
My portable, I use my Radio Shack Pro-60.

 

[Railham_CJ]

I don't think they have came out with the digital version yet just the reg and the narrowband .

 

[timkilbride]

Motorola ones they sure do sound good. GE's one can be loud expecially being about 15 feet away from it with the loco idleing. Don't kow about the JEM radios. Now CSX has issed Kenwood Handhelds and Kenwood Mobile rados . they both sound real good and the big plus they have all the Railroad Channels from what i seen . So if ya get rolled to another sub then you can carry the radio with ya as it would work with the other subs with the older Motorola it would have to be reprogramed .

Having all 97 AAR channels is nice, but the standard 16 that comes with most Motorola handhelds has always been enough. The actual problem I have ran into, is the radio wasn't programmed right. We operate on a foreign railroad that uses CTCSS. Our "home" railroad cab radios are specially programmed with a "HOME" channel that has the correct CTCSS tone. If we go to the standard AAR channel they use, they won't hear us, we MUST use the HOME channel assigned to the foreign territory. So foreign engines can't talk to this railroad using CTCSS.

All of our handhelds have this foreign road frequency programmed in, but someone forgot to tell the shop they use CTCSS.

Tim K.

 

[timkilbride]

CSX has been replacing all of their radios with the GE 12R radios, which kills the rumor that CSX is jumping to digital right away since the GE radios will not do any digital operation. The JEM radios had some problems with the contact plate behind the DTMF keys (it was made of aluminum, so contact was poor - they are replacing these pieces with copper ones I'm told, eliminating the problem). I have seen quite a few DME/ICE units out here lately that have the new Ritron radios installed...funny enough, these units seem to have very frequent radio problems too (the signal is frequently incomprehensible - lots of crackling, static, and cutting in and out, even when the unit is 1000' away).

CSX has been installing Kenwood NX-700s in yard offices, MOW vehicles, you name it. Crews are being issued Kenwood NX-200s. Both radios are excellent and run circles around the Icoms they replaced - everyone I've talked to has been very impressed with them. Of course, with all the abuse conductors give them working on the ground, I doubt many of them will ever see digital operations before having to be replaced.

There is a "A/D" button on the radio. Is it for "Analog/Digital" or "Add/Delete"? It is disabled so I can't try it out, but some of the the Motorola Spectras have this "A/D" button too.

Tim K.

 

[ridgescan]

When I care to hear RR I fire up my trusty little BC350A which has absolutely fantastic reception quality. I get the Oakland yards quite comfortably from way out here in western SF. Carmen too. I run it through the AlphaDelta coax switch to one of the DJ130s. The rub is I get more action here than on my Pro2066 in the truck when we are actually in Jack London Square next to the yards!

 

[w2csx]

When I care to hear RR I fire up my trusty little BC350A which has absolutely fantastic reception quality. I get the Oakland yards quite comfortably from way out here in western SF. Carmen too. I run it through the AlphaDelta coax switch to one of the DJ130s. The rub is I get more action here than on my Pro2066 in the truck when we are actually in Jack London Square next to the yards!

I suspect the reason you have reception problem with your 2066 in your truck is caused by the glass-
mount antenna.

 

[Josh]

The A/D button switches between Analog and Digital (P25/IMBE) on the Astro Railroad Spectra.

It can be disabled via CPS, or if the radio is programmed improperly or isn't capable of digital (as most aren't) it also won't do anything.

 

[KC9LQV]

I have been experimenting and switching between a pair of Yaesu 1802Ms, a pair of Icom IC-2720Hs, and a 32 channel Maxtrac in the truck.

My portable has always been a Yaesu VX-170 with a Smiley 5/8 duck tuned to the RR band.

 

[ridgescan]

I suspect the reason you have reception problem with your 2066 in your truck is caused by the glass-
mount antenna.

Yeah I agree..I only get real distance on UHF with it. I am fixing to get a new one with hard contact but damm I hate to drill.

 

[w2csx]

I use a trunk mount. Mag mounts are ok also.

 

[ridgescan]

My problem is I have a Tacoma truck with a shell so the only options I have are drill, corner mount on the hood on driver side, or mag mount which I dont want to use because the steel on this truck is woefully thin and will ding with every mount of that magnet. I am content for now with the glassmount because chasing traincom isnt high on my priority list...I just love to eyeball them. I grew up in Itasca, Illinois 1 block from the Chicago west suburban mainline. I saw lots of action there, my favorite being the old F-series throttling up in a mean smoky fashion after stopping for passengers

 

[railrob]

Portables are bendix-king eph-5102A, BK LPH for the ratpack, Motorola HT-1250 and a Vertex P-924.
Truck has a Kenwood tk-730 & 830 with a pyramid x band repeater uhf in/vhf out + roof mounted 1/4 wave antennas.

 

[Bill1957]

CSX is installing G.E. 12rD digital radios that are fully digital and are compatible with NXDN/IDAS.

 

[radioman2001]

Working for a RR shop I have my choice. Motorola's Mototrbo analog and digital XPR 6550 w/GPS, XPR 4550 w/GPS, HT-1550ls, HT-1250, CDM-1550ls+,CDM-1250, Spectra Clean Cab Analog, some new Icom's F5061-F3161 analog and NXDN, GE MRK, MPA, GE Transportation 12-R clean cab and some new coach style using the AAR standard head, GE MASTR III base station, GE Orions, Vertex FTL-2011/99 chan, an older yeasu mobile I can't remember the model, Repco's and WABCO portables,and thank goodness only a few Aerotron Alpha's and Concepts. Way too many and too much to listen to, so I just monitor MTA PD N-1. They are really funny sometimes. Besides anything that happens gets put over PD.
As far as CSX and NXDN, don't expect them to be used for over the road channels anytime soon. They probably are being used for their yard repeaters.

 

[K4DHR]

It's interesting how many people use ham or commercial equipment for RR listening. I don't think there's any other service where there's that many people doing that.

I use my ham rig for monitoring simply because it is one (or more) less pieces of equipment in the car. It is also nice to have the ability to talk to some of my other fellow railfans that are also hams when we go out chasing trains.

I also use it for monitoring air band as well, although I have cut down on my listening quite a bit since I started working in ATC. I guess I can only stand so much of it at work!

Anyway, I use a Yaesu FT-7800 for monitoring in the car, and I have a RS Pro-84 for when I'm trackside or driving our other vehicle. I have a Motorola Maxtrac for monitoring 800MHz ATCS, I will probably get VHF Maxtrac or Spectra for ARES (used by BNSF) so I can free up my ham rig purely for listening.

 

[icom1020]

A lot of hams are into trains who consequently upgrade to commercial equp is the only answer I can think of. 2 that I know of are commercial or govt radio techs. 3 of us upgraded to MTS2000's and then further.

 

[Nasby]

Icom IC-V8 and Diamond RH77CA antenna.
I've tried em all, from Moto to Yeasu and nothing on the planet can beat this set up for portable use.

 

[trace1]

Well let's see, I have RR freqs (among others) in my BC2500XLT, BC350A, BCD396T, IC-V82, IC-2200H (1 for base & 1 for mobile), ID-800 (base), TM-741A (base).

Of course I'll have some either locked/unlocked, that way when one may be busy I'm still hearing the PS bands, etc. on others as I'm monitoring things happening in my area.