Which Radio to Monitor HOT / EOT / DPU at Same Time?

[PoorInRichfield]

I'm a newbie to radios, so please be patient if my questions are dumb

With ATCS going away soon, I'm looking for a "Plan B" to detect if there are trains approaching as I happen to live near two rail lines. I'm aware that some of the railroad web cams I watch, (like this one at Slinger, WI) detect the presence of a train by listening for the HOT / EOT / DPU frequencies and then display an indicator on the video that a train is near. The HOT / EOT / DPU frequencies are 6 different frequencies according to RadioReference.com .

I have an SDR and a Baofeng UV-5R, but clearly neither are up to the task. With the SDR and an app like SDRSharp, it can only listen to one of the 6 frequencies at a time which isn't all that helpful. I've found that I can detect the EOT device if the train has a FRED and it's using the same frequency my SDR is listening to, but since a train is often miles long, the head of the train is usually past my location by the time my SDR picks-up the EOT. Listening for the HOT or DPU and the EOT would be more helpful.

What kind of radio is used to accomplish listening to all 6 frequencies at once?

 

[AK9R]

I think that listening to all 6 of those frequencies would be overkill.

Listen to the EOTD on 457.9375 MHz and the HOTD on 452.9375 MHz. Not every train has DPUs.

Just put those two frequencies in a scan list and monitor away. And, if you find yourself near a rail yard where several locomotives are sitting around, be prepared to lock out the HOTD frequency as their repetitive squawking will drive you nuts.

 

[PoorInRichfield]

I think that listening to all 6 of those frequencies would be overkill.

In the limited experimentation I did with my SDR that can only handle 1 frequency at a time, I ran into the following issues when just listening to a single EOT frequency:

• The approaching train was using the other EOT signal that my SDR wasn't listening to, so it didn't detect the train.
• There was no EOT on the train at all as the DPU was the EOT, hence listening to the DPU frequencies are necessary since I don't know if a train has a DPU or not, or if the DPU is at the end of the train or not.
• The HOT signals were very infrequent compared to the EOT signals. However, if I want to increase my odds of beating a train to the tracks before it arrives, it'd be helpful to detect the HOT signal if there is one as that signal is likely to be picked-up before the EOT on a long train.

 

[nickwilson159]

The scan function would solve your dilemma, and is what most other railfans use in lieu of multiple receivers being parked on every frequency.

 

[BinaryMode]

Yeah, you'll want to use the frequency scanner in SDR# (sharp).

List of SDRSharp Plugins

There are a number of SDRSharp plugins that extend its functionality. Here is a collection of all the plugins and download links that I could find. With modern SDR# installing a plugin is usually a simple matter of copying the plugin files to a subfolder within the SDR# Plugins folder. SDR#...

www.rtl-sdr.com

 

[N9JIG]

Perhaps a simpler method would be to get an inexpensive scanner like the BC125AT or SR30C. Put the 6 data (EOT/HPT, DPU) channels in a scan bank with no Delay set. This would allow you to rapidly scan them for activity. Leave the local Road channels with a delay, as they are going to tell you more about the movements in the area.

The EOT/HOT and DPU channels will only let you know *something* is in the area, it could be a stationary train in a yard, a train coming towards you or moving away from you.

 

[PoorInRichfield]

The EOT/HOT and DPU channels will only let you know *something* is in the area, it could be a stationary train in a yard, a train coming towards you or moving away from you.

Yeah, these channels certainly don't help detect train direction or that the train is even moving, but once ATCS goes dark, "something is better than nothing".

 

[chrismol1]

If you have an SDR and are only listening to data burps for activity, that will tell you something, but you can get a lot more with a decoder program with that SDR with EOT/HOT/DPU decoding software such as SoftEOT that will decode the signal to tell what is the brake pipe pressure, if the EOT is moving motion status, and a rough signal strength and more with DPU data using SoftDPU.

 

[Mikejo]

Best rail fan scanners right now are the unit in scanners both the

At this time, in my opinion:​

BCD260DN base scanner, or the​

BCD160DN hand held.​

 

[Mikejo]

Best rail fan scanners right now are the unit in scanners both the

At this time, in my opinion:​

BCD260DN base scanner, or the​

BCD160DN hand held.​

Correction, not “unit“ but “uniden“

 

[wa8pyr]

I think that listening to all 6 of those frequencies would be overkill.

Listen to the EOTD on 457.9375 MHz and the HOTD on 452.9375 MHz. Not every train has DPUs.

Actually.... Not every train has an EOT either. If there's a DPU on the tail end of the train, it's also sending brake pipe information back to the head end in place of an EOT, in addition to serving as DPU.

I remember getting caught by surprise not hearing any EOT when a train came out of nowhere. Took a couple of surprises before I figured out what was going on and started monitoring the DPU frequencies also; solved that problem.

So you really need to monitor all six.

 

[wwhitby]

What kind of radio is used to accomplish listening to all 6 frequencies at once?

Almost any scanner will work to scan those six UHF frequencies. And since there's only six, it should scan quickly.

I actually use a Kenwood TK-3180 when I'm out trackside.

 

[AK9R]

Seems like an application for a dual-band amateur radio handheld that has dual receive. Put the 6 HOTD/EOTD/DPU freqs in one scan list and scan them on one "side" of the radio while scanning the applicable VHF voice frequencies on the other "side" of the radio.