Wis State Patrol-Low Band Use

[bc780l]

Any activity on the old DSP Low Band frequencies? They're still licensed, but are they still installed for use on the consoles and occasionally used?

39.4600
42.0400
42.1400
42.2200
42.3800
45.8600

 

[sgtmatt]

I don't belive the State Patrol has used Low Band in quite some time.

 

[MADScan]

When did they use them last?

 

[bc780l]

Likely years and years ago, but licenses are still active. The 39Mhz feq for low band point-to-point has been dead, all the others, but the scales still used the 45MHz freq for a while. I was just wondering if there's any equipment left in use at all. Many counties around the state still use some low-band freqs, however, mostly for municipal traffic.

 

[k9rzz]

I've heard nothing locally from Milwaukee in the 42mhz range while scanning for E skip.

 

[JT-112]

IIRC, the transition from the 42.22 (mobile) and 42.38 (base) was done in the early 80s.

 

[RevGary]

A number of State Police/Patrol posts in Missouri, North Carolina and California are using 42.380 in a number of their regional zones. (I was also going to mention that Massachusetts is also using the frequency, but who wants to listen to the Kennedy's getting arrested for DUI's?)

I just programmed 42.380 in the PRO2021 and heard a Springfield, MO. State Patrol base distatching a 10-50 response to a cruiser out on Interstate 44. The FCC database shows an ERP for that transmitter of 15,000 watts... yup - not a misprint: 15,000 watts. No wonder I heard them "very well".

 

[OpSec]

Any activity on the old DSP Low Band frequencies? They're still licensed, but are they still installed for use on the consoles and occasionally used?

39.4600
42.0400
42.1400
42.2200
42.3800
45.8600

Nope...dead. I think DOC may still have one or two lowband channels that are used, but with all those Moto Type II 800 TRS' going in, those days are numbered (if not dead already).

Personally, I'd love to use lowband yet...it's an under-appreciated band.

 

[bc780l]

Yep, VHF-Lo is a great band for the right use--and doesn't need umpteen towers in line-of-sight of each other ... A few counties still use it, primarily for local gov't and fire, but they're few and far between. Yes, DOC still has several in use--even hand helds--and they're not going away too awfully soon--mostly for transport services. Thanks for the final verdict, tho.

 

[RevGary]

The American Red Cross frequencies of:

Channel 01 = 47.420 Primary-Red
Channel 02 = 47.500 Secondary-Black
Channel 03 = 47.460 Alternate-Tan
Channel 04 = 47.660 Backup-Yellow
Channel 05 = 47.540 Tactical 1-Orange
Channel 06 = 47.620 Tactical 2-Blue
Channel 07 = 47.580 Tactical 3-Purple


...are used nationwide during major Disaster Services Team responses. It is not uncommon for a 100 watt Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) mobile to communicate with another 100 watt ERV 40 to 70 miles away where power is out and no cell towers are still operating. Try THAT with 800 Mhz. simplex.

 

[bc780l]

We're getting off topic now (but that's now a closed issue), but thanks for the channelization for Red Cross--I didn't have all of those. Do you know about their UHF channels, i.e.:
453.4250
453.4750
453.5250
453.5750
451.1000
456.1000
including their +5 counterparts (some have been used locally for ground teams) as well as the HF-USB channels 2081 3070 5135 5140 6858 7549 7697. Any information as to real use of these?

 

[RevGary]

The only ones that are licensed for nationwide itinerant responses that we have used in the past are not on your list but are: 464.5000 and 464.5500 and the offsets (plus others that are rarely used) - under callsign WPME641. UHF has range issues in devastation areas compared to low band VHF. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

47.5000 is the frequency of choice while set up in natural disaster areas because of the good reliability for coordination of services with our command posts and staging areas up to 60 miles away.