Issue 40 - Scanner Digest Newsletter

Transcription

Issue 40 - Scanner Digest Newsletter
ISSUE 40
APR-MAY-JUNE-JULY 2007
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PRODUCT REVIEW - UNIDEN BCD396T
NJ SHORE BEACH FREQUENCIES
COMM PROFILE - CHESTER CO. PA
INTRODUCTION TO E.M.W.I.N.
ATLANTIC CITY BEACHFRONT AIR SHOW
forecasts, and other products issued by the National
Weather Service.
2. A suite of methods to obtain this data feed and display
the products on your personal computer.
Two of the methods for obtaining the EMWIN feed are
direct satellite broadcast and repeat radio broadcast.
With direct satellite, you receive the EMWIN feed directly
from one of the satellites broadcasting the signal. With
repeat radio, you get the feed from a repeat broadcast
(usually VHF), which comes from an existing direct satellite
receive site.
Note: If you want to get the EMWIN feed by repeat radio,
you must be within range (usually 10-50 miles) of a repeat
broadcast from an existing direct satellite receive site. A list
of these sites can be found on the Radio Broadcast Areas
page of this web site.
To use the direct satellite or repeat radio method, you will
need special hardware to receive the EMWIN feed. You
can learn more about the hardware by contacting one or
more of the EMWIN vendors listed on the Commercial
Vendors page.
You will also need special software for storing, managing,
and displaying the products on your computer. Many
hardware vendors offer complete 'turnkey' systems that
include software.
Litchfield New Hampshire fire training courtesy John Bolduc.
GENERAL EDITOR
Jeff Newton
c/o Scanner Digest
POB 207 Jamison PA 18929
[email protected]
Basic Introduction to EMWIN
The Emergency Managers Weather Information Network -EMWIN -- is a service that allows users to obtain weather
forecasts, warnings, and other information directly from the
National Weather Service (NWS) in almost real time.
EMWIN is intended to be used primarily by emergency
managers and public safety officials who need timely
weather information to make critical decisions.
However, anyone with a personal computer running
Windows can be an EMWIN user.
EMWIN basically consists of two things:
1. A round-the-clock data feed of current weather
warnings, watches, and images from NESDIS, advisories,
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
If you don't want to buy the broadcast hardware, the
program by itself provides a couple of methods for
obtaining the EMWIN feed directly over the Internet . One
of these methods is called Internet push, because it
automatically 'pushes' a continuous stream of data across
your internet connection into your PC. This method is only
a few seconds slower than the satellite or radio broadcast
methods. The other internet method uses the File Transfer
Protocol -- or FTP. Also known as Internet pull, this
method allows you to request -- or 'pull' -- a large block (13 hours worth) of data at one time and have it sent to you
in a compressed file for further processing by software.
Both of these methods are available with the program. All
you need is software and a dial-up connection to the
internet. You don't need a Web browser to use either of
these methods.
GO HERE to download a FREE 30-day trial version of the
WeatherNode program -- TEST with the 'push' software
already included and ready to install. NOTE: The Internet is
not always available. .
Another form of Internet pull allows you to access and
display the EMWIN data directly on the Web without using
any special hardware or software. All you need is a dial-up
connection to the Internet and your Web browser software.
PAGE 1
This method is called the Interactive Weather Information
Network, or IWIN.
Finally, for links to information about other commercial
software applications, including RealEMWIN and Digital
Atmosphere, click here.
And Remember: Once you have paid for the initial
hardware and software you need to start using the EMWIN
service, there are no additional fees or recurring charges.
The NWS forecasts, warnings, and other data you receive
from this service are FREE, and you may do anything you
want with them.
--------------------------------------------COMMERICAL EMWIN Vendors
The NWS uses radio, satellite and Internet broadcasts for
disseminating the EMWIN data stream. RECEPTION and
REPEATING of all broadcasts requires specialized
equipment or software, available commercially (some for
FREE). The following vendors supply general off-the-shelf
hardware or specialized equipment useful for receiving,
rebroadcasting, and using EMWIN data.
Note: a listing here does not imply any particular
endorsement by the NWS disclaimer as a function or
suitability for your purpose of environment.
Weather Message
WWW home page: Weather Message
Offers specialized software to decode and process
National Weather Service messages. This software can be
used to provide weather information and storm alerts to
local governmental agencies, schools, and private groups.
Group2call
WWW home page: Group2call
Group2call is a voice and message broadcast service that
allows users to send voice, email or SMS messages to any
phone for an affordable cost. The service will interface
with Weather Message software and allow users to send
text products (warnings, forecasts etc.) to phones, cell
phones, SMS devices and email. The service can use
automated text to speech conversion to automatically call
your telephone devices and deliver warnings using speech.
The Emergency Email Network
"A Public Private Partnership"
10151 Deerwood Park Blvd. 200-250
Jacksonville, FL 32256
(904) 371-3217
(208) 730-6219 (fax)
WWW home page: Emergency Email Network
Public service E-mail Delivery of Weather Warnings and
Alerts on a county by county basis from IWIN and EMWIN
data streams. Available to the public at large. Also provides
other emergency data source delivery from other
government sources.
Free - You can set up to email your computer, or alert your
pager, PDA, or cell phone.
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
Storm Alert Inc
InterWARN software download here
Interwarn is a state of the art program that handles all your
weather related needs. InterWARN turns any Internet
connection or EMWIN feed into your own automated
personal wire service for National Weather Service
watches, warnings, and statements
Zephyrus Electronics, Ltd 171 S. 122 E. Avenue
Tulsa, OK 74128-2405
(918) 437-3333 Fax:(918)438-7322
Contact: Ed Covington or Robert Hale
WWW home page: Zephyrus
WWW e-mail: Zephyrus
EMWIN Hardware and Software. Complete EMWIN
solutions. Manufacturer of GOES EMWIN/WEFAX earth
station systems with automatic switching between two
satellites. EMWIN retransmission processors for wire
distribution or VHF broadcast. Frequency agile VHF
receivers for high speed satellite and radio use of EMWIN.
Allows for live weather data stream into your PC via
satellite and radio
RealEMWIN
Skywatch Weather Services
WWW home page: Skywatch/EMWIN
WWW e-mail: RealEMWIN
EMWIN Software. EMWIN Internet Data broadcasting and
receiving software,
Software packages for free Automatic paging of
Weatherproducts
to your pager from your own computer systems,
mailing lists & services
Tigertronics
400 Daily Lane
P.O. Box 5210
Grants Pass, Oregon 97527
(541) 474-6700
(541) 474-6703 (fax)
WWW home page: Tigertronics
WWW e-mail: Tigertronics
EMWIN hardware. EMWIN Modulators and Demodulators
for Satellite and Radio Broadcasts.
SKYLERT
(615) 260-0193
WWW home page: SKYLERT
WWW e-mail: SKYLERT
SKYLERT is a public service e-mail delivery system of
Weather Warnings and Alerts of up to 20 counties
anywhere in the United States from NOAAPORT, IWIN,
and EMWIN data streams.
Weather Graphics Technologies Inc.
P.O. Box 450211
Garland, TX 75045
(888) 388-0070
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(405) 573-0700
(972) 495-6848 (fax)
WWW home page: Weather Graphics
WWW e-mail: Weather Graphics
EMWIN Hardware and Software. Latest version of
DIGITAL ATMOSPHERE software. Graphical weather
display applications for EMWIN. Turnkey hardwaresoftware packages
for receiving, displaying, and use of EMWIN. World Wide
Maps and features.
Weathertrac.com
GeosTech, Inc.
307 Clinton Avenue, Suite 120
Huntsville, AL 35801
(770) 557-3000
WWW home page: Weathertrac
WWW e-mail: Weathertrac
The ULTIMATE Wx Software Archive: Weathertrac
EMWIN Software. Live Weather Information and EMWIN
monitoring via Webcast. Home of 'The Ultimate Wx
Software Archive' Free weather information from around
the world via EMWIN satellite broadcast in graphical
format. Sign up to receive FREE weather forecast,
warning, and other NWS products daily or as issued via
email or pager. Weathertrac.com hosts the 'Ultimate
Weather Software Archive' - all downloads reviewed, rated,
and validated monthly.
Texas 2-Way
200 West Expressway 83
San Juan, TX 78589
(956) 702-2481
(956) 702-3684 (fax)
WWW home page: Texas 2-Way
EMWIN decoders and recievers, and custom coputer
products.
Alert Technologies, Corp.
Suite 670
1910 Madison Ave.
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 794-3933
WWW e-mail: Alert Technologies
EMWIN, EAS, SAME and AFOS equipment & services
ProAlert.us
1003 Centennial Pkwy
Waunakee WI 53597
608-849-7279
e-mail: ProAlert.us
WWW home page: ProAlert.us
Utilizies NWS Weather Wire and EMWIN services.
ProAlert.us offers subscription based alerts sent to your
regular email inbox or text ready cell phone or pager. We
have a number of emergency managers, county 911 call
centers, utility companies, school district staff, first
responders, storm spotter groups and Skywarn members
as users. You can now get the same great service we offer
them!
PUBLISHER
Lou Campagna, Publisher
POB 207
Jamison PA 18929
[email protected]
PRODUCT REVIEW: by Craig Leventhal N3TPM
Uniden BCD396T Analog / Digital scanner
Weather Affirmation, L.I.C.
P.O. Box 13057
Oklahoma City, OK 73113-1057
(405) 842-0830
(405) 842-1560 (fax)
WWW e-mail: Weather Affirmation
Software, demodulators, radios, GOES satellite equipment,
alphanumeric paging service and equipment.
Ft. Worth Weather Products aka Electronic Service
Solutions
3821 Del Rio Drive
Ft. Worth, TX 76133
(817) 292-6579, (888) 837-2831
(817) 292-8836 (fax)
WWW home page: Ft. Worth Weather Products
WWW e-mail: Ft. Worth Weather Products (Tracy Ligon)
WeatherNode Packages. Demodulators. Computer
Equipment. Rebuilt Laptops for field use. VHF receiving
and transmitting equipment
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
I admit it; I am behind the technology curve. I work with 2way radios and cellular phones every day and they are
pretty high-tech. But when it comes to my own personal
communications gear, my motto has been “older is better”,
until now. In the past I had to carry 2 scanners in order to
hear everything that I like to listen to including the newer
public safety TRS systems and milair comms. It seems
that I tend to upgrade only when I am forced into it, so,
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when an opportunity to checkout the BCD396T came along
I jumped at the chance.
I received the evaluation sample unit about a week after
returning from the 2007 Dayton Hamvention in May. Upon
opening the box I found the scanner, a set of rechargeable
batteries, a wall charger / power supply, rubber flex
antenna, a BNC-SMA adapter, a computer interface cable
and a very thick operators manual.
frequencies being available to civilians, besides encrypted
P25 comms will not show up on close call.
There are a number of global settings available in the
‘396T, which are unique including a blue backlight that
lights the display and keypad. It can be set to turn on when
a button is pushed or when the scanner stops on an active
channel or talkgroup, but it only stays on for 5 seconds
while comms are happening. It should have the capability
for the time to be user selectable just as the manual
backlight mode is.
The first thing I noticed about this new scanner is its
diminutive size as compared to my PRO92. The ‘396T is a
good 30% smaller in volume and half the weight. I decided
to try it out right away so I grabbed a set of AA batteries (it
takes 3). A word of caution here, there is a small slide
switch located inside the battery compartment underneath
the batteries that MUST be set to the type of batteries you
are using (see manual P33).
After aquatinting myself with the basic operation of the
multipurpose knob on top as well as the functions of the
keypad, I took the next step, I programmed in my local PD,
FD, EMS conventional frequencies and pushed “scan”. In
side by side comparisons with my PRO92 and PRO43
scanners, the ‘396T was equal to or slightly better in both
sensitivity and selectivity. Programming the ‘396T is a bit
tedious if you use the scroll wheel and keypad so I suggest
that you get one of the software packages available from
several sources. Uniden has their own which is a free
download see: (www.uniden.com/downloads). Butel and
Starsoft have versions also. I downloaded Uniden’s version
for this evaluation and it proved adequate for programming
the trunked radio systems that are near my home QTH. In
‘id search’ mode the scanner stops and displays any active
talk groups and you can set the ‘396T to automatically
store these active groups as they are received. You can go
back in later and add an alphanumeric tag to each group.
The alpha tags can also be added to the conventional
frequencies which I found especially useful in the milair
band. However when you put a tag in place the scanner
shows only the tag and not the frequency as it does on a
trunked system. This may be fixed by a software
download- how about it Uniden? You can store up to 6000
frequencies by themselves or a bit less with alpha tags. Up
to 400 “systems” can be stored and a system can be either
trunked or conventional. When in scan mode you select
which systems you want to include in the scanlist, similar to
scan banks in older scanners. Within a system you can
have groups which can be either trunked talkgroups or
groups of conventional frequencies. So for example your
system 1 could have 3 groups in it “FIRE”, “POLICE”,
“EMS” which you can selectively turn on and off as desired.
Uniden probably can fix this with a software update. The
other nice feature is battery save that is handy when you
are running on batteries since this scanner eats alkalines
for breakfast. The rechargeables last longer but I suggest
you carry a second set when you go to an all day event
such as an airshow or car race. You could also make up a
battery pack and cable that plugs into the jack on the side
of the ‘396T. You will need 6vdc, which can be 4 “c” or “d”
cells, which should last almost all day. Another useful
feature is the earphone jack, which is configured for either
mono or stereo headphones which older scanners were
lacking, now the sound comes out of both sides!
Overall the BCD396T is a vast improvement over my
previous units since it covers all the bands and modes that
I use, it auto stores active trunked talk groups and
searches out unknown frequencies and codes. Th ability to
use both rechargeable and alkaline batteries is a plus since
I often use a scanner far from sources of commercial
power. The ability to program and save the scanners
memory on a computer is a big plus since I can save a
configuration file for each part of the country that I visit and
not have to reprogram through the keypad. The few minor
quirks regarding the backlight and alpha tag / frequency
display are most likely an easy fix that Uniden can
implement through a software download.
I plan on giving this scanner a real workout during the July
th
4 week since I will be at the NJ shore where there are a
myriad of trunked, conventional and milair listening
opportunities.
Craig Leventhal N3TPM
Another nifty feature is called “Close Call” which lets you
find unknown frequencies and CTCSS / DCS codes by
setting the close call to on and getting near the transmitter,
typically 50 feet. I do not recommend standing near a
secret service agent or DHS officer and trying this since
they have no sense of humor about their “secret” comms
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
PAGE 4
RHODE ISLAND
Elmer Stanley
c/o Scanner Digest
POB 207
Jamison PA 18929
[email protected]
Here is an article about the new Rhode Island 800 MHz
digital interoperability system.
The data channel is: 868.875 MHz from five tower sites
in Southern, Rhode Island.
1001
1002
1003
1004
1005
1006
1007
1008
1009
1010
1011
1012
1013
1014
1015
1016
1017
1018
1019
1020
1026
1069
Narragansett Police Dispatch
Narragansett Police Dispatch 2
Narragansett Police Detail 1
Narragansett Police Detail 2
Marine
Narragansett Fire Dispatch
Detective. 1
Detective. 2
Administration
Town Admin.
Townwide
Fire Ground
Fire Alarm
Narragansett EMS
So. Kingstown EMS
Admin.
School - DPW
Washington County Union Fire Dist.
Washington County EMS
Washington County Wide
Univ. of RI Police
Lifeguards
Borgata Hotel and Casino, other corporate sponsors and
David Schultz Air Shows once again providing air show
control and coordination. The 2006 show featured not only
The USAF THUNDERBIRDS, but joining them was The
USN BLUE ANGELS. It is unusual to have both jet teams
at the same venue. In fact, this was the only show site in
2006 that both teams performed together. There was
fierce rivalry among the jet teams. The BLUE ANGELS
performed first at noon followed by the THUNDERBIRDS
three hours later. As the THUNDERBIRDS entered showcenter, from behind the crowd, they were heard saying on
the radio, “We dedicate this show to all those BLUE
ANGEL fans on the beach that are about to be converted.”
An additional show headliner was the much anticipated
performance by the newest stealth jet fighter in the USAF
inventory, the F-22 RAPTOR. The RAPTOR’s
performance left the crowd in utter amazement!
Other military demonstrations included the USAF F-16
East Coast Team and F-15E Strike Eagle Team, and the
US Coast Guard with a multi-ship HH-65 and HH-60
Search and Rescue demonstration.
The system is being expanded to include the Northern part
of the state. The City of Providence will have there own
800 MHz. digital trunking system in the near future.
More info in the future as the system expands.
Elmer Stanley
MILITARY
Daniel Myers KB3IBQ
823 Horsham Rd.
Horsham, Pa 19044-1209
[email protected]
Atlantic City Beachfront Air Show
“Never before in the State of New Jersey has an air show
been more anticipated……….” Well, I could not have said
it better myself! We had been looking forward to the 2006
show since the conclusion of the 2005 show. When we
saw the line-up for 2006 anticipation and excitement only
began to describe it!
"Thunder over the Boardwalk", is a cooperative effort
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between the Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce, the 177
Fighter Wing (New Jersey Air National Guard), The
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
Air Boss David Schultz consults with The Blue Angels Flight
Surgeon about the correct positioning of the Coast Guard
Vessel anchored just off shore that marks show center. Prior to
an air show, the Blue Angels conduct Circle and the Arrival
(sight survey) maneuvers calling out reference landmarks. The
Flight Surgeon records these for use at the pilots brief.
As in past years, there was local military participation with
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fly-bys by the 177 Fighter Wing of the NJ Air National
Guard F-16s, a Convair 580 and Boeing 727 from the
FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center, all located at
nearby Atlantic City International Airport. Joining them,
simulating aerial refueling, was a KC-135 from the 108th
Air Refueling Wing and KC-10 as well as a C-17, both from
McGuire AFB’s 514th Air Mobility Wing. Other East Coast
military bases supported the air show with fly-bys by a
Dover AFB C-5B Galaxy, and a P-3C Orion and MH-60S
Knighthawk from NAS Patuxent River, MD. Still other
military performers included the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber,
for the first time over the Atlantic City Boardwalk, as well as
PAGE 5
the USAF Heritage Flight that included a QF-4 Phantom II.
Jumps were performed by the US Army team The Golden
Knights. Along with several civilian acts there was a very
exciting two ship demonstration by New Jersey State
police helicopters.
I queried Air Boss David Schultz as to the limited number
of passes by each aircraft. He replied, “I believe that in the
12 years our company has done air shows, we’ve listened
pretty well to the air show fans. Being fans ourselves, we
still want something new and something grand at each one
of our events. Usually due to timing, we only have one or
two passes. Some USAF regulations only allow for one
pass. Where we have schedule and permission, we’ll get
more passes out of them.”
2006 marked the fourth year for this beachfront show. The
genesis for the show was to celebrate the opening of the
Borgata Hotel and Casino in 2003. The Thunderbirds jet
team, with their Las Vegas, NV connection, was a natural
selection as the lead headliner. It is unusual not only to
have a show located remotely away from an airport, but
also to have a mid-week show. David Schultz informs me
the reason for the Wednesday show is simple; “Atlantic
City wants to draw folks into the city during the week.
Weekends are already swamped and they want to have
more business during the week. Also, the Borgata, other
casinos, Chamber of Commerce and other corporate
sponsorship will only work with us during the week.” The
Borgata is the lead sponsor for the event, however as the
show has grown, other corporate sponsors have seen the
advantage in supporting the show. This was quite evident
with the addition of corporate sponsored tents on the
beach. Schultz continued, “Paid seating on the beach was
the idea of the Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce to help
pay the expenses for the show. Having the show during
the week, we get more folks on the beach than during the
normal weekday. The air show definitely does increase
boardwalk business. It is not only the locals enjoying the
show; but feedback indicates tourists come to the event
from some distances. Added for 2006, was a block party
and downtown concert to keep folks in the city after the
show.” Schultz also told me that as long as the show
continues to take place mid-week; The Thunderbirds will
always remain the lead headliner.
As one can imagine there is a lot preparation and
coordination for an event of this size. There are several
permits to be obtained; one is from the State of Jersey for
an aerial event license. David Schultz says, “The folks
from the Philadelphia FSDO (Flight Standards District
Office) come down more to enjoy the show and beach
scenery rather than regulate the air show. We have a very
good working relationship with them. Additionally TFRs
(Temporary Flight Restrictions) are required to be
submitted at least 90 days prior to the event. The waiver
has the same timeline. These are filed in late May. It is
not really difficult as we work with Washington and New
York Centers, and Atlantic City approach/tower. In some
cases we have more TFRs active than the President at any
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
given time. These folks know me and our company name
very well.” Schultz also told me his company sends
NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen) to all area local airports, FBOs
and tow-banner companies. I asked David if he gets any
noise complaints from the community. He told me, “Every
show gets noise complaints. This show gets relatively few.
Most are associated with the Sunday arrival more than
during the show itself. We just answer the phone with the
reply that, ‘That is the Sound of Freedom… Enjoy it!’”
Blues Angels personnel on the Atlantic City beach during the
Tuesday practice. Pictured are the Flight Surgeon (holding the
large spotlight), the Maintenance Officer (holding the mirror)
and Video. Air Boss Schultz looks on. The Comm Cart is
located at show center. The spotlight and mirror are used to
direct the jets during hazy conditions. All Blue Angel
performances including the practice are video taped with radio
transmissions.
th
Other cooperative efforts come from the 177 FW and the
US Coast Guard. David Schultz Air Shows works with the
th
177 FW throughout the year. “They are very happy to be
a major part of the event. They are some of the best folks
in the world to work with and are great friends. From
hangar space, fueling, and ramp services, to operational
support, they love doing this event.” Schultz starts working
with the Coast Guard about six months out from the event
days to work on boat placement, sterile aerobatic box
issues, diver boats, rescue boats, and also their SAR
th
demos during the show. “Like the 177 , we work with them
(Coast Guard) throughout the year on other events and
venues and they love being a part of it.” During the show
days, Coast Guard stations Cape Cod, MA and Elizabeth
City, NC also participate. Due to the nature of a beach
show, there is probably more coordination required not
only as a “remote” air show but you have water assets to
orchestrate as well. During the show, The David Schultz
Air Show Team has to be split between the beach and
airport, making precise coordination essential. With a 52
line item schedule the show was on-time +/- 2 minutes for
the entire 6 hours!
From a Military Monitoring stand point, I have found
Atlantic City second only to Virginia Beach. With nearby
PAGE 6
military facilities; Atlantic City International Airport, McGuire
AFB, Warren Grove Gunnery Range and The Coast Guard
there is lots of activity for the military monitor to listen to.
GIANT KILLER Control has several warnings areas
immediately off the coast. Here you can listen to AWACS,
simulated dog fights and aerial refueling. Most of the
performing aircraft take-off and return to Atlantic City
International Airport or McGuire AFB. Others will fly in
from other distant military bases. You can monitor the
show aircraft as they depart from these bases or monitor
Atlantic City Approach Control and the Centers. All aircraft
will check in with the Air Boss for entrance into the “showbox”. Sunday and Monday show arrivals as well as the
Tuesday practice show also offer other great monitoring
opportunities.
I have been traveling to and watching air shows for almost
30 years. I have to honestly say the 2006 Atlantic City Air
Show was one of the top flying air shows I have seen. It
was non-stop flying of both military and civilian aircraft. I
think one of the nicest attributes of this air show is the
environment. In these days of heighten security at civilian
airports and military bases, a beach show is a welcomed
refreshing relaxed change. One can bring along a cooler
and backpack, and not have to worry about being hassled
by security. While almost all air shows take place at
military or civilian airports, this show takes place in the
relaxed atmosphere on the beach beside the ocean. The
beach, ocean, boardwalk stores and casinos offer
something for nearly everyone. If your spouse or children
are not interested in spending the entire time watching the
air show, there are plenty of other activities to keep them
busy. It is truly a family event and the best part, it’s all
FREE! Air Show Center is located beachfront near Florida
Avenue and the Boardwalk. We are again excited and are
looking forward to the 2007 air show which takes place
Wednesday August 15. Practice day is Tuesday August
14.
What are the future prospects for this show? Schultz told
me they want to keep this a major military review type
event. The air show may start to incorporate some sea
activities in a few years but they want to keep the major
push on air demonstrations. As word spreads about this
show, attendance continues to increase: 400,000 in 2004,
450,000 in 2005 and 650,000 in 2006. The Chamber of
Commerce informed me they are ecstatic with this event!
Business owners along the boardwalk, the casinos, hotels
and restaurants all reported business comparable to a
good weekend. That is great news for those of us that
want to continue to enjoy two days at the beach watching a
First Class Air Show!
For more information check out:
www.atlanticcityairshow.com or www.schultzairshows.com
As of this writing, David Schultz informs us, this will be the
roster for the 2007 Air Show.
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
Flybys:
Demos:
USAF Thunderbirds
USAF C-5
USAF F-15E Strike Eagle
USAF KC-10
USAF F-16 Falcon (East Coast)
USAF C-17
Jim Beasley P-51
USAF-ANG EC-130J
USAF Heritage Flight (F-15 / P-51)
USAF-ANG A-10
US Army Golden Knights
USAF-ANG F-16
US Navy F/A-18C Hornet (East Coast)
USAF-ANG KC-135
USMC AV-8B Harrier II (East Coast)
FAA Bombardier
USCG Multiple SAR Demo
US Navy MH-53
Matt Chapman Solo
USMC CH-46
Mike Mancuso Solo
USAF B-2A
Matt Chapman & Mike Mancuso (2-ship)
NJ State Police
Rob Holland MX-2
Horizon Blue Cross Blimp
SkyTypers
Frequencies for the 2007 (and past) Atlantic City Air Show
Published
Published (centers)
120.300 KACY Tower
354.000 ZNY Barnegat
124.600 KACY Approach / Departure 307.800 ZNY Colts Neck
134.250 KACY Approach / Departure 381.450 ZNY Millville
239.000 KACY Tower
323.300 ZNY Millville
327.125 KACY Approach / Departure 353.500 ZNY Ship Bottom
385.500 KACY Approach / Departure 254.300 ZDC Coyle
316.150 KACY Approach / Departure 281.450 ZDC Sea Isle
123.000 UNICOM Bader Field (KAIY) 363.000 ZDC Woodstown
363.800 KWRI Approach / Departure 285.400 ZDC Sea Isle
388.200 KWRI Approach
Air Show Control
118.700 David Schultz Air Shows - GROUND OPS
121.700 Show Control Coordination w/ KACY
132.950 David Schultz Air Shows - OPS
135.650 David Schultz Air Shows - AIR BOSS
238.150 David Schultz Air Shows - AIR BOSS
Tactical Discretes
122.775 SkyTypers a/a
123.150 announcer live feed
123.450 NJ State Police helo demo a/a
123.475 Army Golden Knights a/g
136.475 VIPER F-16 East demo a/a (heritage flight)
136.575 VIPER F-16 East demo a/a
136.675 VIPER F-16 East demo a/a
138.125 DEVIL NJ ANG F-16 a/a (ops)
138.425 DEVIL NJ ANG F-16 a/a
138.875 DEVIL NJ ANG F-16 a/a (v-17)
139.300 DEVIL NJ ANG F-16 a/a
139.825 TEAM KC-10 a/a
143.875 TEAM KC-10 a/a
142.250 FLYER PA ANG A-10 a/a
157.150 Coast Guard SAR demo a/a
237.900 Coast Guard SAR demo a/a (secondary)
252.800 KC-135 / KC-10 a/a
261.000 DEVIL NJ ANG F-16 (ops)
376.025 F-15 East / F-16 East demo
395.100 USAF PA ANG EC-130J (BATON ops)
388.850 USAF B-2 a/a (SPIRIT, REAPER, DEATH, FURY)
US Coast Guard
21A- 157.050 (show control / show center boats)
22A- 157.100 (warning broadcasts)
23A- 157.150 (show control / show center boats)
81A- 157.075 (police)
82A- 157.125
PAGE 7
83A- 157.175 (boats to show center)
345.000 Coast Guard Ops (primary)
Other Actives
122.750 Para-gliders a/a
133.300 Banner Towers a/a (reported by others)
255.000 GIANT KILLER
249.800 GIANT KILLER
312.300 GIANT KILLER
391.200 GIANT KILLER
312.300 DARKSTAR w/ DEVIL
319.400 McGuire Command Post
303.000 108th ARW ROCCO (KC-135)
256.500
266.500
288.000
341.750
Aerial Refueling
Aerial Refueling
Aerial Refueling
Aerial Refueling
NEW HAMPSHIRE
John Bolduc
c/o Scanner Digest
POB 207 Jamison PA 18929
[email protected]
http://www.swnh.org
New Hampshire Marine Patrol operates on both 159.150
and 854.4875 (PL 151.4) in various combinations over
recent history. Many scanner listeners are expression
frustration over the fact that they can now only hear
dispatch and not the patrol units. It used to be that both
mobile traffic and dispatch was repeated on the 800 MHz
side. Nowadays dispatch is heard only on 854.4875 and
mobile units are on simplex on 159.150. While the 854
MHz transmitter is located on a high vantage point, simplex
operation on 159.150 for the boats does not make it to
scanner listeners very far away.
Hampton NH - Hampton Beach State Park
State Parks Primary Channel
State Parks Secondary Channel
State Parks Secondary Channel
159.375 No PL
159.465 131.8
151.385.
154.145 136.5
155.025 P-25.
Londonderry NH - Stonyfield Yogurt (Stonyfield Farms)
Manufactures Yogurt. Radios Used To Coordinate Daily
Assembly Line, Warehouse, Shipping, Receiving,
Maintenance And Security Work Ops. WQFQ769
461.1500
462.3250
New Hampshire International Speedway holds two major
NASCAR races every year. The first one of 2007 was just
completed, with another to follow later this year. The races
generally attract 100,000 race fans. Thanks to Scott Rice
N1PJZ for these frequencies
NHIS Primary System
Thunderbirds
141.850 (v-1)
143.850 (v-2)
235.250 (u-1)
322.950 (u-2)
216.975 (simulcast on Low Power Radio)
Hampton Fire
Hampton Police
464.850 is very active. I've been told this is probably an onsite LTR system, and I suspect this is correct, but as of yet,
I haven't confirmed this. Only the 461.850 and 464.850
frequencies show input pairs at plus 5 MHz. If you listen to
The Southern Maine Fire buffs out of York County in a
Manchester NH area location, you will be dismayed by the
heavy traffic from the yogurt factory interfering with
reception of the fire buffs.
461.7875
464.8500
461.8500
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
1 - 461.4875
2 - 466.4875
3 - 464.9875
4 - 464.3625
5 - 469.3625
6 - 467.8625
7 - 469.9375
8 - 464.9625
9 - 467.8125
10 - 469.4625
11 - 462.1750
12 - 451.4750
13 - 461.5625
14 - 463.0000
15 - 463.9000
16 - 454.9125
d172 Security
d261 Maint/Elect
d172 Grandstand Security
d261 Guest Services
d172 Food Warehouse
d261 Marketing
d172 Operations Infield
d261 Souvenirs - Concessions
d172 Food Service
d261 Hospitality
127.3 Parking & Security
d162 Parking Lot Repeater
d226 Handicapped Shuttle
d223 Cleaning (Freshly Maid)
d315 Unassigned
d532 Parking Command (2005/6 Inactive)
Secondary System-Other freqs
451.9250 d047 is the new Grandstand EMS freq.
452.4000 d662 1 EMS/Police - Main/Concord/Laconia
Grandstands
465.8250 123.0 2 Secondary Operations
452.3000 d606 3 EMS Grandstands
469.9250 4 EMS ??
464.2125 d265 5 Gate M (media) & Souvenirs
461.8625 d071 Hospitality-Infield
451.2875 d226 Handicapped Shuttle
464.3750 100.0 Harts Turkey Farm 1 Box Seats
464.8250 100.0 Harts Turkey Farm 2 Outside Tents
152.3750 d503 Ch-1 Brigham Air Ops
157.6650 d503 Ch-2 Brigham Air Ops
123.0500 No PL Air to Air/Any Helo
133.650 & 119.85 FAA Air Traffic
172.1500 p25 FAA TSA Air Traffic
(NH State Police)
155.5125 p-25 Track Ops (158.9025 input)
156.0900 136.5 LP South
155.9100 136.5 LP North
155.4750 136.5 Statewide Car to Car
159.3150 p-25 SP Talk
159.4650 p-25 F & G Talk
PAGE 8
Department of Transportation
NH DOT Race Channels
453.7750 203.5 Mobile 1
458.7750 203.5 Mobile 2
453.9750 186.2 SA Mt. Kearsarge, Warner
453.6750 103.5 5A Mt. Kearsarge, Warner
453.9750 88.5 SG Mt. Belknap, Gilford
453.1500 110.9 3G Mt. Belknap, Gilford
453.9250 167.9 TC Mt. Unconoonuc, Goffstown
453.6750 123.0 5C Mt. Unconoonuc, Goffstown
453.9250 127.3 TB Hackett Hill, Bow
453.6750 110.9 5B Hackett Hill, Bow
Manchester Airport – Fire-Crash-Rescue unit. Photo courtesy
of John Bolduc
NORTHERN NEW JERSEY
(Above) Photo of the radio channel listings direct from the
Motorola HT-1000 for Litchfield NH Fire-rescue
(Below) Photo of Engine Zero from Bryceville FL. Photos
courtesy of John Bolduc
Justin Mattes KC2GIK
10 Carnot Avenue
Woodcliff Lake NJ 07677
[email protected]
www.bergenscanner.com
First let me wish you all a belated happy Fourth of July!
There have been some exciting things going on in the
Garden State this summer which make for some
interesting scanner listening. One of the most popular
places to go to escape the summer heat is the Wildwoods.
Located in Cape May County the townships of Wildwood,
North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest offer plenty of
monitoring opportunities to keep scanner buffs busy for
hours. I went down to Cape May this past spring and while
it wasn't as busy as in the summer months, there was still
plenty of action. Cape May also provides a lot of marine
activity so be sure to program in those marine channels as
well Below is a list of frequencies I found active during my
trip down to the cape.
CAPE MAY COUNTY
155.1900 Capecom
154.7850 Sheriff Dispatch
155.0100 Sheriff Car-to-Car
156.2100 Police Common
158.8200 DPW
171.2375 US Coast Guard Fire
154.1300 [118.8] Fire 1
154.1900 [118.8] Fire 2
154.2500 [118.8] Fire 3
154.2650
Fire 4
155.2950 [118.8] Rescue 1
155.3400 [118.8] Rescue 2
155.0100 [118.8] Rescue 3
154.6800 [131.8] SPEN1
155.4750 [CSQ] SPEN2
154.7250 [131.8] SPEN3
153.7850 [131.8 SPEN4 (Common between agencies)
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
PAGE 9
WILDWOODS
154.9650 [85.4] Wildwood Police
158.7900
Wildwood Local Government
154.1900
Wildwood Fire Dispatch
154.0250
Wildwood Fire Ch. 4
155.7900 [85.4] Wildwood EMS
156.1800 [118.8] Wildwood Road Department
155.6400 [173.8] North Wildwood Police
154.2500 [118.8] North Wildwood Fire Operations
166.2500 [118.8] North Wildwood Fire Operations
158.7600
North Wildwood Local Government
155.4300 [118.8] Wildwood Crest Police
151.1300 [D125] Wildwood Crest Fire Operations
155.2950 [118.8] Wildwood Crest Rescue
Besides the normal police, fire and EMS traffic, Morey’s
Pier Amusement park in Wildwood offers some unique
behind the scenes operations. Below are some frequencies
used at the pier
MOREYS PIER AMUSEMENT PARK
152.4650 [94.8] Administration and Supervisors
153.0200 [D546] Maintenance and Security
151.6550 [156.7] Operations
154.5050 [D546 Operations - Food and Games
152.3000 [156.7] Operations - Rides
151.5950 [156.7] Water Park
153.0050
Water Park - Lifeguards
OCEAN COUNTY
Like Cape May County, Ocean County is a popular Jersey
Shore hot spot. From Seaside to Toms River scanning is
boom during the summer months. Here are the latest finds
for the county.
508.1875 [71.9] Fire/EMS Dispatch
511.1875 [127.3] Fireground 1
465.5875 [192.8] Fireground 2
506.7125 [D445] Tuckerton Repeater Tower
506.7375 [D223] Barnegat Repeater Tower
506.7625 [D445] Toms River Repeater Tower
506.7375 [D445] New Egypt Repeater Tower
506.7125 [D223] Lakewood Repeater Tower
154.2650 [CSQ] Fire Mutual Aid/South Jersey Fire Net
506.71250 [D223] Fire/EMS - Lakewood (Bay Head,
Mantoloking Primary)
453.10000 [100.0] Fire/EMS Academy
453.87500 [136.5] Fire/EMS Academy
453.92500 [159.8] Fire/EMS Academy
453.97500 [177.3] Fire/EMS Academy
154.96500 [127.3] Fire Marshal's Office / Emergency
Operations Center (EOC)
LONG BEACH ISLAND
158.7525 [D031] Fire Islandwide 1 Dispatch
158.8350 [D243] Fire Islandwide 2 Primary Ops to County
158.7300 [D306] Fire Islandwide 3 Secondary Ops to Co.
159.7650 [D243] Ch 4 Fireground Primary
155.1600 [D243] Ch 5 Fireground Secondary
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
155.2350
155.3500
155.3850
151.1000
453.6625
[D503] Ch 6 Water Operations
[71.9] Squad 12 Primary Operations
[D503] Squad 14 Primary Operations
[D516] Squad 49 Primary Operations
[D243 Island Inter-Operations
Seaside Heights and Seaside Park are other popular
beach communities in Ocean County New Jersey, there's
always something to do in the summer. It's always a good
idea to keep a scanner while you're laying or the beach or
strolling on the boardwalk.
SEASIDE HEIGHTS
460.0250 [D116] Parking Enforcement
460.3500 [D116] Police
465.5750 [D712] Ch 1 Beach Patrol
453.0125 [D712] Ch 2 Beach Patrol
453.2125 [D712] Ch 3 Beach Patrol
453.7750 [CSQ] Ch 4
33.7800 [CSQ] Fire Dispatch
33.6400 [CSQ] Fireground
33.4800 [CSQ] Fire- Drills and Parades
SEASIDE PARK
33.7800 [146.2] Fire Dispatch
33.9800 [146.2] Fireground
460.2250 [D664] Police
460.1750 [D664] Police
458.4375 [D664] Police
155.1750 [107.2] Beach Patrol
39.9000 [127.3] City Services
VENICE AMUSEMENTS
151.9250 [179.9] Boardwalk Operations/Beach Attendants
151.8350 [D731] Concessions
151.7150 [146.2] Go karts
151.6850 [156.7] Maintenance
151.7450 [100.0] Rides
Toms River Police recently went to a digital system so you
need a scanner that's APCO-25 compatible to listen in.
TOMS RIVER
471.8750 [APCO-25] Ch 1 Police Dispatch
471.4750 [APCO-25] Ch 2 Police Secondary/Info
471.9500 [APCO-25] Ch 3 Park Rangers, Animal Control,
Auxiliary Police
472.6750 [APCO-25] Ch4 Major Incidents
471.6750 [APCO-25] Ch5 Police Emergency Service Unit
(ESU)
453.7125 [APCO-25]
154.14500 [D245] Ch 1
Fire Dispatch/Operations
154.44500 [D624] Ch 2
Fireground / Fire Inspections
154.19000 [136.5] Ch 3
Fireground / Fire Police
154.26500 CSQ
Ch 4
Fire Statewide Mutual Aid
(South Jersey Fire-Net)
154.14500 [D245] Ch 5
Fireground / Talk-Around
155.65500 [114.8] Ch 6 Bureau of Fire Prevention
(Inspections)
155.65500 [114.8] Ch 7 Fire Talk-Around
PAGE 10
JACKSON TOWNSHIP
507.3375 [D432] Ch 1 Fire "TAC 1" Operations
506.5875 [D243]
Fire "Tac 2" Operations
510.5875 [D143]
Fireground A
511.5875 [D152]
Fireground B
511.8375 [D155]
Fireground C
507.0875 [D343]
EMS "Tac 1" Dispatch and
MONOC BLS Operations (units 820 and 821)
FM
155.2350 [186.2]
EMS MONOC ALS Operations
155.1600 [100.0]
Board of Education - Buses
158.7450
Public Works
458.43750 Emergency Management
SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE AMUSEMENT PARK
464.32500 [179.9]
1
Safari
464.42500 [179.9]
2
Grounds and Shows
464.67500 [179.9]
4
Security / Fire and EMS
462.67500
??
5
Operations
464.82500 [179.9]
7
Fire and EMS
464.97500 [179.9]
10
Rides and Maintenance
452.97500 [D346]
Hurricane Harbor
461.77500
Retail
462.72500 [179.9]
Great Adventure
464.62500 [179.9]
Park Talk-Around
Some additional information on the new CT SPEN statewide radio network on 858.2625 MHz PL 156.7.
Sites are located at the following:
1. Bloomfield-Region
2. Brooklyn-Region
3. Canaan-Region
4. Colchester-Region
5. Franklin-Region
6. Guilford-Region
7. Kent-Region
8. Montville-Region
9. Norfolk-Region
10. North Stonington-Region
11. Old Lyme-Region
12. Rocky Hill-Region
13. Sharon-Region
14. Shelton-Region
15. Southbury-Region
16. Torrington-Region
17. Union-Region
18. Wilton-Region
19. Wolcott-Region
3-Hartford County
4-Windham County
5-Litchfield County
4-New London County
4-New London County
2-New Haven County
5-Litchfield County
4-New London County
5-Litchfield County
4-New London County
4-New London County
3-Hartford County
5-Litchfield County
1-Fairfield County
5-Litchfield County
5-Litchfield County
4-Tolland County
1-Fairfield County
2-New Haven County
This is presently where the radio frequency is licensed.
POINT PLEASANT BEACH
155.8200 [94.8] Fire (Simulcast of 476.3500)
476.3500 [CSQ] Fire Dispatch
477.0250 [D155] Fireground
477.8250 [D051] Fire Channel 3
476.9250 [D125] DPW
151.8800 [D205] Jekisons Beach Patrol
466.2125 [D023] Residen's Beach Patrol
The New Beacon Falls radio system:
Well that's it from New Jersey for this time!! I hope
everyone has a relaxing summer. Please e-mail me with
any suggestions or questions, if you have ideas for future
installments of this column.
Channel 1
Channel 2
Channel 3
Channel 4
East Granby Fire Ops
Town Highway
Area 3 EMA
Suffield Fire
Channel 5
Channel 6
Bradley Fire
Southwick Fire
Channel 7
Intercity Fire
Channel 8
Tactical Repeater
Channel 9
Windsor Locks Fire
Channel 10
Channel 11
Channel 12
Channel 13
VHF Calling
STOCS – 1
STOCS – 2
STOCS – 3
Blue Hills Fire
Weather 1 (RX)
Weather 2 (RX)
Weather 3 (RX)
COMPUTER - SOFTWARE
Mike Agner KA3JJZ
112 Water Fountain Way #304
Glen Burnie, Md. 21060-2309
[email protected]
Sorry no column this issue.
CONNECTICUT
Keith Victor
44 Suffolk Drive
East Hartford CT 06118
[email protected]
The new CT SPEN is being optimizing as we speak on
858.2625 MHz PL 156.7. This will be a statewide repeater
system, repeaters will be simulcast, and all repeaters will
be on. This system is co-located with all of the state police
radio sites. More on when the sop's come out....
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
Fire Repeater
EMS Repeater
Police Repeater
151.0325 MHz PL 67.0
151.0475 MHz PL 77.0
151.0070 MHz PL 88.5
EAST GRANBY FIRE DEPARTMENT RADIO
FREQUENCIES
159.2550
154.0400
153.9350
156.0750
151.4300
159.9000
159.1950
150.7975
154.2650
159.7950
153.1400
158.3250
170.1500
154.0100
151.2200
162.4750
162.4000
162.5500
155.7525
154.4525
158.7375
159.4725
206.5
91.5
162.2
D134
206.5
D162
107.2
94.8
146.2
D025
156.7
156.7
156.7
156.7
SOUTH HADLEY MOBILE FIRE RADIO CHANNELS
1. 153.2750/159.9975
2. 151.2800
PL 74.4 FIRE DISPATCH-S
PL 141.3 FIREGROUND-S
PAGE 11
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
151.1750/159.3300
151.1750
158.8725
154.2800
155.0400/159.9150
155.0400/159.9150
PL 141.3
PL 141.3
PL 127.3
PL 82.5
PL 114.8
PL 114.8
9. 159.6450/153.9500
10. 155.6550/159.4650
11. 154.1600/158.8650
12. 151.3850/159.3000
13. 154.2200/159.2550
14. 156.0525/159.3675
15. 151.3100
16. 154.3700
17. 153.8900
18. 159.5100
19. 153.2750
PL 74.4
PL 123.0
PL 141.3
PL 186.2
PL 82.5
DPL 054
PL 71.9
PL 127.3
PL 127.3
PL 103.5
PL 74.4
NEW UHF ADDED:
1. 453/458.4125
2. 461.1500
3. 464/469.3750
DISTRICT 1 REPEATER-S
DISTRICT 1 DIRECT
COUNTY TACTICAL-S
INTERCITY FIRE-S
GRANBY FIRE-S
GRANBY FD BACKUP
(127.3)
HOLYOKE FIRE-S
HOLYOKE TACTICAL
CHICOPEE FIRE-S
AMHERST FIRE-S
NORTHAMPTON FIRE-S
HADLEY FIRE-S
DNR FIRE TOWERS-S
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY-S
COUNTY FIREGROUND-S
HIGHWAY DEPT
DISTRICT 2 DIRECT
PL 82.5 INTERCITY FIRE REPEATER
PL 103.5 MT HOLYOKE SECURITY
PL 114.8 MT HOLYOKE COLLEGE
PORTABLE RADIO CHANNELS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16
153.2750/159.9975
151.2800
151.1750/159.3300
158.8725
154.2800
155.0400/159.9150
155.0400/159.9150
159.6450/153.9500
155.6550/159.4650
154.3700
153.8900
151.3850/159.3000
154.2200/159.2550
151.3100
156.0525/159.3675
153.2750
MASSACHUSETTS
PL 74.4
PL 141.3
PL 141.3
PL 127.3
PL 82.5
PL 114.8
PL 127.2
PL 74.4
PL 123.0
PL 127.3
PL 127.3
PL 186.2
PL 82.5
PL 71.9
DPL 054
PL 74.4
Dispatch-S
A-Direct
Fireground-S
B-Repeat
District 1-S
C-Scan
County Tactical-S
Intercity Fire
Granby Fire-S
Granby Fire Backup
Holyoke Fire 1
Holyoke Fire 2
County Fire
County Fireground
Amherst Fire
Northampton Fire
DEM Towers
Hadley Fire
Direct-S
Peter Szerlag
c/o Scanner Digest
POB 207 Jamison PA 18929
[email protected]
Greetings again. Here are a few scanner tidbits for you.
42.64 - skip from Missouri Highway Patrol - 8AM - 08
July 2007
482.3625R - West Newbury Police - "Control" is the
dispatcher - 303 is one of the patrol units
463.6875R may become a Wentworth Institute Police
channel
452.50R - Acton Boxboro High School plans to use this
frequency
Suttons Schools plan to use 462.0125R at 383 Boston
Road
483.6625R - Randolph FD does a weekly radio test at
0840 AM on Saturday mornings
461.3125R - 464.4875R - 461.9875R - MIT maintenance
workers - emergency alerts are broadcast on all
channels simultaneously (fire alarms, CO detector
activations, etc)
453.3875R - Fire District 14 - Ashland is the Control
Point - daily radio test at 830AM - this test is
simulcast on 33.98 and 46.36 - most of the agencies
seem to be transmitting on UHF now
464.325R - Brigham and Womens Hospital Security - a
"Code Red" is a fire alarm system activation
460.80R - Boston MedFlight - Med 1 is a Hascom helo Med 2 is also a Hanscom helo - Med 3 is the Plymouth
helo - Med 4 is the plane - Med 5 is the Boston
ambulance - Med 6 is the Plymouth ambulance - each
unit seems to have 3 portable radios (Med 1 Pilot Med 1 Nurse - Med 1 Paramedic - etc)
For the 4th of July celebration at the Boston
Esplanade, 866.5125 + 460.275 + Cambridge TG Ch6
were
patched together to form a "Command and Control
Network". Boston Police, Boston Fire, Boston EMS,
Cambridge Police, Cambridge Fire, Cambridge EOC, State
Police, State Rangers, and National Guard were all
represented on the Net. Event organizers used 463.55
extensively for several days.
453.75R - This is the new fire mutual aid channel for
northern Worcester County. Fitchburg runs a daily test
at 9AM
462.975R - Voice traffic on this channel (the primary
channel for Boston EMS) is tremendously decreased with
most of the status messages now being sent digitally.
All calls are announced, however arrival times and
transport times are not.
155.22 - transport units for children in Watertown
area
156.80 - SeaTow Rescue 1, Quincy Harbormaster, US
Coast Guard Sector Boston, and US Coast Guard Station
Point Allerton are some of the units heard
461.20R - possibly the ambulance service that now
covers Ipswich is using this freq
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
460.05 - Worcester FD is now reportedly simulcasting
on this channel
173.5875 - someone was talking to "Chief 2" - probably
PAGE 12
Hanscom AFB FD
Boston Edison uses 158.16 PL179.9 in the Boston area
Take Care & Happy Scanning - Peter S
I usually reply to all Emails. If you do not receive a reply
from me, please try again.
SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK
Frank B. O'Connor
c/o Scanner Digest
POB 207
Jamison PA 18929
[email protected]
Greetings, fellow scannists. Happy Mother's Day to all
qualified ladies and happy Father's Day to all qualified
gentlemen.
Back in Issue 38 I listed a tentative channel plan for a West
Haverstraw (Rockland) Fire Department base radio. As you
recall, there were questions regarding the Congers FD
portion of the channel plan (F13 and 14). Someone passed
along the following information:
a) Channel 13, listed as "Dept 3 XBand 1," with an
unknown frequency, should read 453.2625 (131.8).
b) There was a question as to whether or not there is a
"Dept 3 XBand 2." Indeed there is; it's 453.6375 (131.8).
c) Channel 14, listed as "Dept 3 XBand 3 453.2625
(131.8)" should instead
read 453.7125 (131.8).
It's remains unclear what the frequencies are used for and
whether or not there is an X-Band 4 (or more).
I probably should have covered this in my first article, but a
recent wave of confusion on one of the scanning related
bulletin boards I lurk around has prompted me to dispense
with this Issue's "What You'll Hear" and instead use this
space to clear the air about certain radio-related terms
and their meanings. Unless I know how an agency is
already identifying their channels / talkgroups (in which
case I will use their terminology), I will use the specific
terms below when describing a channel's usage:
*"Dispatch"* This is a channel or talkgroup that is used to
notify a given agency that there is a call for service that
they are to answer. In the volunteer sector this channel
maybe called "Alerting" or "Paging" and may be used to
send audible tones to activate pagers and whistles, open
firehouse bay doors, and / or turn on recording devices. In
some larger departments ( i.e. FDNY), initial dispatch takes
place via a station computer / teleprinter system which can
be backed up by a voice alarm system (basically an
intercom system that connects each firehouse to its
respective Communications Office). In cases when an
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
assigned unit is not in their quarters and is out in the field,
they can get their calls verbally over the radio and / or over
their mobile digital terminal, if so equipped.
EXAMPLE: "Control to Company 1 Engine and Ladder,
Company 2 Engine, and Company 3 Rescue – respond to
twelve thirty four Main Street, that's one two three four
Main Street, crosses are Elm Avenue and Broadway for a
report of smoke in the building. Your time is xx:yy"
*"Operations"* This is the channel / talkgroup that
responding units will call enroute to the scene, arriving at
the scene, clearing the scene (if EMS related, then enroute
to a hospital), returning to quarters, and back in quarters.
Initial instructions to incoming units may be provided on an
operations channel by units already on scene (i.e.: a
second assistant chief). As with "Dispatch" above, in larger
departments, all of these functions may be handled digitally
via an entry into a mobile computer or by the activation of a
status button that will automatically transmit a digital
message to the comm center indicating that a unit is
responding, is arriving, etc.
EXAMPLE "Engine 1 to Control"
"Control is on, Engine 1"
"Engine 1 responding"
"Received Engine 1, you're responding at xx:yy hours"
*"Fireground"* / *"Tactical"* This is the channel / talkgroup
that is used by units operating at the scene of an
emergency. While "Fireground" obviously is related to the
fire service, "Tactical" could be used in the fire, EMS, or
law enforcement services. Sometimes referred to as a
"Scene" channel. It is not uncommon for busier agencies to
have more then one Tactical or Fireground channel, to
allow for on-scene communications at multiple,
simultaneous events.
EXAMPLE: "EMS 2 to Main Street EMS Command, where
do you want me to stage this unit?"
"EMS 2 put yourself on the northeast corner of Main and
Broadway – on the Broadway side."
"EMS 2 read."
There are also a large number of specialized types of
channels or talkgroups. Among them would be:
*"Command"* A channel which access is limited to
executives within an agency.
There can also be channels within an agency's radio plan
assigned only for specific units to use, such as "Fire
Police," "Detectives," or "Hazardous Materials." Some
agency's use of the above identifiers may vary.
PAGE 13
"Command," in FDNY*EMS parlance, is simply the simplex
modes of their Citywide channels.
already existing users – assuming that the current
transmitter tower configuration remain unchanged.
Readers will recognize at this point that a given frequency
maybe used for more then one described function. In
cases such as this I'll label the frequencies as, for example,
"Dispatch / Operations" or "Operations / primary
Fireground."
46.300 is used by everybody surrounding Orange; Putnam
as F3, Rockland as F6, Ulster as F3, and Sullivan as F5;
so it's unlikely that any base radios will be put up on any
towers for that frequency, leaving it purely as a true
fireground channel.
Got an e-mail from a self described "loyal reader." Instead
of translating it, I'll simply cut-and-paste it here...
46.400 is used by Sussex County, NJ as Fire
F2/Fireground 1; thus use in the southwest end of Orange
isn't likely. I see that Suffolk also uses the frequency as
their Division 5 channel.
"Frank, the Orange County Division of Fire Services has
expanded it's rank structure in include a Deputy Fire
Coordinator for Communications. His radio designation is
36-9. He'll have his hands full as the County Fire Advisory
Board recently approved of a significant change to the
countywide standard VHF-low band channel plan. The
system that the Division of Emergency Communications
(36-Control) will migrate to will use the below listed
frequencies in a fashion similar to the way Rockland
County uses it's seven VHF low band fire channels, e.g.
departments, after being toned out, will acknowledge their
response to 36-Control on F1. If call volume is low, units
will remain on F1 to contact 36-Control. If call volume
starts to build, responses can be moved off of F1, at the
direction of 36-Control, to any of the nine other designated
fireground channels. As you can see, F10 (currently only
off the Graham tower) will be the main secondary. As
more transmitters are installed at other sites (Arden in
Harriman, Mount Beacon in Beacon, Mount Peter in
Warwick, West Point in Highlands, Sparrowbush in
Deerpark, and the local tower in Chester), we should start
to see a pattern as to which channels will be commonly
assigned to what battalions throughout the county during
busier periods.
F1 46.160 (123.0) Primary link to 36-Control
F2 46.220 (123.0) Fireground 1
F3 46.300 (123.0) Fireground 2
F4 46.400 (123.0) Fireground 3 / primary helicopter
landing zone channel
F5 46.120 (123.0) Fireground 4 / primary fire police
channel
F6 45.080 (123.0) Fireground 5
F7 45.240 (123.0) Fireground 6
F8 46.520 (123.0) Fireground 7
F9 46.460 (123.0) Fireground 8
F10 45.780 (94.8) Secondary link to 36-Control
The start date for all of this is set as January 1, so
agencies have half a year to make arrangements to get
their radios reprogrammed. Any questions, give me a
shout... SCANdal"
Analyzing the frequencies SCANdal listed above, I can
offer the following speculations as to where the new
frequencies are likely *not* to be used by 36-Control
around Orange, in an effort to prevent interference to
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
46.120 (94.8) is Sullivan's F2 for their Battalion 4, Nassau's
5th, 8 th, and 9th Battalion frequency, and Rockland's F7 /
Fire Police (tone 131.8) frequency, making use 46.12 from
a base unlikely and, like 46.30, a true fireground channel.
46.460 is Ulster County's Fire F1 (KEH912-to-units) and F2
(unit-to-unit) and Suffolk's F1 (Dispatch), so use of that
frequency toward the north and east end of Orange isn't
likely.
Also, it should be interesting to see how the fire
departments who operate fixed crossband links to the VHF
low band channels (Cronomer Valley, Montgomery,
Otisville, and the Military Academy) will adjust their
systems. Needless to say, interesting times are ahead for
Orange County fire monitors; as I find anything out I'll keep
you posted.
I have a question for you. When was the last time you
"audited" your scanners? Have you ever wondered to
yourself, "Hmm, I haven't heard from x Ambulance Corps in
a while"? Well maybe that's because you have their
operations channel locked out. An "audit" would prevent
that from happening. Every once in a while I go through
each scanner one channel at a time and check the
frequency / tone / text (if so equipped) information
I have programmed in, as well as that channel's settings.
Perhaps, while monitoring a large fire, I locked out an
uninvolved police agency's dispatch/operations channel
when they keyed up with a routine plate check. Maybe
during that same fire I turned the delay feature off on a
channel that I normally have it activated on because I did
not want to lock it out completely - but didn't want it
hanging on too long either. With the skip season upon us,
a particular frequency may have been locked out due to
interference from a distant department one afternoon.
Whatever the reason, you may be missing interesting radio
traffic and not even know it.
While I'm stepping through each channel I also check that
what should be set to FM is, what should be set to NFM is,
and the same for AM too. Buttons do get pressed
inadvertently. How often you do your audit is up to you. If
you're like me and are constantly adjusting settings as you
are travel around with your scanners, you may need to
audit more frequently. On the other hand I know some
PAGE 14
fellow scannists who simply turn on their portable scanner
when they get home and hear what there is to hear – with
the most travel that scanner seeing is being moved from
room to room around the house. In that case checking it
bi-annually may even be too often. I have no set timetable;
I usually find myself doing it when I'm at my monitoring
post and things are a bit slow. Helping to prevent missed
radio transmissions, all because of an incorrect channel
setting, makes it worth your effort to insure that your
scanners are actually ready to listen to what you want them
to.
In closing, I encourage readers to e-mail me with any radio
related news (your channels, new unit IDs, anything) within
our coverage area – New York State from Ulster and
Dutchess counties south. My addresses are listed at the
top of the column. I'll pass along the info here for all to
enjoy.
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Steve Bower Jr.
9208 Danner Road
New Tripoli, Pa. 18066
[email protected]
http://lvcomm.proboards33.com/index.cgi
Welcome to this edition of the Scanner Digest. Summer is
here and almost gone, with the anticipation of our Florida
trip coming up in a four weeks and trying to cram other
summer activities into the schedule makes the days or
weekends of summer seem short. Hope everyone is
enjoying the summer days and you are able to take some
time off.
The business band has been getting thinned out lately.
Business band users seem to be using different types of
communications i.e.: Nextel or Mobile Data technology.
Our facility has just switched to Nextel and left behind our
UHF simplex system. To be honest I prefer carrying a twoway radio but no one else does anymore. But yet some
users are expanding systems to repeated services that
were only simplex.
The itinerant frequencies are still found to be used heavy
among small business or local restaurants and stores.
Below are some entertainment and restaurant users in the
Lehigh Valley, Pa:
463.3000R D546 Lehigh Valley Mall
154.6000 94.8 Toys R US – Grape St
467.8125 85.4 JC Penny – LV Mall
464.5000 127.3 Old Country Buffet – Grape St
464.5000 67.0 Applebee’s – Cedarcrest blvd
467.9250 67.0 Applebee’s – Hamilton Blvd
469.5000 D162 Boscov’s – LV Mall
151.6250 67.0 Walmart – Lower Macungie R
151.9550
Walmart Store – Rte. 145
154.6000 192.8 Sun Pac – LV Mall
461.0375 D026 Target Store – Cedarcrest Blvd
466.2875 D032 Target Store – Cedarcrest Blvd
464.5500 67.0 Red Robin – Rte. 248
463.4250R 179.9 South Mall – Lehigh St
Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall
Allentown
Trexlertown
Whitehall
Trexlertown
Whitehall
Whitehall
Allentown
Allentown
Easton
Allentown
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
467.9000 D131 Office Depot – Hamilton by Pass
Allentown
154.6000 D413 Wawa– Northeast (regional)
Lehigh Valley
151.9550 67.0 Country Junction – Rte.309
Quakertown
154.5150R D025 Quakertown Farm Market (Q-Mart) Quakertown
467.9000 D047 Old Navy – Rte. 145
Whitehall
467.7500 D115 Target Store – Spring Twp
Reading
467.7750 D072 Target Store – Spring Twp
Reading
461.9125R D606 Promenade Shops – Rte. 309 Center Valley
464.5000 67.0 RAVE Motion Pictures Ch.1
Center Valley
467.7625 67.0 RAVE Motion Pictures
Center Valley
467.9250 D743 Victoria Secret Stores – LV Mall
Whitehall
461.7750R D606 Fairgrounds Square Mall – Ops
Reading
153.3950 94.8 Vanity Fair – Security
Reading
152.9450R 94.8 Vanity Fair – Operations
Reading
154.5150 94.8 Vanity Fair – Housekeeping
Reading
464.6625R D244 Berkshire Mall
Reading
That is just a taste of what I have listed, lets just say going
shopping is not my thing but she doesn’t mind me bringing
the scanner along to pass some time. It’s amazing on who
uses radios and who doesn’t. Most of these users are not
licensed and should be. Any additional information or
confirmation would be appreciated.
We have a lot of area events coming up in the Lehigh
Valley, if you decide to travel check out our web site for
additional frequencies or even events like Musikfest –
Allentown Fair & even Dorney Park – Wildwater Kingdom
are displayed.
http://lvcomm.proboards33.com/index.cgi for your safety
we request you become a member and don’t be afraid to
ask questions or for help looking for something.
Have a Great Summer and as always BE SAFE & TAKE
CARE! Steve Bower, Jr.
VERMONT
Jim Lawrence
c/o Scanner Digest
POB 207 Jamison PA 18929
[email protected]
Something different this issue; my monitoring experience
as I drove from Vermont to Illinois.
My Trip to the Midwest
During last May and June I traveled from Vermont to the
Midwestern states to visit family and see the Blue Angels
and Thunderbirds. Coincidentally and quite fortunately for
your column editor, the two U.S. military demonstration
flight teams were appearing within 90 miles of one another
on the same weekend. Here's a quick summary of and
some comments about my experience monitoring along my
route of travel.
New York
During this trip, I departed from my usual route heading
west along the NY State Thruway to go to the Baseball Hall
of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Rather than drive back
north to the Thruway from Cooperstown, I decided to head
PAGE 15
south on I-88 and then pick up Route 17 across the
southern tier of NY. I had all the various troop frequencies
for the NY State Police (NYSP) in my scanners but quickly
found, once on I-88, that the signal from NYSP repeaters in
some areas was very weak.
And that's it this time around from Vermont (and points
west too)! Submissions to this column are always welcome
and appreciated! Please write me at the address shown at
the top of this column.
I started searching in the VHF-high band range of
frequencies and from time to time would hear NYSP units
working county sheriff's frequencies for dispatch and motor
vehicle information. So the lesson here is for those of you
who want to monitor NYSP activity along the southern tier
ofNY, be sure to check out the county sheriff's repeaters as
well as the published NYSP frequencies. For instance, I
heard two NYSP Troop C units talking to Broome Co. on
154.8000 and I caught Troop G units working Schoharie on
155.7300.
MAINE
On my way back to Vermont, I stayed on the Thruway from
the Pennsylvania state line to Fonda, NY and, as usual, the
information provided on the alternating frequencies of
453.4250 and 453.5250 was very useful.
Pennsylvania
I cut across northwestern Pennsylvania in I-90 and spent
the night in Erie. No surprises here; Pennsylvania State
Police were still working their VHF-high frequencies.
However, in Erie I heard control channel noise on
868.6875, 868.4250 and 868.7625. None of my trunk
tracker scanners would provide me any information about
these control channels.
Ohio
As I noted during my travels last year, MARCS rules.
MARCS is easy to monitor as you drive across Ohio and,
with a little planning ahead, you can put all the control
channels in your receivers ahead of time. The Ohio
Turnpike system continues to use their VHF-high
frequencies of 155.6850 and 155.7900. Speed
enforcement was very heavy in Ohio with a trooper in
the median running radar about every 40 miles.
Indiana
The big surprise here for me during this trip was Indiana
State Police (ISP) units along the Indiana Toll Road using
both their VHF frequency of 154.7550 and on the SAFE-T
800 MHz system. This was the first time I'd logged ISP
units patrolling the Toll Road on the SAFE-T system. I
logged them using talkgroup 12272 on the SAFE-T system.
Illinois
The new 700 and 800 MHz STARCOM21 trunked system
in Illinois is being built and in some locales, such as in the
Bloomington-Normal area, there is live traffic on it; in
others, all you'll hear are control channels and no voice
activity as yet. However, when I visited there, VHF-low
and high band still ruled when it comes to monitoring
Illinois State Police comms downstate outside the Chicago
metropolitan area.
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
Loren Fields
c/o Scanner Digest
POB 207 Jamison PA 18929
[email protected]
Greetings from Vacationland! We’ll start off this round with
some federal tidbits:
167.7125 is STRAPPING in Belfast. Signal was standard
encryption, no P-25, PL tone (if any) was
suppressed/hidden behind the encryption. Other times, on
other machines here in Maine, the tone will come through
despite DES. Belfast and mid-coast monitors let us know
what else you hear!
P-25 (per usual) from the Acadia National Park folks on
164.175R, in the clear. They were running plates and
drivers. Tourists have figured out the beauty of this park,
and are never disappointed by its appeal.
th
Prior to the week of the 4 of July, President Bush #43
hosted Vladmir Putin of Russia at Bush #41’s compound in
Kennebunkport, Maine. I was only able to make it down to
Kennebunkport the day after, so missed the "Maine" event.
However, I did hard confirm that Walker's Point USSS
detail uses the Baker channel (165.7875) with P-25 in the
clear (at least that day.) I suspect there is a repeater there,
hidden well, of course. Marine bands were quiet, and I had
scanners set up, as follows:
*Pro-96 scanning pre-loaded fed stuff, including ISR's
*Pro-92 scanning business band in the 450-480 MHz range
*Pro-60 scanning UHF/mil-air
*Pro-83 scanning marine band
*Pro-95 scanning 200 different fed channels
*Icom IC-2000H monitoring Maine State Police simplex
traffic on 154.935
*Kenwood V7A dual-band scanning assorted VHF-UHF
(priority on 156.800 and 157.100, the local USCG
"working" channel)
*BCT 7 scanning 400-420 MHz; I'm not happy with this rig!
*Yaesu VX-7R quad-band handheld with spectrum
analyzer as a "frequency confirmer."
I was hoping to catch some Ruskies, too. Ah, well.
Hopefully Pukin' will come back again before the election
(doubt it!) I’ll clear my schedule next time.
******************
PSAP revolt grows: Angry Waterville (ME) officials are
considering joining Somerset County's emergency dispatch
center in light of Tuesday's votes by the House and Senate
to kill a bill that would have allowed Waterville to have its
own center. The Legislature in 2003 voted to reduce the
PAGE 16
number of public safety answering points -- or PSAPs -- in
the state, from 48 to between 16 and 24. Waterville officials
say they'd rather sue than force the city to pay more money
for regional 911 dispatch service with a Kennebec County
center in Augusta.
"We don't believe that regionalization should mean
increased costs and diminished service -- and that's what
this is," City Manager Michael Roy said. "And we are
prepared to legally challenge the right of the Regional
Communications Center to assess Kennebec County
towns for this service. That will be our next approach ... to
make them explain why they have that taxing power." At
least one town -- Mount Vernon -- has voted to reject the
per-capita fee being assessed to pay for the regional
dispatch center. Waterville Mayor Paul R. LePage stated in
a blunt e-mail sent to legislators and others Wednesday
that having Waterville's calls handled at the Regional
Communications Center would cost Kennebec County
residents a minimum additional $292,785 a year.
"This is simply a travesty and I assure you it will be
challenged to the full extent possible," LePage's e-mail
states. "We already pay a $.50 surcharge on our monthly
telephone bill for this service and now we are being told too
bad, you lose and will be assessed an additional $2.50 per
resident annually for the service. I assure you, not without
a fight!!! Talk about taxation without representation, I fail to
see where the RCC legislation gives it the power to tax its
constituents."
Police Chief John E. Morris said he spoke Tuesday with
Philip Roy, chairman of Somerset County commissioners,
to discuss joining Somerset County Communications'
dispatch center. "Initial conversations were favorable,"
Morris said. Both he and Philip Roy said Somerset has the
same kind of equipment Waterville has, making the
connection very viable. Waterville spent more than
$600,000 to upgrade its dispatching equipment, which
officials there say is incompatible with the equipment in
Augusta. Waterville currently dispatches for not only the
city, but also for Winslow, Oakland and Delta Ambulance.
Philip Roy said Somerset can easily accommodate
Waterville's calls.
"There's no reason why we can't help Waterville," he said.
"We want to help Waterville. We want to be good
neighbors. Ultimately, we know we can save them money;
it's just a matter of how much and what level of service
they want." The purpose of consolidation is to provide at
least an equivalent service for a lesser cost. But Waterville
would get a diminished service at an increased cost if it
joins the Regional Communications Center in Augusta,
according to Morris.
"I think the decision was ill-advised and clearly not
motivated by the merits of Waterville's case," Morris said.
"It appears to me that the state built the RCC in Augusta
without really thinking about who was going to be using it."
He noted that Sen. Lisa Marraché, D-Waterville, who
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
sponsored the bill to make Waterville a second PSAP in
Kennebec County, as well as Reps. Marilyn Canavan, DWaterville, Pamela J. Trinward, D-Waterville, Jill Conover,
D-Oakland and Kenneth Fletcher, R-Winslow, all supported
the city's efforts to maintain its own 911 dispatch. "I would
hope that someone from the (Public Utilities Commission)
or the elected officials involved would have the courtesy
and courage to inform the residents of Kennebec County
what the advantage is for having to pay increased costs
and what the real agenda is," Morris said. The Utilities &
Energy Committee in May supported a bill to give
Waterville until at least 2009 to join the regional center, but
resistance from other lawmakers killed the bill.
**************************
Pittsfield PD changed their Primary Freq. to 159.155. The
old Freq. of 155.1000 is still used by the FD, Ambulance,
Highway & Water Depts.
**************************
Portland and South Portland agree to consolidation of
911 call centers: The merger of Portland's and South
Portland's operations will be invisible to the public, officials
say. The cities of Portland and South Portland have
reached a preliminary agreement on combining their
emergency 911 call centers.
Under the proposal, which recently received tentative
approval from both city councils, the two centers in South
Portland and Portland will merge into one larger center in
Portland by October 2008. The consolidation of the
centers, known as Public Safety Answering Point centers,
will not affect the personnel or the budgets of the
two cities, South Portland Acting City Manager Jim Gailey
said Friday. However, the costly specialized software
needed for the 911 centers can be removed from the South
Portland location, saving considerable money for the state,
which funds the 911 hubs. "It's a very hardware- and
software-intensive operation," Portland Fire Chief Frederick
LaMontagne said. The South Portland dispatch center will
continue to operate as an emergency dispatch center,
fielding calls from the 911 center. Dispatch centers, which
both cities already have, usually direct information from
911 calls to the appropriate police, fire and rescue
departments. However, under the reorganization, rather
than handling calls for all the departments, the South
Portland emergency
dispatchers will be in charge of dispatching fire and EMS
services, while the Portland emergency center will handle
calls for police services. "It's really going to be very
seamless," Gailey said. "The citizen or business will not
even notice the changeover." He said that giving each city
specific personnel to be in charge of
dispatching allows for specialization, and therefore more
efficiency.
Portland Police Chief Tim Burton said the setup has even
more advantages in the event of a disaster or major
emergency. He said combining forces "enhances our ability
to manage our emergency response" over the entire area.
PAGE 17
However, both cities will maintain the equipment and
personnel needed to operate on their own if necessary, so
"in the event one location is compromised, the other will
maintain full capability," Burton said.
Each city held workshops to discuss the idea. The South
Portland City Council gave preliminary approval in early
May, Gailey said, and the Portland City Council gave an
informal go-ahead after a June 4 workshop. The cities
have yet to sign a formal agreement, but Gailey said that's
just a technicality. "We're spending money. We're moving
on this," he said. The move to consolidate comes after a
push by Gov. John Baldacci to
regionalize 911 call centers to save money. A state law
enacted in 2003 requires the 48 call centers in Maine to
drop to between 16 and 24. Each 911 call center must be
furnished with special equipment that answers 911 calls
and instantly displays information about where the call
originated. Maine taxpayers pay for this equipment through
a 50-cent surcharge on their telephone bills. Some of the
equipment is old and needs to be replaced. To keep the
surcharge at 50 cents, many call centers must consolidate.
"The city of South Portland was informed it couldn't keep
its answering point," LaMontagne said. "We found a lot of
common ground between our two municipalities, and we
decided our communities could share dispatch points."
Editors note: Ironically enough, our out-of-control state
legislature just “appropriated” $3 million dollars out of the
911 fund to cover their voracious spending in totally
unrelated areas….
**************************
And, finally, here is a picture of the FEMA mobile
command post that turned up in York County at the
beginning of June 2007 as a result of all the flooding that
happened:
Until next time, keep the eagle flying free and support our
troops. God Bless America, and obey Acts 2:38.
OUT HERE.
PHILADELPHIA METRO
Justin Linn
1864 Wakeling Street
Philadelphia, PA 19124
[email protected]
www.vipercomusa.cj.net
SCANNER MONITORING IN CHESTER COUNTY,
PENNSYLVANIA
Submitted by Creighton Rabs
Chester County is one of the fastest growing regions in
Pennsylvania. Located west of Philadelphia, has a vast
mix of urban, suburban, and rural environments that can, in
theory, make scanning the county an interesting
experience.
However, virtually all Chester County public safety
operations operate on an E.F. Johnson LTR Multi-Net
system. While LTR Multi-Net systems cannot be trunktracked by any commercially available scanner, the system
is monitorable by entering the frequencies in conventional
mode. This makes it very difficult to monitor a typical
conversation, however at least you’re able to hear
something on this system.
While all fire companies, EMS squads, and most law
enforcement agencies operate on the county TRS, there
are a couple of notable exceptions. The West Chester
Police Department operates on a 4-channel UHF
conventional radio system, built by Motorola. The
department recently made the full-time conversion from
analog operations to digital operations. Another notable
exception is the West Goshen Police Department, which
during daytime and early evening weekday hours is selfdispatched; during all other times, this agency is
dispatched by Chester County.
Most law enforcement agency side channels are now, in
effect, use a talk group on the county’s TRS, however,
there are still a couple active conventional frequencies that
are confirmed to be in use. The same goes for the
county’s fire companies; most fire company “private
channels” are inactive, though several still remain in use.
CHESTER COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY
SERVICES
Your tax dollars at work! One can only wonder the commo
that resides inside of this rig. Special “props” go to one of
our “eagle-eyed” monitors who is always a wellspring of
information.
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
The Chester County Department of Emergency Services
operates and maintains a centralized dispatch center in the
basement of the Government Services Building, located on
Westtown Rd, just outside of West Chester. The DES 9-11 Center had been previously located at the Hazlett
PAGE 18
Building, located within West Chester Borough, just north
of downtown.
The LTR Multi-Net system operated and maintained by the
county serves nearly all law enforcement agencies (except
for West Chester), all fire departments and EMS squads in
Chester County (along with a handful of mutual aid
companies in neighboring counties), along with the Chester
County Sheriff’s Department, Chester County Detectives,
Chester County Park Rangers, and the Chester County
Prison. A total of 14 frequencies comprise the active
channel rotation, with two of these channels utilized as
control channels. While monitoring in conventional mode,
it’s best to lock out the two control channels, as most of the
traffic that is transmitted is sub-audible noise.
Dispatching of law enforcement consists of three separate
districts – East (covering townships in the Main Line area),
Central (covering an area roughly east of and including the
Route 100/Pottstown Pike and Route 202/Wilmington Pike
corridors), and West (generally west of Route 100/202).
All three law-enforcement dispatch districts have
frequencies licensed to simulcast dispatcher only
transmissions off the county’s TRS. The East District
repeater is currently not active. One possible reason the
East Police Repeater is not active is that it is licensed for
the same frequencies as one of Lancaster City’s police
frequencies and that dispatchers simply are not permitted
to use the simulcast feature for that region. The other two
dispatch repeaters – Central and West – are still active to
allow communications between DES and the Pennsylvania
State Police, if needed (though this has been an extremely
rare occurrence in recent years).
Law enforcement agencies in Chester County are identified
with a system similar to that made popular by the Los
Angeles Police Department. The identifier consists of “Unit
XX (alpha) YY”:
The “XX” represents the department’s district identifier.
These numbers are assigned to departments based on the
county’s municipal numbering system, which is generally
used by all county agencies. In the case of regional police
agencies, the identifier is the township where the
department’s headquarters are located. The county
reserves numbers between 1 and 73 for the municipal
police departments; units between 75 and 79 are for
college-based and school district-based law enforcement
agencies. Units in the 80’s are reserved for county Park
Rangers and other state conservation or park-based patrol
agencies; 90-series identifiers are used by the county-wide
based agencies.
The “alpha” designator is the officer’s rank or specialized
unit (ie. patrol units are “Paul” units, “David” units are
detectives, “Adam” units designate the Chief of Police or
other supervisory officer in charge, “Boy” units are bike
patrol officers, etc.). The irony of the system that the
county designed is that even though law enforcement
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
identifiers use the “APCO” phonetic alphabet (Adam, Boy,
Charles, David, Edward, etc.) to identify themselves to
dispatch, the majority of law enforcement dispatchers use
the NATO (or “military”) phonetic alphabet (Alpha, Bravo,
Charlie, Delta, Echo, etc.) as do a large percentage of field
officers.
The “YY” represents an officer’s specific unit number. In
some larger departments, there’s a specific geographic
based sector identifier system that indicates what sector an
officer is patrolling. In the smaller departments, they can
represent either an individual officer or a patrol car unit
number.
Most of the low priority calls are routed to an officer’s
mobile data terminal (MDT) with the only verbal notification
being, “Unit XX Paul YY, check your MDT for a parking
complaint.” Some departments actually use the MDT’s to
notify dispatch of traffic stops and will run license plate
information through the MDT rather than tie up the radio
channel. For most active incidents, unless an officer
indicates otherwise, county will call a unit for status on a
regular basis (usually about 5 minutes or so) while an
incident is active. All dispatches are done in plain English,
eliminating the use of the 10-codes, though some agencies
will use these codes occasionally on their respective side
channels or talkgroups.
Fire and emergency medical services are dispatched
together and also operate on an East, Central, and West
fire district format. The East District consists of fire stations
along the Main Line and West Chester areas; the Central
District consists of the Pottstown Pike corridor north of
West Chester, along with northern and central parts of the
county; the West District consists of the companies in the
western and southern parts of the county. EMS calls are
dispatched based on whichever district the fire company
covers. For example, an EMS squad whose primary area
is the East District will operate on the Central District if the
call is located in a territory covered by a station operating
on Central.
There is one paging frequency for fire and EMS services
which has a very strong signal that some scanners or other
radios can pick up as far north as Northern New Jersey.
There are two repeaters associated with the county’s fire
service – the East and Central districts share a frequency,
which can be very hectic when there are two major
incidents going on in the respective districts, while the
West district has a separate frequency.
Almost all fire companies in Chester County are volunteer
with a few paid staffers (usually drivers); most EMS squads
are volunteer with paid staff, particularly during the daytime
hours. All but a few EMS squads operated under the
jurisdiction of local fire companies. Most of these
companies provide Basic Life Support service, while a few
provide Advanced Life Support services. There are three
hospital based ALS services in the county; two other such
services disbanded, and had ALS services taken over by
PAGE 19
the local fire company-based EMS services. Some fire
companies that do not have an ambulance service also
provide Quick Response System (QRS) services in their
first-due territory.
WEST CHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT
CONVENTIONAL P-25 SYSTEM
The West Chester Police Department is one of only
municipal public safety agency that does not operate on
the Chester County TRS, nor is dispatched by the county
(the other is North Coventry Township Police, which
operates on an encrypted talkgroup on the Montgomery
County TRS). WCPD operates and maintains a 24-hour
dispatch center at the police headquarters, located at the
West Chester Borough Hall at Gay and Adams streets. As
part of its communications division, the West Chester
Police maintain a Motorola 4-channel, conventional UHF
system for it’s day-to-day communications.
Channels 1 and 2 are paired, as are Channels 3 and 4.
Channel 1 is the primary dispatch channel; Channel 2 is
the primary simplex talk-around channel; Channel 3 is the
secondary dispatch channel; Channel 4 is a talk-around
channel that is rarely used, but can be active for some
downtown events such as the Restaurant Festival and the
Iron Hill Criterium bike race.
In December 2006, the West Chester Police began
operating it’s radio system in APCO-25 digital mode,
however all communications are unencrypted, and are
expected to remain so for the long-term future. There have
been a few instances where operations have reverted back
to analog mode due to reception issues or for mutual-aid
purposes.
The system’s primary tower is located just west of the
borough in East Bradford Township off of Downingtown
Pike just east of the West Chester Bypass (Route 322).
Additional transmitters are located at the West Chester
Borough Hall, Wayne Hall on the West Chester University
campus, the Embreeville complex in West Bradford
Township, and the Chester County Prison complex in
Pocopson Township. There have been some preliminary
discussions with Downingtown Borough about adding a
transmitter on their tower near the Chester County
Intermediate Unit complex on Boot Road, though nothing
has been finalized as of yet. The new site would improve
communications coverage in the northern portions of East
Bradford Township, which part of WCPD’s patrol district.
The department operates four regular patrol squads (with
shift changes at 06:00 and 18:00), to which a regular
dispatcher is normally assigned. In addition to the regular
nd
squad dispatcher, there is a 2 dispatcher during weekday
“normal business hours” (07:00 to 15:00) and most
evenings (usually Tuesdays through Saturdays from
approximately 15:00 to 23:00 and from 23:00 to 07:00 or
later, depending on need). A fifth squad is usually in
service Wednesdays through Saturdays during evening
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
and overnight hours to deal with calls related quality of life
issues related to the borough’s numerous bars and
restaurants and in high priority neighborhoods.
The department uses the same identifier system as the
rest of the county, with a couple of modifications.
Additionally, the department uses the 10-codes that were
phased out in the rest of the county.
WEST GOSHEN TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT
It could be said that the West Goshen Township Police has
it both ways when it comes to dispatching and
communications systems. West Goshen self-dispatches
its police department between 07:00 and 23:00 Monday
through Friday; at all other times, Chester County DES
dispatches the department over the Central Police district.
At times, it can be a challenge determining where to find
West Goshen on the radio. Sometimes, the department
operates on its own licensed VHF-High Band frequency;
other times they use the county TRS. There seems to be
no logic behind usage of the VHF frequency.
Another quirk is that while officers are split into two squads
(06:00-18:00 and 18:00-06:00), dispatchers on duty work
from 07:00-15:00 and 15:00-23:00. Also, while West
Goshen officers use two digit identifiers, they actually
correspond to badge numbers as opposed to geographic
sectors, as is the case with other large departments (such
as Tredyffrin or West Chester).
OTHER CONVENTIONAL FREQUENCIES
For the most part, most of the frequencies licensed to
municipalities that were used by police departments in the
county are no longer active. In some cases, usage has
simply ceased, while other townships have turned over the
channels to their respective roads departments. During
winter months, however, some of the township channels do
become very active.
On the police side, only two departments are confirmed to
operate over conventional channels for talk-around –
Downingtown Borough (VHF-High) and Uwchlan Township
(UHF). The Uwchlan repeater carries a pretty strong
signal, coming in clearly as far south as the
Chester/Delaware County line near Chadds Ford;
conversely, Downingtown’s channel can only be heard as
far away as the western-most portions of West Whiteland
Township (Exton area).
A few fire companies continue to use their private
frequencies, the spectrum of which can vary from VHF-Low
Band to 800 mhz conventional. For the most part,
however, a lot of fire companies utilize the “FD-1” simplex
channel licensed to the county for fireground operations, at
least where multiple companies are responding. This
particular channel is often referred to as “71”, which
appears to be the channel assignment in a county issued
portable.
PAGE 20
Outside the realm of the county’s public safety sector,
there are a few channels in conventional mode that are
available to monitor. The Coatesville Veterans
Administration Medical Center, located in Caln Township,
maintains VHF-High Band frequencies in the federal range
(160 mhz). The VA Police Department (77-units on the
county system) operates in P-25 mode full time; depending
on the individual officer, mobiles can be encrypted,
however the dispatch always seems to operate in the clear.
The VAMC Fire Department (Station 76) operates on at
least 1 VHF-High Band channel for internal operations, but
does respond on the county TRS for mutual aid
assignments (generally to assist Station 38 – Thorndale).
There is also at least one active VHF-High Band channel
used by maintenance personnel at the hospital.
Sky Flight Care (aka SkyCare), an air-medical provider
based at the Brandywine Hospital in Caln, operates off of
three channels – a UHF repeater for primary operations, a
VHF-High repeater for secondary operations, and a VHFHigh channel for communications between SkyCare base
and hospital security. SkyCare’s first-due territory includes
most of northern, western, and southern Chester County,
the Pottstown area in Montgomery Coutny, the
Morgantown area of Berks County, and the eastern and
central portions of Lancaster County. At times, reception is
spotty from a few miles west of the hospital, but is
generally pretty good.
Another public safety channel of note is the West Chester
University Public Safety (police) Department (75-units),
which presently operates on a VHF-High repeater. While
WCU Police can access the county trunk system for mutual
aid (West Chester Borough police can reach WCU Police
on the VHF channel), use of the county system is virtually
non-existent. Additionally, there were plans for WCUPD to
migrate over to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s
Starnet state-wide OpenSky radio system, meaning the
days of monitoring this particular agency may be
numbered. However, there are also plans by the
University to upgrade to a UHF repeater system, either for
the police department or maintenance.
As noted earlier, the Pennsylvania State Police stations in
Chester County – located in London Grove Township
(Avondale) and West Bradford Township (Embreeville) –
can, in theory, communicate with the county police
dispatchers through the existing Central and West police
district channels, but have not done so for at least the past
couple of years.
PSP stations in Chester County continue to use their
assigned VHF frequencies, pending a move to Starnet.
PSP Avondale – which covers the southern part of the
county – operates on PSP “B” Channel, a duplex pairing
with separate base and mobile frequencies, while PSP
Embreeville operates on “G” Channel, where base and
mobile units operate on the same frequency.
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
Additionally, PSP units operating on the Pennsylvania
Turnpike’s District 4 (between the Morgantown exit in
Berks County and the Pennsylvania/New Jersey state line)
continue to operate on their respective VHF channels (at
least for the foreseeable future). The District 4 repeater is
strong enough to be heard into parts of New Castle
County, Delaware – not to mention parts of Chester County
that are nowhere near the Turnpike proper.
FREQUENCIES OF NOTE
CHESTER COUNTY TRS SIMULCAST (enter all
frequencies in the order listed, locking out the control
channels)
866.0625
868.1125
868.2625
856.2375
866.1250
866.2125
866.7500
860.4375
860.2375
866.2125*
866.8625
867.3250
866.3875*
858.2375
(*) – Control channels (sub-audible noise when other
channels are active)
Chester County DES Repeaters
(Police repeaters simulcast dispatch only)
154.7000 – East Police Dispatch (71.9 pl)
154.7850 – Central Police Dispatch (71.9 pl)
155.7600 – West Police Dispatch (71.9 pl)
160.1850 – Fire/EMS Paging (CSQ)
159.6000 – East/Central Fire (CSQ)
159.7350 – West Fire (CSQ)
MUNICIPAL CONVENTIONAL FREQUENCIES
(Confirmed Active)
158.8200 – Caln Township Roads (71.9 pl)
860.9625 – Chester County Sheriff’s Office (100.0 pl –
Simulcast from TRS)
158.8050 – Downingtown Police Talk-around (71.9 pl)
159.1425 – East Bradford Township Roads (156.7 pl)
151.1150 – East Marlborough Township Roads (151.4 pl)
500.3875 – East Pikeland Township Roads (97.4 pl)
155.0850 – East Whiteland Township Roads (71.9 pl)
151.0850 – Pocopson Township Roads (DPL 025)
500.6625 – Uwchlan Township Police Talk-around (131.8
pl)
500.9625 – Uwchlan Township Roads (146.2 pl)
156.2400 – West Caln Township Roads (186.2 pl)
500.4125 – West Chester Police F-1 (P-25/97.4 pl)
500.4125 – West Chester Police F-2 (P-25/97.4 pl –
Simplex)
500.5125 – West Chester Police F-3 (P-25/97.4 pl)
500.5125 – West Chester Police F-4 (P-25/97.4 pl –
Simplex)
48.4000 – West Chester Public Works (156.7 pl)
158.7450 – West Goshen Township Police Dispatch/Talkaround (71.9 pl)
46.5200 – West Goshen Township Roads (123.0 pl)
500.4375 – West Whiteland Township Roads (127.3 pl)
PAGE 21
FIRE COMPANY FREQUENCIES (confirmed active)
154.3100 – Downingtown Fire Department (71.9 pl)
154.2950 – East Whiteland Fire Company
154.0700 – Goshen Fire Company
155.8875 – Goshen Fire Company (DPL 731)
453.3875 – Longwood Fire Company (DPL 025)
154.3775 – Westwood Fire Company
OTHER NOTABLE FREQUENCIES
155.2350 – Sky FlightCare Dispatch (77.0 pl)
451.0250 – Sky FlightCare Operations (123.0 pl)
155.3250 – Sky FlightCare/Brandywine Hospital (67.0 pl)
165.4250 – VA Medical Center Police (P-25 – mixed clear
and encrypted)
166.1375 – VA Medical Center Fire Department (173.8 pl)
166.7150 – VA Medical Center Maintenance (156.7 pl)
POLICE DEPARTMENTS ON THE COUNTY TRS (By
Dispatch District)
EAST DISTRICT
02 – Malvern Borough
42 – East Whiteland Township
43 – Tredyffrin Township
54 – Willistown Township
55 – Easttown Township
CENTRAL DISTRICT
01 – West Chester Borough (self-dispatched at all times)
14 – Spring City Borough
15 – Phoenixville Borough
17 – North Coventry Township (dispatched by Pottstown
on Montgomery County TRS)
18 – East Coventry Township
21 – East Vincent Township
25 – West Vincent Township
26 – East Pikeland Township
27 – Schuylkill Township
32 – Upper Uwchlan Township
33 – Uwchlan Township
34 – West Pikeland Township
41 – West Whiteland Township
52 – West Goshen Township (self-dispatched except for
overnights and weekends)
65 – Birmingham Township
67 – Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police
75 – West Chester University (self-dispatched, but does
have access to system on Central PD)
WEST DISTRICT
03 – Kennett Square Borough
04 – Parkesburg Police units assigned to Avondale
Borough
05 – West Grove Borough
06 – Oxford Borough
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
07 – Parkesburg Police units assigned to Atglen Borough
08 – Parkesburg Police units assigned to Parkesburg
Borough
09 – South Coatesville Borough
11 – Downingtown Borough
12 – Parkesburg Police units assigned to Honey Brook
Borough
16 – Coatesville City
28 – West Caln Township
29 – West Brandywine Township
30 – Brandywine Regional Police (East Brandywine and
Wallace Townships)
36 – West Sadsbury Township
37 – Sadsbury Township
38 – Valley Township
39 – Caln Township
44 – West Fallowfield Township
45 – Parkesburg Police units assigned to Highland Twp.
47 – East Fallowfield Township
60 – New Garden Township
61 – East Marlborough Township
62 – Kennett Township (department slated to go in service
later this year or early next year)
76 – Lincoln University Police (self-dispatched, does have
access to CAD system, but unknown use of TRS)
77 – Coatesville VA Medical Center Police (self-dispatched
but has access to TRS on West PD)
79 – Coatesville Area School District Police
COUNTY-WIDE AGENCIES
81 – Pennsylvania Fish & Game Commission
82 – Marsh Creek State Park Rangers
83 – Warwick County Park Rangers
84 – Hibernia County Park Rangers
85 – Nottingham County Park Rangers
86 – Springton Manor Farm Park Rangers
91 – Chester County Detectives
92 – Chester County District Attorney
93 – Chester County Sheriff’s Office
94 – Chester County Prison
FIRE/EMS AGENCIES ON COUNTY TRS (by
Dispatch District)
EAST DISTRICT
2 – Berwyn
3 – Paoli
4 – Malvern
5 – East Whiteland
51 – First West Chester
52 – Goodwill/West Chester
53 – Fame/West Chester
54 – Goshen (main station)
55 – Good Fellowship Ambulance
56 – Goshen (sub-station)
58 – West Chester University QRS
91 – Chester County Hospital ALS
PAGE 22
CENTRAL DISTRICT
6 – West Whiteland
33 – Honey Brook
45 – Alert/Downingtown
46 – Minquas/Downingtown
47 – Lionville
48 – Glenmoore
49 – East Brandywine
61 – Kimberton
62 – Ridge
63 – Liberty/Spring City
64 – North Coventry
65 – Phoenix/Phoenixville
66 – Friendship/Phoenixville
67 – West End/Phoenixville
167 – West End EMS/East Vincent sub-station
68 – Valley Forge
69 – Twin Valley
72 – Spring-Ford Rescue Squad
73 – Ludwig’s Corner
74 – Upper Uwchlan QRS
87 – Uwchlan Ambulance
89 – Elverson EMS
WEST DISTRICT
12 – West Grove (New London sub-station)
21 – Union/Oxford
22 – West Grove (main station)
23 – Avondale
24 – Kennett
25 – Longwood
26 – Atglen
27 – Cochranville
28 – Parkesburg
29 – Pomeroy
31 – Sadsburyville
34 – Martin’s Corner
35 – Wagontown
36 – Po-Mar-Lin
37 – Modena
38 – Thorndale
39 – West Bradford (main station)
139 – West Bradford (sub-station)
41 – Washington/Coatesville
43 – West End/Coatesville
44 – Westwood
75 – Lukens Steel/ISG Plate
76 – Coatesville VA Fire Department
93 – Brandywine Hospital ALS
94 – Southern Chester County EMS
COUNTY-WIDE FIRE-RESCUE AGENCIES
11 – Department of Emergency Services/Fire Training
13 – American Red Cross
15 – Chester County Haz-Mat
77 – Chester County Dive-Rescue Team
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
MUTUAL AID UNITS FROM NEIGHBORING COUNTIES
WHICH ACCESS TRS (Not a fully-inclusive list; these
are the companies that are frequently on the TRS)
BERKS COUNTY
24 – Geigertown
680 – Southern Berks EMS
DELAWARE COUNTY
15 – Radnor
41 – Newtown Square
59 – Concordville
64 – Edgmont
LANCASTER COUNTY
3-4 – Churchtown
3-6 – Goodville
4-9 – White Horse
5-1 – Bart Township
5-2 – Christiana
5-13 – Robert Fulton
7-7-9 – Susquehanna Valley EMS
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
41 – North Penn Canteen Service
47 – King of Prussia
51 – Linfield
55 – Mont Clare
57 – West End (Stowe)
58 – Sanatoga
63 – Oaks
69 – Pottstown Fire Department
84 – Humane/Royersford
85 – Friendship/Royersford
317 – Lafayette Ambulance (King of Prussia)
322 – Lower Providence Ambulance
324 – Trappe Ambulance
325 – Friendship Fire Co. EMS/Royersford
329 – Goodwill Ambulance/Pottstown
NEW CASTLE COUNTY, DELAWARE
19 – Hockessin
CECIL COUNTY, MARYLAND
3/4/14 – Elkton
8/18/28 – Rising Sun
------------------------------------------------
Chester County PA Live Feed
by Steve Snyder KB3FSR
To the scanner listeners, I have setup a live audio feed
for Chester County, PA . I have been doing some work on
getting a Uniden trunk tracker scanner to track and follow
the comms on the EF Johnson Multi-Net Trunked System. I
PAGE 23
was able to do this with some add-on's to the Scanner. Log
in on the Team Speak Audio Feed Software and look for
PA - Chester County (RM) Channel Feed. The radio Is
programmed with police and fire talkgroups. And also interops channels and I-Tac channels. The scanner is setup to
scan all talkgroups that have been programmed into the
scanner. Log in and enjoy. Let me know what you think of
the Audio Feed
Events 1-10 These Channels are analog 800mhz and do
not require a digital scanner.
73 All.
13100
13120
13121
13142
13130
13140
13221
13101
13122
13123
13144
13131
13140
13221
13102
13124
13125
13146
13132
13140
13222
13031
13032
13151
13154
13150
13152
13153
13155
13037
Steve. KB3FSR
Don’t have an E.F. Johnson LTR Multi-Net system capable
scanner? Well look no further. Below is information
received by Steve Snyder KB3FSR from Paoli,
Pennsylvania. This is an updated TG list for Fire and
Police.
Steve also has set up a live feed that includes a good mix
of communications emanating from Chester County, PA.
http://www.incidentbroadcast.com/index.php
Once on the site’s main page look on the left-hand column
under main menu for information about Teamspeak. This
will give you information about Teamspeak, how to
download Teamspeak2 and finally how to set it up
properly.
Here's the information posted directly on the
Teamspeak2’s server. Once set up look as it lists a feed for
Chester County.
Channel:
PA - Chester County
Topic:
Full Time Feed
User in channel:
3/100
Codec:
Speex 12.3 Kbit
Description:
Broadcasting live public service radio traffic from Chester
County, PA.
This feed covers all police and fire departments in Chester
County on their EF Johnson 800 MHz Multi-Net II Trunked
System. The live audio that you hear is not from a scanner,
but from a radio that is made exclusively for use with a
Multi-Net Trunked system. Includes all PD Dispatch and
Police Dept., and Fire Dispatch and Fire Dept. talkgroups
You will also hear the Medics talking to the Hospital for
Medical Command.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Description:
This feed monitors Montgomery County, PA Fire Dept.'s
Digital 800MHz TRS. All Companies in Region 5 are now
on the 800MHz Trunked Radio System.
North East Montgomery Dispatch
Regions 3-6 These Channels are all Digital
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
CHESTER COUNTY FIRE TALKGROUPS
EF JOHNSON MULTI-NET II TRUNKED SYSTEM
TG ID RADIO DISPLAY
DESCRIPTION
EAST-FIRE
EAST FIRE DISPATCH
EFG-1
EAST FIRE GROUND -1
EFG-2
EAST FIRE GROUND -2
E-MA
EAST MUTUAL AID
E-TAC
EAST TACTICAL
MA-AC
EAST MUTUAL AID ALL CALL
EMERG
EAST EMERGENCY
ENT-FIRE
ENTRAL FIRE DISPATCH
CFG-1
CENTRAL FIRE GROUND -1
CFG-2
CENTRAL FIRE GROUND -2
C-MA
CENTRAL MUTUAL AID
C-TAC
CENTRAL TACTICAL
MA-AC
CENTRAL MUTUAL AID ALL CALL
EMERG
CENTRAL EMERGENCY
WEST-FIRE
WEST FIRE DISPATCH
WFG-1
WEST FIRE GROUND -1
WFG-2
WEST FIRE GROUND -2
W-MA
WEST MUTUAL AID
W-TAC
WEST TACTICAL
MA-AC
WEST MUTUAL AID ALL CALL
EMERG
WEST EMERGENCY
HAZMT
CHESTER COUNTY HAZMAT TEAM
FMARS
CHESTER COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL
P-M-H
PAOLI MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
P-V-H
PHOENIXVILLE HOSPITAL
C-C-H
CHESTER COUNTY HOSPITAL
BWH
BRANDYWINE HOSPITAL
S-C-C
SOUTHERN CHESTER COUNTY MED CTR
B-M-H
BRYN MAWR HOSPITAL
DIVE
CHESTER CO. DIVER RESCUE TEAM
CHESTER COUNTY POLICE TALKGROUPS
EF JOHNSON MULTI-NET II TRUNKED SYSTEM
TG ID
13050
13060
13061
13074
13075
13142
13070
13221
13051
13062
13063
13064
13065
10144
13071
13221
13052
13066
13067
13068
13069
RADIO DISPLAY
DESCRIPTION
EAST-DISP
EAST POLICE DISPATCH
EPG-1
EAST POLICE GROUP - 1
EPG-2
EAST POLICE GROUP - 2
EPG-3
EAST POLICE GROUP - 3
EPG-4
EAST POLICE GROUP - 4
E-MA
EAST MUTUAL AID
E-TAC
EAST TACTICAL
EMERG
EAST EMERGENCY
CENT - DISP CENTRAL POLICE DISPATCH
CPG-1
CENTRAL POLICE GROUP -1
CPG-2
CENTRAL POLICE GROUP -2
CPG-3
CENTRAL POLICE GROUP -3
CPG-4
CENTRAL POLICE GROUP -4
C-MA
CENTRAL MUTUAL AID
C-TAC
CENTRAL TACTICAL
EMERG
CENTRAL EMERGENCY
WEST - DISP WEST POLICE DISPATCH
WPG-1
WEST POLICE GROUP -1
WPG-2
WEST POLICE GROUP -2
WPG-3
WEST POLICE GROUP -3
WPG-4
WEST POLICE GROUP -4
PAGE 24
W-MA
13071
13222
13090
13035
13020
13021
13030
13091
13092
13093
WEST
W-TAC
EMERG
NATPL
SHERF
CCDSP
DES-L
DES-ADMIN
INFO-E
INFO-C
INFO-W
MUTUAL AID
WEST TACTICAL
WEST EMERGENCY
NATIONAL POLICE (Patch to 155.475)
CHESTER COUNTY SHERIFF DEP'T
CHESTER COUNTY DES DISPATCH
CHESTER COUNTY DES LOCAL
CHESTER COUNTY DES ADMIN
CHESTER COUNTY INFO EAST
CHESTER CO. INFO CENTRAL
CHESTER CO. INFO WEST
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Dan Ruhe
c/o Scanner Digest
POB 207
Jamison PA 18929
[email protected]
Sorry no column this issue.
ScannerDigest Newsletter
Welcome to the Scanner Digest Newsletter! We’re currently
publishing a bi-monthly e-magazine containing information for
the scanner hobbyist. If it can be monitored on a scanner, we’ll
attempt to cover it from 30 to 1300 MHz and beyond!
Our purpose is to produce a newsletter to facilitate the exchange
of information pertaining to the various services covered by a
typical scanner radio. Dedicated regional column editors make
up the heart of this publication.
The Scanner Digest Newsletter is not responsible for the
accuracy or consequences incurred regarding the use of
information listed in this publication. Since the purpose of this
newsletter is to provide a platform for the submission and
exchange of radio communication information, it thus becomes
impossible to deem all contents as accurate. The very nature of
radio licensing and usage makes it difficult to verify the
accuracy of the information contained within. Generally
information listed within the pages of the newsletter are derived
from multiply sources including current FCC files, hobbyists
and those directly involved with various public safety agencies.
Scanner Digest’s policy has been not to limit or edit the
individual columns submitted, unless we deem the information
sensitive in nature which may jeopardize the safety of the
parties involved. Only in this case will we edit out this type of
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SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
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