Issue 47 - Scanner Digest Newsletter

Transcription

ISSUE 48
APR-MAY-JUNE 2009
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stations are able to receive this information, process it
using special software and display vessels locations on a
chart plotter or on a computer.
GRAB YOUR GEAR & GO MOBILE – Part 2
Scanning VANCOUVER BC - CANADA
NEW JERSEY VHF RADIO SYSTEM
FRS-GMRS UNDERSTANDING RADIO
RANGE CLAIMS
♦ BETTER UNDERSTANDING PUB SAFETY
RADIO COMMS
♦ INSTALLATION PL-259 CONNECTOR
******************************************************************
Occasionally we come across a website that is complete
in its content. DisasterPrepped.com provides emergency
preparedness tools & disaster solutions for families &
organizations, This site has tons of articles that would
beneficial as you prepare for various situations that may
potentially encounter.
GENERAL EDITOR
http://www.w2lie.net/
Jeff Newton
Newton@efn.org
Here is a URL to a video link sent in by an anonymous
source showing the latest in law enforcement vehicles.
CAR DESIGNED BY COPS FOR COPS
http://www.disasterprepped.com/
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Your source for what’s happening on Long Island. This
site is loaded with forums, links, frequencies, files and live
feeds. A must-see for those scanning in the Long Island
NY area.
Grab your gear and go mobile
Part II
Craig Leventhal N3TPM
Carbon Motors' E7 concept car was designed by law
enforcement professionals to be the ideal car for police
work. Check the video out!
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/23/high.tech.cop.car/in
dex.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCVideo
******************************************************************
Making your way to the beach, river or lake this summer,
be sure to follow the ships. Chris Brady (N3CB) sends us
this interesting website that tracks ship movement
throughout the US and the world. Through the technology
of AIS, ship movement can be tracked on your web
browser.
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/
What is AIS?
AIS is initially intended to help ships avoid collisions, as
well as assisting port authorities to better control sea
traffic. AIS transponders on board vessels include a GPS
(Global Positioning System) receiver, which collects
position and movement details. It includes also a VHF
transmitter, which transmits periodically this information on
two VHF channels (frequencies 161.975 MHz and 162.025
MHz – old VHF channels 87 & 88) and makes this data
available to the public domain. Other vessels or base
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 48
In the first installment, I gave some pointers on finding
good clean sources of power for your radios in today’s
mobile environment. In part two, I will show you some
antennas that have worked for me in several vehicles
that I have owned as well as some specific radio
mounting ideas that were used in my 2007 PT Cruiser.
These ideas might be directly applicable to your own
situation or easily “tweaked” to fit your needs. Since I
have several radios in my car on a regular basis, I prefer a
lower profile approach, involving concealment of some
antennas, and the removal of others when they are not in
use. For the best reception (and transmission), a
permanently mounted antenna on the center of the
vehicles’ roof is recommended. A good second choice is
the center of the trunk lid. In some instances these may
not be practical or desirable. For many years and
several vehicles now, I have used the factory AM/FM,
fender-mounted antenna for scanner reception. This works
adequately for signals in the 30-512 MHz ranges, but falls
off as you approach 800 MHz, so I use a separate 800
MHz antenna here. Here are some examples of 800 MHz
antennas I have used:
PAGE 1
Now, if you are wondering how this all goes together, with
the FM modulator for the CD player, here is a simple block
diagram of the antenna system.
Curly Q
The matchbox should be a transparent pass-through for
the AM/FM broadcast bands, so your stereo should not
suffer any loss of performance. Most vehicles have a small
amount of space behind the glove box in the dashboard,
where you can hide the match-box and make the
necessary connections. There are several suppliers of
these scanner mobile antenna match boxes, including
Grove Enterprises, Transel Technologies, and Universal
Radio to name a few.
Patch
Next I want to share some ideas for mounting the various
pieces of radio gear. Since every installation is different, I
will show some examples from my 2007 PT Cruiser, in the
hope that you can adapt them to your specific needs.
Keep in mind that DRIVING SAFELY is your primary
concern when you are behind the wheel. With that in
mind, the radios should be mounted so that the controls
can be reached without taking your eyes off the road.
You may be tempted to mount your gear on top of the
dashboard, but a word of caution is in order here. Some
jurisdictions consider any object mounted on top of the
dashboard to be an obstruction, even if your view of the
road is not affected. This applies to your radar detector,
GPS unit, radios and even that dancing hula doll.
Since the TM-742A is a tri-band radio, it requires a bit
more operator input during normal use , and because the
front panel can be separated from the rest of the unit,
I decided to mount the panel on the face of the dash, just
below the new AM/FM radio, in a space left vacant by the
removal of the factory sound system.
Suction cup
PAGE 2
As you can see from the photo, the stereo and the tri-band
radio controls are grouped nicely together, which allows
operation of either unit without having to reach far from the
steering wheel, or take your eyes off the road.
The scanner is a PRO-2066 and will be located in an open
pocket at the bottom of the dash, just above the floor
console. This pocket has an insert that can be removed
and modified to allow the wires to pass through and out
behind the dash thereby eliminating the dreaded “rats
nest” of wires.
The scanners’ audio output is adequate for home use, but
when it is mounted in the dash, the internal speaker is
partially covered. I recommend the use of an amplified
external speaker for the scanner, and they also work well
for your other gear. I found one at a local hamfest, which
has a metal hook which allows it to be attached to the top
of the passenger-side kick panel, up out of the way.
Wires, wires, what to do with all those wires! Hide them
out of site behind the plastic trim panels on the door sills
and roof pillars, under the dash, or under the carpet. Be
careful, when running wires under the carpet, that you
place them up high away from areas where passengers’
feet will rest, so they do not chafe.
I suggest that as much of this as possible be done all at
one time even if you are not planning to install all of your
gear right away. This will avoid you having to pull the trim
panels and carpet up more than once.
We’re looking for contributors for the
Scanner Digest Newsletter. Interesting in
writing? Send us a note and indicate your
intentions.
ScannerDigest@gmail.com
Take some time in advance to carefully plan your
installation before you start to pull the dashboard apart.
Make notes and drawings to help you visualize how it will
all look when it’s finished. Remember that your primary
PAGE 3
focus when your behind the wheel is DRIVING, and your
installation should not change that. Now when you go
mobile, you will be able to easily take your hobby along
and stay on top of breaking news.
NORTHERN NEW JERSEY
Justin Mattes KC2GIK
10 Carnot Avenue
Woodcliff Lake NJ 07677
jaymatt1978@optonline.net
www.bergenscanner.com
VHF CHANNELS TO REGIONAL MICU
COMMUNICATION CENTERS (Listed by County)
Camden
Cape May
Cumberland
Essex
Gloucester
Hudson
Hunterdon
Mercer
Middlesex
Monmouth
Morris
Ocean
Passaic
Salem
Somerset
Sussex
Union
Warren
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
141.3
162.2
179.9
206.5
203.5
173.8
146.2
156.7
151.4
186.2
179.9
162.2
210.7
210.7
186.2
206.5
167.9
179.9
179.9
COUNTY
FREQUENCY
CTCSS
AREA
Atlantic
155.175 MHz
118.8
County Wide
Bergen
155.205 MHz.
155.175 MHz.
192.8
100.0
Eastern portion
Western portion
Burlington
155.295 MHz.
127.3
County Wide
Camden
155.235 MHz.
192.8
County wide
Cape May
155.295 MHz.
118.8
County wide
Cumberland
155.220 MHz.
179.9
County wide
155.295 MHz.
100.0
NEW HAMPSHIRE
155.400 MHz.
127.3
County except
Newark
Newark
Gloucester
155.265 MHz.
167.9
County wide
Hudson
155.235 MHz.
146.2
County wide
Longer days and warmer weather has removed many of
us, including myself from the radio shack and in my case,
often away from our scanners.
Hunterdon
155.205 MHz.
146.2
County wide
Hunterdon
155.205 MHz.
192.8
County wide
Mercer
155.265 MHz.
103.5
County wide
Middlesex
155.220 MHz.
103.5
County wide
Monmouth
155.175 MHz.
151.4
County wide
Morris
155.265 MHz.
241.8
County wide
Ocean
155.205 MHz.
186.2
County wide
Passaic
155.220 MHz.
100.0
County wide
Salem
155.295 MHz.
186.2
County wide
Somerset
155.235 Mhz.
*
County wide
Sussex
155.295 MHz.
*
County wide
Union
155.175 MHz.
85.4
County wide
Warren
155.265 MHz.
*
County wide
Essex
CTCSS ASSIGNMENTS (Listed by County)
COUNTY
Atlantic
Bergen
Burlington
STATEWIDE
141.3
141.3
141.3
LOCAL
156.7
192.8
167.9
John Bolduc
N1QGS@yahoo.com
http://www.swnh.org
On a recent trip to Key West Florida, I only had my
scanner on for about 10 minutes, in search mode. Alas, on
my 18th trip to Florida, I was genuinely interested in being
a tourist, not a hobbyist. On the being the tourist side, I
was able to get engaged a minor bit of volunteer work
involving the sinking of the Vandenberg. This 522 foot long
ship was built in the mid 1940's and commissioned as the
USS General Harry Taylor as a transport ship. In 1963 it
was re-commissioned as the USAFS Vandenberg with her
mission tracking US and Russian missile launches, and
launches of the Apollo space program. Think "Houston we
have a problem" era. The ship, in a state of scuttle, still
showed several antennas and satellite dishes topside.
Arriving midmorning a the Truman Dock I found myself
busily taking photos of the ship. The Officer in Charge
spotted my taking photos inside the not quite demarked
safety zone. Instead of becoming angry, he invited me to
assist him in finishing of the setting up of the barriers to
delineate the safety zone. He commented that I certainly
seemed husky enough to assist him in the task, and he
proceeded to give me the history of the ship.
The ship that arrived at Key West just a few days earlier
was going to be sunk to become the world's second
largest artificial reef. The website for this venture can be
PAGE 4
found at http://www.bigshipwrecks.com. The site includes
a video of the sinking of the ship.
Hudson NH Fire 153.950 and 155.955 with a NAC of 370.
Lebanon NH Fire 151.235
Pelham NH Fire 158.745
So while I did not use a scanner in this case, I got to see
this large piece of communications history up close. By
the way, this was the ship used in the filming of the sci-fi
movie, Virus.
From my trip upstate I noticed that North Conway
Ambulance often switches to channel 8 after dispatch.
Channel 8 is 155.220 with a PL Tone of 123.0. North
Conway Ambulance designator(s) is 60A#. North Conway
is part of the town of Conway, but is a separate district.
While I was in the Tampa/Orlando area, I did get to set up
my mom's home with DTV converters. Here home is on a
high spot in the relatively flat state of Florida. A scan of
DTV stations through the converter box attached to a
modest outdoor antenna provided reception of 37 primary
digital stations, resulting in 68 sub-channels. The antenna
was fixed pointed northeast towards Orlando. This initial
setup success was a bit misleading as I fired up my 2
meter HT and was hearing hams in 175-225 miles away
including Alabama talking on repeaters in 50 to 125 miles
away to the north of me. Conditions were very much
enhanced at the time. But in Florida, this is very often the
case.
Indoor reception on rabbit ears of DTV, especially on
stations switched back to VHF was very finicky. Although
I could receive about 2 dozen DTV stations off of the
rabbit ear antenna indoors, only about 8 at a time were
receivable, depending on antenna orientation. This
matches my observations back home in southern New
Hampshire. Antenna orientation is critical, even more so
indoors.
On a more local trip to the White Mountains of New
Hampshire, I did break down and bring and turn on a
scanner.
In the Conway area, an active 2 meter repeater can be
found on 145.450, with no PL tone on the output.
Interesting conversations included K1RX going to various
north-country hospitals installing 2 meters radios. Over the
past year, considerable numbers of hospital personnel
have been encourage to obtain their amateur radio
licenses to help work out of the hospital with ham radio
emergency organizations and nets during emergency
situations.
Another conversation heard involved two old timers
reminiscing about their careers in broadcast television.
Apparently these two hams had never crossed paths
before and enjoyed sharing behind the scene stories
about Channel 6 in New Bedford Mass, and Channel 7 in
Boston Mass.
Enough with the essays…now for some frequency news.
Many New Hampshire fire departments are now using
mixed mode analog and APCO-P25. Dispatch and initial
apparatus response is typically in the clear, but then units
back to dispatch are very often are in the digital mode.
Recently heard using this analog/digital combination are:
Bedford NH Fire 156.180
Although North Conway Fire has a few new frequencies
licensed to them, I did not hear them in use. As far as I
could tell they are still sharing 155.760 PL 114.8 with the
other distinct Conway districts (Conway Village, Center
Conway, Redstone, and East Conway).
Also heard in Conway is the School District frequency on
155.205 with a PL tone of 114.8.
Also new to the log:
451.9375 DPL 165 BAE Systems Security Nashua
New to the license database:
Concord Hospital 156.2325 Tactical Channel for the
Concord Fire when at hospital
Newport Middle High School
451.3125 M, 451.5625 M, 451.6875 M, 456.5625 M,
456.6875 M
Meredith NH - Senior Housing of NH 463.6625
Southwestern NH District Fire Mutual Aid 155.7150, will
replace 155.220 for EMS operations
Stolen Radio Alert
Stolen from Amateur Radio "NEARFest" in Deerfield NH
Motorola XTS2500 model III
Serial number is 407CHD7801
Model # H46KDH9PW7BN
FlashCode# 120001-000104-0
Version 12.00.11 firmware
This is a full keypad radio and may come in for service at
a local shop as it is PASSWORD PROTECTED on power
up and any RSS/CPS read/write. This is capable of:
P25 Astro/conventional Q52/Q53 Front Panel
Programming Federal ADP Encryption
PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD!
James Delancy WJ1D
That's it for this issue. A little bit lean this time around as I
was busy upgrading my Amateur Radio license to General
and then Extra.
73's
John
N1RNX
PAGE 5
PUBLISHER
Lou Campagna, Publisher
Philadelphia continues to be plagued with outages on their
public safety radio communication system. Always big news
when police or fire communications experience radio
communication failures. Here’s a reprint on a local column
that appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News reporting a
system upgrade to the already troubled communication system.
Philadelphia to Get $34M Upgrade for
Emergency Radio System
By DAVID GAMBACORTA
The Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia cops, firefighters and prison officials will
receive about 2,700 new radios as part of a proposed
upgrade to the city's Motorola emergency radio system.
The new radios are among several other perks included in
the upgrade that Frank Punzo, deputy commissioner for
the Department of Public Property, will detail to City
Council today.
Punzo will reintroduce an ordinance for the $34 million
upgrade because the city now plans to lease the new
equipment and technology from Motorola over four years.
"This allows us to stretch out the cost a little bit, as
opposed to the initial plan to pay it off over two years,"
Punzo said. Much of the upgrade will be paid with money
from the state's "911 Fund," which is used for law
enforcement communication needs. All of the city's
firefighters will get new radios, which will be colored
yellow to make them easier to spot in case they are
dropped or lost at fire scenes, Punzo noted. The
remaining new radios will be divided between cops and
the city's prisons. Punzo said the prisons, which currently
rely on outdated analog radios, will be able to link up with
the citywide digital Motorola system after the upgrade. The
city will also receive 50 digital repeaters, which will boost
reception in "dead spots" for signals and allow firefighters
to maintain communications whether they go underground
or up in high rises, Punzo said.
The planned upgrade has the support of police and fire
unions - an idea that was once unthinkable. Union officials
loudly criticized the existing $62 million Motorola system
because of a seemingly endless series of malfunctions
and crashes.
Dave Kearney, a recording secretary for Firefighters Local
22, said the upgrade represents "a step forward, not
sideways. Sometimes, these things do progress."
Because of the maligned history of the current Motorola
system, Punzo said he expects public hearings will be
held before the upgrade is approved by City Council.
MAINE
Loren Fields
hornsmoke@gwi.net
Greetings, and welcome to the Maine portion
of Scanner Digest #48.
Here we go....
Rumor control has it that the new Tait P-25 radios and the
accompanying system are going into usage for the
Augusta PD/FD's on or around the 10th of June. Bear in
mind these are YG trunking frequencies that are licensed
to Maine Mobile Communications here in Augusta under
the call sign WPRF720. Incidentally, one of the key city
consultants is directly involved with the company. We'll
see how these new frequencies play out. Here they are,
as provided in the previous Scanner Digest:
Ch. #1
Ch. #2
Ch. #3
Ch. #4
PD Dispatch:
158.2875R
PD TAC:
157.5525R
FD Dispatch:
159.9525R
FD Business/Paging 155.190 (Old PD freq)
There will be either 50W or 110W mobile radios installed.
The mobiles will be the TM9100’s and the portables
TP9100’s. The two transmitting sites will be on Bolton Hill
and Granite Hill.
Here's the URL of the news release article:
http://www.taitworld.com/main/index.cfm/1,776,1998,48,ht
ml/Tait-Wins-City-of-Augusta-P25Projecthttp://www.taitworld.com/main/index.cfm/1,776,199
8,48,html/Tait-Wins-City-of-Augusta-P25-Project
I'll be keeping a close eye on these, given my almost line
of sight to the two locations.
Riverview, formerly Augusta Mental Health Institute
(AMHI) has two "new" working repeaters, with an 88.5 pl.
The outputs are: 155.5725R and 158.8125R
Capitol Security (Augusta governmental buildings) has
an "unofficial" channel working on 154.770 with a pl of
118.8. Traffic is mundane, which, I guess, is good?
Controversy is still swirling around the perceived
inefficiency of the Regional Communications Center
(RCC) in Augusta. Primary complainers are Sheriff
Randall Liberty and the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office.
Here's a link to their accusations of malfeasance and loss
of life by dispatchers at the RCC. It's a "hot one!" :
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/625058
2.html
PAGE 6
A motherlode of MEMA commo information:
http://www.maine.gov/mema/programs/icomm/mema_prog
_icomm_casm.shtml
EasyGPS - Great for scouting tower/transmitter sites:
http://www.easygps.com/
"Must have" gear: http://www.21st-centurygoods.com/page/21st/PROD/NT1/VOLT1001
Buy me one of these handhelds if you truly love me:
http://www.rfcomm.harris.com/talkasone/Unity_XG100.asp It is programmable from 136-870 MHz, fully P-25.
This is true "Software-Defined Radio" (SDR).
You can give this to me for a
mere $5,000. They go on sale
the middle of 2009....
Here's a great article on the
emergency repair of the
northernmost Dept. of
Conservation repeaters this
past March:
http://www.maine.gov/tools/wha
tsnew/index.php?topic=oit_new
s&id=68788&v=ViewArticle
National oil spill disaster drill:
http://morningsentinel.mainetod
ay.com/news/local/6107180.ht
ml
“One year from now, in fact, the
coast of Maine and New
Hampshire will be at the center
of a national oil-spill disaster
drill that is expected to last
several days and involve more
than 1,000 people. Capt. James
B. McPherson, commander of Coast Guard Sector
Northern New England, is scheduled to announce that
exercise this morning during a press conference in South
Portland.” The date is soon to be forthcoming. I plan on
being there. I'll announce this when the date is posted.
The decrepit and severely out-of-date Franklin County
Dispatch Center is mentioned in this article:
http://www.dailybulldog.com/db/?p=1813
In Aroostook County, Commission OKs counties’ 911
dispatch accord with Penobscot:
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/103039.html
Here's a link to the version 1.3 of the National
Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG):
http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/93371/1820655634/name/NIF
OG%20v1%2E3%2Epdf
The Cape Elizabeth Town Council approved the 2010
budget on a Monday night in April of this year, meaning
the town will consolidate emergency dispatch
services with Portland and South Portland. The council
voted 4 to 2 after a public hearing during which many
residents spoke against closing the dispatch center. The
move means eight people will lose their jobs. Many
residents said keeping the Cape Elizabeth dispatch center
open would help emergency crews save valuable time. "I
think just to eliminate it is too much, too soon," said
resident Boyce Sanborn. "I think it would be a detriment to
this community." Town Manager Michael McGovern said
consolidation will save the town $127,000. Those against
the decision said you can't put a price on safety. "I guess
the question is what's more important, saving money on
your taxes or saving your house, your son, your daughter,
your husband, your wife," said dispatcher Casey Pearson.
"Seconds matter and this will cost seconds. "When the
new budget takes effect, dispatchers will be laid off.
However, one clerk position will be added to the police
department and officials said the laid-off workers will be
allowed to apply for the new position.
Augusta: City quits state-run dispatch center:
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/63067
88.html
Now, in all fairness to the RCC, here's the "official" link to
their website: http://www.maine.gov/dps/bec/augusta.htm
And, their (no joke!) FaceBook site: http://jajp.facebook.com/pages/Augusta-ME/Maine-Departmentof-Public-Safety-Emergency-CommunicationsBureau/74373109433
Bear in mind all of this controversy tracks DIRECTLY back
to the governor of Maine, John Elias Baldacci (D) who also
intends to consolidate penal institutions. Listen for fiddling
sounds from the Blaine House. You be the judge....
remember, this is the fellow that with his Legislature raided
the E-911 funds of $3.7 million dollars back in June of
2007. Now, there is legislation in D.C. to stop this type of
malfeasance.
Marine band abuse: Is anyone else out there annoyed by
vulgar, marine band bootlegging truckers, etc? I had a
definitive intercept southbound on I-95 at mile 173 in Etna
on a recent Saturday night. Haulers for a certain seafood
company were chatting it up on 156.575. As in other parts
of the country, many of these clowns have figured out that
the white radios work better than the traditional Chicken
Band radios. However, there is no excuse for foul and
vulgar language polluting the airwaves. Thankfully, my
kids were not in the car with me that time. I jotted down
the license plates, truck logos, and company website
(posted prominently on the side of the rear trailer in the
"convoy".) These guys haul between Cape Breton, Nova
Scotia, and Rhode Island, delivering mussels to different
restaurants. Incidentally I invariably will have a scanner
dedicated to searching the marine band channels while
mobile, not knowing what I might hear.
On a personal note...I have received the final component
of my comprehensive radio install for my 2005 Impala.
PAGE 7
Now, I must decide which radio components go in which
order, and where. I've taken over a year to plan this
project, planning on doing it right once. When it is all said
and done, here's what will be in it. The installation will be
conducted by the consummate professionals at Yankee
Communications in Benton, Maine: These magnificent
folks did the installs on my Celebrity and Caprice. The
Caprice was destroyed, along with my professional
"Freedom" horn on 8 FEB 2008. Some readers might
remember my posting of that incident. Yankee
Communications is the only place around that can do this
level of installation. The following items will be included in
this major project. Read on...
Pro-197
Pro-2055
TK-7160 VHF
TM-D710A
For PA/radio retrans, a politically correct non-siren airhorn
package:
TM-V7A
Eagle Sidewinder 400 10/11 meter rig
Tying at least four of these inputs in will be the Model
301B 4-Channel Combiner / Amplifier with Remote Master
Volume Control and Mute Function. The master out will be
slaved into the Sho-Watt package, above. This will provide
optional, out-of-vehicle monitoring.
In the trunk will be the remote heads for the two dual-band
radios, and a hard-mounted power inverter. There are
multiple 12-volt, 3-receptacle plus USB outlets that will be
peppered throughout the vehicle, and two flexi-arm
GripMatic holders for scanners, HT's, and whatever else
trips my fancy. The flexi-arms will be a mounted either on
each side, or one side, of the Jotto radio console that will
hold the Pro-197, Sho-Me PA, TK-7160H and Eagle
Sidewinder 400.
The Pro-2055 will be installed in the double-din chasse
under a new JVC stereo/mp3 DVD player AM/FM radio.
The kids will be able to view movies on the road with the
swapping out of the stock "Government Motors" radio. The
only drawback with that is I will be unable to fully program
the security features the radio offers for the vehicle. Oh,
well, I haven't changed them in a year, so it really
shouldn't matter!
PAGE 8
My only concern is that the Pro-2055 might pick up RFI
from the electronics in the AM/FM/mp3/DVD player radio.
We'll see how that one goes. Please, send me your
thoughts.
In theory dual-band radios count as two radios each. This
translates to the ability to monitor at least ten different
frequencies at once, with the two optional handheld
scanners (Pro-106 & Pro-164) mounted in the GripMatic
holders. If I include my Yaesu VX-7R, that is an additional
two frequencies given the "dual watch" feature for a grand
total of twelve. I'll have copious roof space for different
temporary antennas should the need arise for even more
scanners. Air shows, here I come!
Now, the antennas are as follows: (2) Larsen NMO 2/70
dual band antennas on trunk lid mounts, with two drilled
NMO trunk mounts for the 10/11-meter radio and the TK7160H. There will be four quarter-wave antennas mounted
inside the rear window through the back deck. Two will be
tri-band Larsen’s (150/450/800) and the other two are
standard VHF whips. I'll leave at least one of the Larsen
tri-banders for HT usage in lieu of a handheld scanner.
The other tri-bander will be dedicated to the Pro-197. All
eight antennas, inside and out, are black for low profile
purposes.
I need to negotiate a special car insurance contract rider
with my insurance company for this whole installation, too.
That will include logging the actual serial numbers of the
radios prior to the install!
I'll make sure there are pictures from every step of the
operation, to include the gutting of the interior. All of the
seats will have to be removed, along with the rug to run
the eight coaxial cables and install the multiple amplified
speakers that will run separately from the multiplexer unit.
Along with that will be direct-connected auxiliary power
lines to the trunk. I intend to have a Motorola pro-grade
speaker at the business end of the multiplexer. The TK7160H has such strapping audio it can be left alone.
In future issues I'll also elaborate further on some of the
other "knick knacks" that will be going in concurrently. This
includes a "BURY" brand BlackBerry mount with external
antenna and special-order mounts from Pro-Clip for the
remote head mounting.
Suffice it to say the Impala will be a true mobile command
and monitoring post when finished.
Until next time, keep your hand on your wallet, your
powder dry and your shot group tight.
God Bless America, and obey Acts 2:38. Fields out.
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Steve Bower, Jr.
Stevescan60@yahoo.com
http://lvcomm.proboards33.com/index.cgi
UHF vs. VHF - Which is Right for me?
Ok, so your have determined that you need a two way
radio system for communicating with others. The first
hurdle that most come to is determining if you need UHF
or VHF. These two frequencies make up most of the two
way radio market so let's talk for a minute about what
these are and which one is right for you.
UHF is Ultra High Frequency and VHF is Very High
Frequency. Neither is better then the other but one maybe
better for your specific use.
The main difference between UHF and VHF is the
wavelength. UHF has a shorter wavelength which makes it
better for more dense terrain. When I say more dense
terrain you could be dealing with more hills, more trees, or
more buildings. UHF has better penetrating capabilities.
UHF will deal better with going thru walls or other
obstacles then VHF.
VHF has a longer wavelength which means that it will
transmit further for the same amount of wattage vs. UHF.
VHF will not penetrate, ie. go thru walls or other obstacles,
as well as UHF. VHF performs better for distance (i.e.
goes further when you have a clear line of site), but UHF
has better penetrating power (i.e. goes thru walls or
obstacles.)
Well that is the long (VHF) and short (UHF) of it, pun
intended. It's not as confusing as it may seem however we
do have knowledgeable people to help you with this or any
other two way radio communications questions you may
have. ------------------- Choosing the Right Two-Way Radio
Being a good consumer in a time of constant change can
sometimes be difficult. The two-way radio market is no
exception.
PORTABLE
The list of choices and options could pretty much go on
and on, and with so many options it can be difficult to
decide. With that in mind, we here at Missouri Radio
thought it useful to have a little basics on how to choose
the right two-way radio system to meet your needs, yet
save you some money. Portable two-way radio, mobile
two-way radio, or stationary (repeater or base station)?
One of the first factors to consider is portability. Will this
two-way radio or two-way radio system have to go with
you everywhere, will it be sufficient in your vehicle, or will it
be at a stationary location? Portable radios, as the name
suggests, are portable. You can easily carry them with you
PAGE 9
wherever you go and require no installation. Mobile twoway radios and vehicular repeaters are typically
permanently mounted in a vehicle and require minimal
installation. Most technically-oriented and handy people
can install a mobile two-way radio on their own with little
installation instructions. It is very similar to installing a car
radio. For those who feel uncomfortable with the thought
and are local, we can install it for you. For those not local,
but still feel the need for installation help, there are plenty
of installation services out there to choose from. Lastly is
the repeater or base station. The model of repeater
or base station will depend on the amount of installation
required. Some base stations are the equivalent of
installing a radio in a box that contains the power supply,
while some repeaters are referred to as rack mount. The
first thing that comes to most people's mind is "Well, I'll
just go with a portable. Why would I want to worry about
any installation?" Here is why: It has to do with distance a
radio will transmit. We will get more specific in a minute,
but for now the important thing to understand is basically
the more portable the radio, the less distance it will
transmit or cover on it's own. How far will my radio
transmit?
The second factor to consider is the RF power output or
transmission power. Most portables come with anywhere
from 1 - 5 watts and some are adjustable. Mobiles can go
anywhere from about 20 to 60 watts, while repeaters can
go up to 100 watts. I wish there was an easy rule like 1
watt equals 1 mile of coverage but there isn't. The
distance or coverage you will achieve will depend on many
factors. Some things to consider are the transmission
power of the radio, the frequency (certain frequencies go
further) and the terrain (certain frequencies are more line
of sight and some will pretty much go thru concrete). Since
we will obviously not be able to cover all the real world
possibilities, we recommend you call or email one our
experienced sales representatives for the best possible
recommendation for you. With that in mind, lets keep it
general. In general, 800 MHz will have good penetration
being able to go thru a certain amount of concrete for
example. VHF has good distance, coverage but is more
line of sight. Adding in hills, mountain ranges or buildings
is going to decrease your coverage. UHF is a combination
of distance and penetration. UHF will have better
penetration than VHF, but will not go as far. Since this is
being written with the novice who may never have had a
two-way radio, we are keeping this simple. Since we
realize most of you will already know your specific
frequencies, this is for those who have no past
experience. How will my two-way radios communicate?
There are other ways, but the two main ways that two-way
radios communicate are either radio-to-radio or via a
repeater.
Radio-to-radio is referred to as "simplex." It's simple. You
have two radios on the same frequency. Your coverage is
only as far as the least will transmit. So for instance, you
have two radios on the same frequency. Radio number
one can transmit 3 miles, and radio number two can
transmit 5 miles. Your coverage is 3 miles, since past that
point, one will no longer be able to communicate with the
other.
Let's talk about communication via a repeater. With a
repeater in the mix, the two radios are no longer
communicating directly with each other, but the signal
goes from radio one to the repeater. The repeater repeats
and boosts the signal out to radio number two. Radio two
communicates back to radio number one in the same
basic way. So with the same two radios from our first
example with a repeater in between, then you could now
be 8 miles apart. Radio number one could be 3 miles to
the east of the repeater and radio number two could be 5
miles to the west of the repeater. Depending on your
needs and budget, you can set up systems to go from just
a few miles to complete coverage of hundreds of miles.
Lots of other options to consider.
Although not discussed yet, one main consideration will no
doubt be price. Two-way radio and systems go anywhere
from $30 to tens of thousands of dollars. It will all boil
down to your needs and budget. While a $30 FRS twoway radio may be just fine for the kids to play war in the
back yard or to talk to your significant other while one is in
the yard and one is inside, that same radio won't be of any
use to, say, a fire fighter who has to depend on the
reliability of it to save his or her life. Don't despair. Getting
a good radio doesn't have to break the bank either. The
Motorola CP150
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Understanding Radio Range Claims
Two-way radios that use the Family Radio Service (FRS)
and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) frequencies
maintain specific range claims, which can prove confusing
for consumers. The Motorola Talkabout® Radio range
claims are based on, and verified by, independent field
surveys. To comprehend these independent claims it
helps to understand the theory of radio wave propagation
and the engineering constraints and subsequent
compromises taken when designing radios.
Radio waves emanate in concentric circles and lose power
inversely exponentially the further they travel from the
source. For example, when the distance from the radio is
doubled the power of its signal is only one eighth of its
original strength. Additionally, radio waves are negatively
influenced by conductive materials, which reflect the
waves while absorbing some of its energy. Conductive
materials include metal, buildings or other man-made
structures. Natural structures are non-conductive and
force the radio waves to go around them, thereby altering
the path of concentric rings and preventing the signal from
reaching the receiver. Even the curved surface of the
Earth is a limiting factor for radio signal range. On exactly
flat terrain the horizon as seen by a six foot tall person is
PAGE 10
approximately 3.5 miles away. Similar to the line of sight to
the horizon, the radio signals travel in a straight path from
the transmitter and do not conform to the Earth’s
curvature. If two transmitters are 6 feet off the ground, as
they get further than 7 miles apart, the curvature of the
earth blocks the path halfway between them.
Things to do to improve your two-way radio range:
-
Elevate your radio – the higher your radio the more
likely you will transmit over terrain and obstructions,
therefore move up hill or use your headset and hold
the radio above your body.
Use a hill as a reflector; stand on the side of the hill
facing the direction you wish to talk to. Standing
slightly below the top of the hill in the correct direction
will enhance the signal away from the hill.
-
Move outside metal structures – get out of your car or
building they block and therefore contain your radio
signal. Note that many glass tinting materials contain
metal and therefore block radio waves.
-
Reflect your signal – stand in front of metal objects
such as your car, it can act as a kind of collector for
radio signals.
-
-
Choose an unused channel – the Motorola
Talkabout® two-way radios provide a “mon” (monitor)
button to determine if others are using the channel.
The interference eliminator (CTCSS and CDCSS)
settings will “hide” the other signals from your
receiver, but the monitor function will temporarily
override the interference eliminator function, revealing
all channel users. If you attempt to use a channel
when someone else is, regardless of any interference
eliminator settings, neither you nor your group will
have the best range, as you will be talking over each
other.
Keep your batteries fresh.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
James Rokitka
c/o Scanner Digest
The following was submitted by Bob, KG4RRN Chambersburg,
PA.
* Enhancing Range*
-
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
Dan Ruhe
c/o Scanner Digest
druhe@atlanticbb.net
No column this issue.
Chambersburg (FRANKLIN) F.D. FREQ (CH 1 ): 453.075
(PL 131.8) (WIDE AREA)
Chambersburg P.D. Dispatch : 460.375 no pl (MOTO)
(Talkgroup code unknown)
LANCASTER COUNTY
The following information was obtained through
LancasterOnline
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/239749
County radio: Over, & out
In market again, nine years after signing on for a new
emergency system that didn’t come together.
By HELEN COLWELL ADAMS, Staff Writer
Jul 12, 2009 00:19 EST
They call it "the wow factor."
More than a decade ago, when Lancaster County officials
saw presentations of a new statewide emergency radio
system in Harrisburg, they were bowled over by the
technology. But nine years after the county signed a
contract to build its own OpenSky network, Lancaster
County-Wide Communications is about to swap "wow" for
workable.
By the end of August, the agency overseeing the radio
project hopes to start the process of choosing contractors
to replace OpenSky with something different.
Exactly what that might be is open for discussion. County
emergency officials are looking at several options,
including use of a communications band vacated by the
much-ballyhooed switch from analog to digital television
signals last month.
Mike Weaver, director of countywide communications,
said that as work progressed — slowly — on OpenSky,
project managers found problems with the way the system
operated. Those concerns culminated in the county
commissioners' March 2008 vote to terminate its contract
with supplier M/A-Com.
For three police departments and one fire company, that
means M/A-Com radios bought for the new system are
obsolete already. Lancaster city's police bureau is trying to
find another agency to buy its useless equipment.
County government already has spent more than $13.8
million on OpenSky radio towers, a microwave system and
PAGE 11
other equipment. But county Commissioner Scott Martin
said last week that it might be possible to finish the longdelayed radio project for less than the $35 million originally
budgeted in 1999.
"First and foremost, the system's got to work for the
people using it," Martin said. "We can't have doubts in the
most desperate times that it's going to work."
Cumberland County, which also piggybacked on
Pennsylvania's contracts, has run into problems
with loss of radio signals in some areas. Pennsylvania still
does not have OpenSky working as planned, 13 years
after announcing the system. The state Office of Public
Safety Radio Services reported in June that PA-STARNet,
as it's called, has cost $368 million so far.
Tyco sold M/A-Com to Harris Corp. in May 2009.
Form and function
When the county went shopping for a new emergency
radio network in 1996 to replace an overburdened 1950sera system, state government was in the market, too.
The state offered county governments the chance to
piggyback on its contracts for OpenSky, an 800 megahertz
network that used voice-over-Internet-protocol technology
— the same kind that allows phone calls to be placed over
an Internet connection.
M/A-Com then was part of a Pennsylvania firm, AMP Inc.
(sold to Tyco Electronics in 1999). The state pitched
OpenSky as a way to allow emergency agencies across
Pennsylvania to talk to each other and to send voice and
data transmissions on the same channels.
After Lancaster County signed its own deal in 2000,
problems cropped up, including the bankruptcy of the
contractor hired to build the towers. The number of towers
was pared from 54 to 32, with coverage amplified by
mobile "repeater" units stationed in emergency vehicles.
Weaver said coverage was fine, but "functionality"
problems turned up in tests of OpenSky equipment. Field
radios required codes to be punched into a keypad, for
instance.
"When the building's on fire or you're trying to get the bad
guy, you just want to push the button and talk to who you
need to talk to," Weaver said.
Testers also noticed that emergency vehicles couldn't park
too closely to each other without causing interference,
said Timothy Baldwin, deputy director of countywide
communications. There were fears about whether digital
radios might not work when firefighters entered modern
buildings, with their own array of digital technology.
And the radios were expensive, especially portable units.
Plus, said Les Houck, chairman of the radio project
committee, the technology originally presented a decade
ago never quite came to pass as originally pitched.
"The emergency services said, 'This just isn't going to
work,' " Weaver said.
Because OpenSky is software-based, it would have
required frequent upgrades and maintenance contracts
that county officials determined would run millions of
dollars annually, Weaver said. New York State, which
signed a $2 billion contract with M/A-Com in 2004 to build
OpenSky there, subsequently canceled the deal.
We’re actively looking for a column writer to
provide information on AMATEUR RADIO.
Interested?
MASSACHUSETTES
Peter Szerlag
zerg90@gmail.com
I hope that everyone is well out there in scanner land. I
also hope that you enjoy this edition of the Massachusetts
Column.
www.ScanAmerica.us has the following feeds for
Massachusetts online as of May 31 2009.
Barnstable County has 5 feeds
Plymouth County has 1
Bristol County has 5
Norfolk County has 1
Suffolk County has 1 (Boston FD)
Essex County has 3
Middlesex County has 4 feeds
Worcester County has 3 feeds
Dukes County / Martha’s Vineyard might be heard on one
of the Barnstable County feeds. www.ScanAmerica.us
offers online digital storage of all radio traffic.
As of May 31, 2009, the FCC General Menu reports show
the following pending licenses in Massachusetts:
Hingham Municipal Light 484.6750R
South Coast Hospital in New Bedford wants to add
461.2500R to its existing 452.4250R & 464.3250R - each
channel is licensed for 1 repeater (FB2) and 40 mobiles
Soldiers Home in Chelsea wants to use 461.6875R &
463.4625R
Quincy 854.3125R
North Adams Fire in Berkshire County wants to switch
from 153.9500 simplex to 159.2550R with 153.9500 as the
input
PAGE 12
Centerville Osterville Marston Mills Fire District in the
Town of Barnstable in Barnstable County wants to license
a repeater site at 345 Old Stage Road in Centerville for
851.7750R 852.5500R & 853.2625R
CONNECTICUT
Cape Cod Community College seeks to use 855.7125R
Keith Victor
44 Suffolk Drive
East Hartford CT 06118
Alarmroom2000@yahoo.com
Here are a few odds and ends from the FCC database:
Clinton has 151.025R with 153.7925 input - this might be
their new DPW frequency
Yarmouth Parks Dept has a 159.3450R at Buck Island
Road in West Yarmouth - 151.1600 is the input
151.1600 is also the input to Brockton FD Channel 1
(154.3100R)
The Mass Turnpike has 159.3150R licensed for the
tunnels on the Extension and the Sumner / Callahn
Tunnels - 151.2500 is the input - anyone hear this channel
in use?
Quabbin Reservoir (159.435R - 151.43in) also has
repeaters on Nobscot Hill in Framingham and Mount
Wachusetts in Princeton
The MBTA Green (trolley) Line (470.6375R) has above
ground repeaters at - 200 Clarendon St in Boston, at
Cleveland Circle in Brighton, and at a couple of
underground stations.
471.0125 shows three Brookline repeaters in Brookline,
and 1 Boston repeater in Brighton - the freq seems to be
dead usually
471.1125 shows 2 expired licenses for the Suffolk County
District Attorney - but no other users in Massachusetts this freq also seems to be dead all the time
471.6875 shows a State repeater at 100 Fruit St in
downtown Boston, and a Suffolk County repeater at 100
Cambridge St - these locations are about 1/4 mile apart this freq seems to be dead all the time also
The town of West Hartford has started to reband with the
cutover date of 5/20/09. At present we have the following
in service:
851.0750R MHz 167.9 Police Backup
854.4625 MHz 186.2 Townwide Direct
855.4875R MHz 156.7 Fireground 4
851.5125R Mhz 156.7 8-TAC-91 (Replaced ITAC-1)
852.0125R MHz 156.7 8-TAC-92 (Replaced ITAC-2)
852.5125R MHz 156.7 8-TAC-93 (Replaced ITAC-3)
853.0125R MHz 156.7 8-TAC-94 (Repalced ITAC-4)
This repeater has been left on so that any new users can
check their programming. This is the first replace/
rebanded ITAC repeater in the state in service.
The trunked system will be 853.8125R MHz (C/V),
853.2875R MHz (C/V), 852.5500R MHz (C/V), 851.8000R
MHz (C/V) , and 851.3250R MHz (V)
*****************************************************************
West Hartford completed its rebanding today 6/26/09 to
the following new
radio channels:
853.8125 MHz
852.5500 MHz
851.3250 MHz
Waterbury Fire is back on the air with 154.415 MHZ PL
118.9 with their simulcast which is their former VHF radio
channel.
Keith
SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK
I wonder what the odds are that if a big crisis ever broke in
downtown Boston, that 471.0125, 471.1125, & 471.6875
would suddenly spring to life?
Happy listening - Peter Sz
853.2875 MHz
851.8000 MHz
Frank B. O’Connor
policefireems@gmail.com
I’m going to start this Issue with a follow-up to an article in
my column in Issue 47. In that issue I discussed with you,
my loyal readers, the new basic life support radio ID
system rolled out in Rockland County. I’d like to expand
on that with some additional details. As some readers
may already know, in the state of New York the standard
minimum crew on a basic life support ambulance consists
of an emergency medical technician – basic (EMT-B) and
a CPR-D certified driver. This means that a rig can not
answer an emergency with just a driver and a certified first
responder (CFR) and, conversely, anything more then an
PAGE 13
EMT-B and CPR-D certified driver on board (i.e. Youth
Corps members, another EMT-B, etc.) is gravy.
The Town of Ramapo has implemented a policy whereby
when Station “401” (the Ramapo Police) dispatches any of
the ambulance corps in their town (over 155.355, 151.400)
they want an acknowledgment that a minimum crew is
assembling to answer the call; this way they know
relatively quickly whether or not a re-alert will be
necessary. Scannists will therefore hear “xx Medical” (the
EMT-B) and “xx Driver” responding, where xx is the
new, two digit agency ID number assigned to each corps.
As a reminder, the Ramapo volunteer corps are:
41
42
43
45
Ramapo Valley
Sloatsburg Volunteer Community
Spring Hill
William P. Faist (serving Chestnut Ridge area)
*****************************************************************
A few quick blurbs from around the area, thanks in part to
www.EMTBravo.net and http://www.emtbravo.net:
Westchester County:
Yonkers Fire Department has re-designated Engine 311
as Squad 11.
New Rochelle Fire Department has re-designated Engine
22 as Squad 22
Town of Bedford Police has expanded their fleet. Their
cars now range from 20 up to 40.
White Plains Fire Department has added Utility 78 to their
fleet, a Hazardous Materials unit
Any other responding crew members are not mandated to
check in; all “401” wants to know is that a standard
minimum crew is answering the call. Should there be a
second call in a given corps’ district, I presume that
the additional responders will ID with their corps assigned
ID numbers (i.e. “42 Driver 12 enroute to the bay” or “43
Medical 24 responding direct to the scene”), to minimize
confusion between the two, or more, crews on the air.
North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps has set up a
fixed crossband link to their 151.5350 (156.7) dispatch
frequency, using their old mobile extender frequencies.
Next, I’d like to update you on some changes within the
commercial emergency medical service scene in the MidHudson Valley. Empire State Ambulance and the majority
of Regional Emergency Medical Services have merged to
form Hudson Valley Paramedic Services. A visit to their
website http://hvmedics.com/ is informative. Therefore
agency 35 in Putnam County is now Hudson Valley
Paramedic Services (it was Empire State Ambulance).
The advanced life support ambulances that provide ALS
back-up to the BLS corps in Orange continue to be
referred to by their “Regional 8##” designations in Orange.
Dutchess County: ALS services in the Town of Unionvale
is provided by TransCare
The only portion of Regional EMS that wasn’t merged into
Hudson Valley Paramedic Services is the portion that
served Rockland County. That portion is now a standalone
company again, called (this may sound familiar to some...)
Rockland MobileCare, which was re-created again as the
transporting element of Rockland Paramedic Services.
Their website, www.rocklandparamedics.org, at last check
has just begun re-construction.
Lastly, Mobile Life Support Service's dispatch/operations
have moved from 155.3850R, (77.0) to an LTR Passport
type trunked system - in other words something not easily
monitorable by the current crop of consumer grade
scanners. The radio system is operated by a Goosetown
Communications. Rigs, once assigned to an emergency
over their appropriate county talkgroup (Dutchess, Ulster,
or Orange), will continue to switch to the local BLS corps
channel for interoperation, as in the past. Calls that will be
handled by MLSS alone will remain on the county
talkgroup.
Members no longer will need to monitor two devices (a
VHF pager for alerting and the county UHF trunked radio
for operations) when on duty. Tune in to 452.875R
(110.9).
Orange County: The scattering of the fire/rescue services
across the land mobile radio spectrum (with some on
VHF-low band, some on VHF-high band [both analog and
P25 digital], some on UHF, and some on 800 MHz
trunked) has been further widened. Warwick Fire has
moved its operations off of the old highway department
frequency (46.560, 123.0) onto the UHF-T band. Under
call sign WQIR-539, a repeater has been put up on
471.050.
***
In economic news...It’s been reported in *The News of the
Highlands* weekly newspaper that the Town of Highlands
(Orange) town council has taken the cost-cutting step of
terminating its contract with the Village of Highland Falls
Police for primary dispatching of the Highlands Police
(on 160.215R, 151.4) and Highlands Ambulance (on
158.940, 151.4) and secondary dispatching (after 36Control) of the Fort Montgomery Fire Department. The
services the Village provides the Town are scheduled to
end on May 31. From that point on, the County of Orange
will pick up full time coverage for free. Considering the
extremely difficult terrain that makes up Highlands
(ranging from the Hudson riverfront on the east up to
Bull Hill on the west and all the hills and valleys in
between), it should be very interesting to see how the
County expects to provide effective service to the Town.
One tip on the direction that might be taken could
PAGE 14
be found within the FCC databases. Call signs WQGQ–
550 and WQGQ–552 authorize the Town to use 470.5625,
470.5875, 470.6125, and their related input frequencies.
Apparently this move away from “Headquarters” has been
in consideration for a while. The grant date on the license
is March of 2007. Careful readers will note that the
license allows for the inputs to be transmitted from the old
Orange County E-911 Center in Chester (the Center has
since moved to Goshen). Could three independent
repeaters (one each for police, fire, and EMS) be set up to
communicate between the three services and their County
dispatchers (Central, 36-Control, and WAU-718,
respectively)? Could some sort of cross-band linking
system be set up to help the Highlands Police gain access
to one of the county’s Municipal Radio Dispatch
(155.850R, 107.2) repeaters? Or will dispatching be done
off of one of the E-911 Polling (159.135R, 118.8)
repeaters – much like how Deerpark Police is handled?
As unlikely as it may be, considering the lease fees would
eat into whatever savings are gained by ending the
Town/Village contract, could Highlands Police re-sign for
access to the NY Communications Company 800 MHz
SMR system and use the ‘Police 800’ talkgroup to talk to
“Central?” Highlands Ambulance already has a WAU-718
(153.860R, 77.0) tower right in the town, but coverage is
spotty. And what about the Fort Montgomery Fire
Department? Keep on ear on those frequencies and see if
and how they get pressed into service during this
transitional period.
******************************************************************
Speaking of transitions, progress toward implementing the
“One Radio” concept in New York City has seen major
steps forward taken since the last issue. The Department
of Information Technology and Telecommunications
has gotten testing of it’s UHF trunked system underway in
earnest and has even begun installation of field radios.
Also, the Fire Department of the City of New York has
begun, on a test basis, multicasting it’s VHF-high
band operations channels on new narrowband UHF-T
band frequencies.
Because testing continues, I’m reluctant to publish
anything quite yet in my column. Already a borough /
frequency combination has changed. As further testing
progresses, other elements (i.e. CTCSS tones) may
change as well. As soon as I have concrete information to
pass on, I will. In the mean time, I encourage all listeners
to continue to monitor FDNY’s operations on their VHFhigh band system:
- F1, Citywide (154.430R, 186.2)
- F2, Queens (154.400R, 186.2)
- F3, Brooklyn (154.370R, 186.2)
- F4, Manhattan (154.250R, 186.2)
- F5, Bronx and Staten Island (154.190R, 186.2)
The Department’s Emergency Medical Service is also
moving further up in the UHF-T band as well. Again, I
hope in the next issue I’ll have more concrete details.
****************************************************************
In closing, I am, once again, stepping foot into my fellow
columnist’s, Justin Mattes, territory...
The City of Jersey City, in Hudson County, NJ, and the
City of New York are connected to each other by the
Holland Tunnel. Over the years a special relationship has
developed between the respective police department’s
emergency service units – for a number of reasons. One
is because of the Holland Tunnel itself – and the potential
to have to answer a police emergency within it. Yes, the
Port Authority Police does have it’s own Emergency
Service unit – but it’s response may be delayed since
it might be on patrol somewhere near the George
Washington Bridge when an incident occurs in the
Holland. Another is, thanks to the tunnel, mutual
aid between the cities is just a matter of a quick ride under
the Hudson River. As a result of this special relationship,
permission has been granted for the Jersey City PD ESU
(and select other units) to operate on NYPD’s SOD
channels and for NYPD ESU (and select other units) to
operate on JCPD’s F5 (460.050R, 146.2). The City of
Jersey City has made major progress recently toward
activating its new APCO P-25 UHF-T band trunked
radio system, details of which are available at
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=5939
It should be interesting to see how mutual aid will be
handled once this system is officially activated. Will
JCPD’s F5 remain on the air for mutual aid purposes?
Will some NYPD units be getting JCPD radios? Will a
fixed talkgroup on Jersey City’s trunked system be linked
to NYPD channels? Or, will the smart thing be done and
a formal policy be developed calling for the use of the
UCall / UTac channels? After all, that’s what they’re there
for.
Stay tuned.
PHILADELPHIA
Column Editor Wanted
(The following was submitted by an anonymous reader.
Unfortunately no mention of the author was given. If anyone can
identify this submission with its author; please provide us with
the name so appropriate credit can be given. Since this article
pertains to public safety communications; it has been included
within the newsletter to provide additional insight to the scanner
monitoring enthusiast.)
BETTER UNDERSTANDING of PUBLIC SAFETY
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
One of the myths I have uncovered is that most
communications subject matter experts know all the
basics. I have been surprised by some real veterans in
this field who still share with me that they learned
something I thought was common knowledge.
Therefore, let's start with some key points in the world of
public safety communications and interoperability:
PAGE 15
Key Points
• Focus on operability before interoperability. That is,
optimize your agency's radio system first before
attempting to become interoperable with another.
• Effective human interaction between agencies is critical
before embarking on any interoperability solution.
• Remember that there are three basic interoperability
solutions that cost nothing or very little:
1. Pre-program all mobile and portable radios with
national interoperability channels in all frequencies
(usually no infrastructure involved or required)
2. Share radio frequencies with neighbors on
compatible radio systems (conventional or trunked
radio systems); and
3. Drop most radio codes and adopt plain English
communications for day-to-day transmissions.
Remember, in an emergency, an agency will "play
like they practice". Encourage mutual aid regularly
using radio communications.
Public Safety Communications
This is the most used tool in any public safety agency's
arsenal yet the tool that is least formally trained with and
often suffers the most amount of criticism after any major
event.
Today's public safety radio systems can be very complex
and very expensive to upgrade and/or replace, so it's no
wonder that whenever you talk with political leaders or
department heads about public safety radio systems they
will tell you that they can't afford them or are too difficult to
manage. Because today's first responders are challenged
with greater events, they have come to rely on
sophisticated safety features commonly provided by most
radio vendors, such as emergency notification, "caller
identification", and multiple channels or talk groups for a
single incident.
By understanding a few simple terms that the public safety
radio community often takes for granted, a decision maker
with limited understanding of the complex issues at the
surface level, can make very informed decisions. There
are three primary reasons why public safety agencies
cannot communicate seamlessly still today.
First, there are four distinctive frequency bands that are
used primarily by public safety across the United States
and most radio manufactures only produce single band
radios. Therefore, an agency with a VHF low radio system
will usually only be able to communicate with another
agency using radios in the same range (providing common
frequencies have been pre-programmed in the radios).
The four primary public safety bands are:
1. VHF Low which operates in the 30 - 40 MHz range
(commonly referred to as "Low Band");
2. VHF High which operates in the 152 - 162 MHz range;
3. UHF which encompasses 406-512 MHz;
4. 800 MHz operations.
It should be known that the public assumes that public
safety across disciplines and jurisdictions can talk to each
other seamlessly during a mutual aid event. The reality is
that in many jurisdictions today, a police department and
fire department from the same municipality are on different
radio systems and often cannot communicate with each
other via radio during the event.
The second primary reason public safety agencies cannot
communicate seamlessly is that still today, even when
agencies are using radio systems in the same frequency
range, some radio manufacturers are not compatible with
others and first responders are unable to communicate.
Therefore, a bridging device, or gateway, is needed to
connect disparate radio systems that are operating in the
same frequency range. I will dedicate another article
entirely to gateways later as some can be very complex
and are often misunderstood.
My experience has shown that lack of formal training with
these devices is a major culprit. Some regions have
adopted a cache of radios as a solution. Like any other
solution, caches of radios have many pros and cons.
The biggest positive attribute is that it will serve well when
first responders from other agencies arrive without a radio
to assist in a mutual aid event.
The negative attributes are:
1. If there are no bridging devices, this means one more
radio for a first responder to carry;
2. It takes time to know how to operate a new radio and
feel comfortable with it, so most first responders are not
comfortable with a new radio; and
3. If the incident is an emergency, unless there are plenty
of charged batteries ready for use, it may be a few hours
before the cached radios can be deployed for use.
Deciding on a cache of radios is not as easy as you may
think because there are many issues and options to
consider. I spearheaded a major radio cache procurement
process in the National Capital Region (NCR) and was
surprised by the complexity of this process. I will dedicate
another article to cache radios later.
Finally, when all the technical barriers are removed and
the radios are able to communicate with one another, if
agencies have not adopted a common language ("plain
English") for all first responders in the area, there may still
exist a failure to communicate at the human level, as
proprietary radio codes can make a very busy scene even
more confusing.
It is strongly recommended that public safety agencies
adopt plain English radio communication for day-to-day
use so that it becomes seamless to communicate with
other first responders at a mutual aid event.
PAGE 16
Political leaders and department heads must first make a
sincere commitment to attain the best possible radio
system for their municipality or agency and accept that the
public expects them to communicate with their neighbor
during a major event.
with the exception that a computer connected to a control
channel controls operating frequencies.
The system automatically recognizes a user's radio and
assigns privileges based on information contained in a
database.
Different Types of Radio Systems and Features.
Radio system planners may need to conduct a wide range
of comparative analyses to determine the type of system
that is most appropriate for their environment and
requirements. Planners in public safety agencies need to
consider, in addition, the special requirements imposed by
their mission and operations:
When a user presses the push-to-talk button on a radio,
the radio "requests" permission to transmit. If granted, the
system allocates frequency resources and directs the user
radio to available frequencies.
• Simplex or line-of-sight
This type of radio communication does not rely on any
infrastructure or major costs, such as repeaters or tower
antennas.
In this mode of communication, first responders simply
communicate from one radio to another providing that the
exact frequencies have been pre-programmed in each of
the radios (mobile and portable). This is commonly
referred to as "talk-around" mode.
The significant drawback to this type of radio operation is
that it only provides radio coverage in a very limited area,
such as one city block. While this is inefficient for dispatch
operations, simplex operations are used extensively for
fire ground, and often for law enforcement special
operations, where in-building signal penetration, or
operational security is critically important.
Both conventional and trunked radio repeater systems
often provide a talk around capability that operates on
frequencies that bypass the repeater infrastructure.
In a trunked radio system, when a user selects a channel,
the user is actually selecting a set of privileges that he is
authorized to communicate with. The computer retains this
information in a database. A group of users with common
privileges is commonly referred to as a "trunk group".
The user's request to participate in trunk group is
automatically conveyed to the system via the control
channel, and all other group participants are also
automatically directed to operate at the proper
frequencies.
Trunked radio systems make orders of magnitude more
spectrally efficient, supporting many more users via fast
computer control of the same frequency resources. They
are also generally much more complex and costly to
operate than conventional radio repeater systems.
It is hoped that a brief explanation of various radio
communication systems mentioned above would provide
the scanner listeners additional insight to effectively
monitor radio communications. Enjoy!
MILITARY
• Conventional Radio System
A conventional radio repeater system is simply a system
where a radio repeater, installed in a location with line of
sight to a large geographic area is shared among a
number of users.
A repeater system extends the line of sight operating
range of communications beyond that achievable directly
between users on the ground. Conventional radio repeater
systems can be either analog or digital.
A conventional radio repeater system typically consists of
one or more channels, each made up of a pair of
frequencies (input & output) and a user selects the
frequencies being used by changing channels on his or
her radio.
Daniel Myers KB3IBQ
823 Horsham Rd.
Horsham, Pa 19044-1209
dan@domyers.com
OREGON
Jeff Newton
c/o Scanner Digest
POB 207
Jamison PA 18929
Newton@efn.org
Conventional radio repeater systems are inefficient when
used by a large number of users.
• Trunked Radio System
A trunked radio repeater system operates using the same
fundamental principles that a conventional system does,
PAGE 17
VANCOUVER BC CANADA
by Jim Lawrence
The following column was provided by Jim Lawrence, our
former VERMONT column editor here at ScannerDigest. Enjoy!
VFD Ladder7: Vancouver Ladder 7 outside Firehall 7 in
downtown Vancouver.
BC Ambulance: A BC Ambulance Service helicopter and
ambulance on the helipad in Vancouver Harbor
Vancouver Skyline: The Seabus makes its way north as a
seaplane departs to the west with the Vancouver
downtown skyline in the background.
Harbour Tower: The control tower that controls air traffic
in Vancouver harbour atop the CanWest Publishing
building.
Vancouver Port: A cruise ship in port with cranes for
unloading container vessels behind it in Vancouver
harbour.
VPD Cruiser
Late last year, my wife and I packed our things and moved
from Vermont to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In
addition to the disorientation that comes with moving from
a sleepy, rural village to a large, noisy, urban center, I also
had to get used to an entirely new mapping of the RF
spectrum. One thing I noticed right away is that Canada
uses portions of the U.S. federal VHF and UHF spectrum
for businesses. And, law enforcement and public safety
also appear in the 139-144 MHz range which is used in
the U.S. by the military. But, many other hunks of the
spectrum, such as those devoted to marine and rail
PAGE 18
operations, and civil and military aviation were the same
as in the states. What follows are my brief impressions of
the monitoring scene in Vancouver and southwestern
British Columbia after living here four months.
Overview of Vancouver
Vancouver has around 580,000 residents in the city proper
and another two million people in the surrounding area.
Situated in a river valley, the city is hemmed in on the
north and east by mountains and on the west by the
ocean. As a result, the metro area has had little choice
but to expand to the south toward the U.S. border and
"up". The tendency to build up is nowhere more apparent
than in the downtown where the skyline in every
neighborhood is punctuated by high rises. This makes the
city very crowded and the streets are very busy, day and
night.
Police, Fire & Rescue
Police, fire and rescue services in the city of Vancouver
and most of the outlying municipalities utilize the Ecomm
Wide Area Radio System (EWARS), an EDACS trunked
800 MHz system. Unfortunately, Vancouver PD comms
on this system cannot be monitored by any hobbyist
receivers because they use ProVoice technology for all
voice comms and also make extensive use of MDTs
mounted in each cruiser. There are plans to upgrade the
system to utilize ESK.
The good news is dispatches for Vancouver Fire and
Rescue are in analog and so can be easily monitored on
any receiver capable of tracking an EDACS system.
BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) in Vancouver and the
surrounding area utilizes EWARS as well and are unmonitorable. However, BCAS utilizes VHF in most of the
rest of the province.
The logical channel numbers and frequencies in use by
EWARS in the city of Vancouver are:
Vancouver City—
01 866.08750cc
03 866.58750cc
05 867.08750cc
07 866.38750cc
09 866.88750
11 866.76250cc
13 867.21250
02
04
06
08
10
12
14
866.33750cc
866.83750
866.13750cc
866.63750
867.48750
867.33750
866.96250
Frequencies denoted by a "cc" are control channel
frequencies.
An added bonus is that most of the dispatches for
Richmond, the next municipality south of Vancouver and
home to the city's international airport, can be heard via
the Vancouver site.
Airport
The Vancouver International Airport, known as "YVR", an
abbreviated form of its 4-letter ICAO station identifier
CYVR, sits on an island in Richmond BC, just to the south
of the city itself.
Here's a list of some of the frequencies in use at YVR:
118.7000
119.5500
121.4000
121.7000
124.0000
124.6000
125.6500
126.1250
127.1500
128.1750
Vancouver tower
Vancouver tower
Vancouver clearance
Vancouver ground
Vancouver tower
ATIS
Vancouver tower
Vancouver departure
Vancouver ground
Vancouver approach
There are two trunked systems in use at the airport, one
by Air Canada and the other by airport security and first
responders. I have not had the chance as of this writing to
monitor either but information about both systems can be
found by following the links at the end of this article.
Harbour
Vancouver is home to an extremely busy port; one of the
largest in terms of dry tonnage on the North American
west coast. In addition, many cruise ships plying the west
coast stop in Vancouver heading to Alaska or south down
the coast toward California.
All of marine traffic headed into and out of Vancouver
harbour is controlled by Vancouver Traffic on 156.6000.
If you'd like a heads-up about maritime traffic coming to
Vancouver from the south, you can also monitor 156.5500,
Victoria Traffic.
In addition to marine traffic, the harbour is also home to a
busy seaplane base and heliport. Vancouver Harbour
Tower controls all air traffic heading in and out of the
seaplane base, heliport and the airspace over the harbour
and downtown on 118.4000. Clearance delivery is on
125.3500. Once airborne, aircraft heading south and west
are handed off to Vancouver (International) Tower on
124.000 MHz. Inbound helicopters receive pad
assignments on 122.350 MHz.
Cruise ships that call in the harbour work a variety of
frequencies in the 450 and 460 MHz range for onboard
operations. See my buddy Bill Dunn's excellent website,
referenced in the Resources section at the bottom of
this article, for frequencies in use on board.
Getting Around
Vancouver and the area around the city will be hosting the
2010 Winter Olympic Games. This means that there is
construction going on in many areas of the city in
anticipation of the big event. The downtown area is
PAGE 19
especially impacted by construction. It seems like there is
construction in every city block downtown. And traffic in
many areas of the city is a hot mess due to the
combination of heavy traffic, impatient drivers and road,
light rail and building construction.
If you insist on driving around the city, there are a couple
frequencies you can monitor to hear live traffic reports
from the air. During rush hour, you can hear the
News1130 Traffic Plane on 172.680. Or, you can monitor
AM730 traffic reports on the Canada Wide LTR trunked
system using talkgroup 0-03-167. The frequencies for the
Canada Wide system can be found on radioreference.com
by following the link listed in the Resources section below.
If you're planning on coming to Vancouver in your own
automobile, you'll probably cross the U.S.-Canada border
in Blaine, WA at either the I-5/Highway 99 Peace Arch
crossing or at the Washington 543/Highway 15 Pacific
Highway. On the Canadian side, you'll hear the
Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) on:
Many businesses and hotels around the city use business
band radios that work UHF frequencies. Try searching the
450 and 460 MHz ranges.
Signal stalking in the downtown area can be very difficult
due to the large number of paging systems and other high
power transmitters. Don't be disappointed if your signal
stalking doesn't yield a lot in some locations. If you're
persistent and combine frequency searches with your
close-call/signal stalking, you will eventually find the
frequencies you're after.
Resources
The following websites provide much more information
about scanning in BC.
Scan BC Home Page
http://www.scanbc.com
Scan BC Forums
http://www.scanbc.com/forum
Scan BC IRC chat
http://www.scanbc.com/irc
407.0875 CBSA Pacific Highway crossing
425.6875 CBSA Peace Arch crossing
Radio Reference BC Page
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?stid=102
British Columbia is one of the auto theft capitals of the
english-speaking world. The provincial insurance agency
estimates that between 40 and 45 cars per day are stolen
in BC. In addition, "smash and grab" property crimes are
rampant and one can't really consider themselves a true
resident of the city until the car has been broken into. In
my case, I was initiated five days after we moved into our
apartment.
Very handy TAFL Search Page (useful to ID freqs found
while signal stalking) http://www.jrmy.net/tafl
The good news is that the mass transit system in
Vancouver and the surrounding area is excellent, if not a
bit pricey. At $2.50 (CDN) a ride, plus zone add-ons, it's
not cheap but it's far more relaxing and generally about as
fast as trying to drive the same route in your car. Transit
police use the EWARS and are un-monitorable but transit
supervisors and operations personnel use their own
frequencies in analog.
Bill Dunn's Cruise Ship Frequencies
http://home.earthlink.net/~ecps92/cruise_ships.htm
SCANNING & THE INTERNET
COMPUTER - SOFTWARE
410.0625
410.0875
410.2875
410.4875
410.7625
Skytrain security & Ops
Translink Seabus
Transit Ops
Brian Baldwin
c/o Scanner Digest
Mike Agner KA3JJZ
112 Water Fountain Way #304
Glen Burnie, Md. 21060-2309
ka3jjz@netscape.com
Other Interesting Listening
Vancouver parking enforcement can be heard on
143.1750.
The preparation work for the 2010 Winter Olympic games
is well underway and there are several P-25 trunked radio
systems on the air around the city that will be used during
the Olympics. All of them utilize the 760MHz range and
are relatively low power. If you find yourself near one or
more of the venues, you might see if you can monitor
them.
PAGE 20
INSTALLATION PL-259 CONNECTOR
by Scott D Lichtsinn
http://www.kb0nly.net/
to the underlying brass! And now there are even tools that
have been created to circumvent soldering it, I will touch
on that shortly as well. The thing here is the connector will
last for years and years of service, I have had them
literally outlast the coax, but you need to spend a little
money here and buy good connectors! Silver plated PL259's can be had for about $2-3 depending on where you
buy them from and what brand they are. I have actually
had very good luck with the cheaper $2 variety that have
no brand name on them at all, most are simply stamped
Made In USA on the shield and that's it. They are silver
plated, heat up very quickly and wick up the solder very
nicely.
Tools:
There are two categories here, preparation, and
installation.
I have seen nearly a hundred websites, YouTube videos,
and even manufacturer's instructions, for installing the
good old PL-259. I'm going to comment on a lot of the
content I have seen, the tools that have been made
available, and the techniques shown by others. I will then
also show a step by step pictorial on how to install a
connector, basically how I have been doing them for years
myself!
When it comes to the PL-259 I prefer the solder on
variety. Crimp on connectors are usually cheaply
constructed, have a poor fit to the SO-239 due to the
center pin being under or even oversized, and the
crimping tool required to install them is out of the budget of
most hams. If you're installing a few connectors a year
tops then investing in a crimping tool is simply not
economical. If you put on dozens or hundreds per year
then by all means go for it, but then you also have to deal
with fitment and quality issues on a regular basis as well.
Connector Selection:
There are a lot of choices when it comes to the PL-259.
Silver plated body and tip.
Silver plated body, gold plated tip.
Gold plated body and gold plated tip.
Cheap connectors that are chrome plated.
Let me first say that I prefer one of the first two, I generally
use the type with a silver plated body and a silver plated
tip. But recently came across a deal on a large batch of
silver plated body with gold plated tip, and they work great
as well. The main issue here is solder ability! But you
also want ones with a good Teflon center insulator. How
many of you have bought PL-259's from Radio Shack and
melted the coax before the solder will flow into the braid
holes? I know I have! All of the PL-259's out there seem
to be Brass, and then plated with various metals. The
cheapest of which seem to have chrome plating, which is
hard to get a nice result soldering. I've seen many of them
with file marks around the holes for the braid in an attempt
to remove enough of the plating to get a good solder joint
When it comes to prep tools I have tried many, and
returned or sold them all. The coax prep tools available
are ok at best. Most of them use razor type blades that
dull quickly, are a pain to replace, and just not worth the
cost. The biggest pain is you usually can make the first
cut with one of these, through the jacket, braid, and center
dielectric, only a few times before the blade no longer
makes a clean cut through the braid. So what do I use? A
plain old utility knife with a new blade, though that new
blade will last for a dozen or so connectors before I need
to replace it. There are a lot of arguments here; the socalled "experts" claim that this step cannot be done
correctly with a utility knife as u will knick the center
conductor. After doing dozens of connectors, if not nearly
a hundred or more, I can tell you that it does take a little
practice and a feel for the knife blade but its easily doable. I will explain my method in detail shortly, but it's
easy guys!
Installation tools abound! I have seen a lot of things
available for this. Everything from a special tool to screw
the body onto RG-8U size coax, to a crimper made to
circumvent having to solder the braid holes. I have had a
few rare occasions where I was installing onto some RG8U size coax and the outer jacket was thicker, especially
on direct burial type coax, and it required a pliers to help
get it started and onto the coax, but most can be done by
hand. As for the PL-259 crimper, I shudder seeing that
tool. Many are probably already familiar with the K4AVU
Coax Crimper. It's a device intended for crimping a
standard solder on PL-259 around the braid hole area to
make a mechanical connection to the braid by pinching it
tightly to the coax. I recently had an opportunity to try one
of these devices and I have some reservations against its
use.
PAGE 21
First of all let's discuss the connection it produces. By
crimping the connector down against the braid you're
compressing it tightly against the center dielectric, nothing
else! Since the center dielectric has some give to it a
flexing connection is made where everything is held fairly
tight but still allowed to move due to the give in the
dielectric. If you look at crimp on type connectors the
difference is apparent. The body of the connector has a
nipple off the back end of it that slides over the dielectric
underneath the braid, and then you crimp a ferrule over
the braid. This gives you a solid connection because
there is metal on either side of the braid, think of it as
clamp with the braid in-between. However, when you use
the Coax Crimper as shown above it doesn't have that
other side of the clamp to provide the connection.
The next problem is the way it modifies the connector.
PL-259's in general are a pretty thin brass. Crimping them
in this way weakens the already weakest part of the
connector. There is very little metal here due to the
holes. Reading some online reviews one problem that has
come up after time is they will crack around the connector
between the holes from stress on that area. I didn't
experience that myself, but I did experience the connector
cracking above or below the flat area that the braid holes
are in, it would separate from the rest of the body of the
connector after crimping it with this tool. In my opinion it
was a nice try in engineering a solution, the tool itself is
very well made and would undoubtedly last a long time,
but the connectors are simply not up to the challenge.
The only way I could think of making this work is to design
a metal ferrule that could be slipped over the center
dielectric under the coax shield, yet still be thin enough to
allow the connector to still be slipped over it and strong
enough to stand up to being crimped against, then you
could do this with less force and the connector wouldn't
have to deformed as far. It would also provide a better
mechanical connection having that ferrule as a backing to
the shield.
When it comes to soldering there are many choices out
there. The center conductor doesn't take a giant iron, a
good quality pencil style or temperature controlled station
will do. The main thing here is you want to be able to
quickly heat it, apply solder, and allow to cool. The longer
you have to apply heat the better the chance you will do
damage to either the connectors center insulation or the
coax center dielectric. When it comes to soldering the
barrel to the shield through the holes you want to be able
to solder it quickly, again the longer you apply heat the
better chance you have of melting the center dielectric or
even the outer jacket where the barrel is screwed onto it.
This is not a case of how hot the iron is, but rather its
size. It's all about thermal transfer here; if you have a hot
iron with a small tip the cool barrel will quickly cool down
the tip once it's applied. The iron needs to be of sufficient
wattage and size (thermal mass) to overcome this. I use a
Hakko 936 temperature controlled station with a large
chisel tip, I have no problems whatsoever with this setup.
I will explain another method for doing this later on that I
use for both outdoor and cold weather installation.
Installation:
Now it's time to get down to business!
Installing a connector on RG-8U size coax is simple. The
first thing you need to do is remove that outer shield and
slide it over the cable, you will hate yourself later if you
forget this step, and I think we have all done it at least
once! If you want to install heat shrink tubing over the
back end of the connector, to give it a more professional
look or to help with sealing it for outdoor use then slide
that over first and then the shield. A quick note on this, I
have used the heat shrink tubing that has a coating of hot
melt glue inside of it for this purpose, it really seals up the
back end of the connector against water intrusion, but the
rest of the connector still needs to be sealed if used
outdoors. More on that later...
Next is to make some cuts. First you want to remove 3/4"
of the outer jacket, braid, and center dielectric. Again
being careful not to knick the center conductor. I have
been asked many times why that's important. There are
probably as many explanations for this out there as there
is for how to install the connector. Some say it can affect
the impedance of the connection, others say it creates a
stress point where the center conductor can break if
flexed. I tend to agree with the latter more than anything.
PAGE 22
Next step is to remove 3/8" of the outer jacket, being
careful to avoid cutting the braid. If any of the braid is
hanging past the end of the center dielectric after this step
take a wire cutter of your choice and snip them flush.
Now that the barrel is on the coax I like to take my VOM
set to the continuity setting and make a quick check that
there is no short between the center and the braid. Why?
Because despite good preparation there is always a
possibility that a small piece of braid wire got in there and
shorted it out, or the connector was faulty to begin with. I
had one instance where I put the connector on and the
VOM showed a short, took it back off and the coax looked
fine, checked the connector while off the coax and it still
showed a short! Looking down in the connector from the
back end showed a metal shaving that was across the
center to the shield, a small dental pick was used to
remove it and all was well. You want to find problems like
this before you solder it all on!
Now you want to screw on the barrel of the connector. A
lot of the guides out there claim you need to tin the braid
or the center before doing so. I never have and never
will. This is just adding additional heat that isn't needed
when it comes to the braid. All too many have melted the
center dielectric by taking this step and tinning the braid.
If you have good quality coax this isn't needed as it will
wick up the solder just fine through the holes when
soldering the connector.
I like to start with soldering the center conductor. I use a
Hakko 936 temperature controlled soldering station as
mentioned previously. This takes very little time to
accomplish.
PAGE 23
start shrinking as you’re trying to put it over the connector
from it still being hot.
Next is the part that all too many people have troubles
with. By using a chisel shaped tip you can lay it across
the hole leaving a small gap through which to apply the
solder. This traps the melted solder underneath the tip in
the hole and against the braid. Give it a little time and it
will wick into the braid, and then just repeat for the other
three holes. The first one is always the hardest as you're
initially heating the barrel and most of the heat applied is
being taken away from the connection you're trying to
make. Be patient! Also, you will notice that while doing
this I have the connector suspended in the air, you don't
want the connector laying against something, and not just
for the obvious reason of melting or burning something,
but also to allow the connector to heat up quicker since it's
not resting against something that would be taking away
the heat your putting into it!
That's it! Soldered and ready to go. Slide the shield
forward and screw it onto the connector. Use caution here
however, the connector is still going to be hot, or allow it
some time to cool first. If you're going to apply heat shrink
tubing to the back end of the connector you might want to
allow it to cool for a minute or two or the heat shrink will
As I mentioned earlier there is another method for
soldering the barrel to the shield if you're in a situation
where you do not have a sufficient iron to do so, or if
you're outside. Outside installation can be a challenge,
cooler temps or a bit of a breeze can quickly cool the
connector while you're trying to heat it enough to solder it
on. In these situations I have been able to do it two ways.
One is with a butane soldering iron, they are harder to
control temperature wise, but if you follow the same
precautions here, work quickly, don't apply heat for too
long, you can do just as good as if you were working at
your bench. The second method I have used is to apply a
large glob of solder to each hole with a pencil iron or
butane iron and then use the butane torch to quickly heat
around each hole until the solder wicks into the braid, this
works really well in cold weather! The connector and the
coax are cold, and there is very little risk of melting the
center dielectric or jacket by overheating as you're usually
only able to heat enough of each hole, one at a time, and
the braid below it to flow the solder. I have done this in
the middle of the winter here in the Midwest and you can
PAGE 24
usually handle the connector seconds after soldering, it
just cools that fast! As with anything practice and patience
makes for good connections!
Sealing:
Let's take a moment to talk about sealing up a PL-259
when used outdoors. A PL-259 exposed is water intrusion
waiting to happen when it's in a location that is exposed
completely to the weather, even when up inside the
mounting tube of some popular dual band vertical
antennas this can be a problem as well. I like to take a
two step approach to sealing these. First is a couple
layers of tightly wrapped butyl tape, some call it SelfAmalgamating Tape as well, this plus a couple layers of
3M Super 33+ as a UV barrier for the butyl makes a
connection that will last for years! Most of the Butyl tapes
that I have used are not 100% UV resistant, so the layers
of electricians tape over the top of it helps prevent
breakdown. A couple years ago I moved all of my
antennas from one location to another, when I installed my
first tower, after cutting the Butyl tape down one side it
came off in a perfect molded shell, with the knurled portion
of the connector being a perfect mirror image. The
connector looked brand new as if just installed! This is
very impressive stuff, and FAR better than the coax seal
products sold, it has no adhesive to dry out and rolls of it
can sit on the shelf for years. If you're going to use one of
those other products beware, they stick to everything, it's
hard to remove and clean up, and it discolors the
connector after being on there for a year or two. With the
Butyl if you need to replace/repair an antenna it's just, slit,
remove, and disconnect. Then rewrap when you
reconnect. It can actually be cheaper than the coaxial
seal or other mastic type products, rolls of it can be had for
merely a few dollars if you shop around!
Conclusion:
There you have it, my take on installing the PL-259. As
always opinions vary, but a link is provided below if you
feel you need to email me!
Click HERE to contact Scott with any questions or
comments that you may have.
Scott was kind enough to allow us to reprint his
article on PL-259 connector installation.
His website is very impressive and can be viewed at:
http://www.kb0nly.net
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Issue 47 - Scanner Digest Newsletter

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