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hoffies2
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Post subject: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Sat 03, 2018 1:48 am |
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Joined: Feb Thu 08, 2007 2:32 pm Posts: 9618 Location: 06457
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30-50 MC on a FM communication receiver.
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SHenion
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Sat 03, 2018 2:35 am |
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Joined: Feb Wed 07, 2018 6:52 pm Posts: 848 Location: Stone Mountain, GA
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_________________ Scott. Powered by infinite improbability drive.
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Jim Mueller
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Sat 03, 2018 2:40 am |
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Joined: Sep Mon 16, 2013 2:42 am Posts: 4455 Location: Tucson, Arizona U.S.A.
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The 30 - 50 MHz FM band is (or was) used for such things as police radio, taxicabs, cordless phones, baby monitors, railroads, and similar stuff. Most of this has moved to higher frequencies.
_________________ Jim Mueller
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Mr. Detrola
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Sat 03, 2018 2:41 am |
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Joined: Jan Thu 01, 1970 1:00 am Posts: 26922 Location: Detroit, MI USA
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That was an old public service band used for quite some time for police, fire and so on before they went to the higher VHF band and currently to UHF, it is very rarely used today except in a few small towns, so not much market for those sets.
_________________ Dennis
Experience is what you gain when the results aren't what you were expecting.
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forumuser
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Sat 03, 2018 3:11 am |
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Joined: Apr Thu 12, 2007 3:24 am Posts: 2528 Location: Milwaukee WI 53219
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Because they have had very little use over the years I usually see those radios in very clean condition. They make great "shelf queens".
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Indiana Radios
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Sat 03, 2018 3:16 am |
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Joined: Sep Thu 14, 2006 3:27 pm Posts: 13491 Location: Carmel, Indiana
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Where I live, the old FM band is basically silent dead space.
_________________ Michael Feldt
www.indianaradios.com
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oldradioparts
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Sun 04, 2018 8:04 am |
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Joined: Jan Thu 01, 1970 1:00 am Posts: 5842 Location: 253 Blanche St. Plymouth, MI USA
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Could they be converted to another better use? I dont have any ideas, just wondering. Mark Oppat
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wazz
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Sun 04, 2018 3:58 pm |
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Joined: Jun Wed 08, 2011 2:33 am Posts: 11353 Location: Ohio 45177
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I am not sure what there is as a practical advantage of some service that is not trunked, dumping low band and going to higher freqs, other than the fact the antennas are more manageable. And I guess sometimes you get interference from wave propagation. In high sunspot years there might be junk coming in from Mexico or South America on the freqs. A walkie talkie would have a pretty cumbersome antenna to be practical on that band. I have seen the 70 MHz talkies in Europe and they have ridiculous flex whips. Otherwise mobile units can dispense with the full sized whips and use base loaded whips like CB to keep the antennas shorter. The technology that allows trunking and digital would function just as well down there but I think everyone is NMFM probably, still. The band has shifted from critical stuff like fire and police to utilities, railroads, etc. etc. as far as I know. Maybe some volunteer FD still on there. Have to check the scanner listings in your area. Maybe some military too. Better use? I suppose if you could shift the tuning at the top end to reach all the way to 53 MHz, you could hear hams on FM in some areas, but even that will not enhance the value much, I guess.
_________________ Reddy Kilowatt says; You smell smoke? Sorry about that!
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engineer
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Sun 04, 2018 5:04 pm |
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Joined: Nov Fri 10, 2006 12:24 am Posts: 2868 Location: Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
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I refurbished a Pioneer SMB200 AM/FM chassis sometime ago (that's another topic!) However, the FM band on this Rx is 80 to 108 MHz (not 88 to 108, as now.) What stations were there between 80 and 88 MHz? Was it, or is it, a TV channel? Cheers, Roger
_________________ Roger Jones, Thornhill, Ontario Ontario Vintage Radio Assoc. http://www.ovra.ca
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Leigh
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Sun 04, 2018 5:06 pm |
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Joined: Jan Thu 01, 1970 1:00 am Posts: 31285 Location: Maryland 20709, USA
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The LF FM two-way band was commonly used for organizations that covered a large geographic area, like state police departments. Maryland state police still have radios in that band.
- Leigh
_________________ 73 de W3NLB http://www.AtwaterKent.info Click "Grebe Stuff" for Synchrophase info
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azenithnut
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Sun 04, 2018 5:20 pm |
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Joined: Jan Mon 18, 2010 2:13 am Posts: 21708 Location: Dayton Ohio
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engineer wrote: What stations were there between 80 and 88 MHz? Was it, or is it, a TV channel? Yes, TV channels 5 and 6 would be in that part of the spectrum here in the USA. I do know, years ago, the State Highway Patrol used a frequency near 45 MC. It was meant as a universal frequency which all states would use to communicate with each other. The problem was the frequency is so rarely and intermittently used, finding a transmission would be like finding a needle in a haystack. I have one of those LowBand VHF receivers and back in the 80s would hear all kinds of weird sounds which might have been paging signals, but to me they sounded like some crazy Arcade game. I would imagine the spectrum still has some use, but probably all but abandoned for more fertile ground in the UHF spectrum. That of which has taken a HUGE bite out of the spectrum previously allocated to OTA TV. -Steve
_________________ Radio Interests -Zenith -Sparton -Pre-War FM Consoles and floor models, the bigger, the better!
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Wally58
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Sun 04, 2018 6:54 pm |
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Joined: May Sat 12, 2012 1:33 pm Posts: 1737 Location: Rochester, NY.
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Now mostly obsolete. I have old military and amateur rigs that cover the 6 meter band. Narrow-band FM (NBFM) on some of them. I have an old Bearcat with VHF-Lo crystals in it. Very little to hear in the way of public or civil safety on it.
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Mike DeMeo
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Mon 05, 2018 12:54 am |
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Joined: Jan Thu 01, 1970 1:00 am Posts: 834 Location: Walden, NY USA
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Many fire departments still use frequencies in the 46-47 Mhz band for wide area paging. Also, it was once considered "high Frequency" during the late 1930's. Many police departments moved up there from the 1700 & 2400 Kcs band, first in AM then in FM, where they used 2 way radio. The upper part of the band, as mentioned by a previous poster was the original FM broadcast band. Police Communications on that low band were quite numerous until the mid 1970's when most departments went to High Band 150-174 Mhz and UHF 450-470 Mhz.
One of the major problems with 30-50 Mhz was the inability to produce a decent portable radio for officers to use (you could yell further than most of those walkie talkies could communicate). The other was intense "skip" when the band was open.
In my area, the West Milford NJ Police still use 37.02 for communications, using 37.24 as an input and VHF/UHF car repeaters to extend the range of the portable radios. They sound surprisingly good!
_________________ Mike W2MDM http://mikesradiosandstuff.weebly.com/index.html
Last edited by Mike DeMeo on Mar Mon 05, 2018 1:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Indiana Radios
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Mon 05, 2018 1:05 am |
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Joined: Sep Thu 14, 2006 3:27 pm Posts: 13491 Location: Carmel, Indiana
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hoffies2
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Mon 05, 2018 1:43 am |
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Joined: Feb Thu 08, 2007 2:32 pm Posts: 9618 Location: 06457
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Indiana Radios wrote: Well hoffies2, here's the frequencies used in your county and a few of them hover around 46 MHz. https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=307Amazing how you dig up this info. Appears the 46 MHz. frequency is still used by many fire departments, emergency and public works. From the replies I figured it was a lost art. Thank you.
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wazz
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Mon 05, 2018 2:41 am |
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Joined: Jun Wed 08, 2011 2:33 am Posts: 11353 Location: Ohio 45177
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Well hook about 6 feet of wire to the back and stretch it up vertically behind the radio and see what you can hear.
_________________ Reddy Kilowatt says; You smell smoke? Sorry about that!
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Brett_Buck
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Mon 05, 2018 2:56 am |
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Joined: Aug Wed 24, 2011 4:35 am Posts: 5367 Location: Sunnyvale CA
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Indiana Radios wrote: Well hoffies2, here's the frequencies used in your county and a few of them hover around 46 MHz. https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=307 Are those analog FM, or some sort of PCM or packet system? I was under the impression that emergency radio systems were all made digital and interoperable after 9/11, or at least that was the goal. Brett
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Mike DeMeo
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Mon 05, 2018 3:05 pm |
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Joined: Jan Thu 01, 1970 1:00 am Posts: 834 Location: Walden, NY USA
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Brett_Buck wrote: Indiana Radios wrote: Well hoffies2, here's the frequencies used in your county and a few of them hover around 46 MHz. https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=307 Are those analog FM, or some sort of PCM or packet system? I was under the impression that emergency radio systems were all made digital and interoperable after 9/11, or at least that was the goal. Brett Mostly all analog FM if you are talking about 30-50 Mhz. Many area fire departments still use the 46 Mhz range along with UHF frequencies assigned to a particular department. Some departments have a tie in, meaning a base station at the firehouse or some other location, that receives transmissions on a selected UHF channel and re transmits it to a low band base station via a carrier operated connection on the counties low band channel, and vice versa. This facilitates communication from a portable at the scene to the counties main fire control. Some fire departments that have migrated to digital systems still maintain these systems, using the digital systems to coordinate with other emergency services (police, ems). When I was involved with the digital public safety system planning (early 2000's) the analogs were kept operational because they could not tone out volunteers on digital. I do not know if that has since been overcome. As for post 9/11, some steps were taken towards interoperabilty. A chunk of spectrum from the former analog TV channels (760 Mhz area) was given to Public Safety to implement spectrum efficient countywide digital systems. Highband frequencies were narrowbanded to allow for more channels, some of those going digital. There is still a long way to go in most parts of the country
_________________ Mike W2MDM http://mikesradiosandstuff.weebly.com/index.html
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azenithnut
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Mon 05, 2018 3:12 pm |
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Joined: Jan Mon 18, 2010 2:13 am Posts: 21708 Location: Dayton Ohio
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After all is said and done, why the hesitancy to just connect an antenna and tune around? This is, after all, how I found out what was on different bands. This is indeed the fun part!  -Steve
_________________ Radio Interests -Zenith -Sparton -Pre-War FM Consoles and floor models, the bigger, the better!
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Mike DeMeo
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Post subject: Re: What is this FM frequency used for?? Posted: Mar Mon 05, 2018 3:35 pm |
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Joined: Jan Thu 01, 1970 1:00 am Posts: 834 Location: Walden, NY USA
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azenithnut wrote: After all is said and done, why the hesitancy to just connect an antenna and tune around? This is, after all, how I found out what was on different bands. This is indeed the fun part!  -Steve And don't forget that the military still uses quite a few frequencies on this band although they are widebanded. Just look at the antennas on some of the National Guard vehicles. That shouldn't matter as Lafayette Radio is tunable. I read somewhere that some military communications from the European Theater were copied in New England during the later part of WW2!
_________________ Mike W2MDM http://mikesradiosandstuff.weebly.com/index.html
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