locomatt63Hey desertdog, do you have those freqs you use handy?....could you send them to me?...I also monitor UP around Maricopa and Gila Bend....thanks Matt
Hey desertdog, do you have those freqs you use handy?....could you send them to me?...I also monitor UP around Maricopa and Gila Bend....thanks Matt
kolechovski I understand that this is actually not that common practice among most railroads.
CSX calls block stations even in dark territory when they've got paper for the whole line. At least they do where I can routinely hear them.
We don't usually call block stations at all on the Adirondack, with the exception of DCS/Rule 98 borders. If I'm "calling" a backup move, I'll usually at least call the mileposts, and often the block stations, just to help the engineer know where we are. If the engine is leading, not much gets said at all on the air.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
NS often calls locations from time to time, but so far, I don't hear the B&P do it, and I understand that this is actually not that common practice among most railroads. Is that correct? It actually seems like it should have large safety benefits, so I'd think all major railroads would adopt it, and perhaps even the smaller ones.
IIRC, one train may have two "FRED" frequencies running - one for the rear end talking to the head end, the other for the head end talking to the rear. That may be what you're hearing.
I don't usually use the FRED frequencies. If I'm in Utica or Syracuse I'll hear the crews calling signals which gives me plenty of warning. I have used them in some dark territories, though.
I wonder after hearing FRED chirping on the 2 different channels...are the FREDs usually assigned 1 of the 2 AAR EOTD frequencies by region from where the train originates, or where it is going? After hearing more on both of the channels, I can't detect any pattern, despite that the local coal trains should be originating from the same area. Anyone know how a frequency is assigned to FRED?
As for the other scanner users, I'm curious how far away you've been hearing FRED talking. Listening to the crew from the head and rear locos radioing on an incoming train, I was surprised that the train was only a mile outside town before I heard FRED. It is a bit hilly, but as I understand it, you should be able to hear it 2-3 miles away. I know with the B&P trains in Indiana here, I have heard it about a couple miles away when outside (no idea if I'd hear anything within this building, as it blocks out all but local radio signals), and this place is just as hilly.
For reference, using my Radio Shack Pro-82, I have the 3 used railroad freqs around here as the first 3 channels, followed by FRED's channels, all within the first bank. All channels, except FRED's, have the delay feature on (there's no need to sit on FRED's for a couple seconds of silence after hearing the chirping). I also set whichever railroad I'm near to as the primary channel, in addition to scanning the first bank, to ensure I miss no local communications beyond the first couple seconds. If a choo-choo comes, I simply set it to sit on the railroad channel being used, with no need to scan anymore.
Just a minor addition unreleated to the FRED bit, I have found that having B&P frequency as the Pri is not an option once I get out to NS's turf, as any communication between the NS crews will switch over to the noisy, bleeding reception on B&P's frequency. I have yet to have any B&P transmissions bleed onto NS, even in B&P area here. Anyone else with bleedover issues from adjacent frequencies can use this as a hint on how to setup with the Pri feature. I also scan downwards, so a transmission on 160.800 (NS) is hit before the bleedover from it on 160.785 (B&P), another method to deal with it during normal scanning.
Another option would be to listen to RR radio transmissions online, especially if you have a laptop you could take in the car with you.
http://www.railroadradio.net/
That's particularly usefull if you also have the ATCS Monitor set up, so you can see the track diagrams and where the trains are.
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/ATCS_Monitor/
One thing if you do go for a mobile scanner...be sure to check your local / state laws about where you can use it and such. Here in Minnesota for example, you have to get a license to have a scanner in your car. (Or you can have one if you have a HAM radio license, which covers all 50 states). If you're caught using a scanner in your car - even parked along side the tracks - you probably will be given a ticket which will be for quite a bit more than the cost of the license.
Google the name of your county or city and "scanner" (or maybe "railroad scanner" or "railroad frequencies"). Odds are you'll find that someone has compiled everything for your area. That works if you're going to be travelling, too.
There are sites that list frequencies in use by the various railroads. A caveat on those is that for large systems like NS sometimes the various channels change depending on the legacy of the line. If you don't find local specifics, just put everything in and eliminate what you don't want to hear (or that which isn't active at all in your area). Google "AAR Channels".
Radioreference.com has county-by-county listings, but not always of the railroads, and we have found factual errors.
Be mindful of any local restrictions to scanner use. Google "scanner laws" - there are several references that list state-by-state rules.
Enjoy, and railfan wisely.
i went to walmart and boutgh a uniden bear cat scanner hand held scanner for about under 200.00 now whow do i get the rail road codes so i can listen i live roight on the amtrak ns csx lines
I have a Radioshack pro92 it is amazing got it for 45 dollars and bought a 9inch rubberduck for it can at times pick up trains from 45 miles away on a sunny day. Here is a great website to program almost every railroad.
http://zippy.ci.uiuc.edu/~roma/rr-freqs/index-old.html
Norfolk Southern’s EOTD in my area is 457.9375 MHz, which is one of the 2 standard AAR EOTD freq’s. According to other data, NS doesn’t use the standard AAR ones, but has 161.115, 161.130, and 160.710 MHz as EOTD freqs. Has NS gone completely to the AAR EOTD freqs, or is this just some kind of exception, with those 3 other freqs still being used somewhere?
edit-I heard last night the EOTD using the 452 one, so I guess they use both. I also heard it chirping every few seconds for quite a while, though I have no idea why it was doing it that much.
While my scanner was sitting on the B&P frequency in the town where the coal trains run to the Homer City Plant, I heard some buzzing on the scanner. It was very faint, but it was in certain patterns and happened several times in a short while. I have a Radio Shack PRO-82 Non-trunking scanner. Was that a trunking transmission? A data transmission? At home, I occasionally hear a train crew call up the dispatcher, so it certainly isn't a trunking-only freq. Anyone know what it is?
I am not sure I necessarily agree with the snow birds on this one (although we Arizonans love the money they bring in every year).
I monitor the Gila Sub from my home which is over 50 miles away and I take my handheld down to Maricopa, Casa Grande, Tucson, etc. frequently. There is always a lot of radio chatter, including track warrants for track inspectors, train line ups, rollbys and hot box detector readouts. They all help me locate trains. Even when everything is finally converted over to two main tracks, there will still be trains overtaking one another which usually involves radio contact.
John Timm
kolechovski I'm still unsure though if a broadcast is made on B&P freq, and an NS broadcast is made at the same time, if the bleeding would override the normal broadcast from B&P. I'm not sure which signal would be stronger and would be picked up in that case.
You may still suffer interference from adjacent frequencies, but unless you have the NS channel set up as a priority channel (ie, the scanner will sample that channel periodically and switch to it if there is traffic), once a channel is captured all other channels are usually ignored. If B&P unkeys, all bets are off as the next busy channel will capture.
The value of having a scanner depends a lot on location, too. I was thinking of purchasing one until I talked with a couple of snow bird tourist types who had scanners. They said there's nothing to listen to along the Union Pacific Sunset Route through my neck of the woods (or desert) because the train crews have no one to talk to. Once they get a highball in Tucson or El Paso they usually have a clear track all the way between those points. Range is also a problem here where it may be hundreds of miles between towns.
I forgot to reply about this, but I checked, and it is old-fashioned bleeding. According to some documentation, 21.4 MHz is a common difference to determine if bleeding is going on (this instance had 21.5, which is close enough). Scanning in descending order stops the problem with hitting the bled-on B&P frequency, since it hits NS local freq first, so if a transmission is made on NS, it gets the whole thing that way. I'm still unsure though if a broadcast is made on B&P freq, and an NS broadcast is made at the same time, if the bleeding would override the normal broadcast from B&P. I'm not sure which signal would be stronger and would be picked up in that case.
kolechovskiNS locals are on 160.8 MHz. B&P up Indiana is on 160.785 MHz
The two frequencies are just too close together - chance bad luck on your part. The average consumer scanner is a little too loose to separate the two effectively. I didn't check the AAR list, but I'm pretty sure they're adjacent to one another.
Odds are the NS folks have the stronger signal where you are. You can try putting the NS frequency in before the B&P, especially if you are scanning other frequencies as well. It won't help the bleedover you may experience if you're locked on B&P and NS keys up, but it might help with the delay problem.
Be sure to check local laws of areas you'll be railfanning. As noted in the Jan 2009 Railroads Illustrated, my state of Minnesota has a law against using a scanner in your car without a permit...and yes the law is enforced.
kolechovski Hi y'all. I'm letting you know that I have been using my scanner recently, with a telescoping antenna, which makes a world of difference. I also noticed something odd about it. NS locals are on 160.8 MHz. B&P up Indiana is on 160.785 MHz. It is common that when I have the scanner going for railroad-only, I have it sitting on B&P's, with the Pri feature on (checks 160.8 every 2 seconds). If the NS starts up in the area, I'll hear a garbled transmission from them on B&P's channel, for up to 2 seconds, before the Pri feature causes it to lock on 160.8. It is annoying missing those first couple seconds, especially hearing that garbled mess. The same thing happens when scanning actively. It'll hit B&P, hear the transmission made by NS locals, then sit on teh garbled stuff for up to the 2 seconds before switching to NS's channel. There is a birdie frequency, 160.100 MHz, which my scanner picks up (and I locked out due to it), but no others in railroad range, so it's not a birdie issue. Any ideas on why NS's transmissions are bleeding onto B&P's? I usually just have the scanner sit on NS's if I am actively listening to them, but if I am passively listening, I like to hear the occasional B&P transmission. Got any ideas how to do so without the annoying garbled stuff? Thanks. There is one final frequency, 160.980, though I do not hear anything on it (and it's not a birdie). I think I stored it due to hearing a distant/weak transmission, but I still don't know what it is, and I don't know of any other railroads in teh area besides NS and B&P. BTW, thanks to those who had posted those links in the posts above. Those are nice.
Hi y'all. I'm letting you know that I have been using my scanner recently, with a telescoping antenna, which makes a world of difference. I also noticed something odd about it. NS locals are on 160.8 MHz. B&P up Indiana is on 160.785 MHz. It is common that when I have the scanner going for railroad-only, I have it sitting on B&P's, with the Pri feature on (checks 160.8 every 2 seconds). If the NS starts up in the area, I'll hear a garbled transmission from them on B&P's channel, for up to 2 seconds, before the Pri feature causes it to lock on 160.8. It is annoying missing those first couple seconds, especially hearing that garbled mess. The same thing happens when scanning actively. It'll hit B&P, hear the transmission made by NS locals, then sit on teh garbled stuff for up to the 2 seconds before switching to NS's channel.
There is a birdie frequency, 160.100 MHz, which my scanner picks up (and I locked out due to it), but no others in railroad range, so it's not a birdie issue. Any ideas on why NS's transmissions are bleeding onto B&P's? I usually just have the scanner sit on NS's if I am actively listening to them, but if I am passively listening, I like to hear the occasional B&P transmission. Got any ideas how to do so without the annoying garbled stuff? Thanks.
There is one final frequency, 160.980, though I do not hear anything on it (and it's not a birdie). I think I stored it due to hearing a distant/weak transmission, but I still don't know what it is, and I don't know of any other railroads in teh area besides NS and B&P.
BTW, thanks to those who had posted those links in the posts above. Those are nice.
Any chance it's plain old-fashioned ghosting? - al
dmitzel wrote:After looking over the wiki I about fell out of my chair...Having a CTC board layout while railfanning is a fantasy come true. Now, to get started on prepping my laptop and scanner hardware for this. I hope that CN's Flint Sub (MP 290) uses this CTC code RF technology, and that I can be successful in monitoring it. Not sure if I will be able to pick up any radio signals where I'm at - 15 miles to the south - but perhaps luck will find me when trackside.It sure beats sitting there waiting not knowing if I'll see anything.Thanks for the links!
After looking over the wiki I about fell out of my chair...
Having a CTC board layout while railfanning is a fantasy come true. Now, to get started on prepping my laptop and scanner hardware for this.
I hope that CN's Flint Sub (MP 290) uses this CTC code RF technology, and that I can be successful in monitoring it. Not sure if I will be able to pick up any radio signals where I'm at - 15 miles to the south - but perhaps luck will find me when trackside.
It sure beats sitting there waiting not knowing if I'll see anything.
Thanks for the links!
The ATCS monitor is great !!! I only wish more teritorys used it.
Check out this site for more info http://www.atcsmon.com/
Also note that several territory are also hosted on the internet (much like railroadradio.net does with radio) and you can view them via the internet without a scanner. Of course out in the field the scanner is the way to go but to use the scanner it has to tune the 890-940 Mhz range and most scanners these days don't tune that band, plus it has to be modified so you can tap the discriminator output. This is an internal modification that requires some technical knowledge. If you need help feel free to ask. Ted Marshal has been very helpfull also.
AAR channels start with AAR#7, 160.215 MHz and step up .015 MHz per channel to AAR#97, 161.565 MHz
Example:
AAR - MHz
07 - 160.215
08 - 160.230
09 - 160.245
10 - 160.260
I use my Radio Shack hand held when I am trackside. If I plan to go out for a photo shoot along the tracks, I usually listen to the scanner on my nightstand, it's gets better reception then the handheld, since it's upstairs on the 2nd floor. Anyway, I will listen to that scanner to get an idea of what is going on, if anything, on the railroad I plan to visit. If there is chatter, and depending on how far I can hear (usually 25+ miles) it gives me enough time to get trackside and get set up. The handheld gets good reception when I am outside, and I can hear trains, given local conditions, up to 10 miles away. In addition, listening to the scanner gives me a good feel for "patterns" and I try to plan my trips when the given road is busy, or shaping up to get busy for a brief time.
In my opinion scanners are indespensible to me because now, there is no more "by guess and by gosh" when it comes to going to the tracks, and hoping to see something.
I had found local lists online but some weren't accurate. My scanner holds 200 programmable frequencies which works out great because there are just under 200 total designated railroad frequencies. I programmed all of them in. Then I went to my local favorite spots and just left the radio set to scan all of the frequencies. It'll go through 50 a second so it takes 2 seconds to hit all of them. Everytime it stopped at a frequency where there was action, I made a note of what that frequency was. I did this at a few different locations. I also took my lists from the internet that I had found and double checked them with what I'd learned. I quickly figured out which ones were current and which ones weren't. This was a very quick and easy technique.
You have to be patient because there may be no radio traffic at all for a while. It doesn't mean they aren't there. There's just no one talking. Sometimes I go down to the railyard and hear nothing for a half an hour. Other times I go down there and it's solid. You never know.
The nice thing about having all frequencies programmed in is that when I travel, I can just leave it on scan and I'll hear anything around me regardless of where I am. You can also lock out channels that you don't want to scan so once you figure out what is in your area, you can either leave it on one channel, or if you have multiple channels you can pick up in your area, you can scan between only the the active ones. It works great.
I bought the $99 Radio Shack scanner and the antenna listed above from Smiley Antenna. I love it! Works great.
I've encountered a number of them, usually by searches. It's just a matter of weeding out the chaff.
"Local" searches will often turn up what some local scanner enthusiast has compiled (ie, podunk scanner, or podunk frequencies). Since those are usually based on experience rather than some database, they will usually prove useful.
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