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[Anonymous]

I just got a new scanner for my birthday and I have found some freq. for the local yard here. I live about 5 miles away from the Yard and I can barrly hear anything...Does any one know how I can actually here them. Also When I go down to the yard I can hear them but there isnt much chatter..are there other freq. that the railroad uses that can not be heard by the public?

Thanks for your time...
Dan Larsen

[Anonymous]

Oh one more thing...I can usually hear the yard dispatcher but I can hear the locomotive is this just a range problem?

Dan Larsen

[Modelcar]

....Yes, most likely a range situation. If you can establish a "base" antenna at your home, perhaps one you can purchase at Radio Shack you will greatly increase your range. Just remove rubber ducky ant. and with the correct fitting on the coax fix it to your scanner and should be a big help. Radio's from engine would not be heard as far as base of Dispatcher.

QM

[Anonymous]

Hi Dan, Base stations that the dispatcher use are usaully set for about 100 Watts. They like to reach out and touch people. The engines (depending on the manufacter and model) Transmit either 35 watts, 50 watts or 100 watts depending on the railroad. The hand helds that conducters and switchmen use only put out 2.5 watts (They are rated for 5 watts but the batteries would not last, so they are turned down to about 2.5 watts.)
If a railroad is useing a repeater type radio set up then most radios are set for around 20 watts. (except handhelds they are always 2.5 watts) The railroad use Yagi antenna's to focus the beem down the track. So try to set your antenna were there are no major obstuctions between you and the track.
TIM A

[cp1057]

I agree with QM that a better antenna will greatly improve your reception. One other reason why you are only hearing the dispatcher is that they may have separate frequencies for transmitting and receiving, I believe the term for this is duplex.

I too have a scanner but live nowhere near an active railway line. If time was no object I could park near a busy yard and monitor but such time is scarce...

Charles

[RudyRockvilleMD]

The best source of information about railroad radio frequencies where you live is The Compendium of American Railroad Radio Frequencies, 15th Edition, by Gary Sturm and Mark Landgraff.
U.S. Railroads use the frequency channels in the 160.215 Hz - 161.565 Hz frequency band for communications, and each channel is separated by 15 kiloHertz (kHZ). The important railroad radio channels are the road channels, the dispatcher channels, and the yard channels.

[traisessive1]

this is what ive been told..the dispatcher dispatches over all towers so you can laways here the dispatcher.....the dispatcher could be talking to a train 40 miles away and you would hear him.
The train crewes radio goes into the closest tower and then into the lines....where it goes right to the dispatcher. That is why you can only here train when it is like within a 7 mile radius.

Longer and better antenna would be better, you would here it further.....but in order to hear a train 50 miles away you would have to have a radio like the dispatchers.......the train crew use same as MOW......mow have long antennas thats why they can here trains further away.

Want more walk around with a 5 foot antena

[Jackflash]

The dispatcher can select which remote base he
uses for contacting a mobile unit, usually he will
respond using the remote base that he was called on, remote base stations are located appx. 30
or so miles apart, the link between the remote
base and the dispatchers location is AT&T leased
lines or microwave, the reason you can hear the
dispatcher (remote base) is the antenna is usually
80 to 100 feet in the air and is a gain antenna
where as the locomotive antenna is only about 16
to 18 feet and is not a gain antenna. ( by the way
the US Coast Guard uses a similar remote base
set up) if you have a hand held scanner and connect a outside gain antenna to it it might
go into overload and receive things you dont want,
if you are in a urban environment, out in the country you might be ok. Another thing to consider, a lot of cell phones and "Nextell" type
radio phones are in use now, some but not all
communications do go through them, I know this
for a fact...we use them where I work, sometimes
jackflash

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the insight. I went to radio shack and have picked up a larger antenna. Now I am able to hear more chatter and railraod talk. Next step to figure out what they are talking about. Thanks agian...

Dan Larsen

[zardoz]

Speaking of antenna length, where on the locomotive is the 5' antenna? I have been next to locomotives and heard things on their radios that I was not picking up on my scanner. I do not thing the extra 10' in height would make a difference of good reception and no reception.
How do they do that?

[Anonymous]

Yes this is true?! Does any one know why that is?

Dan Larsen

[traisessive1]

one thing is because it is different frequencies
for CN i have ALOT....from the EOT-MOW-Crew
for VIA...i have the intrain crew/engineer frequency

i have many different ones.
like when i watch the yard crew do work i have that frequency and listen to them

but sometimes the guy could be 10 feet from me and ill hear chatter on his radio from the other crew and him talking......and ill only catch the last words.....wierd but...

[Jackflash]

First of all the antenna isnt 5' on some engines
the VHF antenna looks like a beer can on a little post, about 6 or 7 inchs total length, it'll be
up on top of the cab. On other locomotives the
antenna will be laying flat(looks like an ice skating blade from a distance) about 15 to 18 inchs long. Some times all of the antennas on
the top of the engines will be covered with a
fiberglass or plastic dome for weather protection
one reason you may not hear what the locomotive
radio is hearing even when you are standing nearby
is the locomotive radio itself is a very expensive
radio (2400 dollars) it has a very good receiver
in it (compared to a consumer grade scanner)
probably the signal it was receiving was comming
in from a distant station and the hight of the antenna on top of the engine does make a difference, had you climed up on the top of the engine with your scanner you might have also
heard what the locomotive radio was hearing.
jackflash

[Anonymous]

i didnt mean the antenna was 5 feet long
but if it was......youd hear more