I've monitored a few radio systems that had a pretty neat sounding "roger" type beeping at the end of transmissions. One of them is the Wisconsin Central Ltd, a regional railroad company, and Chicago's union station. I was in one of the Wisconsin Central Yard offices and heard radio transmissions coming from a phone and figured this must be making the noise. A closer look at the phone revealed that it was some sort of remote control for some sort of Motorola radio. Does anyone know what systems offer the little jingle at the end of transmissions and can use a phone type console? I would like to duplicate the little noise on one of my radios if possible!
-Josh
Telephone looking- remote handset
Moderator: Queue Moderator
-
radioconsult
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2001 4:00 pm
Sounds like (no pun intended) a Motorola desk top remote. Some versions of these were built on an old 2500 series telephone shell, complete with handset, with PTT and a speaker in place of the rould dial opening. Later versions were flat but with the telephone handset. The tones you are hearing are what controls a remote base station over a two wire circuit. The control signal is a tone signal that is applied over the circuit to key and unkey the transmitter in the base station. These tones are in the range of 1850 with a frequency of 2175 as a hold tone. You are hearing these tones that occur when the base unkeys. Professional radio systems don't use or need a "roger beep", that reserved for use on 11 meters.
If anyone on this forum lives in the Pittsburgh/Greensburg Pa. area, I'm sure you hear Tarentum's base radio with a roger beep. This beep isn't a control tone of any type. It is clearly an "end of transmission" beep and it's VERY annoying! Yes, it does sound just like one of those roger beeps that you would buy from a truck stop. Maybe they'll get an echo mic. and a "keyup ping" next! 10-4, good buddy.
Which yard office were you in. I am guessing Fond du lac or Schiller Park. I am a conductor on the Wisconsin Central Division of the Canadian National Railway, new owner. I have not seen one of those handsets on the property here, but, that doesn't mean they don't exist.
If it was the Dispatcher talking, what you heard is a roger beep that is to indicate end of transmission, rather than having to hear them say over. They only voice communication system that we have in place is our VHF radio system on 8 of the AAR radio channels. So this would not be a microwave or repeater system. All our radio towers are linked completely through telephone lines direct to the towers, no actual repeaters.
I realize this is a little more info than you were looking for, but figured I would try to rule anything else out. But to the best of my knowledge the dispatchers are the only ones with the beep.
If it was the Dispatcher talking, what you heard is a roger beep that is to indicate end of transmission, rather than having to hear them say over. They only voice communication system that we have in place is our VHF radio system on 8 of the AAR radio channels. So this would not be a microwave or repeater system. All our radio towers are linked completely through telephone lines direct to the towers, no actual repeaters.
I realize this is a little more info than you were looking for, but figured I would try to rule anything else out. But to the best of my knowledge the dispatchers are the only ones with the beep.
-
Josh
- Posts: 1931
- Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2001 4:00 pm
- What radios do you own?: APX4K, XTL5K, NX5200, NX700HK
The yard office I was in was the Glasdstone Michigan yard office. I heard similar noises from the Escanaba Ore Dock's radio, too, mostly on WC yard channel 8 (161.385), and channels 2 (160.260) and 4 (160.335).On 2002-01-01 20:27, streaker wrote:
Which yard office were you in. I am guessing Fond du lac or Schiller Park. I am a conductor on the Wisconsin Central Division of the Canadian National Railway, new owner. I have not seen one of those handsets on the property here, but, that doesn't mean they don't exist.
If it was the Dispatcher talking, what you heard is a roger beep that is to indicate end of transmission, rather than having to hear them say over. They only voice communication system that we have in place is our VHF radio system on 8 of the AAR radio channels. So this would not be a microwave or repeater system. All our radio towers are linked completely through telephone lines direct to the towers, no actual repeaters.
I realize this is a little more info than you were looking for, but figured I would try to rule anything else out. But to the best of my knowledge the dispatchers are the only ones with the beep.
Also, the beeps the dispatcher makes is not what I'm talking about. If you live near chicago, get a scanner, or radio configured on AAR 13, 160.305 and maybe you'll hear it. The user of it is the "lumber street" tower, or yard office, or something at the Chicago Amtrak Station.
Most likely it just an end of transmission tone. 99% of RR com is all direct line of sight with direct link by telcom to the dispatch center. I know that in the NE, most comm on the former Conrail is this way (Selkirk) and the same with Amtrak and the smaller regionals. As you travel south, the NS and CSX with the older radios systems do this more often. You can hear it sometimes if you go to http://www.alabamarailfan.com and find the RR scaner.
Also on the old Southern Pacific RR in the northern area of CA, you will hear it all the time. As a side note, some shops are starting to enable the MDC1200 on a post transmission on the cab radios and portable radios, mostly with the ID of 1234.
Also on the old Southern Pacific RR in the northern area of CA, you will hear it all the time. As a side note, some shops are starting to enable the MDC1200 on a post transmission on the cab radios and portable radios, mostly with the ID of 1234.
-
Josh
- Posts: 1931
- Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2001 4:00 pm
- What radios do you own?: APX4K, XTL5K, NX5200, NX700HK
I've noticed that ALL BNSF radios have a MDC-1200 identification on all of them, and have noticed it for years. I always figured that the locomotive's 4 digit number was the 4 digit number encoded in the MDC-1200 tone bursts.As a side note, some shops are starting to enable the MDC1200 on a post transmission on the cab radios and portable radios, mostly with the ID of 1234.
If all of them, or most of them, are encoded as 1234, what is the purpose of usign this signalling feature? To identify which radios are BNSF's, or just as a end-of-transmission identifier?
-Josh
I have never been to Happy Rock, just a little pun on Gladstone, so I guess I am at a loss. I am in Stevens Point WI and we don't use any type of beep here other than the Dispatcher office. I guess that maybe the other post about it being an end of transmission signal from a remote handset to remote transmitter may be correct. Not having every worked in their environment I guess I don't know.
If all of them, or most of them, are encoded as 1234, what is the purpose of usign this signalling feature? To identify which radios are BNSF's, or just as a end-of-transmission identifier?
-Josh
[/quote]
Most as an end of transmission identifier. I am sure that some shops could be putting in the loco number, but when the radio goes out of service, and a replacement is put in the cab, it usually does not need to be reprogrammed for the area that it is operating in. There is nothing at the dispatchers desk in the Class 1's that decode them. Perhaps some smaller regionals may, but its the last thing that a RR would want to buy with its tight budget controls.
-Josh
[/quote]
Most as an end of transmission identifier. I am sure that some shops could be putting in the loco number, but when the radio goes out of service, and a replacement is put in the cab, it usually does not need to be reprogrammed for the area that it is operating in. There is nothing at the dispatchers desk in the Class 1's that decode them. Perhaps some smaller regionals may, but its the last thing that a RR would want to buy with its tight budget controls.