What is this? (Radio antenna and strength of signal)

actually the the FCC allows 350Watts in All Mobile Service (350 motorola makes a base station that goes up this high) There is a 45 and a 110 watt Clean Cab unit. Cause were i work at i had out license modified to do 200watts ERP a while back on all radios


some of the m2's also have the older micom

The question about what was on the roof of the locomotive was asked and answered. I am moving this thread tot he radio forum so you may continue discussing the technical specs of the loco radios if you wish.

Kevin

SubaruWRX wrote:

L'mont wrote:

SubaruWRX wrote:What is the power output on them?

It's amazing I can pick up the MTA police and the Hudson and Harlem line from my home.

I'm sure that what you're picking up is from a higher powered repeater.

GCT Station uses a repeater as well? for the last few days I've been able to pick them up with a pretty strong signal.

Most railroads have towers every 20-30 miles. These repeaters are tied into a connection system which can contact the dispatcher most of them are wire to wireless. They go wireless most of the time, and at a certain point the communications enter a wire and return to the dispatch center.

cifn2 wrote:

SubaruWRX wrote:

L'mont wrote:

SubaruWRX wrote:What is the power output on them?

It's amazing I can pick up the MTA police and the Hudson and Harlem line from my home.

I'm sure that what you're picking up is from a higher powered repeater.

GCT Station uses a repeater as well? for the last few days I've been able to pick them up with a pretty strong signal.

Most railroads have towers every 20-30 miles. These repeaters are tied into a connection system which can contact the dispatcher most of them are wire to wireless. They go wireless most of the time, and at a certain point the communications enter a wire and return to the dispatch center.

You sure it's a repeater? If that line had repeaters up and down it, you'd hear everything talking everywhere, and your scanner would never shut up from the shear amount of train activity. I don't know for a fact how that line is set up, but I suspect it's just like almost every other railroad radio system out there in that it uses bases for the dispatcher to talk to trains (as what you're describing is far more fitting for a base than a repeater). Bases are points along the line where the dispatcher can communicate with trains, and thanks to multiple bases, they can talk at multiple points along the line (the closer to the train, the better the communication).

thats what they use a remote bases. controlled by a central location

I live along the Danbury Branch and I noticed that in certain locations such as next to the Redding train station and south of downtown bethel by Rings End there are antennas mounted on what look to be telephone poles. The purpose of these antennas is that they act like repeaters so that the dispatchers in GCT are able to communicate with the trains. I had my scanner on the other day and I could pick up the RCT and the train crystal clear.

MNCRR9000 wrote:I live along the Danbury Branch and I noticed that in certain locations such as next to the Redding train station and south of downtown bethel by Rings End there are antennas mounted on what look to be telephone poles. The purpose of these antennas is that they act like repeaters so that the dispatchers in GCT are able to communicate with the trains. I had my scanner on the other day and I could pick up the RCT and the train crystal clear.

Once again, I suspect this is a base. The only real place you'll find a repeater is in a major yard...very rarely are they used out on the mainline.