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Sale Results, The Auctioneer Collective Machinery Sales Sale Results NEXT SALE: STONDON HALL 12TH FEBRUARY 2018 We send out the sale results notifications in the form of a newsletter within 14 days of the sale taking place. Please follow the link below to register for this service. In addition to sale results, subscribers also receive pre-auction notifications.

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(please note: you will be requested to confirm your email address on a separate email from us once you have applied to join the mailing list. Please reply to that email to complete the registration process.Thankyou.) NEXT SALE Live Machinery Sale At Stondon Hall Farm Monday 12TH FEBRUARY Entries Now Invited site open for delivery from 10TH JANUARY weekdays 8am-4pm Construction & Agricultural Machinery, Vehicles, Small Plant & Groundcare Equipment Stondon Hall Farm, Essex. MORE MACHINERY REQUIRED FOR NEXT MONTH!! Close this window to return to main site Once you have viewed the report click this button to return to sale listings & further information pages Sale Results Report STONDON HALL SALE 15TH MAY 2017 Notable sales on the day included (items £80.00 or over only ): NB: all quoted prices exclude Buyer's Premium & VAT BUILDING MATERIALS & MISCELLANEOUS: 12 Large qty of tilers' battens 150 16 Hayter Harrier 56 mower 145 17 7no.

Air breakers 150 26 McCulloch Hornet ride-on mower 100 27 Pack of box section steels 100 29 Stillage of scaffold boards 400 30 Pallet of air breakers 100 38 100no. Bulk bags 100 39 Camon rotovator 300 47 3no. Packs of short scaffold boards 90 48 2no. Packs of short scaffold boards 110 50 2no. Stillages of scaffold tubes 200 54 Crane block grab 90 70 Hayter Harrier 48 mower c/w collector 85 80 12no.

Grey 100x80mm universal beams, 5m length approx. 320 81 Pack of 25no. 8ft box profile roof sheets 190 99 43no. Pre-used plywood sheets 260 102 Pallet of 3no. Sets of chains, untested 110 103 Mosa welder generator 300 118 Sullair compressor hood 90 119 Qty of Heras-type site panels 80 123 Battery pedestrian forklift 140 129 Narrow aluminium scaffold tower 720 136 Pair of white metal gates 100 140 2no.

Pallets of granite cills/kerbs 155 141 2no. Pallets of granite cills/kerbs 155 142 2no. Pallets of granite cills/kerbs 155 148 50no. 1.2x2.4m x5mm thick sheets of reinforcing mesh 160 149 50no. 1.2x2.4m x5mm thick sheets of reinforcing mesh 160 150 50no.

1.2x2.4m x5mm thick sheets of reinforcing mesh 160 151 50no. 1.2x2.4m x5mm thick sheets of reinforcing mesh 160 152 50no. 1.2x2.4m x5mm thick sheets of reinforcing mesh 160 153 50no. 1.2x2.4m x5mm thick sheets of reinforcing mesh 160 154 50no. 1.2x2.4m x5mm thick sheets of reinforcing mesh 160 155 50no. 1.2x2.4m x5mm thick sheets of reinforcing mesh 160 159 Jetski on trailer 410 174 Pack of 600no.

25x35mm timber battens, 4.2m length 300 177 21no. Temporary solid site panels 160 178 Pallet of foil backed insulation boards 80 188 Pallet containing 15no. Rolls of roofing felt 100 189 Pallet containing 15no. Rolls of roofing felt 100 193 20no. Plywood sheets 110 198 Aluminium scaffold tower parts 300 213 Yanmar diesel diaphragm pump for repair 130 220 100no. Bulk bags, unused 160 221 100no.

Bulk bags, unused 120 222 100no. Bulk bags, unused 120 224 4no. Rolls of builder's membrane 115 225 100no. Bulk bags, unused 100 226 100no.

Bulk bags, unused 90 227 100no. Bulk bags, unused 100 228 100no. Bulk bags, unused 100 229 100no. Bulk bags, unused 100 230 100no. Bulk bags, unused 100 237 100no. Bulk bags, unused 90 240 Large capacity petrol storage vat, ex de-pollution unit 360 245 Portable site toilet 170 246 Portable site toilet 170 247 Portable site toilet 170 248 Narrow ali scaffold tower parts 210 251 Qty of large timbers 90 252 36no.

4x2 timbers 4.15m length approx. 150 255 Portable site toilet 160 256 Belle electric mini mixer 80 258 Pallet of galvanised grids 90 260 Wooden spiral staircase 150 261 2no. Heavy duty steel road plates 160 262 2no. Heavy duty steel road plates 160 263 2no. Heavy duty steel road plates 160 264 2no.

Heavy duty steel road plates 180 265 2no. Heavy duty steel road plates 180 266 2no. Heavy duty steel road plates 180 267 2no. Heavy duty steel road plates 180 303 2no.

Bundles of 8ft reinforcing bars 125 308 Large pallet of reinforcing rods, 16ft approx. 325 309 Large pallet of reinforcing rods, 16ft approx. 325 328 Pack of 25no. 10ft galvanised box profile roof sheets 240 329 Pack of 25no. 10ft galvanised box profile roof sheets 240 330 Pack of 25no. 10ft galvanised box profile roof sheets 240 331 Pack of 25no. 10ft galvanised box profile roof sheets 240 346 Decorative cast iron lamp post 150 347 Decorative cast iron lamp post 150 348 Decorative cast iron lamp post 150 349 Decorative cast iron lamp post 150 350 Decorative cast iron lamp post 150 351 Decorative cast iron lamp post 150 352 Decorative cast iron lamp post 100 353 Decorative cast iron lamp post 100 354 Decorative cast iron lamp post 100 355 Decorative cast iron lamp post 100 356 Cast iron lamp post C/W TOP 270 360 Clipper Major sawbench 185 381 15no.

Philadelphus Aurea 2ltr 90 416 ROLL OF ARMOURED CABLE 340 429 110v TILE HOIST 300 433 GATE FRAME AND POSTS 210 435 STILLAGE OF DISC CUTTER SPARES 220 437 QTY OF PLASTIC BARRIERS 90 447 INDUSTRIAL VACUUM 170 451 PETROL ENGINED MIXER 100 462 QTY OF ROAD FORMS 130 464 QTY OF PILING SHEETS 260 467 QTY OF INSULATION 100 469 CONVEYOR BELT 80 471 QTY OF HERAS FENCING 250 478 PALLET OF POKERS 160 485 3NO. ZARGES-TYPE STEPS 100 486 3NO. ZARGES-TYPE STEPS 110 500 QTY OF SCAFFOLD BOARDS 130 SMALL PLANT & WORKSHOP ITEMS: 727 LARGE METAL WORKING LATHE 340 729 3NO. STIHL DISC CUTTERS, SPARES/REPAIR 170 730 STIHL DISC CUTTER 100 731 STIHL DISC CUTTER 90 732 STIHL DISC CUTTER 90 737 2NO.

STIHL DISC CUTTERS, SPARES/REPAIR 120 739 Petrol engined turf cutter, little used 700 758 Small power float, no blades 90 769 Petrol power washer for spare/repair 80 770 Bomag compaction plate 150 772 Petrol floor saw 100 782 Belle petrol floor saw 100 784 Clipper floor saw 90 788 Hiretech floor sander 140 800 Diesel generator 100 803 2no. Kango breaker drills 85 811 Evolution sawbench, boxed 85 812 Evolution sawbench, boxed 85 815 Compaction plate, requires cord 110 817 Husqvarna K760 saw c/w blade 90 822 240v Mini mixer 80 847 Air powered water lance 80 885 Petrol compaction plate 100 886 3' Large bore petrol water pump, boxed 100 887 Petrol generator 110 888 Prada petrol generator 135 889 Diesel generator 100 890 Bomag trench compactor 80 896 2no. Alto 3-phase pressure washers 90 900 Trench compactor 140 904 Trench compactor 140 926 2no.

Full text of ' Also in this issue: MT Reviews the Alinco DJ-X2000T Great Websites for Radio Monitors 0 4 6 We have something for ALL hands Scout ** lQMHz-1.4GHz The Scout nearfield fre- quency recorder Reaction Tunes many popular receivers to the frequency it captures in less than one second. Features beeper, vibra- tor, backlight, bargraph and 400 memories. $449 $320 Save SI 29 DES32 antenna separate S29 Cub and Ml 1 MHz-2.8GHZ /.50Hz -2r8GHz The Cub and Ml frequency counters are great for field or shop work. With wide frequen- cy ranges both units are capa- ble of being used in multiple applications. The Cub comes with a standard 50 Ohm input, while the Ml has a switchable 50 Ohm to 1 Meg Ohm input. Cub $449 $99 Save $50 Ml $249 $199 Save $50 DB32 antenna separate $29 CD1 00 ** lOMHz-IGHz The GDI 00 Multicounter fea- tures an accurate.5ppm TCXO time- base for frequency counting and instant tone decod- ing for CTCSS, DCS, LTR and DTMF. Also fea- tures Reaction Tune and memory.

00 3“ Mw / R11 * 30MHz-2GHz The R11 nearfield receiver locks onto a strong nearby signal and demod- ulates the FM audio. Great for finding and moni- toring unknown signals. Can be Reaction Tuned by the Scout/ MmiScout/CDIOO. $299 $259 Save $20 Save $40 TA100S antenna included with GDI 00 & R11 />!!' I I^F ® Order Direct 8 5821 NE 14th Avenue • Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33334 Telephone: 954-771-2050 Fax: 954-771-2052 Email: sales@optoelectronics.com www.optoelectronics.com *Cethiier frequencies blocked except hr FCC approved users ** Receivers compatible for Reaction Tune: AR8000, 8200. ICOM RIO, 7QQQJ100, 8500, 9000 Optoelectronics R1i f Optecom Mini Scout ** 10MHZ-1.4GHZ A handy frequency counter ideal for captur- ing unknown frequencies in the nearfield.

Interface to many receivers for the purpose of Reaction Tuning. Great as an all purpose frequency counter. ,Q *1QQ qc. 1 r“ tp 1 Save $50 DB32 antenna separate $29 itfl Techtovz The Techtoyz line fea- tures a Micro DTMF Decoder, Micro Frequency Counter and Micro RF Detector. All powered by one A A battery and housed in a pager case. Micro RF $149 Micro Counter $99 Micro DTMF $99 Buy all three $249 Save $116 TMC100 antenna $9 Included in package only Another innovation WiN RADIO Telephone Control Interface Option Introducing a telephone remote control option for WiNRADiO receivers. The WiNRADiO Telephone Control Interface (WTCI) unit is designed to fit neatly under WiNRADiO external receiver models WRIOOOe, WR1500e, WR1550e, WR3100e, WR3150e, WR3500e and WR3700e. The WTCI is connected to the receiver and a standard phone line, or optionally to a cell-phone.

The user can control the receiver remotely using DTMF (touch-tone) commands, and the WTCI unit confirms received commands using a digitized voice. Received audio signals can then be listened to by the user in real time. There is no limit on how far the receiver can be located from the listener, as long as a telephone service exists in both locations. The WTCI unit is therefore eminently suitable for remote monitoring of transmitters in civilian as well as government and military applications. The WTCI works like an auto-answer modem. Upon dialing in, a pleasant digitized voice invites the user to enter a password. Upon successful entry of the password, the user can select from a large variety of commands.

These include simple commands such as setting frequency and volume, as well as commands performing scanning, or status reading including signal strength. The standard manual control functionality of the WTCI is supported by an optional control by a PC via a voice modem. Using this feature, networking of WTCI units is possible, as well as advanced functions such as recording. The user interface of the optional WTCI Network Software is designed around familiar and intuitive WiNRADiO receiver interfacing concepts. The WTCI Network Software also makes it possible to automatically monitor, log and record the audio signal, without supervision.

For more information and to see other WiNRADiO products, please email us at info@winradio.com or visit: www.winradio.com GRUT1DIG The Ultimate in The LCD Big! Brightly Illuminated 6' by 3'/? Liquid Crystal Display shows all important data: Frequency, Meter band, Memory position, Time, LSB/USB, Synchronous Detector and more. The Signal Strength Meter Elegant in its traditional Analog design, like the gauges in the world's finest sports cars.

Easy to read. The Frequency Coverage Longwave, AM and shortwave: continuous 100-30,000 KHz. FM: 87-108 MHz VHF Aircraft Band: 118-137 MHz. Ultra fine-tuning of 50Hz on LSB/USB, 100Hz in SW, AM and Aircraft Band and 20 KHz in FM. ♦ For Fixed-step Tuning: Big, respon- sive Up/Down tuning buttons.

* For direct frequency entry: a responsive, The Tuning Controls • For the traditionalist: a smooth, precise tuning knob, produces no audio muting during use. THESE ARE THE SATELLIT 800 MILLENNIUM'S MAJOR FEATURES.

FOR A DETAILED SPECIFICATION SHEET, CONTACT GRUNDIG. Shortwave Hotfii Digital Technology HHtlMMHPgT FUNCTIIMUtEVt The Sound ffl- Q □ iTBi m Legendary Grundig ■ Audio Fidelity with I IS MLk separate bass and ■'jjj d □ I KS C3H ■ treble controls, ■ big sound from its ® ~ * ■ powerful speaker and FM-stereo with The Operational Controls the included high quality headphones. Knobs where you want them; Buttons where they make sense. The best combination of traditional The Technology and high-tech controls. Today's latest engineering: • Dual conversion superheterodyne circuitry. • PLL synthesized tuner. The Many Features • 70 user-programmable memories.

• Two, 24 hour format clocks. • Two ON/OFF sleep timers. • Massive, built-in telescopic antenna. • Connectors for external antennas - SW F AM, FM I and VHF Aircraft Band. • Line-out, headphone and external speaker jacks.

The Power Supply — — „ _ tu^7cT A NOV AC adapter is included S] □ B „ for North America (a 220V AC g E3 1 adapter is available upon request). Also operates on I I 6 size D batteries, (not included) i i a □ E, Dimensions: 20,5' L X 9” FI X 8” W -h* V* H r~ *.,,,,, Weight: 14.50 lbs. By GRUnDIG Lextronix / Grundig, P.O. Box 2307, Menlo Park, CA 94026 • Tel: 650-361-1611 * Fax:650-361-1724 ines: (US) 1-800-872-2228 (CM) 1-800-637-1648 • Web: www.grundigradio.com • Email: grundig@ix.netcom.com ES3 D bah age S am sync usb fm n timer ■■rnol air inn UN Off — I CJO I s SW lOO METER 188: 88: 8. 8 m* L_n J H I a J E E Am* *et vwm* n- r- On our Cover Radio on the Railroad By Matthew Sadler With a system that stretches from coast to coast, comprised of goods and personnel con- stantly on the move, railroads have always considered commu- nications of prime importance. Today, besides being used for routine voice communications, radio signals are used for dis- patching, traffic management, defect detection and data re- ports, and even remote engine and brake control. A table of the new narrow- band frequency allocations is also provided in the article start- ing on page 10.

Pictured on our cover is steam engine 610, operated by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, and photographed by Matthew Sadler. Like most steam engines today, #610 is radio-equipped. Monitoring CONTENTS A Guide to the 'Radio Web'.....

1 4 By John Catalano As everyone knows, the internet can lead you to invaluable stores of infor- mation or to the town dump - information recycled so many times it’s now junk. This “Radio Monitor’s Internet Site Resource List” was compiled by MT s own Computers & Radio editor as a recommended list of bookmarks. Whether you’re interested in Low, Medium, High, or Ultra High Frequencies, try these sites for outstanding frequency, identification, or link databases. Visit the MT home page for quick links to the URLs mentioned in this article. International Radio: from Conflict to Cooperation? 20 By John Figliozzi In an article based on issues addressed at the Challenges for International Broadcasting conference, MT s Program Manager introduces readers to some of the hard decisions facing broadcasters, especially publicly-funded ones.

Is their prime responsibility to the needs of the country backing the station or to the needs of the country receiving the message? What is the role of international broadcasting in dealing with conflicts, promoting peace and encouraging cross- station cooperation? When radio can impact history as violently as it did in Rwanda, its influence can no longer be underestimated. See Page 8 o C2 2001/04/02 22:06:07 MPAe MONITORING TIMES (ISSN: 0889-5341; Publishers Mail Agreement #1253492) is published monthly by Grove Enterprises, Inc., Brasstown, North Carolina, USA. Copyright © 2001 Grove Enterprises, Inc. Periodicals postage paid at Brasstown, NC, and additional mailing offices. Short excerpts may be reprinted with appropriate credit.

Complete articles may not be reproduced without permission. Address: P.O. Box 98, 7540 Highway 64 West, Brasstown, NC 28902- 0098 Telephone: (828) 837-9200 Fax: (828) 837-2216 (24 hours) Internet Address: www.grove-ent.com or e-mail: mt@grove-ent.com Editorial e-mail: mteditor@grove-ent.com Subscriptions: order@grove-ent.com Subscription Rates: $25.95 in US; $38.50 Canada; and $57.50 foreign elsewhere, US funds. Label indicates last issue of subscrip- tion. See page 90 for subscription information.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Monitoring Times, P.O. Box 98, Brasstown, NC. Disclaimer: While Monitoring Times makes an effort to ensure the information it publishes is accu- rate, it cannot be held liable for the contents. The reader assumes any risk for performing modification or construction projects pub- lished in Monitoring Times.

Opinion or conclusions expressed are not necessarily the view of Monitoring Times or Grove Enter- prises. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted. SASE if material is to be returned. Owners Bob and Judy Grove judy@grove-ent.com Publisher Bob Grove, W8JHD bgrove@grove-ent.com Managing Editor Rachel Baughn, KE40PD mteditor@grove-ent.com Assistant Editor Larry Van Horn, N5FPW Art Director Bill Grove Advertising Svcs.

Beth Leinbach (828) 389-4007 beth@grove-ent.com Reviews: Catalano has been drooling over the CyberGuys’ catalog and has found some terrific accessories - including the @ Power strip which will make up for the missing AC outlet on your new com- puter. He also likes their Power Strip Liberator (to accommodate space-hog- ging wall wart power supplies) and Catch-a-Call for folks whose one phone line serves for both voice and internet connection. Also check out The Total Office by Olitec: it’s much more than a modem. (Page 80 for all.) Hobbyists have been anticipating the full-featured Alinco DJ-X2000T, and with good reason.

This top tier, Departments: Washington Whispers 6 Ham Runs Unlicensed Station Letters 7 Communications 8 Stock Exchange 90 Advertisers Index 90 Department Staff 90 Closing Comments 92 Should a Journalist Head the VO A? First Departments Getting Started Beginners Corner 24 The Readers Respond Ask Bob 26 Bright Ideas 'll Scanning Report 28 Scanning Your Own Back Yard Service Search 30 U S. NOAA Weather Radio Utility World 32 Philippine News on SW Utility Utility Logs 33 Digital Digest 35 Bulgarian Diplomatic Service Global Forum 36 The Buzz of Digital Shortwave Broadcast Logs 39 The QSL Report 40 QSLing the Hams on Field Day Programming Spotlight 41 SRI and Other Tales Listening Guide English Language SW Guide 42 MT Satellite Service Guide 62 Telstar 5, Galaxy 4R, GE-4 wide coverage, handheld receiver sports a number of outstanding fea- tures, including Flash Tune, rapid charger, and more memories than you’ll ever use. Bob Pamass reviews its VHF/UHF performance on page 82, and Bob Grove reports on its HF op- eration on page 84. Other reviews include the Hamtronics wideband preamplifier (p.86), and First Alert weather radios WX-17 and WX-30 (p.87). We also provide a correction to the VR-5000 manual on how to perform a program- mable memory scan (p.86). Second Departments View from Above 63 New Beginnings The Fed Files 64 Summertime (Coast Guard on HF) Tracking the Trunks 66 The Price of Progress Plane Talk 68 Tampa Bay; Flight Explorer American Bandscan 70 Grounded Loop Antenna Outer Limits 71 KSMR now United Patriot Radio Below 500 kHz 72 LF Receiving Antennas - 1 On the Ham Bands 74 One Ham ’s Hamfest Perspective Radio Restorations 76 Some Interesting Radio Books Antenna Topics 78 Antenna for Low Freqs MT Reviews Computers & Radio 80 Where Did the Plug Go?

Scanner Equipment 82 Alinco DJ-X2000T SW Equipment 84 DJ-X2000T on HF MT Review 86 Hamtronics Wideband Preamp Easy Access 87 First Alert WX-17, WX-30 What's New 88 Table Of Contents 1 t WAS H I NpTp N W H I S P E R a Fred Maia, W5YI Ham Operator Runs Unlicensed Militia Station Last December, the Federal Communications Commission cited two Amateur Radio operators for operating on high frequency spectrum that was not authorized by their ham radio licenses. Both are leaders in the militia movement. The Kentucky State Militia (KSM), “.a group of armed American pa- triots who oppose the powers of the federal govern- ment” is one of many militia-type organizations that appear to be at war with the United States. Its radio activities have been under investigation by the Fed- eral Communications Commission since it appar- ently uses ham and other frequencies for its com- munications and broadcast needs. KSM does not recognize U.S. Government or FCC authority. Militia movement According to the FBI, the growth of the orga- nized American militia movement represents one of the most significant social trends of the 1990s.

Few Americans knew of the militia movement or anti-government extremists until the morning of April 19, 1995, when a bomb blast destroyed the Alfred R Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Although no apparent direct con- nection exists between members of any militia group and the bombing, those arrested held and expressed views supported by some militia groups.

The stated goal of the militia movement is to defend and protect the United States Constitution from those who want to take away the rights of Americans. The federal government’s role in vari- ous confrontations have further fueled conspiracy beliefs that the government is becoming more bru- tal and is attempting to reverse constitutional guar- antees. The Freemen believe they have the right to renounce their citizenship, after which they do not have to comply with any laws or rules and the fed- eral government would have no influence over them. Many militias claim to represent the beliefs of the founding fathers that predate the Revolutionary War.

Colonists at that time rebelled against the Brit- ish government’s practice of oppression and unjust taxation. Various present-day militias pattern their actions on what they believe their ancestors would do if they were alive today. The FBI focuses on radical elements of the militia movement capable and willing to commit violence. Now a new militia concern has emerged. The illegal use of unlicensed radio communication. The Kentucky State Militia KSM is headed up by “State Commanding Officer” Charlie Puckett (Nicholasville, Kentucky) who holds Amateur Radio station license KF4ZMG Puckett was censured by the FCC for operating on 80 meters (3.860 MHz), a frequency not authorized to Technician Class licensees.

Puckett denied the violation, stating that the transmissions were under the “control” of Stephen Anderson (AA8DP), who, as an Extra Class ham operator, is licensed for op- eration on that frequency. Kentucky State Militia Radio (KSMR) was engineered and hosted by KSM “Major” Steve Anderson (Somerset, KY). Anderson was also warned by the Federal Communications Commis- sion in December for his operations just below the 40-meter ham band on 6.890 MHz, a frequency not authorized to Amateur Radio at all. Puckett denied monitoring reports that the KSM or its members were involved in the alleged transmis- sions, which reportedly jammed WWFV, a li- censed commercial shortwave radio broadcaster operating out of Copperhill, Tennessee. WWFV transmits on several HF frequencies including 6.890 MHz during the evening. When the FCC requested specific details from Anderson about the Puckett 80 meter trans- missions, Anderson returned his Amateur Radio license to the FCC claiming that the agency “.is an agent of a foreign corporation” with no author- ity over his radio operation. Expounding the Free- men philosophy, he also stated that he does “.not reside in any territory or possession of the Federal Government of the United States of America.” and that he was “.not subject to any regulation by this fictitious entity.” Anderson launched unlicensed KSMR on March 3 and broadcast nightly on 3260 kHz USB between 0300 and 0400 UTC.

The live programs, supposedly sponsored by the KSM, began with a song called “Take My Gun (From My Cold Dead Hands)” and militia announcements. “.And then,” according to a Clandestine Radio Watch ( CRW) writeup, “.proceed into a commentary [on] Christianity, alleged U.S. Government cover-ups, and justifications for the existence of patriot militia movement - which perceives itself to be defending the country against a corrupted and conspiratorial federal government.” CRW said Anderson announced during a broadcast on Friday, March 9, that he received another letter from the FCC, presumably for his transmissions as KSMR. He said there is no point in citing him. “This is the Kentucky Militia sta- tion. We don’t want to hear from you [because] you don’t have anything to say to us.

You don’t have any authority over us. We are asserting our First Amendment Rights here and are protecting them with the Second Amendment.” The Second Amendment, of course, refers to the right to bear arms. Strong words indeed. Anderson told CRWthat KSMR operates at 800 watts using “.an extended-double zep an- tenna at 110-feet (36 meters).” The antenna, he said, provides for a 3dB gain over a regular di- pole antenna, and plans are in the works to em- ploy a 3kW amplifier he called the “rock crusher.” CRW added that “.the station is already heard coast-to-coast and has even been monitored in Western Europe.” Supposedly on Wednesday, March 14, Anderson tested 6880 kHz and claimed that “the station will soon carry live programming from the Genesis and Heritage radio networks through a satellite feed. If all goes as planned, the station will operate full-time from 9 a.m.

(1400 UTC) to 12 midnight (0500 UTC) on 3260, 6880, and 12181 kHz USB.” which is 10 kHz below WWFV “.to avoid interference.” But the pro- gramming never materialized. CRW quoted Puckett as saying “KSMR is truly a national effort.” with $2800 in donations collected for the station.

Supposedly KSMR is inspiring other militia groups to take to the unli- censed airwaves. According to CRW, the FCC took KSM’s de- fiance seriously and was planning to close the sta- tion, levy a minimum $7,500 fine and seize the transmitting equipment.

Anderson said he was “.not worried. There’s about 13,000 of us down here.” According to a web-posted agenda, Anderson was scheduled to teach a seminar on communica- tions and antennas to members of other state mili- tias attending a “major” multi-state rally in April at Norm Creek, Kentucky. KLSM Commander Puckett, who appears uneasy about a confrontation with the FCC, de- nied that KSMR is an arm of the Kentucky State Militia, instead it is sponsored “.by militias and patriots all across this country.” But the broad- casts mirrored KSM’s news content. On March 21 st, KSMR disappeared from 3260 kHz after three weeks of broadcasting. A March 24 th CRW bulletin said it had “.learned that the operator of KSMR, Major Steve Ander- son, may possibly return to the air with a new sta- tion. This operation may be a militia- supported station, but may have a different callsign and fewer, if any, ties to the KSM.” We have now heard that the station will be called “The United Patriot Network.” (Excerpts for this story taken from CRW s website at: watch/latest. Info on KSM can be found on the Web at: contents.htm and 6 MONITORING TIMES June 2001 Photo credit - DoD Many thanks to all those who responded with web sites and books for Canadian scanning infor- mation!

I have forwarded the material to Robert Wyman for use in an upcoming Scanning Report, since space is limited in the Letters column. We welcome Robert to Monitoring Times as a regu- lar contributor beginning this month.

Contrary Contrails “My April editorial certainly has drawn commentary!” says Bob Grove. “One respon- dent said he remembered the way plumes from aircraft looked when he was a child, and they aren’t the same now. I told him that the appear- ance of vapor trails depended upon temperature, humidity, content of the exhaust, and winds aloft. His reply: “I had always thought you were ob- jective. It looks as if you have your mind made up.” I replied, “Interesting. The same could be said about you.” Here’s another interesting reponse: “I’m Operations Manager at KCXL AM 1140 in Lib- erty, Missouri.

I guess you would call us a “pa- triot” radio station. I discount about 90% of what I hear, which leaves that 1 0% which might be true! “One of the topics we’ve discussed has been jet contrails. We’re about 12 miles off the east end of Kansas City International, so we see a lot of planes and contrails.” Richard Dale went on to enumerate situa- tions in which the government has been forced to admit some responsibility - the Gulf War ill- ness, testing of an ‘inert’ form of a bug which imitates anthrax at Fort Polk (Louisiana) and at Fort Leonard Wood (Missouri), testing of viruses and venereal disease on civilians, and so forth. “So what’s up with the contrails? Yeah, I heard that report about Reston, too.

You have to be careful what you believe, because a lot of it is just misleading. However, those stories could be planted just to make us think it’s all silly. I have heard enough legitimate people say it, though, to make me think there is something to it.

And the government lies to us all the time.” - Richard Dale, KCXL AM “Good points, Richard. Yes, those CIA ex- periments, back in the ’50s as I recall, were un- conscionable. I was actually a subject of one of them in college. Over a weekend the campus hospital was soliciting volunteers.

They were experimenting with the hallucinogen ‘mescaline’ and fortunately I was part of a control group, so I didn’t get the bad pills. “My general response to the contrails de- bacle is: * Has anyone ever noticed that there has been no epidemiological difference among the populations exposed to con- trails after all these decades? * And why do the photos always show the contrails emanating, quite logically, from the rear of the jet engines, and not from spray nozzles?

* And how come prop planes, which don't make contrails, are never caught 'spray- ing the public?' * And why would spraying be done dur- ing the daytime, in full view of millions below? * Why would thousands upon thousands of pilots, crewmen, and Congressional representatives collude for years to poi- son their own families, friends, and themselves? “There’s one composite answer to all of this: Because they aren’t spraying us!” - Bob Grove Tim Gerchmez observed, “Silly conspiracy theories definitely abound these days, especially on the Internet. If I were asked to describe the Net to someone back in the 17th century, using common language, I would describe it as ‘a place where everything spreads.’ That seems to sum up the Internet perfectly, as seen here.

Files spread, Emails spread, viruses spread, informa- tion spreads, misinformation spreads. The list just goes on forever. Given the innate nature of the Net, it’s no surprise that every conspiracy theory that can be dreamed up just spreads right along with every other sort of information. - Tim Gerchmez John May son contributed a few others to the conspiracy theories making the rounds: * Denver International Airport is actually de- signed to be a giant concentration camp. * Timothy McVeigh is innocent. He’s been drugged to confess.

The government blew up the building to discredit the patriot movement. We’re being told he doesn’t want an autopsy, but the truth is the mind altering drugs used on him would be discovered during an autopsy. * Hoof and mouth disease is a UN plot to make us all vegetarians. What Shortwave Station in Ireland? Referring to the March feature, Listening in on Europe, Glenn Hauser said, “tell me more about Voice of Russia via Ireland. That’s news to me.

There are no (legal) SWBC transmitters in Ireland.” Author David White provided the BOO HFCC Database listing under Ireland from which he got the information: Voice of Russia: 0000-1 900 Daily Freq: 6200 Transmitter Location: 53.21 N 6.1 6W Azimuth: 0 Power: 1 0,000 watts Location: 43.1 2 N 1 31.51 E Target: CIRAF Zone 27 (wEu) L0C: 53.21 N 6.1 6W David: “So, the coordinates are right for Ireland, but a 0 degree beam would be pointed to Eastern Russia and Alaska (a long haul for lOkW), not wEu!” “Aha,” says Glenn. “This is what I sus- pected. A religious broadcaster in Ireland (I am trying to remember the name) has claimed that Russia has authorized them to use this (or a nearby) frequency. This in itself is extremely strange, but they are using it as legal justifica- tion, while they do not have a SW broadcasting license from Ireland. This does NOT mean that V. Of Russia is transmitting from Ireland, though one could certainly think so if that is the way the entry reads.

Check the geo coordinates! The longitude is somewhere in Siberia, I think. An- other instance of ‘official’ data somewhat at vari- ance with reality. “All you may hear is the Irish pirate, with much less than 100 kW, which somehow consid- ers itself using a Russian ‘allocation’ by proxy. This has been going on for years, and I may well have covered it in my column at some point.

Seems like it was United Christian Broadcasters (UCB). But all I see on their website now is about satellite broadcasts.

“The Az of 0 could actually mean non-di- rectional.” David again: “It’s good to have folks like GH around to keep us straight. I would have thought he would have caught the error in the table accompanying my “South Of The Border” feature (Jan. 2001) - the Radio Vlaanderen Int’l relay listed as being in Puerto Rico is actually in Netherlands Antilles. ‘Puerto Rico’ got shifted up a line, and should have been on the line with Armed Forces Radio.” Maritime Web Site Dick Dillman refers MT readers to the new Web page of the Maritime Radio His- torical Society (MRHS).

“If you are interested in maritime radio history, Morse code or would just like to see some photos of some *real* heavyweight radio equipment, this is the site for you. It may be found at: www.radiomarine.org We welcome your ideas, opinions, correc- tions, and additions in this column.

Please mail to Letters to the Editor, PO Box 98, Brasstown, NC 28902, or email mteditor@grove-ent.com. Happy monitoring! - Rachel Baughn, KE40PD, editor June 2001 MONITORING TIMES 7 COMMUNICATIONS Radio Honor Roll 2001 ANARC Awards Each year the Don Jensen Distinguished Service Award is presented by the Association of North American Radio Clubs to the hobbyist that exhibits the characteristics of leadership, dedication and outstanding contributions to the listening hobby. ANARC admits that recogni- tion of this year’s award winner was long over- due. Marie Lamb, producer of the DXing with Cumbre program and promoter of shortwave lis- tening, has over the past few years provided the radio listening hobby with a voice in the very medium that has attracted us to this hobby. ANARC also awarded a Certificate of Rec- ognition (posthumously) to Gigi Lytle, a friend and fellow DXer whose unbridled passion for the shortwave listening hobby was evident at the many conventions she attended.

Gigi made the radio hobby synonymous with the word friend- ship. - Mark Meece, mmeece@siscom.net; www. Org/ Solar Flare Makes History 21:51 UT, Monday 2 April 2001, the sun produced what now appears to be the biggest so- lar flare on record.

Classified as an X20, it is defi- nitely more powerful than the famous 6 March 1989 flare (classified XI 5) which was related to the disruption of the power grids in Canada. Fortunately, this one was not hurled directly towards Earth. Had it occurred a day or two ear- lier, the resulting coronal mass ejection (CME) would almost certainly have been aimed towards Earth. Also, had the flare occurred earlier we could have seen a major proton storm such as the one observed last July, when a number of SOHO’s imaging instruments were temporarily blinded. The active region where the flare occurred is the host of the gigantic sunspot group that drifted across the Solar disk last week. This was the largest sunspot group to occur in 10 years - with a total area 13 times the surface of the Earth at the largest. One of the several coronal mass ejections experienced in April produced a pow- erful geomagnetic storm that raged for more than 24 hours, dazzling sky watchers who saw au- rora borealis as far south as Mexico.

For more information, and great aurora pic- tures, visit Nearly a Digital Disaster The New York Fire Department (FDNY) pulled several thousand brand new radios out of operation in late March after six days of use, when numerous system bugs culminated in a firefighter’s mayday calls going unheard. No one was hurt, but several investigations have been called for. City councilmen and the Fire Com- missioner want to know why the system was not thoroughly field tested before put into service, who claimed the same system had been field tested in Chicago and Boston whereas firefighters in those cities use analog systems, and why the contract was so expensive. FDNY has ordered 4,000 digital radios from Motorola, and had taken delivery on 2,700. The Fire Commissioner expected the radios to be back in use after a couple of months of thor- ough examination and testing. Russian Media Mess NTV, the only independent television net- work in Russia - fell under control of the state- connected natural gas monopoly Gazprom in March.

Dozens of NTV journalists left the sta- tion and refused to work for Gazprom, and some were forced to resign. Many of them moved to TV6 - a small tele- vision station which offered to hire them, where- upon several of its journalists and executives resigned, apparently feeling they were being ousted by the newcomers. It was expected that the former NTV jour- nalists would continue their criticism of the gov- ernment, but now there are rumors the station owner may sell his 75 percent stake in TV6 to oil giant Lukoil, which is partly owned by the government. NTV was the flagship of Vladimir Gusinsky’s Media-Most enterprise. TV6 is a small station owned by Boris Berezovsky, Rus- sian tycoon and former Gusinsky competitor. Both men are accused by Russia of various fraud-related crimes and both are living in for- eign exile. Both claim to be victims of political persecution and could be under some pressure to sell their shares.

Meanwhile, Gazprom has tapped American financier Boris Jordan to head up NTV. Jordan, a third-generation Russian-American, has en- gaged in private enterprise in Russia since 1992. Critics in both hemispheres have their own ques- tions about how Jordan has accumulated his wealth. Supporters of independent television say he was simply installed as a front.

“Welcome to the past,” says Gusinsky. Three strikes against on-line broadcasters Major broadcasters who have been stream- ing their audio content online have found them- selves dealing with copyright and performance issues of enough significance that several net- works pulled their online content entirely in April.

The disputes are on three fronts. One is with trade groups that represent actors and singers used in commercials. These associations have a provision in their contract requiring that ad agen- cies pay an additional amount to performers if radio commercials are also broadcast on the Internet. To avoid paying the fees, ad agencies ordered radio stations to delete the commercials in their Web content. Broadcasters are still look- ing for ways to remove radio ads and substitute Internet-only commercials. 8 MONITORING TIMES June 2001 COMMUNICATIONS A second issue involves royalty payments. Last year, the Copyright Office ruled that sta- tions airing their radio broadcasts on the Web must pay fees to the recording industry.

Broad- casters do not believe they should pay anything. But some worry those questions could extend beyond U.S.

Because of the Internet’s global reach, webcasting could raise interna- tional rights issues. The third dispute is with major league base- ball, which decided it would require Internet fans to pay for feeds of game broadcasts. A subscrip- tion costs $9.95 for the season. Web radio sites that are not run by brick-and-mortar stations have tried to sidestep these issues by using unsigned artists or original commentary. Although experts predict these issues will eventually be sorted out, hundreds of stations have stopped streaming on the Internet.

Most stations plan to return to the Internet, relying on research which suggests the audience is there and growing. The percentage of Americans who listen to online radio has increased from 5.3 percent to 7.3 percent in the past year, accord- ing to a study by The Arbitron Co./Edison Me- dia Research. However, major radio station group Infin- ity Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc., has yet to jump onto the internet bandwidth, saying it will wait until it makes financial sense. Wireless spam What’ s worse than telephone sales calls and e-mail spam? Text messaging spam to your cel- lular phone that you have to pay for!

You have to read the message before you know who it is from, and as soon as you do, you are charged by the phone company. But, for the advertiser, wire- less spam is cheap and easy, and it’s a problem that analysts predict will become much worse. Some lawmakers are looking into applying the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act to the new technology. Cellular providers are look- ing at ways to provide message headers and some do allow refunds for reading spams.

Lawmakers have introduced two related bills in the House. However, even when the payment issue is re- solved, you can still count on an increase in wire- less junk mail. You just won’t have to read it. Rainbow 7 Morning Musume Rar File.

Italy Delays Vatican Radio Shutdown In a short-term compromise, the Italian gov- ernment has given Vatican Radio until the end of April to negotiate a reduction in its electromag- netic emissions, and the broadcaster said it was satisfied with the decision. The compromise sup- ports the call to have Vatican Radio abide by Ital- ian law while giving it more time to do so. While an Italian prosecutor has charged that Vatican Radio violates the standards on elec- tromagnetic fields, the Vatican says the trans- missions are in line with less strict international standards and maintains that it is shielded from Italian law as an independent city-state. However, Vatican Radio offered to drop half of its medium wave transmissions follow- ing the Easter broadcast. The joint commission was to come to an agreement on the broadcaster’s further compliance by the end of the month, when they would review the situa- tion. “Communications ” is compiled by MT Edi- tor Rachel Baughn from newsclippings mailed and emailed by our readers. Many thanks to this month’s reporters: Anony- mous, Albany, NY; Ken Hy deman, Xenia, OH; Kevin Klein, Neenah, WI; Doug Robertson, Oxnard, CA; Richard Sklar, Se- attle, WA; Alan Stoddart, Brooklyn, NY; Robt Thomas, Bridgeport, CT.

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VHF Radio The oldest, and certainly most familiar radio systems used by American railroads are their VHF voice networks, operating in the 160 and 161 MHz bands. This band was planned and laid out with such forethought that today, almost any locomotive in the na- tion can operate on any of these networks, as they all use the same channels. Railroads equip their locomotives with an AAR radio. The Association of Ameri- can Railroads designed the channel plan so that the only information needed to tune the radio was two numbers - the transmit channel, and the receive channel (see table on page 12). An AAR radio is similar to a CB radio in that, instead of dialing up a frequency as on a scanner or a ham radio, you dial up the two channel numbers. This versatility allows the radio to be used on simplex channels, duplex channels, or on a repeater. These radios form the first step in a link from the locomotive cab back to the dispatcher’s desk.

The dispatcher is in com- plete control of the territory that he com- Just as public safety, cellular/PCS, and mands, and the dispatcher always needs to other radio users have done, railroads will have voice contact with the crews. Often, carefully select the antennas that they use there will be two channels assigned to a par- to cover their territories from a base sta- ticular territory - a road channel, and a tion. While some locations use omnidirec- dispatcher’s channel. Tional antennas, the corner reflector an- As a matter of standard practice, crews tenna design is popular, since it is direc- will “call” signals (give their train num- tional but concentrates its power between ber, location, and what indication the sig- 40 and 60 degrees, making it ideal for cov- nal is showing) as they pass them, receive ering a railroad right-of-way. While this automated defect detector reports, and may cause reception problems for scanner speak with passing crews on the road chan- listeners, it insures the best possible cov- nel.

In comparison, the dispatcher’s chan- erage of the railroad’s property, nel is generally reserved for traffic involv- Antennas mounted on the locomotives ing the dispatcher. Are also critical in getting the message While these all operate in the 160-161 through. In the past, the “firecracker” and MHz band, the way they are set up can vary “skate” antenna designs, so named because by railroad. For example, in southeast Ten- they resembled those objects, were popu- nessee, CSX uses simplex channels for both lar, but suffered from design flaws and ag- of these functions and varies the AAR chan- ing, as they were either easy to damage or nel used as their dispatcher’s channel by ter- weren’t efficient.

Antennas atop a locomo- ritory (or subdivision). Norfolk Southern uses five are subj ected to rain, extreme tempera- a simplex channel for their road channel and tures, blowing dust, and hot diesel exhaust, a duplex channel for their dispatcher’s chan- With the rapid growth in radio applications, nel - except they use the same dispatcher’s railroads were faced with installing more channel over all of their former Southern Rail- antennas atop their locomotives, causing way lines. More trouble with roof leaks and undesired While base stations at yards and other antenna interaction, key locations are generally manned, the trend Railroad supplier GE Harris developed over the last twenty years has been to allow a an innovative solution that combines all the dispatcher to remotely control and monitor a antennas a railroad could need in a single number of base stations. In most cases, the package designed to tolerate the extremes train crew has to enter one or more DTMF it faces atop a locomotive. The antenna as- (touch-tone) codes to contact the dispatcher, sembly consists of a Lexan radome, con- and the dispatcher will see an indication for cealing four or eight antennas, depending the base station that is receiving the strongest on the railroad’s needs. These antennas signal. These base stations can be linked to operate in the 160-161 MHz, 452-457 the dispatch center by company-owned mi- MHz, and 936 MHz bands, as well as the crowave networks, fiber optic or copper cellular bands, and also provide a receive- cables, or even leased telephone lines.

Only GPS antenna. 10 MONITORING TIMES June 2001 photo credit: Adam Alberti Now owned by CSX, this former Conrail model SD8MAC loco- motive generates 5000 HP and is equipped with DP, allowing it to be remotely controlled. Defect detectors, mentioned above, have helped prevent a number of derailments over the years by automatically detecting hazard- ous mechanical defects in railcars moving along the iron highways. There are a number of problems that can be caught, depending on the detector’s configuration. Some are able to detect overheated wheel bearings, others detect dragging equipment or hot wheels. Detectors installed near bridges with an over- head superstructure or a tunnel can detect loads on a railcar of excessive dimensions - too wide, or too tall.

These detectors, using a synthesized voice, transmit their report usually on the road channel to the train crew. Upon find- ing no defects, Norfolk Southern detectors in the southeast Tennessee region simply report “no defects,” while those owned by CSX will also include the approximate length of the train and the number of ax- les. It should be noted that these counts are approximate, and while a small variance is acceptable, a widely inaccurate number could indicate troubles. There are a wide number of uses for these channels, particularly in rail yards and around railroad shops. Car depart- ment personnel may have their own chan- nel to use as they go about their work, per- forming brake tests on trains ready to de- part and fixing broken or damaged railcars. Similarly, diesel shop crews may also have their own repeater, which can experience heavy traffic as they refuel and service lo- comotives coming in from a trip.

Railroad police personnel often use 161.205 MHz, simplex, for their communi- cations on the AAR VHF channels, but they may also be found on the local municipality’s frequencies, or using cellular telephones. These agents carry the same law enforcement powers on railroad properties as any other police officer, and frequently make arrests of those vandalizing or stealing railroad prop- erty or cargoes. The agents also investigate grade-crossing accidents and monitor the tracks for trespassers. Yard switch crews will often have their own dedicated channels as well. These personnel will take the inbound train and either shove it over the hump, where each car is uncoupled and allowed to coast down the hill into the proper track and couple into other cars going to the same place, or they will switch the cars with the engine attached. When switching some cars - in particular those carrying explosives or select flammable or poisonous goods - crews may be required by railroad policy to keep the engine attached to the car, as opposed to letting it coast free. These same AAR radios can also pro- vide access, in some areas, to the railroad’s telephone system.

In some areas, railroads have installed autopatches, identical to what amateur radio operators have used for many years, to provide access to their in- ternal telephone networks. These systems provide crews a convenient and low-cost way to contact industries they serve, co- workers, and dispatchers. Remote Brake Control Radio is also used in a critical role on almost every train that operates in the United States to remotely monitor and control the brake pipe air pressure from the rear end. Trains use a brake line that runs the entire length of the train to supply air to apply and release the brakes, but if this line somehow becomes clogged, the engineer would have no way to get the brakes on the cars behind the defective one to apply. To prevent this from occurring, railroads use a device known as a FRED (flashing rear- end device) or as an EOTD (end-of-train de- vice). This is a small radio that is connected to a valve, which is in turn connected to the end of the brake pipe.

These devices not only transmit information constantly about the pressure at the rear of the train, but they also can be used to apply and release the brakes from the rear of the train. All of these devices also feature a bright red flasher that can be turned on and off by the engineer. FREDs used by most railroads operate on 457.9375 MHz, with a notable exception - Norfolk Southern uses FREDs that trans- mit on 1 6 1. Some FREDs transmit a data burst, while others will transmit a string of DTMF (touch-tone) characters.

Since these devices have a small antenna and operate at a low power level, they have a small coverage area. If you are able to receive one of these devices, it’s likely that a train is within sev- eral miles of you.

Remote Locomotive Control Not only can brake pressure be moni- tored and controlled remotely; so can a lo- comotive itself! Systems manufactured by Cattron, Inc. And others provide belt- mounted controls so that an engineer can stand on the ground and operate the loco- motive in either direction, work the brakes, and even uncouple the locomotive from the cars. These systems incorporate “dead- man” switches so that if the unit is not ver- tical, it will stop the locomotive and apply the brakes. Systems such as these are com- monly used at small grain elevators and similar facilities. They are also used quite often in industrial facilities where cars of molten metal are moved around: should an accident occur with this molten metal, the engineer can be in a position of safety.

Radio is also used to allow the engineer at the head-end of the train to control helper locomotives in the middle or at the end of the train, in a system known as DPU, or distrib- uted power units. In these cases, if all of the locomotives were placed at the front, the lo- comotives could overpower the train and break couplers between the cars. With a loco- motive at the end, pushing, this is prevented. Using radio to remotely control this helper engine saves the railroad from paying an ex- tra engineer, and it also lets the railroad effi- ciently run longer trains.

DPU is commonly used on unit trains - those trains where the entire train is carrying a single commodity (commonly coal, metal ore, or grain) to a single destination. Tracking Cars Radio provides another critical function - asset tracking.

Not unlike a barcode, every railroad car and locomotive that is inter- changed with other carriers is equipped with an AEI (Automatic Equipment Identification) tag on both sides. These radio tags are usu- ally passive devices and require no batteries or power source to operate - a major advan- tage. (Battery power tags are available with an average life of 10 to 15 years; their only advantage is that they can be read further away than a passive tag). The first attempt at designing an auto- mated car tracking system used placards with multi-colored stripes, known as the “Kar- Trak” system. However, when these labels got dirty, the camera readers were unable to rec- ognize them, and this system was scrapped in the late 1970s, being replaced in the mid- 1990s with the current AEI system. An AEI tag works by powering itself from a nearby RF energy field. When a trans- mitter is aimed at the tag, it uses a small amount of that energy to power itself and send June 2001 MONITORING TIMES 11 VHF/UHF Railroad Frequency Allocations failed to stop or slow their train, or comply with trackside signals.

Also, the FCC’s refarming of the VHF and UHF bands will af- fect the 160-161 MHz band, doubling the num- ber of available channels (see Table). Studies are already underway to see if data and voice can be successfully combined on the same channel. This could allow me- chanical department per- AEI tags fastened to the side of every railcar in the nation, have sonnel to remotely diag- automated the process of tracking cars and shipments. Nose troubles on-board a locomotive, or for crews back a response. This response contains the to receive their manifests over the air. Railroad’s code, the car or locomotive num- Another anticipated advance is the instal- ber, and other vital information on the car it- lation of low-power radar at grade crossings, self.

The AEI specifications state that tag read- These radar systems would alert the dispatcher ers will transmit on several specific channels if the crossing is blocked and warn a train crew between 902 and 928 MHz, and they operate far more quickly than relying on the driver or at low power, less than five watts. Witness of a stalled vehicle to call the Thousands of AEI readers have been in- railroad’s communications center. Remember, stalled across the United States and this auto- trains can take over a mile to stop, even when mated system has proven to be extremely sue- moving at a relatively slow speed, so every cessful and cost-effective. An AEI tag can be second counts. Reprogrammed many thousands of times, and When looking into the future, two things can cost less than $20 each. With this system, are certain - although America’s railroads will customers can instantly find out the last loca- continue to be steel wheels rolling on steel tion of any railcar as it makes its way to its rails, new technology will play an ever larger destination.

Role in advancing safety and productivity. And where you have major transport systems, you Microwave Networks will find radio. Railroads have also made extensive use of microwave point-to-point technologies. With their need for long-distance communi- cations, using a company-owned microwave By Larry Van Horn, N5FPW Assistant Editor, Monitoring Times The listing below includes all of the new fre- quencies created by a brand-new narrow band- width VHF band plan recently implemented in the United States by the Federal Commu- nications Commission (FCC). These new nar- row band bandwidth frequencies are those in- dicated by “Bandwidth not to exceed 1 1.25 kHz” or “Bandwidth not to exceed 6 kHz” in the frequency notes column.