Western Railroad Discussion > Your RR Band Reception Range?

Since I got in some reasonably distant RR band radio reception last night with the very clear conditions that we had and after that knowing that I am upgrading my antenna installations so that I very likely will soon be getting even better reception I got curious about the local possibilities. What do you others out there get distancewise on a regular or at least on more than an infrequent instance? My local best seems to be at just under 18 miles for receiving a very low powered detector located nearly straight South of me, about 22 miles for one that is sited East-Southeast of me and better than that for East and West of me for road and yard channels by using a very basic antenna and connections. Thank you for responding.

Loco Bil

Before they silenced the detector at East Oro Grande (MP 28.5 on the Cajon Sub), I could pretty reliably hear it at my house in Fullerton. On good days, the detector at MP64.7, also on the Cajon Subdivision, can be heard but it barely breaks the squelch. I think the East Oro Grande detector was running substantial power since I could not hear the trains themselves, only the detector. With the same set-up, I cannot hear the BNSF detector in Santa Fe Springs - only ten miles away. Go figure.

My equipment is just an IC-2000H and a Radio Shack discone mounted on the roof.

What I have now been regularly receiving in the way of detectors as of today, here in Monrovia :

* BNSF MP 154.7 San Bernardino Sub detector in Santa Fe Springs. Very loud and very clear at that.
* UP MP 14.8, Los Angeles Sub, detector located just East of the 605 & 60 Freeway junction in Industry (CP Fry's). Always loud and clear too.
* UP MP 504.7, Industry on the Alhambra Sub. It has very good signal strength most of the time.
* UP MP 516.6 Montclair detector on the Alhambra Sub. Fairly good reception usually.

Loco Bil

Bil,

Can you hear the Alhambara sub 492.0 Detector.

A very short lesson on VHF radio signals. VHF signals work best when they are "line of sight." In other words, repeater placement is critical. Out on the plains, oftentimes a repeater can only be "heard" for 15 miles or so, even with a good radio and antenna. Place that repeater on a mountaintop and signals may be received for a long distance. On my mobile rig, I can receive a Union Pacific mountaintop repeater located nearly 80 miles away by line of sight. My same rig (a 2-meter Yaesu FT-2600M amateur radio) with 50 watts of power can access a ham repeater on the same mountain. VHF signals do not "bend" as well as UHF signals, thus they don't work as well around or inside buildings, etc.

Yes, a few times earlier this week if you are referring to the El Monte area detector Dave. My current antenna is very directional so some signals fade in and out easily.

Loco Bil

Hi 19 miles is all i have gotten out of a 1/4 wave antenna on my car. detector mp319 and me at mp300. a discussion on SKIP Scott

From the Studio City area, I usually get the detector up on the Saugus line in Sylmar, the crews calling the DS in Simi station and sometimes crews downtown in certain places... For some strange reason, I use to get crews coming in at a certain point on the old BNSF harbor line, which is weird since I have the hills right by me. That's all in good propagation of course, and I kind of live in a hole (not literally). You probably do well, because you have that sort of subtle incline your up on at the base of the mountains.

Dave D.
Los Angeles, CA

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Here in northern Illinois, on an average day I can receive about an 18 mile radius around me. Detectors come in very poorly, even 5 miles away since the UP likes to turn down the power on them to nothing.

Equipment:

40' mast with a 1/4 wave discone antenna and a VERY GOOD receiver.

L.G.