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Radio Rail Fanning
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Local Rail Fanning by Radio Here in this part of town we don't have all that much to do as far as watching real life trains. Don't get me wrong, this area is far better than some places I've been but you do need to know where and when to go if you want to see anything half way fun or interesting. So, the fast cure for not knowing what to do is simple. A scanner. Yep, that cool little toy radio that people back in the late 70's and early 80's used to use for knowing what the local police were up to while they were trying to figure out what you were up to. Whew... Ok, first things first. You need a scanner. Go to your local Rat Shack (that's Radio Shack) and see what they have on clearance. Stores that sell scanners are always trying to clear out their inventory of older models especially those that only scan conventional frequencies. Conventional frequencies or channels are what the train industry uses today. The radio industry is switching over to trunking scanners so we can all find the old ones for a good price anyplace, even Wal-Mart has them. I'm not going to go into trunking radios because that's another article of it's own. For now all the knowledge you need to follow trains with a radio are some simple facts and then you can start to have some fun. First get a cheap radio like I said earlier, preferably a hand held unit. Something in the range of $50.00 to $75.00 will get you a very nice radio these days. Secondly, the A.A.R (Association of American Railroads) has a block of frequencies that are dedicated to them, the North American Railways. The range consists of 97 frequencies that start at 160.110 and go through 161.565. You won't get all of those frequencies (or as the rail industry calls them, channels) but you should be able to pick up something to hold you interest. You'll have to scan the frequencies to find some action in your area and then save them in memory for quick access when your rail fanning etc. Now, when you do go to pick up that scanner, make sure it can scan that range. Just about all the scanners I have played with cover those freq.'s so you won't have any trouble but be sure to ask or read the box first! That's it, you can now start having some fun. When I scan for trains I'm basically trying to find them. You'll be doing the same thing so listen to what you hear. I mean listen! Most radio traffic is pretty basic, short and to the point. You need to pick out the key information and use it. I have a cheat sheet I carry with me in my car or truck so I know what railway I'm listening to on the scanner. For example, one channel I listen to is 160.530 and it's used by GT. Another channel is 161.325 and it's used by Amtrak. There are too many to know them all by heart so I can find them easily on my sheet. Once I know who I'm listening to I can narrow down the area they are operating in. Certain railways run on certain sections of track etc... I have also made some notes as to the mile markers that each railway uses on their lines. When I hear a train call into a yard and give a mile marker for it's location I can figure out where it is and how long it will be before it rolls into a yard given it's general speed. You will also hear automated diagnostics sending out equipment failures and information on trains in a given block, they are generally called Hot Boxes. It can tell you how long a train is by the number of axles that pass track sensor's, how fast it's moving etc. and lately I have found that most of the hot boxes have a little message at the end of the transmission too. Heck, sometimes it's just fun to listen to what the crew's are talking about. Another good way to get started is to use some of the resources that have been compiled for us. Rat Shack has a publication called Police Call that list's the AAR standards as well as most local frequencies and who makes use of them. You can also buy Police Call on CD-ROM if you choose. For rail fan's though, this link to North American Railroad Frequencies is a great place to start looking for something to listen to in your area. The creator of the page is Jon Roma, drop him a note if you like what you find. Also take note of any other people using scanners when rail fanning and ask them what frequencies they listen to most and what area's each of those cover. Here are a few of the frequencies I listen to from my Excel cheat sheet:
Note: I'll update this page in the future if it starts generating any interest. For now, it's just something to get you going to see if it's something you might like. Keep in mind, the information listed here is just the tip of the iceberg. There's much much more you can do with this stuff... Let me know if you want more info. Oh yes, a word of caution to the wise. Make sure it's legal to listen to a scanner in your state while your driving in your car! Some states require you to have a permit to carry one while driving etc... Find out! Update: It has come to my attention that the Michigan State Police have made available the necessary form to apply for a permit to carry a scanner in a motor vehicle in the State of Michigan. The permits are open not only to Michigan residents but non-residents as well! This is a major step forward for scanner hobbyists. Click on the link to download the application in Adobe PDF format. State of Michigan motor vehicle scanner permit application. The application only takes a couple of minutes to fill out and it cost's nothing more than the postage to apply. |
Questions or problems regarding this web site should be directed to Jon FosterCopyright © 1998 - 2012 Jon Foster.
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