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| Two Way Radios for Small Railroads http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=44940 |
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| Author: | Bobulltech [ Sat Oct 17, 2020 11:32 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Two Way Radios for Small Railroads |
RCD wrote: Bobulltech wrote: I would immediately take a crew out of service for using a baofeng on duty. This is a rule violation in most operating rules by not using a company provided or approved radio. And if the compeny did supply it and or approve it? Serious question and some of these operations are nonprofit and seem to be happy with $25 Baofangs or don't mind there crew useing them. Are UV-5Rs leagle for railroad use?The short answer is no, the Uv5r is not part 90 type accepted any more. There are baofeng models that are, but the Uv5r you see is mostly a knock off and most are front panel programmable which is not type accepted. Also most will not pass the test for emission standards. I can independently confirm this, I have tested two baofengs on my Anritsu Site Master, neither will pass type acceptance on emission standards. So I can not in good conscience condone the usage of non type accepted equipment for any operation. Even for part 97 while you can use the Uv5r, it's only because the FCC relies on the station licensee to certify the equipment for operation, honestly a task beyond the technical and skill level of most amateurs, less even the proper tools |
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| Author: | Bad Order [ Sun Oct 18, 2020 8:43 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Two Way Radios for Small Railroads |
Just a few observations on handheld radio's... I'm a current railroad employee. Engineer to be exact. I carry a Motorola HT1000 with me. I work in a yard and during the course of my day I get on and off a lot of engines and sometimes there won't be a radio in the cab of the unit I get on to use, so this let's me keep working instead of waiting for the car department to find and install a radio. As far as handheld units, we've went from Motorola HT660's to HT1000's to Kenwood something-er-other's. I just got rid of the 660 late last year... it wasn't able to be narrow banded. Our radio man tuned my 1000 and it is still in use. I traded the 660 in on the Kenwood. In the yard I work in, it's nothing for me to be close to a mile from the switchmen on the ground. Most often I'm in the range of 30 to 50 cars. It's a line of sight situation. No curves, just a slight hump... I can see back to the end of the cut of cars I am handling, most of the time. Those little Kenwoods (I have the box here mine came in~ Nexedge NXDN FleetSync, but I don't have the model number) have a terrible time reaching that far. Granted, they may carry them in their back pocket or on their hip in a holster.. .and their carcass may inhibit the signal... but still... it's a constant battle while switching. They think I'm being stubborn when I say I can't hear them, so I have taken my phone out, turned it on and put it in movie mode (ya, ya, ya... I know) and laid it on the desktop to record what I'm hearing, just to prove to them that their radios aren't getting out. They barely break the "squelch" and it's really staticky.... Most of the time, someone listening in on the fiasco will repeat for them, but that's not always handy when I'm shoving a track full of cars back, filling up a track and there's a train hanging out behind it! The company installed a "repeater" channel on everyone's walkie talkies that they can switch to that will relay their transmission and repeat it over the "big radio". That helps, but the switchmen don't take into account the time delay involved and invariable cut off the first word or two of their transmissions... then I have to tell them over the radio that "you need to hold the button in for a second or two before you start talking or because you're cutting yourself off".. It's a never ending struggle with this stuff. I've dropped that HT1000 a number of times, it'd hit so hard that the battery would unlatch and fall off! But, it still works as good as it did when new. I can reach more than a mile in situations where a man standing next to me with the little Kenwood is unreadable to the intended recipient. Moral of the story... get a narrowband capable HT1000 and a new battery and get to work! The handheld I have is over 20 years old. |
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