I am planning to ride the Texas Eagle with my wife, from Maricopa, Arizona to Chicago, and then back.
I am thinking about buying a scanner to listen to "train talk." I don't know much at all about radio frequencies. Do any of you have any suggestions as to how I get started? What type of scanner should I buy? Should I buy a book that lists frequencies? I probably will not have many opportunities to use the scanner, other than Amtrak trips every year or so, so I don't want to buy anything real complicated or expensive. I just want something that is simple to operate.
Thank you for your help.
Dean
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
Since you only want railroad and will only use it every now and then, this is easy. You only need a scanner that receives "VHF high" in the range of railroad transmissions which is around the 160's (such as 160.200 or 161.250). I made those two numbers up just to give you an idea of what a RR frequency will look like.
But what you should do is go to ebay and buy a cheap, reliable, hand-held Radio Shack scanner. I just did a quick search and found these:
Once you have a scanner, you will want to enter in ALL of the AAR radio frequencies so that your radio has the exact same channels that the Amtrak radios have. A complete list is located here:
While taking your trip, you can just "scan" all channels and then when you hear them talking, press "hold" to stay on that channel. Or, you can print out a list of the frequencies used by going to that same website above (on-track-on-line) and finding your train(s) and switching to that channel.
You can do all of this for a very reasonable price. Just make sure you have the charging cord because the batteries won't last for the whole trip. Depending on the volume and how often you have it on, you might need to charge it once or twice a day.
Posted by Konstantin (Member # 18) on :
Thank you Smitty195. This is the exact kind of information I was looking for.
Dean
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
Further to the above, you can ask certain crew members on the train (used to be the chief of on board staff) what channel they're on, or just peek at their radios as they walk past. In the latter case there's a four digit number, usually the same pair repeated, ie 4545 means transmit on 45 and receive on 45, so that's the channel you should be on. If you ask, they won't always tell you, like it's some sort of high security risk you knowing it.
FWIW my old scanner was fast enough to scan through the channels to not miss much when I didn't know what channel they were on. It also has "priority" channels which are checked more frequently when scanning.
Be aware that on some railroads you won't necessarily hear "Amtrak 48 checking in" but "P987 checking in" (for example). Once you know what your train is identified as, it'll all become clear. I don't know what the Eagle is referred to as.
Posted by Konstantin (Member # 18) on :
I just bought a scanner. I bought a new Radio Shack PRO-404. It has priority channels as Geoff mentioned. I am just learing how to use it and program it. I hope to enjoy listening.
Thank you for your comments ans suggestions.
Dean
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
That looks perfect---I just checked it out on Radio Shack's web page. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.
One thing to keep in mind as you travel is that you might notice sometimes when the Conductor walks through the train that you will hear his radio while your radio is silent---even though you are on the correct channel. A professional grade pack-set (such as the Motorola model that they use) is specifically tuned to the RR frequency and does not cover a wide range of channels like a scanner does. Because of that, their portable radios will pick up distant signals much better than a regular scanner with the stock antenna. If you want to get that extra boost of reception, I'm fairly certain that Radio Shack sells a railroad antenna. It will be skinny and about twice the length of the antenna that came with your radio (I think the length is 17.4 inches). A specific antenna like that will increase your reception on-board the train. It's not necessary to have one, but I wanted to let you know about it.
Posted by Konstantin (Member # 18) on :
Smitty, after reading your last post, I did some research on antennas. Yesterday, I bought an antenna from Radio Shack. It works quite a bit better. I live near the Scottsdale Municipal Airport, and with the new antenna I can hear the control tower on my scanner. I also started programming in all of the AAR frequencies.
I cannot seem to find the frequencies that track detectors use. Do they still operate on AAR frequencies?
Thank you for all of your help.
Dean
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
Hmmm...I used to know the frequency for the detectors. Let me do some checking and I'll see if I can locate them.
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
Okay, I've got the answer. The trackside detectors are on the same frequency that the engineer and conductor are talking on. I was thinking of the "end of train" devices (also known as a "FRED")--those have a separate frequency where you can hear a tone-burst, but no talking. But as long as you are on the same channel that the conductor is on, then you will hear the detectors. On some routes (such as the Coast Starlight through parts of Oregon), the detector is silent and will only report something to the dispatcher on a secure landline, and the dispatcher will then call the engineer on the radio to tell them. I'm not sure where else in the USA they have those types of detectors, but just in case you go by one and don't hear anything, it could be that type.
Posted by Konstantin (Member # 18) on :
It makes sense that the conductors would be on the same frequency as the track detectors.
I now have all AAR frequencies programmed in my scanner. I also have the two frequencies that are most popular with FREDs programmed into a separate bank. That way, if the FREDs are "talking" too much, I can easily stop scanning them.
Thank you for all of your help. I knew very little about scanners a week ago. I now believe I will get a lot of enjoyment listening to train activities.
Yesterday, I drove to the Phoenix Deer Valley Municipal Airport. A lot of pilots train there, and they seem to constantly do touch-and-go landings. I listened to the tower for a long time. It was very interesting hearing the conversations, then watching the planes do as they were told.
Dean
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
Glad it all worked out. It'll make the Amtrak journey much more interesting.