Railroad Radio (CTCSS)

[Karl Sollmann]

On ex-Southern Railway lines down here in Tennessee, Mississippi and
Alabama, the PBX [or ARN in Norfolk Southern language] system using the
repeater output frequency of 160.275/input 161.145 MHz uses tone coded
squelch. I'll check with a fellow enthusiast and forward the CTCSS
frequency to you if you want it.

The new Bearcat TrunkTracker scanner has a CTCSS search feature. I own a
TrunkTracker but I have not tried out the CTCSS search function on
railroad frequencies.

On a related note- according to a recent NS company newsletter, trains
calling the DS on former SR lines are supposed to start utilizing the
dispatcher call tone feature. I wonder if anyone has ever made up a list
of the tones associated with their respective railroads. I am not sure
how you classify these tones- perhaps they are also a frequency?

Hiball, Karl

Benjamin Russell wrote:
>
> I was wondering if anyone could help me out. Do RR's use any kind
> of CTCSS system?
>
> I listen in the Philadelphia region (monitoring Conrail, CSX, SEPTA,
> Amtrak).
> The SEPTA North Road (161.460), South Road (160.350), and MW
> (160.290) frequencies all operate with a CTCSS tone (I think it is 141.3,
> but dont have it handy right now). The only time transmissions are made
> without a tone is when CR freights must contact SEPTA's Wayne Tower on the
> North Road channel.
> Do Amtrak and the freight RR's use any tone coding? If they do, I'm
> not having any luck finding the tones.
>
> Ben Russell - E-mail: brus...@acnatsci.org
> Phone: (215) 299-1080 or (215) 299-1105
> The Academy of Natural Sciences
> Patrick Center for Environmental Research - Project Support Section
> 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway - Philadelphia, PA 19103

[Peter Laws]

On Wed, 22 Jul 1998, Fletcher, Robert L SPK wrote:

->CTCSS, What do these letters mean and how can a trunk tracker use
->them?

Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System. Description is beyond the scope of
this list, but suffice to say that if your radio is set to hear only the
correct tone and the DS transmits this (sub-audible) tone, you will hear
the DS. You will not hear anyone on the frequency that does *not*
transmit the tone. Cuts out a lot of noise. Frequencies are in Hz (i.e.
141.3 Hz). Motorola's trademark for this feature is ``PL'', short for
``Private Line'' (despite the fact that in no way protects your privacy!).

It is of no use to the "trunk tracking" part of a trunk-tracking scanner,
since the 160 MHz RR band does not (yet) use trunking. You could use it
on conventional channels, of course.

--
Peter Laws | pl...@nssl.noaa.gov | MP 401, Red Rock Sub, BN&SF Ry Co

[Benjamin Russell]

[Peter Laws]

On Wed, 22 Jul 1998, Benjamin Russell wrote:

-> I was wondering if anyone could help me out. Do RR's use any kind
->of CTCSS system?

BN&SF Ry. Co. Red Rock Sub (DS21 - 160.560) doesn't (I've checked), but I
wish that they would! Would cut down the interference I get from the PD
transmitter next to my favorite spot.

[Les Childers]

Yes railroads do use ctcss tones but when receiving on a scanner it ain't
important that you have tone because most scanners don't have tone capability.

Les

[Les Childers]

ctcss is a tone code to which the radio receiver is programed. In the radio
logic you need to have the proper ferquency and ctcss tone before audio is
enabled. ctcss is a sub audible tone.

Les

[David/Pam Lafferty]

What RR'S uses CTCSS? I've never came across
one that did, but that certainly doesn't mean there isn't
one. Our old HT-220's (no CTCSS boards) still work OK
with the newest Spectra Clean Cab radios.

DEL