Narrow band radio

[rrradioman]

Has anyone noticed a difference in the audio from the railroad radios, since the RR's have gone narrow band?

[Mark]

To me, it seems I do not hear both sides of a
conversation between a dispatcher and crew on
engine as much as I formerly did.This is subjectively
said about transmissions I get at home, with a decent 2 meter
radio using a antenna in my attic,listening to trains that are within
1-3 miles from my home.

Thanks

Mark

[rrradioman]

I monitor NS 160.380 only. I just re-programmed my radio and am listing to a
female dispatcher at Waterloo. Everything has sounded ok. I'm going to monitor
NS, CSX, etc road channels to see if I hear any difference.
So far, I haven't heard any difference in audio.

I've been told the AAR test facility in Pueblo, Colorado is in the process of
changing their radio system to the Kenwood NXDN protolcol with trunking.
To talk, you wait for the beep, key the radio and wait for beep and then talk.
Sounds great for switching cars. So much for scanners in the future.

[rrnut282]

Unless federally mandated, don't look for the railroads to voluntarily buy new radios again so soon after buying narrow band ones in the last two years.

Besides, if they do switch, someone will make a scanner for it eventually.

[joe22a994]

I have two scanners, a Uniden BC72XLT and a GRE PSR-410. My Uniden scanner rounds 160.4475 (160.44 in Narrow band) to 160.45. My GRE scanner keeps it. By the way 160.38 narrow band is 160.3875, 160.44 is 160.4475, 161.19 is 161.1975 and I haven't looked up the narrow band frequencies for other normal frequencies. Narrowband is basically adding .0075 or .0025 to the frequencies. I monitor both. I don't hear any activity on Narrowband yet.

[rrradioman]

The NS Huntington Division radio frequency, as an example, is 160.380 Mhz.
The wide band bandwith was 25 kHz. With narrow brand radio, the
bandwith is 12.5 kHz.

The audio with NB may be lower in volume due to the narrower frequency bandwith.
The center frequencies for the channels here in the area should remain the same.
I've heard of no changes.

Kenwood has various models of their Nexedge radio models available now. NB now
and with the flick of a switch the radio is NXDN. One radio does all. I've read
where the BNSF is buying these radios currently.

As far as a scanner. The NXDN protocal was jointly developed by Kenwood and Icom.

I wouldn't hurry out and buy one now. Wait until the AAR/FCC establishes the
implementation date.















Scanner makers will need a license from Kenwood/Icom to use NXDN.

Kenwood radios are available now. The RR's are buying them. The radios have to be
programmed for you w/o transmit. I need to check how many channels the
radios have and whether they can scan or not.

The RR's didn't want to buy new radios and in a few years again, buy new ones.
Motorola seems to be left in the dust. NXDN is the system the AAR deems as the
standard.

[joe22a994]

It would be easier if they used Motorola. Most scanners already have the ability to scan those. My BC72XLT unfortunately doesn't scan that.