Radio System
May 1999 info - Ch 1 - 483.1625R - Ch 2 - 483.1875R - Ch 3 - 483.2125R - Ch 4 - 483.2375R - Ch 5 - 483.1625 - Ch 6 - 483.1875 - Ch 7 - 483.2125 - Ch 8 - 483.2375
Notes -
1. "R" = repeater output frequency
2. On Channels 1 thru 4, the mobile and portable radios transmit 3 Mhz higher than the repeaters - for example on Channel 1 the field units transmit on 486.1625 and they receive/listen on 483.1625.
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May 1998 info in FCC Database - all freqs at all sites
WIK679 - 170 watt mobiles
KGA645 - FB300/100 + FB2 300/100 - 3/94FCC - 59 the Fenway
KGA646 - FB + FB2 180ERP/100W - 1990 Columbus Ave - Sept 1990 first used - ?hirise bld (planned but never implemented)
KGA647 - 10/95FCC - BCH Nurses Dorm HiRise Bld - FB + FB2 170ERP/100W - Sept 1990 first used
KGA659 - 10/95FCC - Prudential Tower HiRise Bld - FB + FB2 250ERP/100W - October 1990 first used
KGA660 - 3/94FCC - 5115 Washington St at Sta 55 in West Roxbury - first used July 1984 - FB + FB2 300ERP/100W - this site was added after the initial radio system came on line in ?1980 - it was reported in the ?1984 BFD annual report
WIK679 - 8/95FCC - Saint Margarets Hospital location in Dorchester on top of a hill - Sept 1990 first used - 250ERP/170W
most of the "date site first used" info is probably wrong - also, none of the sites seem to have base stations - they just seem to have FB2s (repeaters) (therefore dispatchers cannot monitor traffic on Channels 5 thru 8)
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Per 1988 FCC Info (on 12/5/88 sheet) - AMASL - HAAT - HTIP (method of reporting antenna heights may have been changed by the FCC between 1988 and 2000) - all are 100/300 watt transmitters
KGA641 - Mystic River Bridge - 350' (' = feet)
KGA642 - 239 Summer St - 120' (?Fire Station 9 in East Boston on SumNer St)
KGA643 - Gallivan Blvd - 100' (?Fire Station 16)
KGA644 - 138 Chestnut Hill Ave - 100' (?Fire Station 29 in Brighton)
KGA645 - 59 The Fenway - 10' + 100" (base of antenna is 10 feet above sea level - possibly the top of antenna is 110' above sea level)
KGA646 - 1990 Columbus Ave - 120' + 275' (highrise apartment building in Jamaica Plain)
KGA647 - 800 Harrison - 30' + 370' (high rise apartment building in Roxbury)
KGA659 - 800 Boylston - 9' + 765' (highrise office building in the Back Bay)
KGA660 - 5115 Washington (Fire Station 55) - 167' + 140'
KGA661 - 600 Atlantic - 17' + 605' (highrise office building at the water front)
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2000 - licensing inhouse repeaters on 483.1875 with the Federal Communications Commission
BFD - FB2S at 500/510 Parker St and 34.5 Beacon St - ERP25/25W - 1/14/2000 pend (inhouse repeater)
BFD - FB2S at 70 East Newton St and 15 Beacon St - ERP25/25W - 1/25/2000 pend (inhouse repeater)
BFD - FB2S at 840 Harrison Ave - ERP25/25W - 2/1/2000 pend (inhouse repeater) (all of these inhouse repeaters show 550 mobiles at 100 watts each) (all show 20K0F3E as the emission designator)
BFD - FB2S - 3/2kpend - 199 Braintree St in Allston + 460 Parker St + 1205 VFW Parkway in West Roxbury + 25 Huntington Ave
Boston FD - inhouse repeaters on 483.1875R - 25 Huntington Ave + 1205 VFW Pkwy + 460 Parker St + 199 Braintree St in Allston - 3/27/00pend
BFD - FB2S - pend 5/2K - Greg Richardson - 19 Myrtle St - 42 21 15N 071 04 00W - 483.1875R - 40ERP/40W - 617.343.2875 at 59 The Fenway - A055343
BFD - A055285 - FB2S - Radio Supervisor - 617.725.2891 - 5/00pend - One Gillete Park - ERP100/100W - 20K0F3E
BFD - D140674 - FB2S - 5/00pend - Joe Clougherty - 401 Park Drive xmitter
BFD - 8/00pend - 10 tremont St - 483.1875 - FB2S - ERP20/20W - 42 21 10N - 071 04 00W - A058901
BFD - 8/00 pend - Back Bay T Subway Station - 483.2375R - ERP250/75W - D144251
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From the April 1991 edition of the NFPA Journal (or NFPA Fire Command Magazine) - BFD has 36 base stations + 12 satellite receiver sites + 21,000 feet of radio cable in "subway system" (underground rapid transit trains) and road tunnels - BFD has 1676 firefighters + 76 people in the Fire Alarm Division + 16 civilians - 1989 saw 46,000 incidents and a fire loss of $29.5 million - 1986 had a fire loss of $39.5 million
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Boston FD Annual Report 1984/1985 - (info from 9/30/87 sheet) - repeater installed in East Boston tunnel(s) in 1984 - repeater installed in Prudential Tunnel in 1985 - all stations got 483.1625 receivers in 1985 - in 1984 new satellite receivers were installed at the Rogers School in Hyde Park and in the West Roxbury High School - the new portable radios obtained in 1985 are more resistant to water - (for many years they suffered from muffled transmissions when water hit the ?speaker mikes - this doesnt seem to be a problem in 2000)
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Radio System History
Initially, everything was done on 33.74. Starting in May of 1967, the Chief was equipped with a portable radio on Channel 2 (153.89) to talk to the dispatchers. Through the 1970s, additional portable radios were put into use by all fire companies in the City. The portable radios had Ch1 - 153.83, Ch 2 - 153.89, Ch 3 - 154.22, and Ch 4 - 154.265. Channel 2 was the primary fireground channel and Channel 4 was the 2ndary firescene channel. All units could talk to the Fire Alarm Office on Channels 2,3,4. Channel 1 in the portable radios was seldom used. (Info from Elliott B in 1999)
Note - I still remember hearing a dispatcher back in the 1970s yelling at a company that "Channel 2 was to be only used for emergencies".
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01 October 2000 - info from the FCC website (www.fcc.gov/wtb) - searching for 483.1625 listings in Massachusetts we get - all sites have 483.1625 + 483.1875 + 483.2125 + 483.2375 - all heights in "meters"/metric system
KGA645 - 3/99FCC - 59 The Fenway - Hgt Elev 3 - Hgt Aat 8 - Hgt to Tip 30 - 7/84 first used - 300ERP/100W - FB + FB2 each freq - Emission Designators of 20K0F2D + 20K0F3E
KGA646 - 7/00FCC - 617.725.2891 - 59 The Fenway is mail address - 1990 Columbus Ave Xmit site - Hgt Elev 37 - 42 18 57 N - 071 05 54 W - Hgt Aat 84 - Hgt to Top 84 - 9/90 first used - 180ERP/100W - FB2 + FB -
KGA647 - 617.725.2891 - 7/00 FCC - BCH Nurses Tower Harrison Ave - 42 20 28 N - 071 04 24 W - Hgt Elev 9 - Hgt Ant 113 - Hgt to Tip 113 - 9/90 first used - ERP170/100W - FB2 + FB
KGA659 - 7/00 FCC - Prudential Tower 800 Boylston St - Hgt Elev 3 - Hgt Aat 233 - Hgt to Tip 233 - 10/90 first used - 250ERP/100W - FB2 + FB
KGA660 - 3/99FCC - 5115 Washington St - Hgt Elev 51 - Hgt Ant 54 - Hgt to Tip 43 - 7/84 first used - ERP300/100W - FB + FB2
WIK679 - 7/00 FCC - Saint Margarets Hospital - 90 Cushing Ave in Dorchester - Hgt Elev 37 - Radius Op 48 - 9/90 first used - Hgt Ant 15 - Hgt to Tip 21 - ERP250/170W - FBs - mobs - 483.1625 + 483.1875 + 483.2125 + 483.2375 (none at 486 Mhz) - 550 units at 170W - 20K0F2D + 20K0F3E (20 kHz wide channels)
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Searching the FCC website for 486.1625 in MA we get the following -
WPMB402 - 5/98FCC - 617.343.2875 - 1 Schroeder Plaza ( the new Police HQ ) - 1 FX1 - 5/98 first used - 75ERP/125W - 486.1625 + 486.1875 + 486.2125 + 486.2375 + 486.2875 + 486.3125
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File created - 15Sept00 - some of this info had been previously located at bfd.html - Updated - 02 Oct 00 - info from FCC website