Radio History

April 27 2014 on sme2 list

When I started listening to MA DEM (Now DCR), Fire Control used 2 Channels - "A" 31.340 Mhz, which covered Eastern MA, and Channel "B" 31.38 Mhz, which covered Central and Western MA. "DEM Control" KCA-623 was located in Stow, MA, now the site of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. They also had a Base at the State House on these Frequencies with the Call Sign KCA-602. Fire Towers were licensed as Base Stations; Sudbury Tower's was KCH-473.

The Law Enforcement Division (Now Environmental Police) used 31.46 and 31.50 Mhz

Tom T

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April 29 2014

Mass State Forest Fire - 171.575 - at Danvers - KCG98 - I remember some channel that brush trucks from all over eastern Mass - this must have been it - also 172.275 KCF91 at Stow ----------------------------------- From 1972 CRB Freq Guide Boston - Mass State Forestry - KCF89 - 172.275 Mass Dept of Natural Resources networks - 31.34 - 31.38 - 31.46 - 31.50 - 151.205 - 151.235 - 151.31 - 159.27 - 159.30 - 159.39 - 159.42 - 171.575 - 172.275 Andover - KRI790 - 151.235 Brewster - KCF456-8 - 159.39 Carver - KCG362 - 159.39 Danvers - KCG98 - 171.575 Plymouth - KQS498 - 151.31 - KCG99 - 159.39 Princeton - KCG97 - 151.25 - KRI787 - 151.37 Sharon - KRE478 - 151.31 South Hadley - KCG96 - 171.575 (Sterling - Municipal Forestry - KCA364 - 31.34) Stow - KCF91 - 172.275 (Waltham - Municipal Forestry - KSS840 - 159.375) I think I have listed all of the "FO" (forestry) entrys on the list. Tom, do you have any idea how these freqs were used? Maybe the repeater I remember was at 159 Mhz. I see that 171.575 has 2 listings, and 172.275 has 2 listings. The 159 Mhz freqs were given up apparently. If I had to guess about the history of the Mass State Forestry radio system, I would guess that they started with 2 channels at 31 Mhz. Then maybe some VHF high channels were used as links. Then maybe there were repeaters installed on 159 Mhz, with either 31 Mhz as input or 151 Mhz as input. Then they switched to all simplex ops on 151 Mhz in the late 1970s or early 1980s (plus the 151.145 repeater channel.