[Boatanchors] 1937

[D C *Mac* Macdonald]

Yes, the cop stuff just above the broadcast band
WAS for dispatch only, at least in Oklahoma City.
 
The cars here did NOT have a special radio receiver,
but used the regular broadcast radio that had been
retuned to cover up to something like maybe 1800 or
1900 kC/sec.
 
Oklahoma City was plagued by the individual cops
tuning their radios to the local 50 kW "Tower of
Power" broadcast station KOMA at 1520 to listen
there rather than to the calls of the dispatcher!
 
It was this system that gave rise to the "calling
all cars" of movies and radio dramas before there
was a possibility of an answer by the beat cop.
 

* "An unarmed man can but flee *
* from evil. Evil can NEVER be *
* overcome by flight FROM it." *


* * * * * * * * * * *
* 73 - Mac, K2GKK/5 *
* (Since 30 Nov 53) *
* Oklahoma City, OK *
* USAF, Ret (61-81) *
* * * * * * * * * * *
 



----------------------------------------
> From: lmlangenfeld at tds.net
> To: 1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com; telegrapher at q.com; boatanchors at mailman.qth.net
> Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:15:03 -0600
> Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] 1937
>
>
> > The police used a couple of bands, one was just above
> > the broadcast band,
>
> If memory serves, that allocation was for one-way dispatch only. If a car
> had to communicate with the dispatcher, it had to stop at the nearest call
> box and telephone in.
>
> I seem to remember listening in to these dispatches as a kid as they wafted
> in from all over the place after dark. That was in the 1950s and very early
> '60s. Public service VHF radio (high and low bands) was in widespread use by
> then, but some of these systems must have survived well into the transition
> period.
>
> Mark -- WA9ETW