[ScanIndiana] Scanning Indianapolis Questions from a Newbie inTown

[Tom Wall]

This is probably way more than you wanted to know, but here goes:

Tac radios are mostly modified ham radios used by the police for car to car
(simplex) chit-chat.  They have no license or legal authorization for any of
the frequencies in use (there may be one or two exceptions).  When the tac
radio trend started here in Marion county in the early 90's, there was
someone (some have theorized Linn Piper, director of MECA) carefully picking
unused frequencies for tac use.  Every frequency always met one criteria: it
was always a frequency that was not licensed in Marion county or any of the
surrounding counties.  After a few years the police began to pick their own
frequencies seemingly at random, sometimes with complete disregard for
licensed users.  A couple of years ago Marion county sheriff's deputies were
told to remove their tac radios.  Almost every other police agency in Marion
county (IPD, Speedway, Lawrence, Beech Grove) continue unabated.  Any and
all complaints to the FCC regarding illegality have fallen on deaf ears.
Just as well, it's generally very interesting and informative, especially
when some police are still under the misconception no one is listening.  I
have managed to find over a hundred frequencies in the last fourteen years,
that is what is contained in polsimp2.txt that I posted last night.
Sometimes frequencies are abandoned for months or even years before becoming
active again.  If you're in or near Marion county and you've got the scanner
memories and time to spare I reccomend programming all one hundred and
eleven.  In the event you don't here's a condensed list of the frequencies
that are still in use most or every day:

150.275 IPD NORTH - NEW TO ME AS OF 07/14/2003 22:45
150.285 IPD DOWNTOWN? - NEW TO ME AS OF 01/13/2002 23:30
150.815 WAS IPD SOUTH (VARIOUS SHIFTS?), THEN USED PRIMARILY BY SPEEDWAY,
NOW IT'S SOMEONE ELSE AGAIN
151.220 IPD WEST - NEW TO ME AS OF 22:10 02/11/2003 - MOSTLY 3RD SHIFT USE
151.475 <SD-1> IPD SOUTH
151.600 IPD EAST? - NEW TO ME AS OF 11/21/2001 21:42 (LEGITIMATE BUSINESS
USERS ON 151.595 MOSTLY DURING THE DAY)
154.905 <TAC 6> CLERMONT (CONFIRMED ON 09/29/2000 - USED TO BE COUNTY
SOUTHWEST, AND WAS EVEN THE PADDY WAGON CHANNEL FOR A WHILE)
154.935 WHOSE CHANNEL? (IPD EAST?) NOW USED BY IPD WEST STARTING AROUND
SPRING 2004
155.190 LAWRENCE (OLD LAWRENCE POLICE REPEATER OUTPUT)
155.715 <IPD WEST-1> <CHANNEL 2> (SPEEDWAY ALSO)
155.850 SPEEDWAY POLICE, NEW TO ME AS OF 05/09/2002 23:15
156.210 IPD EAST (ALSO HEARD OLD IUPUI BASE - MOBILE SIMPLEX BACK ON THE AIR
ON 12/21/1999 AND PATCHED TO A MECA CHANNEL)
156.340 WHOSE CHANNEL? (SOUNDS LIKE PARK RANGERS - NEW TO ME AS OF
09/24/2000)