San Diego Newbie

This is the place to discuss generalized scanner questions and information for San Diego County. Whether it's radios, antennas, or other general scanner related topics, you can talk about it here.
Post Reply
USCGEMT
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:55 am

San Diego Newbie

Post by USCGEMT »

Hello everyone I just moved down to SD from Michigan where it wasn't as exciting to turn on the scanner as it was when I lived in San Bernardino county. Now it seems I will have to open the wallet and go digital now. I'm in the Rancho Bernardo area De Luz is what I believe they call it. I have a couple of ?'s.

1) Who dispatches for Escondido Fire?
2) I have Monte Vista programed in the RCS North bank and are they part of the RCS 800MHz or are they still on VHF with there channels patched into the 800?
3) I plug the RCS East zone in and get nothing! I have all the freq's in and I am able to get the control channel but in search mode i'm not picking up anything. Is there something tricky to this east site that I need to know about or are the freq's wrong here RR? All I want to do is listen to Heartland Fire.
4) Other then CDF oh wait I mean CAL FIRE and USFS is there any other VHF freq's worth listening to?

Thank you!
8)
Brian
Posts: 1454
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:54 pm

Post by Brian »

1.) Escondido Fire is dispatch at the Escondido Police Building in Escondido.
Next year Escondido Police/Fire will moved to their new building.
You can see photos of the new building on this website. (click on Police and Fire Facility link)
http://www.ci.escondido.ca.us/safety/index.html

I will leave the rest for another forum member to answer that lives in Heartland / Calfire area.

To understand the RCS zone. Read this PDF file
(old file gone and deleted)

Northcomm website:
http://www.ncdjpa.org
Last edited by Brian on Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
800
Posts: 122
Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2006 4:35 pm
Location: Hanover County, VA

Re: San Diego Newbie

Post by 800 »

USCGEMT wrote:Hello everyone I just moved down to SD from Michigan where it wasn't as exciting to turn on the scanner as it was when I lived in San Bernardino county. Now it seems I will have to open the wallet and go digital now. I'm in the Rancho Bernardo area De Luz is what I believe they call it. I have a couple of ?'s.

1) Who dispatches for Escondido Fire?
2) I have Monte Vista programed in the RCS North bank and are they part of the RCS 800MHz or are they still on VHF with there channels patched into the 800?
3) I plug the RCS East zone in and get nothing! I have all the freq's in and I am able to get the control channel but in search mode i'm not picking up anything. Is there something tricky to this east site that I need to know about or are the freq's wrong here RR? All I want to do is listen to Heartland Fire.
4) Other then CDF oh wait I mean CAL FIRE and USFS is there any other VHF freq's worth listening to?

Thank you!
8)
Welcome back to Southern California.
De Luz is a community Northwest of Fallbrook; Rancho Bernardo is in the City of San Diego. It would help if we had a better idea of where you are, to assist us in answering your questions.

As Brian noted, Escondido is dispatched by Escondido PD. NorthComm in Rancho Sante Fe handles the north coastal agencies (generally west of I-15).

Heartland operates mostly in the South, East, and North East zones. I can't offer more advice on your East Zone problems without having the better idea of your location.

CalFIRE operates on VHF-Hi for the State areas. They also dispatch for a number of local agencies, which they do on 800, and most CalFIRE vehicles have both capabilities. CHP is still operating on VHF-Lo (except the El Cajon office, which is on the RCS in the South and East zones). USFS is on VHF-Hi.

Don
USCGEMT
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:55 am

Post by USCGEMT »

It's Rancho Bernardo, Camino Del Norte & Dove Canyon to be exact.
Thanks again for your responses.
800
Posts: 122
Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2006 4:35 pm
Location: Hanover County, VA

Post by 800 »

USCGEMT wrote:It's Rancho Bernardo, Camino Del Norte & Dove Canyon to be exact.
Thanks again for your responses.
OK,

Depending on how close you are to the hills south of you, you may have problems receiving the South Zone. Depending on obstructions to the east, you may or may not have issues with signal strength (and the ability to track the trunk system) in the East. You should be good to receive the North East zone (same talk group permissions as the East, by and large).

Check the freq. info on this site and in the RR database.

Don
Post Reply