Train Radios

At the end of each train radio transmission is this squawk tone kind of like mdc-1200 but different. What type of signaling is this and what type of radios are the trains equipped with? I attached the train tone and normal mdc1200 tone.

I don't know first hand, but I was told the sound Identifies which radio it is. When I retired in 2006, virtually all radios were Motorola radios. Dont know if thats still true.

1tone is the "PL" tone,the other is a repeater tone,LIRR and CSX share some channels,
A "PL" tone is an attempt to contact an other LIRR base or Hand set with out alerting any CSX radios.
when the transmit side of a repeater is "released",it's turned off,almost like when releasing the button
on the mike.

Pl tones are subaubible. The tones i posted are signalling tones that send id's and there is no such thing as a repeater tone. im trying to find what the manufacture of that signalling tone is on thier radios thats y i asked what brand are they using but thank you any ways

They are ID tones and were part of a plan to have train radios self-identify themselves. The plan was never fully implemented so the tones aren't read by anyone or anything. At this time they only transmit a radio serial number. They could be decoded from tape backup and researched to determine the origin of transmissions in a forensic investigation. Most of the ID equipment is Motorola, which originally set up the system.

As Backshop so accurately states, the LIRR also used subaudible Motorola PL tones. Their intent was to permit train-to train (intertrain) communications without activating repeaters.

LIRR police radios also have an emergency alert tone and some radios transmit an end-of-transmission chirp.

I appreicate everyones input, But I have found out that signalling tone is called GE Star which was GE's version of Motorola's MDC signalling. I know the base stations lirr uses are in fact Motorolas but I think the trains are equipped with GE/Ericsson Orion radios.

What one looks like:


I am pretty sure I have seen that on the m7s but maybe someone here can confirm.

As for the pl tones I am already aware of them. The best reason for them is so a dispatcher listening on one base station won't hear other dispatchers at remote base stations with strong transmissions. Pl tones are channel gaurds used to prevent radios from hearing unwanted transmissions. The tones I posted are like what some of you said are signalling tones that send ids. If what tool is saying is true, that no one can see them, it would make sence because you would need dispatching consoles capable of decoding Ge star signalling while most are equipped to decode the more popular mdc 1200

The radio above is the one the M7s, M3s and cab cars use now. A few E10/E15s have those too, but most of the diesel fleet now is equipped with the Ritron RCCR unit (which I love). The speaker above was once used on the DE/DMs when the GE radios were still in use. They work great on the MUs but for some reason the engines and the cab cars that used the GE radios were HORRIBLE. I'm assuming it was because the speakers were low quality. But the new Ritrons are the best radios, hands down, for railroad use. You can also program any AAR channel with a few keystrokes. You weren't able to do this with the GEs.

What type of portable radios do they use?

Portables are Motorola HT1250s. They used to be the Bendix King bricks.

I used to have a Bendix King to use down in the hole on NYCT. I was offered an upgrade a few times but I never gave that Bendix back - I was rarely the guy caught in the "dead spot"

Out of curiosity I was wondering what type of radios the towers use?

In the link below it shows the inside of the valley tower and what looks like to be multiple phones.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8RkRmCb2Nxg/U ... G_0058.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

with railroads going to 12.5 band split that Bendix king will be illegal and cause interference on two channel.

MNCRR9000 wrote:Out of curiosity I was wondering what type of radios the towers use?

In the link below it shows the inside of the valley tower and what looks like to be multiple phones.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8RkRmCb2Nxg/U ... G_0058.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The remote control for the radio is the telephone-like thing in between the two trackballs. It controls the radio base station located elsewhere.

The black thing with green buttons near the window is the phone.


Valley doesn't look like that anymore.

DutchRailnut wrote:with railroads going to 12.5 band split that Bendix king will be illegal and cause interference on two channel.

The Bendix goes on the shelf with the old signal relays and the UK Block Instrument then!