[BC] Cop car antenna: Low band VHF?

[Ronald J. Dot'o Sr.]

From: "Dana Puopolo" <dpuopolo at usa.net>

 The big problem with Low band VHF is skip, especially
during the summer months.

-D

I used to know the MI State Police head communications officer as we 
were both in the CAP together.  He always bragged about how his lo 
band systems were never bothered by skip.

One day while reviewing the FCC regs I came across a table of which lo 
band freqs. were allocated to the different states.

Most states shared freqs. with one or two other states but MI's freqs. 
weren't shared with any other state, hence no possibility of skip.

If I remember my history the Detroit PD was the first to have "Radio 
Cars" with receivers only and a freq. just above the broadcast band. 
The dispatcher would put out a general call and hopefully the closest 
car would respond.

I remember listening to the police calls in Detroit in the late '40's 
on my Grandmothers table radio.

The DPD had a radio "Lab" (repair shop) on Belle Isle in the Detroit 
River and I interviewed there in '64 for a job but wasn't politically 
connected enough to get hired, plus you had to become a cop.

Ron D