NYCT?

[Trans Tech]

Can anybody tell me what is different about a New York City Transit Spectra?

[Pj]

Could it be just a Railroad Spectra? Pic, model number...???

[fubb26]

there 800mhz type II spectra's with an SP handset mic that resembles a payphone handset.

[Tom in D.C.]

I've been out of NYC for almost 30 years, but as I recall the motorman's
radio was a plug-in Spectra that was issued to the person for his shift and
he just popped it into the mount at the front of the train where he sat. The
radio had an HD case with big carrying handle on the front and I think it ran
on some odd voltage, like 72VDC but my memory is really hazy on this.
The system ran on leaky coax in the tunnels.

[poser]

I don't think they use those anymore. All I see are portables these days, Vertex Standards. The buses have the Spectra

[dxon2m]

All subway motorman/conductor carries Vertex (VX-900?) portable, each radio is assigned to each employee and someone suggested in another forum that the signalling they use has the employee ID embedded in it.

All NYCT buses uses Spectra, A9 head on a Type II trunked 800 system. Dispatchers uses MTS2000 Model III

All MTA Buses (ex-DOT private bus lines) uses a variety of radios, usually Spectra with A7 head or some other mobile that looks like GTX.

[Trans Tech]

Thanks all,

The Spectra has priority request to talk and request to talk functions as well.

[dxon2m]

I believe so, it intrigues me as to how the NYCT configures their spectras. Once the bus operator lift the handset, the radio is in PA mode. Then from time to time you hear Citywide comes on the radio, the radio beeps twice and then activates the speakers inside the bus for the "suspicious activity PSA".

I've never seen the bus operator calls his/her depot on the radio however...

[Trans Tech]

The output audio from the spectras go to all of the internal speakers inside the bus. The drivers cannot pickup the handset and directly talk to the dispatchers. They have to press a request to talk button and then the dispatcher opens up an audio path allowing the ptt to work on the spectra. The city paid $4000.00 for each unit for the original contract back then.

[RADIOMAN2002]

The 800 type II system is based on the old 450 transit sytem that had specific data, talk/data and talk frequencies. They now just use different talkgroups. The hansets for the old 450 sytems had a data control head that signed the driver on based on his ID. it could also be used for PA or radio after pushing a button requesting a talk channel. The system also had the capability of monitoring up to 7 or 8 sensors located in the bus, including an alarm for the farebox and a silent panic alarm. There used to be a pass phrase to alert command whether there was really an emergency, or the button was hit accidentally. Command can also covertly monitor the goings on in the bus. The old system even had capability to track the bus, with location transmitters that were located along the bus routes, newer ones used GPS. I am going to presume that most of these feature are also on the new (10 years + old ) system. There may also be some minor differences in their type II system, I do remember that while initializing some old STX portables you had to pick the system type from a list that included NYCT, NJSP and others.