Batboard

http://www.kb9ukd.com/digital/154.46375-telem.wav

The above link's audio came from Illinois. I hear very similar audio on the same frequency here on the West Coast.

What's the deal with this frequency? What is that audio? What type of equipment and system is it, and WHAT is it for?

Thanks!

It is a public utility frequency used for load shedding systems.

google is your friend:


"...UTC requests clarification that the load shedding frequency, 154.46375 MHz, is not subject to the power/antenna height tables of Section 90.205 of our rules. We note that the tables in Section 90.205 only apply in instances when a power level is not otherwise specifically provided in the rules. Thus, pursuant to Section 90.63(d)(6) of our rules, operations on the load shedding frequency may continue to be authorized with up to 300 watts output power."

What is load shedding? What kind of equipment do they use for this?

Some electric utilities offer a discount on electric rates to customers that agree to allow non-critical appliances (such as air conditioners and water heaters) to be shut down during peak load conditions.

A radio receiver and control relay are installed on the customers electric service. The relay interrupts power to the specified appliance circuits under remote control by the electric utility. The interruption may be for the duration of the peak load situation or it may be cycled off and on for specified periods such as 15 or 30 minutes.

What type of transmitters and encoders does this system use? Seems to be universal if the same type of transmissions are heard country-wide...

The technology has been around since the 70's and there have been a lot of vendors in and out of the market. I believe Motorola had their own product at one time. Some other major players have been Scientific Atlanta, ABB and Comverge. The frequency is common but there are different protocols in use. It is basically a one way paging type system.

Here is a link to a current Comverge product:

http://comverge.com/products/dcu.php

OK. Seems they only make the subscriber equipment though. Curious who makes the encoders.

Ah yes, the fubar box.

It's the gray plastic box with the led through the small window on the front mounted next to your breaker panel if your on the program. At least that's what they look like around here.

I would snap a picture but mine is history. For the small amount of savings, on average about $10-$15 a month, it just wasn't worth the hassle of having cold showers in the morning.

Whenever the weather got hot and everyone cranked up their AC my water heater would get shut off, on a hot steamy night in the summertime it would get shut off in the middle of the night when everyone went to bed with their AC cranking, so all i had was cold water in the morning.

Or another classic, get home from working and sweating outside all day to an ice cold shower, it may be hot outside, but from sweating and overheating to ice cold shower is a bit more of a shock than i care for. I don't have central air, just window units, so my AC wasn't on the system.

I know plenty of people who tossed the box out on the street for the power company to find when they got home to a house that was in the 90's because the power company choosed to cut power to their central AC system just about the time the programmable thermostat was set to cool the house off before everyone got home.

I'd just like to find out who makes most of the encoder units attached to the transmitters up on the mountaintops. I might have use for a system of this type.

Thanks!

Comverge is the only vendor I know that still supports the 154MHz systems since they took over Scientific Atlanta's product. Some newer systems use 900 MHz FLEX paging or are integrated with 2Way Automatic Meter Reading Systems. The utility I used to work for never used customer load shed systems. We did have a VHF radio SCADA system to our distribution substations for voltage reduction and emergency area load shed. Some other utilities in the area that bought early customer load shed systems eventually junked them over reliability and customer complaint issues.

I am not familliar with the current Comverge product but I suspect the encoder funtion is computer based and integrated with their Load Management software. This is the trend in most utility control systems. There is a modem in the host computer that generates the control codes and keys the base station over a lease line.

There are lots of vendors of general use SCADA and control systems including Motorola MOSCAD.

d119 wrote:I'd just like to find out who makes most of the encoder units attached to the transmitters up on the mountaintops. I might have use for a system of this type.

Thanks!

Actually, the encoder is not at the site with the transmitter. The encoder is typically in what's known as ECC (Energy Control Center), or DCC (Distribution Control Center). The audio output of it is transported to the radio sites. Quindar (now http://www.qeiinc.com/applications/index.html ) was a big one in this field, although, that's not what's in the wav file referenced above.

What *is* in the wav file referenced above?

I can recall a similar system that was used around 1980 in Washington D.C.

They transmitted data to control the timing of the traffic lights during peak hours within the city. It was on VHF as well. It always seemed to interfere with fire department dispatches during the weekdays.

Speaking of Motorola's system, wasn't Intrac one of them?

Tim

Hoseman292 wrote:Speaking of Motorola's system, wasn't Intrac one of them? Tim

Yes, INTRAC and INTRAC 2000 were Motorola's SCADA and alarm sytems prior to MOSCAD.

I believe I have an INTRAC unit in a box somewhere... I think there's 2 conventional maxtracs in that box as well... (thats where that went)