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Hello all.

I have a few 'new antenna' questions to throw out to the masses. With all the new technology starting to come out with railroad communications, I have noticed some new low-profile antennas on locomotives that remain unknown to me and where regular Internet photo searching for them just can't seem to allow me to find out who makes them and what they are for. I am sure they contain all the VHF, UHF, GPS, PTS, Cell antennas, but who manufactures them?

First, EMD seems to have a new radome covered antenna as seen on some new NS and CN locomotives. This is different than the square "com-handler" antenna from GE as seen on quite a bit of locomotives from GE and EMD as of recent. This new one is more of a domed rectangle and black. Here (cropped) CN 8929 is seen at Newtonville Ontario (from ABPR and thanks to Clayton Langstaff). Is this radome long enough to house a low-band antenna as well as all the other goodies?



Secondly, I snapped a shot of an Amtrak locomotives roof and noticed it has a long white radome antenna. Is this is for UP's PTS system on 220MHz? *NO, see below* I know what all the other antennas are on the P42's roof, just not the long white one above the fire/brakeman's side. It seems a bit too short for VHF and too long for UHF (which are both covered by the individual VHF and UHF Sinclair Excaliber antennas).



If you are interested, here is a list from the antenna manufacturers pages on the antennas on the P42.

http://www.sinctech.com/catalog/product.aspx?id=2567
http://www.sinctech.com/catalog/product.aspx?id=376
http://www.mobilemark.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=1032&catid=699

And for those engines equipped (Amtrak has some down in Texas) with BNSF's low-band system:

http://www.sti-co.com/antenna-products/low-profile-antennas/rugged-aluminum

Any links to manufacturers data sheets on the two questioned antennas listed above would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

**UPDATE**

I stubled acoss this antenna on the net.



Inevitable_Technologies_MPR-2.jpg

Going by looks alone, it looks like the Amtrak antenna is an Orbcom satellite antenna. According to the specs found

Here

it says that it is a frequency range of Rx 137-138 MHz Tx 148-150.05 MHz. Right in the band for the new LEOsat Orbcom system.

-MrK

_________________
Using yesterday's technology...tomorrow!

HOLY CRAP!
a 42" long x 6" high low band antenna!

I could stick that on my BAV!