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Curious about Tacoma Police and Tacoma Fire frequencies from the 1970's. I began listening to both agencies in the early 70's while they were still VHF. Out of curiosity, what were the frequencies used back then, and what is their function now, if any? I believe Tacoma fire was on 154.130.

The Tacoma PD used a base/repeater ( or base / mobile relay ) on 154.92 (R) and the Fire Dept used 154.13 as (F-1) and 154.295 as (F-2) and were able to talk on the county fire channel of 153.89 as (F-3). Tacoma was one of the very first to use the new VHF High band frequencies, around 1955 or so, before the FCC and APCO agreed to assign and restrict 154.92 to only State Police agencies and 154.295 as a Mutual Fire Aid channel only. The Police base/repeater was able to repeat the mobile units for normal extended area coverage and had the ability to "Mute" the mobile units to relay important information only to the Base dispatcher. The input was 158.97. Tacoma PD also used 154.95 (M) (not 154.92) as a car to car channel. Tacoma FD is reported to still use the VHF Fire channels. However 154.92 was assigned to the WSP and 154.95 to the Pierce County SO. hope that helps. Good to see we have members from Oregon.

What, no one notices me? :P

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Thanks for the info.... I got my first "police radio" as a 13 year old in Tacoma. It was an old Soundesign analog AM/FM/VHF radio that you had to dial in to find transmissions. Finding police and/or fire was very difficult not knowing the frequency as you had to constandly dial the knob and if your tuning happened to coincide with a transmission...Voila! you got it. All I knew was that TPD could be found about an 1/8 of turn of the knob to the right of the fire freq. LOL.. I'd spend hours listening to TPD...and it was fascinating to me. And I remember now the officer calling in and asking to be "put on mute" ... ahhh memories.

Thanks.. Marc in Tigard, OR

Hillsboro !! I was thinking of Hillsboro, California. You're in Hillsboro, Oregon. LOL

Yes, Hillsboro, where Intel makes most of all CPUs for the world :P

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Mt Wave SAR member
Support Search & Rescue: Get Lost!
http://www.mwave.org

My bad.