Volume 1 Number 6 June 2014

Spec t ru m Mon i tor® Amateur, Shortwave, AM/FM/TV, WiFi, Scanning, Satellites, Vintage Radio and More

T h e

RADIO TAKES A

HOLIDAY

W o r k D X C C W h i l e o n V a c a t i o n

H o w t o B u i l d S t e a l t h A n t e n n a s

TIS/HAR: Radio on the Road

Dayton 2014 Report

June 2014 The Spectrum Monitor 19

Screen shot of WPQJ-968, Hillsborough, NJ using SDR dongle. These stations can be found on different frequencies of the AM broadcast band such as 530, 790, 830, 940, 1460, and 1500 kHz, but they’re most prevalent at the upper end of the band from about 1610 – 1700 kHz. (Photo by Author)

Radio on the Road: TIS and HAR RadioBy Mario Filippi N2HUN

Flashing Alert™ sign system. (Courtesy: Information Station Specialists)

They say that the American economy is growing because we’re spending more hours on the road these days. Perhaps so, but in fact, whether it’s

for work or play we all spend some time in the car, away from the shack where all the radios, scanners and base antennas bring in signals from near and far.

Those of us who are sixty plus years of age can remember when cars were equipped with only AM radios, and one had to purchase either an FM converter or a separate FM tuner to enjoy that mode which was coming into popularity. Some of the places you could purchase these items were Lafayette Radio, JC Whitney, or from the local mom-and-pop auto parts store. FM was the “in thing” for the next few decades in the mobile entertainment world, followed by eight-track tape players, then cassette players, followed by DVD players, and then satellite radio. Now, Wi-Fi-equipped automobiles are slowing making inroads (pun intended), and smartphones are bringing opportunities for listening to AM, FM, podcasts and Internet radio to the mobile world.

For the time being though, the majority of us are left with the venerable, time-proven AM/FM radio that has been a staple of automobile entertainment for well over half a century. But for those who undergo withdrawal symptoms when leaving the confines of

the shack there is hope. Your humble AM car radio can present some interesting listening if you know where to look, and what I am alluding to are the presence of Traveler’s Information Stations (TIS), Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) and community-based emergency information stations. The purpose of this article is to familiarize the reader with these interesting, low power AM stations that dot our nation and the broadcast band.

Traveler’s Information Stations (TIS), also referred to as HAR (Highway Advisory Radio), have been present on the AM radio dial for over three decades, disseminating information to motorists traveling the nation’s highways for work or pleasure. They were established in the late 1970s by the Federal Communications Commission and are covered under CFR (Code of Federal Regulation) Title 47, Chapter 1, Subchapter D, Part 90, Subpart J, Section 90.242 (!). Prior to that, most travelers relied on their local broadcaster for information or better yet, Citizen’s Band channel 19, the trucker’s channel, where motorists could keep abreast of traffic snarls, best eateries, or police presence. However, the nationwide love affair with CB radio started to wane in the 1980s and just about that time the TIS age was dawning.

Community based emergency information stations

20 The Spectrum Monitor June 2014

Flashing highway warning sign and alert station transmitter. (Photos courtesy of Information Station Specialists)

are a sort of spin-off of the TIS/HAR concept, geared toward the residents of a county, town, or city, and are not as numerous as TIS/HAR. In my home state of New Jersey, the city of Manville, the Township of Hillsborough and the Borough of Peapack-Gladstone, are typical of stations run by local governments for the benefit of residents. Some of these stations broadcast messages 24/7 while others are activated only in emergencies, similar to TIS/HAR, which may broadcast when pertinent traffic conditions warrant.

Station Specifics

TIS/HAR and community information stations are low-powered AM (Amplitude Modulation) broadcasters licensed by the FCC and operated by a governmental entity such as a federal or state agency, county, township, borough, or city. Most broadcast from a fixed location, but some in emergency situations can be easily deployed to a temporary site. While located predominantly near highways, you’ll also find them in national parks, colleges, universities, near airports and town centers. These stations can be found on different frequencies of the AM broadcast band such as 530, 790, 830, 940, 1460, and 1500 kHz, but they’re most prevalent at the upper end of the band from about 1610 – 1700 kHz. In my state, New Jersey, there are about four-dozen of these stations operating around the clock, disseminating important news and information to motorists and to their respective communities.

As was mentioned before, these stations operate on low power, either ten or fifty watts depending on the antenna configuration. Vertically polarized antennas are most commonly used and are limited to ten watts of power and a height of 49.2 feet. The FCC regulations also allow the use of “leaky” cable antennas up to 1.9 miles long and 50 watts output. TIS/HAR

and community-based emergency stations using vertical antennas generally have a range of a few miles but, under the right conditions, you might hear some from a long distance, so try listening to them at home in the shack or even using a portable radio. For those familiar with SDR (Software Defined Radio) dongles, try listening for them using this new technology because the software’s powerful spectral scan and waterfall image allows easy spotting and tuning of TIS/HAR/community based information stations.

Broadcast Content

What you’ll hear on TIS broadcasts are the station identification (each station has call letters assigned to them by the FCC, e.g. WPQJ968 ), their location, current time, operating frequency, name of the operating authority, followed by traffic information such as road closures, highway construction, bridge outages, weather conditions, and at times information on tourist facilities. The announcers can be actual human beings or computer-generated robotic voices and the information is repeated over and over again on a recorded digital loop. The broadcast content will change over time as road, weather and community events evolve so it pays to monitor these stations periodically for updates. Interestingly some TIS broadcasts I have monitored while on the road are preceded by a two-tone signal.

Community information station broadcasts will begin similarly with their call sign, location, frequency, operating authority (such as the local Office of Emergency Management), time of day, followed by emergency and community information of interest to residents rather than to

June 2014 The Spectrum Monitor 21

motorists. Many will also rebroadcast the local NOAA weather channel in between community announcements. At the end of each broadcast they will usually announce a telephone number or website for further information. Recently these stations have also included AMBER alerts.

In the event of an emergency, these stations can provide valuable information to the community via the ubiquitous AM radio, which can be found in every car and home across the US. When an emergency occurs, such as severe storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, terrorist acts, and floods, the community’s infrastructure can be adversely affected. Power and telephone lines can go down resulting in an informational void, but if a community has had the foresight to invest in one of these stations, emergency messages can be delivered to every home and automobile.

Author’s LoggingsWhile traveling in the car over the past few years I’ve picked up a few of these Alert AM stations operating

in adjacent counties. My technique is to tune the AM car radio to 1700 KHz, then slowly tune down to 1600 KHz to assess activity. If you travel quite frequently, you’ll notice that stations will slowly fade in, become readable, and slowly fade out as you are traveling so it pays to keep tuning periodically. Once you hear a station, stay on frequency and you’ll eventually copy enough information to make a tentative identification. Later you can search the FCC ULS (Universal Licensing System) website and make a positive identification. Here are some TIS/HAR stations logged by the author:

DATE TIME UTC) FREQ (MHZ) STATION INFORMATION

11/30/12 2030 1.700 WPSH468, Manville, NJ Office of Emergency Management. Human female voice announcing phone number to receive emergency alerts, other emergency contact information, and NOAA weather broadcast from WXL-39, Allentown, PA.

8/18/13 13:16 1.700 WPSH468, Manville, NJ Office of Emergency Management with information on emergency test conducted first Saturday of the month, how to enroll for emergency messages via phone or email, and NOAA weather broadcast from WXL-39, Allentown, PA.

2/28/14 17:55 1.620 WQBQ314, Bernards Township, NJ. Occasional community announcements and NOAA broadcast from WXL-39, Allentown, PA.

2/28/14 14:50 1.610 WPQJ968, Hillsborough Township, NJ Office of Emergency Management with tape loop stating that station is for emergency and community announcements. Human female voice announcer.

2/28/14 16:52 1.610 WPSH270, Borough of Peapack and Gladstone, NJ with community related announcements.

4/23/14 18:25 1.640 Unidentified TIS/HAR station rebroadcasting NOAA weather from KIH-28, Philadelphia, PA. Male computerized voice announcer.

4/25/14 12:16 1.640 WPNX-700, Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority Highway Advisory Radio, female announcer, with contact phone numbers. Very weak signal. Broadcast is preceded by a two-tone signal.

22 The Spectrum Monitor June 2014

T S M

Typical Alert station transmitting antenna. (Photo courtesy of Information Station Specialists)

Closing CommentsFor information regarding TIS/HAR and

community emergency information stations in your area contact your state/ county/township/borough/city office via phone or their website, or check some of the links listed below. Most, but not, all TIS/HAR stations are operated under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation while community emergency information stations are operated by the local OEM (Office of Emergency Management) or Police Department.

In conclusion, these stations, while providing alternate entertainment while on the road also provide a wealth of important information to the motorist, tourist, and to the community regarding safety and well being. Everyone should have in their emergency preparedness plan a way to tune into these stations using a simple AM radio. Better yet, keep an AM radio in the house or in your “GO” bag. The best time is to do it now, not when an emergency arises. And next time you’re in the car or at home, tune around the broadcast band and see if you hear any of these stations.; many are out there, broadcasting 24/7, for our benefit. Plan ahead and stay safe!

Federal Government Links:eCFR regarding TIS/HAR: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/R?gp=1&SID=0c892362d293e6a18615efc747b9d53c&ty=HTML&h=L&r=PART&n=47y5.0.1.1.3#47:5.0.1.1.3.9.113.8

FCC information on TIS stations can be found at: http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/travelers-information-stations-search

The FCC also has a superb search engine on their website using the ULS (Universal Licensing System) database, allowing you to search for stations you have logged, or to locate Alert AM stations in your area. The link is: http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchLicense.jsp This is a powerful search engine, enabling you to get detailed information on any Alert AM or TIS (Traveler’s Information Station) in the country. You can search by call sign, frequency, state, city, county, GPS coordinates, frequency, etc. It is a treasure trove of information available to the general public

State and Local Government LinksHere are just a few states’ TIS/HAR systems:

New York State has an interesting web page on their HAR system, see: http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/har.

Rhode Island’s Department of Transportation’s web page also has mapped their HAR stations for motorists, and in addition has the text of each station’s transmission, along with audio streaming. http://www.tmc.dot.ri.gov/har/default.aspIowa’s Department of Transportation Web page has a nice HAR location map and can be found at: http://www.iowadot.gov/research/har_listen.htm

Manufacturer’s LinksThe preeminent source of information on TIS/HAR

and community information radio is Information Station Specialists. Their website contains all you’ll ever need to know on this subject: www.theRADIOsource.com

AcknowledgmentsI would like to thank Mr. Bill Baker and Linda

Folland at Information Station Specialists for their kindness and assistance. I would also like to thank the Rhode Island Department of Transportation for the use of their web page and the Iowa and New York State Department of Transportation for their website links.