For the Railfans: Post what your Defect Detectors sound like

[TopThrillDan]

Nice video I railfan the CSX Toledo Sub fifteenth miles north of Cincinnati Ohio, have not heard what the Norfolk Southern reads out but CSX.

CSX detector mile post 13.5, track main one, no defect repeat no defect, total axe 358, total car 88, length 8310, detector out.

[tylerbwell80]

Mine goes like this Norfolk Southern Milepost 513.7 No Defects.

[lnsertwhatwhere]

I only heard ours once so far. It goes " Norfolk Southern Milepost four five dot three, hotbox detected, axel seven eight. Stop train immediatly. Then it repeats. Then the trains stops for a couple hours. I just got my scanner.

[Mainsail76]

My local UP detector doesn't transmit anymore. I don't know what happened to it. I used to hear it all the time, but one day it was gone and it has never come back.

[spiritwingsvirtual]

We don't have them here...

[rbjplay13]

@spiritwingsvirtual Same here. The NEC doesn't have any. :(

[train2589]

I would post a video response but i dont have a scanner. Dang!

[mikeyRavens52]

so whenever is says this kinda stuff, a train is near?

[owensri2]

Mine goes like this: "Conrail equipment defect detector, Wyandotte, Michigan, Track 2, No Defects, Speed 2 9, Total Axles 2 9 4, Over."

[mafarnz]

This was a great little video response project, there is a HUGE variation of detectors out there, even on the same railroad sometimes!

[Hickler90]

Yeah this turned out great, I wasnt expecting such a feedback when I made this purely out of pure boredom LOL

[Juggylocko]

Where Do You Get These Scanners?

[Hickler90]

Purchased mine over 2 years ago at Radioshack.

[deathstarmygnr]

How can I find out where the defect detectors are where I live? I have a scanner and can get some chatter here and there from the railroad yard we have here. Are defectors in the rail yards usually? Where?

[Hickler90]

Hey, sorry this is such a late response. Go on Google and look up frequencies for the Railroad that is near you. Look up the EOT transmission frequency and whenever the train hits it, youll hear the DED and whatever Milepost it is located at. For example, NS uses 161.115 for the EOT and my defect detector is on MP 34.5 on the NS HARL.

[joelp888]

get the defector on a scanner

[Hickler90]

Just have your scanner on when a train is going through the detector and record it.

[joelp888]

How You Do THat Im Confused

[Hickler90]

Do what?

[Tjsingle14]

radio scanner?

[ncrailfan]

I need to get the NS 50.6 at conover nc.

[nssd70m2]

I have the same scanner.

[andybowe]

All of the L&N SCL and SAL Railroad Lines and RF&P have a tone Beep before the dectors begin transmitting, which is really awsome, THE Conrail dectors that are now NS and on the N&W and Southern just say no defects.

[redsoxfan423]

Nice! Do you use the "rubber ducky" antenna that came with your scanner?  I'm interested in getting one, and wasn't sure if I should buy a stronger antenna.

[Hickler90]

Nah, I bought a newer stronger antenna, the other one is good, it just doesnt pick up quite as far. The scanner itself is very good, just dont do what I did and drop it and have the battery holder break!

[redsoxfan423]

Is it attached directly to your scanner or can you put it put it somewhere else, like outside your car?

[Hickler90]

Yeah, this one is attatched to my scanner, I dont have one of those car antennas, maybe one day..

[tvnshack]

Railroad frequencies are set within the 150 to 160 MHz. It's not far from the 144 MHz Ham Radio range. You can get yourself a magnet mounted car antenna for the 144 MHz range. For reception only, it's going to be Ok. That's the best you can do to improve reception. The "rubber ducky" antenna is kind of "weak" for this frequency range. All depends on how it's "adapted" internally. Mind too that a longer antenna won't help. A 144MHz range antenna is about 1 1/2 foot tall

[CR6479]

csx churchville new york track 1 no defects total axle count 36 100 train speed 60mrp over. still in conrail voice

[NSengineer17]

Nice recording! I posted my recording of the HB-DED in Blandon, PA on the NS Reading Line (MP TK 0.8).

[trainutjob]

ive posted the langhorne detector as a responce!

[godmomkiki07]

he has a scarey voice

[NSfan831]

Mine has the old Conrail voice.

[FL92002]

mine does too..it goes like this. "Conrail, Townley, New Jersey, Track 1, no defects. Total Axle Count: two eight zero. Train Speed four six.....Over."

[BobWeaver112]

I know that they sound like that all the way to Raleigh from Clemson SC as I have ridden the Crescent, Carolinian, and Piedmont with a scanner. It's one of my favorite things to hear on the radio.

[Hickler90]

Nice, defect detectors are pretty interesting pieces of equipment.

[Hickler90]

Really? NS has some interesting ones around, I should of recorded some from Reading, theres many up there.

[NSHorseheadSD70]

I posted a response to this video. If anyone has a recording of their hometown detector or a close one they should post it as a response.

[Hickler90]

Hey Thanks alot, hopefully there will be more to come, thanks for doing it!

[CQDX018]

Hey, Zach'o! Good video and audio of the detector! The Brooklyn's is quite differen't and I took a video of it and it will be added later! Check it out if possible! Later!

[Hickler90]

Will do Kevo! Just make a video response to this and I will!

[CQDX018]

Will do that! Later Gater!

[CSXSD70M]

on the river line...yes!

[Hickler90]

Very lucky to still see them and hear them!

[CSXSD70M]

ours still says conrail defect detector

[Hickler90]

Interesting, does CSX still have alot of ex CR things floating around yet? I know they still have some nice power.

[NSHorseheadSD70]

Near Harrisburg, PA there are at least 2 that still address as Conrail

[NSfan831]

sweet idea dude! Our detectors here do not sound like that at all, ours is like robotic

[Dash8000]

Nice!!! if i had a camcorder id get a vid lol

[chessie93]

Were Did You Get This?

[Hickler90]

I recorded my scanner as the defect detector was going off.

[mlwS1]

Nice !

[csx5580]

cool!

[NSNCRailfan]

Nice! We use a different defect system here.

[Hickler90]

You should post what yours sounds like! lol

[Conrail6370]

I really can take the critted for having the Defect detector put in Linfeild,Pa. I was friends with an head M&W formen, He told me they wanted to in stall another dragger on the Harrisburg Line, but didn't know where, I sujested to put it at Linfield, because in was cenral location between the Mona dragger and the Forge dragger. He said I'll say something to my Bosses, well in two months the dragger was installed at Linfield.

The Formans name was The Late Dan Calvaresi.

Len.

[Conrail6370]

Well Conrail installed it in 1995 and I think NS switch it over in 2000.

Len.

[Hickler90]

Well that had a short run, just like most of Conrails things it bought before it went out a few years later.

[o00o00ozy]

Sweet! 90% of the videos I took Saturday were by detectors, the Pittsburgh Line has them like every 6 miles, I caught the 111 Marysville, 116 Cove, 122.6 Aqueduct, 131.7 Newport, 143.0 Thompsontown, and the 148.7 Mexico detectors, all are pretty much different, the PITL has all the oldies! I miss the axle counters on the HARL, and NS has really screwed up the ones out here, they speak 10 seconds after transmission and are so LOUD. I think I'll compile them all together and make a RE: video.

[Hickler90]

I want to hit the Pittsburg line someday...and you deffinately should post up the ones in your area!

[o00o00ozy]

I'll make a video of all the detectors I ever came across :). Remember my first video? LOL. In the winter is usually when I hear the most defects and 'not working' reports. Those poor conductors on the false alarms! I remember one time I heard a dragging equipment report and went out only to find a maintainer testing the detector LOL!

[Hickler90]

Sometime this winter ill come up and ill get some videos with you outside while its all snowy and whatever.

[o00o00ozy]

Indeed, I know just the spot. And if I am aloud, we should go up to Mexico, PA and the Tuscarora area. Mexico is absolutely the best spot to film in that area. Altoona westward has already had snow LOL. Wintry scenes rock! I hate cold weather and snow sucks but it looks great in videos :). A lot of the detectors freeze over with ice and they don't work.

[Hickler90]

I cant wait for it to get like that here! =]

[Conrail6370]

I like it better when it read off, " Conrail Linfield,Pa. track two no defects totle axel count 463 over.

Len.

[Hickler90]

Len, what year did NS change these along here? I somewhat remember that old one because my dad used to have Conrail on his old scanner.

[MuttsMooch]

I'll get my video up sometime.. I have the same scanner =P

[Hickler90]

Alrighty, whenever you can just make a respose. But hey this scanner works great doesnt it? lol

[Treyvs]

Once I get my new antenna I will post what mine sounds like...iv never even heard it lol

[Hickler90]

lol alright dude just make a video response to this and we can see!

[Treyvs]

So just film my scanner w/o the good antenna?

[Hickler90]

Yeap that works for me, thats what I did

[Treyvs]

I have an old video of that....until I make a new one ill post that one as a response

[Hickler90]

Ok, whatever works best.