During yesterday's staff meeting one of our senior members of the management staff blurted out "KAB463" as we were discussing the rather interesting adaptations required by some of our officers when we reverted to a less computer-based way of doing business for a time during the upgrade to the City Communications Center's computer-aided dispatch system.
So, what is KAB463, a phrase burned into the cerebral cortex of all of our personnel with employee numbers less than _____?
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27 comments:
Radio Chan.
450...call sign
Should the date be about 1963-1964? The advent of better radio communications.Call box's were removed in the mid 1970's?
jj
Radio callsign that in the old days we had to announce over the air every x number of minutes?
Ours was KED348
I believe that is the old call sign for LPD's scanner frequency...
Well, never being an officer I cant really fill in the blank. Having had a police scanner though... the answer is pretty simple.
463???
700
All-
KAB463 is indeed the old call sign of the Police Department's UHF radio system. FCC regulations required the call sign to be broadcast at certain intervals, and in order to comply with this, dispatchers were trained to use the call sign to acknowledge transmissions, like so:
Casady: "304, I'll be code 12 at Kuhl's."
Dispatcher: "304, okay. KAB463."
Sometime (I think) in the early 1980's, dispatchers no longer had to broadcast the call sign--I believe that was automated somehow. Since then, dispatchers generally acknowledge transmissions by saying the current time.
I am not sure when that happened, but if it was indeed around 1983 or so, then the last police officers to have that call sign tattooed on their brain would have employee numbers in the late 400's.
Most all radio stations are required to broadcast their call sign at certain intervals, both commercial and public (or amateur...hams). If I recall correctly, hams must give their call sign whenever they "sign on" or "sign off" and every 5 minutes in between. Most of them seem to think they have to give it on every transmission, sometimes more than once. Even CBers had call signs. Mine was KBH8997.
Hmmm, I was going to guess somewhere in the 600s.
Nope, KAB463 went away from the automatic broadcast after the conversion to the 800 MHZ signal in 1991.
Chief,
Just the word Kuhl makes my mouth water. I looked forward to a weekly Steak, eggs and hashbrown breakfast with WW toast and coffee for years. The only place in Lincoln that comes close to Kuhl's breakfast is the HiWay diner.
When I lived on the South side of Lincoln the radio from the State Pen would bleed over onto cable channel 21(?). I liked watching book reviews on Sunday mornings on that channel and many times right in the middle of a good review the audio from NSP's radio wiped out their voice. I moved a few months ago so I don't know if it is ongoing.
Gun Nut
1982, I remember KAB 463 as a pre recorded call sign. (The background voices were always the same).
Long time scanner listener.
9:02-
I think you are right, and wrong, in a way. My recollection is that the FCC regs changed, reducing the interval at which the call sign must be broadcast, and that a recorded (hourly?) broadcast was implemented on the UHF system well before the GE EDACS 800 Mhz trunked system was acquired. This recorded braodcast of the call sign eliminated the need for dispatchers to acknowledge transmissions with "KAB463."
BR549
Chief:
My number is low enough I have trouble remembering my own name.....
But I DO remember eating a lot of great meals at Kuhl's. I still have a callbox key, and can still remember actually dictating supplemental reports.
And I think LAPD was KMA678 because Adam-12 had the same radios we had.
256
I wonder if KAB 463 has been issued as a license plate? One of those things that only means something to a small group, like TVC 015.
I thought it was traditional within LPD to transfer the brass call box keys to junior officers rather than keep them in retirement. Kind of a link to the past to keep newer employees aware of just how far we have come?
How many call box keys are still floating around the dept?
I remember hearing it in the late 80's and the recorded version in the early 90's. If you see Bob Wilhelm, mention it to him. He had a kind of tourrette syndrom and would blurt that out randomly.
KJK553! I don't remember when we stopped, but it was after December of 1993 (when I was hired).
12:05-
It's a rather recent tradition, and 256 was long gone with his call box key before it began. I suppose there are a couple dozen key-holders left at LPD or thereabouts.
We had them in radio as well. I think the call sign for KRGI in Grand Island for the 2-way was KAG-563. Coby
KMG365. Squad 51 on Emergency.
Chief-In my pile of relics I have a callbox key, a handcuff key, some pepper-spray issued in about 1976, some .38 Special ammo, my original vintage badges,a wooden nightstick, and my Motor Officer limited edition ring.
Most importantly, I have some great memories of my youthful time at LPD and some of my comrades.
I'd be happy to share my callbox key with someone you feel is worthy, so let me know.
256
Graybar residents @ 10&Q will never forget KAB463 as it blared out 24/7,Ideen was a rookie,Buelah fed us well,all nite paint crew,washing cruisers by hand,all @ tender age of 17 in "63"
Thanks for the memories!
For those who might be interested, the KAB463 call sign is still issued to the City of Lincoln.
Currently it is assigned to the radio frequency used to operate the outdoor warning sirens.
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