Just Another CB Channel 9 Call . . .

By Alfred M. Fronefield, KC5VCF@HOTMAIL.COM
member of Reading REACT (Pennsylvania)

Snow had already started to fall as I listened to the local news predicting this would be one of the largest snow storms of the year. I had the next few days off from work, especially if the storm came through so I stopped for supplies at a local grocery store. I was on my way to the Reading REACT Communications Base up in foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and wanted to be prepared for a lengthy stay.

Upon arrival at the Base, I immediately turned on all the radios in REACT's small room. The scanner squawked, dispatching emergency crews for an accident. I opened the squelch on the CB and heard the familiar sound of Spanish over the radio. Many of our experienced REACT members have often claimed this Skip was from Mexico, even though the City of Reading, Pennsylvania is located in the foot hills of the Blue Ridge mountains. Our REACT Team's Base is located at a TV station's transmitting tower, with our antenna located fairly high up on the tower. This gave us fairly wide area of coverage for effective communications, and cursed us with skip from far away. I called on CB Channel 9 to announce my presence on the channel to the other monitors, and the fact that I was operating from the Team's base. This gave the Base priority over our monitoring net. I had a few units reply by broadcasting their status to complete our net coverage.

By now, the after work rush hour had started. The local news station's weather report confirmed that the two inches of snow that I had driven through to get here, really did exist. Several calls came in on the CB to report a motorist stuck in the snow and blocking the road. A minor accident with no injuries was reported, but the request for Police was later canceled due to the expected delay in response.

The seven O'clock weather report claimed the snow was already up to five inches and would be continuing through out the night. I decided to clear the snow away from in front of the door to the REACT so I would not be blocked in later on if I decided to leave. The city lights were hazy from the density of the snowfall. Before I could get started on my self appointed task, the calls started rolling in on the CB. One traveler wanted directions to a motel in the area. They were from out of town and afraid to drive further in the heavy snow fall.

Around ten O'clock, I received a phone call from the another REACT wanting to know how long I would be at the base. Jokingly I replied, "not before they plow me out". He was offering that if I wanted to try making home, he would be willing to monitor CB-9 until I got home. Since the Team's Central Monitoring Base had a couch to sleep on and a 2 gallon coffee pot plus my survival meals, I was prepared to be here for awhile.

I turned out all the lights except the one over the radio. Turned off the scanner and the news radio after the latest weather report was over. I set the volurne on the CB to a level that would wake me if the squelch broke.

Just before I reached to close the squelch a little tighter, I heard a call for help. The lady caller repeated her location a few times, and the fact she was broke down and needed assistance. In her message she stated that she had been north bound on Interstate 81 and had slid off the highway against the guardrail. Her car engine would not restart and she needed help. When I asked her where on 1-81 she was, the last exit she clearly remembered was Fort Indian Town Gap Military Reservation, just after the I-78 junction, but that she had passed a few exits since then.

I assured her that I would call the Pennsylvania State Police to request they send a patrol car out to find her. She informed me that she also had her one year old daughter with her in the car and had no heat without the motor. I suggested she bundle her child inside her coat to keep her warm while they waited.

I studied the map of the area and traced 1-81 from Indian Town Gap north. I counted the exits and compared that to topographical information available at the base. Even with skip, she would have had to of gained a high altitude and been on the south east side of the cliffs for me to receive her signal. This would not be possible unless she was midway between I-78 junction (northeast of Harrisburg) and Hazelton. I first called the Harrisburg State Police Barracks. Harrisburg decided their post was not the closest to that area, and if my deductions were correct, the state police post over at Hazelton could respond quicker The dispatcher at Hazelton was very receptive to my report and said he would have a patrol car head that direction immediately.

I continued talking with the stranded motorist to calm her down and reassure her that an officer was heading her direction. She reported that she was starting to feel the cold. Remembering that a CB will use more power transmitting than receiving, I established a schedule with her to check on her every three to five minutes because of the battery situation, using the (also true) claim we needed to keep the CB channel clear for any other emergencies, so that she wouldn't be as worried about her battery condition.

As I turned the volume up on my police scanner, a Pennsylvania state trooper was informing his base that he was available to respond and was in a good location to head south on I-8I. The dispatcher informed the officer that the call originated from Reading REACT unit 31, and that he wasn't really sure how reliable the information in the report was. He also advised the trooper to head back if weather conditions got too bad to drive.

After a few minutes, I heard a break on CB Channel 9 "for a stranded vehicle". Thinking that they were looking for another party, I stood by instead of interrupting. After a minute or two the caller attempted again. After the third try, I transmitted our call signs, team name, unit No. and ask if I could be of any assistance. The caller said he was a Trooper from the Hazelton State Police barracks and was answering a call for a stranded car somewhere on I-81. I informed the officer that I was the originating REACT monitor who had taken the call and had reported it to his dispatcher. I remembered having been told by other REACT members that State PD placed CBs in their turnpike cars. And after the cars had too many miles from Turnpike duties they retired the cars to some of the smaller State PD barracks. Evidently this trooper was driving one of these vehicles.

I requested for the trooper to stand by while I called the stranded motorist. The lady claimed that she could hear me, but not the trooper. When I asked for her current status, she reported that her toes were getting numb, but for the most part she and her daughter were still warm. Since it became apparent rapidly that the trooper could not hear her transmissions either, I relayed this to him. The trooper said the snow on the highway was getting deep but was still passable. Over the scanner, I heard him requesting a snow plow to meet him at the next exit. A few minutes later, he requested the plow to head south because he was already at the exit, but the plow wasn't. The trooper called me back on the CB, gave me his present location and stated that he would continue on searching for the stranded motorist unless he felt conditions were too bad for him to drive.

I reassured the stranded motorist that help was already on the way. I hoped that it was only the weather conditions between her and me, affecting the clarity of her transmission, not her car battery getting weaker.) I asked her how heavy the snow was falling at her location. She said it had just stopped snowing and if she looked up, she could see a patch of stars in the midst of all the clouds. I then asked the trooper the same question, asking if he could also see moonlight from his location. He claimed the clouds were very dense and had little moonlight filtering through. I heard the trooper on the scanner requesting a report on the status of the Plow truck. After a brief time period, the dispatcher reported that there was a truck heading south towards him, but that the trooper should return instead of waiting. The trooper declined, saying it was a potentially life threatening situation.

As silence filled the room, I impatiently waited for good news. The trooper called for me again on the CB saying he had just made it to the crest of a hill and thought he had seen a spot to the south-west that looked clear. The squelch on the CB broke with a weak signal from the lady motorist. I could hear the excitement in her voice. She stated that she could see a red flashing light between the trees! I called to the trooper and informed him of her call. He reported that it had stopped snowing at his location, and the moon was smiling down upon him.

Within minutes the trooper was calling his base, reporting the recovery of a female motorist and her child, stating that he would be heading north to link up with the snow plow. I promptly transmitted a word of thanks to the trooper for his persistence in searching. He assured me the lady was fine and was grateful for my assistance.

As Channel 9 became silent once more, I stepped outside once more to clear the snow away from the door. I reflected on the activity of the couple of last hours. It is sometimes difficult to understand how radio communications so far away are often clear, but that two radios in relatively close proximity can be unable to talk to each other. I contemplated the chances that the trooper had a car with a CB radio in it, realizing the importance it had played in the rescue. I could only assume that the validity of the call was enhanced to the trooper because of the valuable contact with the victim through myself. My active presence on the CB convinced the trooper that the risk of continuing was worth taking.

As I glanced to the northeast, far off into the night, I was sure I saw moonlight smiling its way through the clouds.

It had been just another CB Channel 9 call . . .

Page created September 25, 1995 by Lee W. Besing .