ANALOG EARS ONLY: PUBLIC-SAFETY RADIO IN THREE COUNTIES ======================================================= Published: March 26, 2025 Author: Daniel Conderman Context: Recovered Conderman.Group regional scanner guide Original URL: https://conderman.group/2025/03/public-safety-analog-radio-frequencies-rock-co-wi-dane-co-wi-winnebago-co-il/ Archival note: This is a dated listening reference. Frequencies, modes, tones, licenses and agency practices change. Confirm current assignments before relying on it. Listen only: never transmit on public-safety or business channels without authorization. The source's broad statement about emergency transmissions has not been retained as legal advice. This is an analog gateway into the behind-the-scenes life of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois: fire departments tone out on pagers, road crews battle snow, and school districts coordinate buses on VHF and UHF channels. The guide covers conventional analog signals in Rock County, Wisconsin; Dane County, Wisconsin; and Winnebago County, Illinois. Digital-only, trunked and encrypted traffic is excluded. For reception, use a scanner or receiver capable of analog VHF/UHF FM. Begin with nearby paging, fireground and public-works channels. PL and DPL tones can reduce unrelated traffic, but carrier squelch (CSQ) may reveal more. Weather, parades and community events are often good listening times. Treat sensitive medical and emergency traffic discreetly. ROCK COUNTY, WISCONSIN ---------------------- Most primary police dispatch uses P25, but the source identified these analog assignments: 155.6700 PL 186.2 Sheriff special events 154.0400 PL 131.8 Clinton police/public works 155.8350 PL 131.8 Orfordville police/fire/public works 154.3100 PL 79.7 County fire/EMS paging 151.2650 PL 79.7 Fire paging link 155.0775 PL 127.3 Fire South tactical 155.6175 PL 127.3 Fire North tactical 452.9000 PL 167.9 Beloit fire paging 152.3675 DPL 174 Lakeside Fire-Rescue operations 154.3400 PL 118.8 Janesville fireground tactical 155.3400 regional Ambulance-to-hospital HEAR 460.4625 PL 71.9 County jail channel 1 460.2625 PL 71.9 County jail channel 2 458.7000 PL 146.2 Juvenile detention 466.7125 CSQ Janesville school operations/buses 453.4000 DPL 245 County general services 453.5000 DPL 245 County general services 154.0400 CSQ Emergency-management siren control 151.0400 PL 110.9 Town of Beloit public works 151.0400 PL 82.5 Footville and Clinton public works 154.0400 PL 71.9 Evansville public works 159.1200 PL 74.4 Milton public works 155.8800 PL 173.8 Edgerton public works The county highway department, Beloit public works and Janesville public works were described as digital. Fire paging on 154.310 was the principal analog EMS entry point. DANE COUNTY, WISCONSIN ---------------------- DaneCom carries most primary traffic. The article collected legacy, tactical, paging, hospital and municipal channels still listed as analog: 172.1000 PL 100.0 DANETAC-1 172.5875 PL 123.0 DANETAC-2 155.5500 PL 100.0 Sheriff tactical response 151.3250 PL 107.2 DeForest police local 154.2425 DPL 371 Fitchburg police tactical 154.4000 DPL 364 Fitchburg public-safety tactical 153.8600 PL 167.9 Fitchburg police car-to-car 858.9625 PL 123.0 Madison police ATAC-B 859.7375 PL 94.8 Madison police ATAC-A 155.6850 PL 162.2 Sun Prairie police 155.8200 PL 167.9 Sun Prairie police tactical 155.8425 CSQ County fire/EMS paging backup 154.1750 DPL 343 Fitchburg fireground 1 154.0250 PL 173.8 Fitchburg fireground 2 154.8975 DPL 244 McFarland fire 155.8725 PL 167.9 Monona fire dispatch 155.1000 PL 186.2 Oregon fire/EMS 155.7300 PL 94.8 Stoughton fire 156.2250 PL 156.7 Sun Prairie fire dispatch 155.0400 DPL 051 Waunakee fire 155.0400 CSQ Deerfield fire 154.2650 PL 210.7 IFERN mutual aid 155.2200 PL 167.9 EMS administration 155.3400 PL 167.9 Hospital/EMS reports 155.4000 PL 167.9 Hospital hailing/medical control 155.7525 VCALL10 Analog emergency calling Municipal public works listed in the source: Belleville 154.1000 PL 123.0 Blooming Grove 155.7150 PL 100.0 Bristol 151.1000 PL 114.8 Brooklyn 155.0400 PL 110.9 Burke 155.1000 PL 192.8 Cottage Grove 155.7150 PL 136.5 Cross Plains 154.0325 PL 167.9 Deerfield 155.0550 PL 141.3 DeForest 154.5400 DPL 031 Fitchburg 151.1300 PL 107.2 Fitchburg parks 151.2350 PL 107.2 Middleton city 155.8950 PL 146.2 Middleton town 155.7150 PL 179.9 Monona 155.5425 PL 123.0 Mount Horeb 155.0400 PL 210.7 Oregon 151.4150 PL 186.2 Stoughton 154.9950 PL 114.8 Sun Prairie 159.1350 PL 151.4 Verona 155.1450 PL 167.9 Waunakee 155.1450 PL 186.2 The source found no stand-alone analog county-jail, county-highway or public school-bus channel. WINNEBAGO COUNTY, ILLINOIS -------------------------- Primary Rockford police and county sheriff traffic was described as encrypted STARCOM21, but many local police, fire, hospital, road and school operations remained analog when the article was written. 155.5650 PL 156.7 Sheriff legacy/backup 158.7300 PL 156.7 Cherry Valley police 155.6700 PL 156.7 Durand police 154.7550 PL 156.7 Pecatonica police dispatch 158.9250 PL 146.2 Pecatonica police tactical 155.2500 PL 156.7 Roscoe/South Beloit/Rockton police 155.9550 PL 156.7 Rock Valley College police 154.1900 CSQ/210.7 Suburban fire dispatch 154.2350 CSQ/210.7 Rockford/area fire dispatch 154.3700 PL 210.7 Win-Bur-Sew fire dispatch 151.3625 PL 210.7 Win-Bur-Sew fire operations 155.4375 PL 233.6 Harlem-Roscoe fire dispatch 156.1275 PL 233.6 Harlem-Roscoe fire tactical 154.4300 PL 74.4 Loves Park fire dispatch 154.4450 PL 74.4 Loves Park fireground 154.3250 DPL 226 North Park fire dispatch 155.8200 PL 88.5 Pecatonica fire 154.1450 PL 156.7 South Beloit fire 154.8525 DPL 315 Rockton fire dispatch 154.0100 CSQ Rockton fire paging 154.2050 DPL 315 Rockton fire tactical 151.1750 DPL 074 Rockford fire dispatch/paging 155.1600 PL 123.0 MERCI-3, St. Anthony hospital 155.3400 various MERCI-1/HEAR hospital reports 155.4000 PL 123.0 MERCI-4 hospital reports 155.2200 PL 127.3 Metro Ambulance/REACT 155.2200 PL 156.7 OSF Lifeline helicopter 151.0100 PL 156.7 County highway department 151.0400 PL 156.7 County highway car-to-car 153.8000 DPL 315 Rockton highway/public works 154.9650 PL 179.9 Roscoe/Pecatonica public works 153.1850 DPL 250.3 Roscoe snow plows 151.1300 PL 156.7 Cherry Valley Township roads 159.1950 PL 103.5 Rockford Township roads 453.6625 analog Juvenile detention (planned/listed) School operations included Rockford District 205 buses on 453.625 (DPL 464), 460.325 (PL 192.8), and 464.525 MHz; Winnebago District 323 buses and maintenance on 461.325 (PL 186.2); Harlem District 122 buses on 464.350 (PL 179.9) and 151.895 (CSQ); and Hononegah High School operations on 152.420 and 154.515 (both PL 203.5). Other analog public-works assignments included Rockford building and zoning on 453.300 (PL 156.7), Rockford Park District channels at 151.250, 151.415 and 159.435 (PL 141.3), Rock River Water Reclamation on 158.835 (PL 146.2), and county siren control on 151.385 (DPL 411). LISTENING PRACTICE ------------------ Listen only, avoid publishing sensitive details, and never interfere. A tone does not make a channel private; it only filters what opens your receiver's squelch. If nothing is heard, the assignment may be inactive, changed, digital, or simply out of range. The original guide drew primarily on RadioReference county listings and regional communications references current in March 2025.