My name is Nick Wilson, and I am raising funds to construct two or more railroad radio feeds covering Northern New Jersey, to be hosted by The Model Railroad Club, Inc. in Union, NJ.

Current plans call for at least two radio feeds, one passenger and one freight. However, the infrastructure that will be in place will allow us up to four radio feeds utilizing the same antenna in order to allow for future expansion, or splitting up of feeds if they prove to be too congested.

As currently planned, the passenger feed will monitor Amtrak’s road channel, as well as the road channels for both NJT’s Hoboken and Newark Divisions. The freight feed will monitor Conrail’s road channels (which should cover the entire “North Jersey Jungle”), along with the CSX and NS road channels. We are looking into possibly installing a second freight feed with additional frequencies as well.

Infrastructure costs won’t be cheap, but this is to ensure both a high quality listening experience and that these feeds will operate reliably for many years to come. While it could be done with cheaper hardware, this can lead to poor range, subpar audio quality, intermod (bleed over) from nearby transmitters, and premature component failure. The commercial two-way radio gear we strive for lasts for decades in the much more demanding public safety field.

As the founder of the Northeast Rail Feed Association, I have been installing & maintaining railroad radio feeds throughout the Hudson Valley, New York’s Capital District, & beyond for many years. Our association also has members who work in the two-way radio business professionally, and are actively participating in the design & rollout of this project.