thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
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Border wait time- XM radio
XM radio, San Diego weather and traffic channel, was dead on accurate last Friday when it gave the waiting times for Tecate. They said 30 minutes, it
was actually 31.
Baja Vida invested serious $$$ in the unit, and it was very nice to make the investment pay off.
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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Sirius has the same service. Being a SENTRI crosser, I can't vouch for its accuracy.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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Hook
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Accuracy can vary widely
On my last trip down, I crossed before 9am on a Sunday at SY. XM was reporting a 10 minute wait. It was actually about an hour and 15 minutes. By the
time we cleared the border, they had only increased it to 1/2 hour. 
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pappy
Senior Nomad
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what channel on xm? thank you.(i just can't get passed hank's place on channel 13.)
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
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Location: South of the broder
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But today Hank's place ch 13 is Willie's place we will have to se what changes
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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BajaVida
Senior Nomad
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Location: Motown, Califas
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I think it is channel 221
all the weather/traffic channels are around 220
No se apure y dure.
Don\'t hurry and you\'ll last longer.
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surfer jim
Super Nomad
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Registered: 8-29-2003
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XM is one of the next additions to my new camping rig.....didn't know about the traffic reports.....
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fdt
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4059
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Location: Tijuana, Baja California
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Mood: Yeah, what if it all goes right
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XM 223, the problem there is that they get (I think) theire info from CBP and not from an actual observer. It is great if your in Ensenada and you
can decide more or less if you come back throu Tecate or Tijuana. I've already called them and suggested they report the number of cars waiting
instead of a wait time, that is how the radio stations in Tijuana report it and it's a bit more accurate
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surfer jim
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FDT......is there a FM or AM station that gives good border reports? I never have been able to find any.....but maybe they are in Spanish?
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Hook
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Jimbo
KOGO AM 600 gives border wait times on the hour and half hour as part of their newscasts. It usually occurs in the first minute of the newscast. They
are in Ingles......that's English
In comparison, I have found them to be much more accurate than the XM method, whatever that is.
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DanO
Super Nomad
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Location: Not far from the Pacific
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The most accurate source of this info would be the San Ysidro border crossing hotline. 619 690-8999.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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fdt
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Location: Tijuana, Baja California
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| Quote: | Originally posted by surfer jim
FDT......is there a FM or AM station that gives good border reports? I never have been able to find any.....but maybe they are in Spanish?
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As Hook said, AM 600 has a good report but it's only in the mornings and evening rush hours when Cal Walker is up in the helicopter, and I say this
because I've seen the helicopter hover over the border in the mornings and afternons, as for other times of day they would be one of the most
"inacurate" because they are getting theire info from the SYS border crossing hotline that DanO is telling us about, I am right now at 5:32PM calling
an theire recording sais 3PM. The most accurate on radio is 106.5FM that has two persons reporting live at both borders one @ SYS and one in OTY
reporting every 15 minutes between 6AM and 10PM but it's in spanish. The best source we use is Telnor@ 700-7000 on the phone also live every 15
minutes. Another reliable method we use is http://www.tijuana.gob.mx/garita/
and click on any image, that is updated every 30 seconds.
In any case the by time reporting method has been obsolete in Tijuana, Tecate and Mexicali since after 9/11, now the most accurate is by number of
vehicles. If you have ever in your life crossed the border even once, you have seen for yourself that one lane could have a p..che emigrante that is
searching every car taking between 3-5 minutes per vehicle and the next lane has a emigrante that is just waving people thru thus making the time
forecasting or predicting very inacurate. I know that it might be hard for some of you to listen to a radio report about the border wait in spanish,
but they report like this:
Lado izquierdo (left side) 250 automoviles (250 cars), derecho 100( right 100) Padre Kino 160 ( no translation needed). In that scenario I would take
Lado Izquierdo (left side). Why? because even though the left has 250 cars, it opens up to 12 lanes from an original 4 making that like a 30 to 45
minute wait, the right side is what used to be car pool (non existant for many years now) but staying at 3-4 lanes all the way making those 100 like a
one hour or more wait and finaly Padre Kino with 160 cars should be also like one hour because if the 4 sentri lanes do'nt have too much traffic it
opens up from 2 to 5 or 7 lanes.
It's confusing but you can get used to it, today I left home in Tijuana @ 6:15 AM, there was a 450 car wait on the left side and I arrived @ Kearny
Mesa @ 7:48AM, traveling on the 805 morning rush hour traffic, not bad compared to a friend from Temecula that takes about the same time to get to
work as me.
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fdt
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4059
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Location: Tijuana, Baja California
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Mood: Yeah, what if it all goes right
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Still waiting
| Quote: | Originally posted by DanO
The most accurate source of this info would be the San Ysidro border crossing hotline. 619 690-8999. |
Still waiting for the SYS hotline to update 
It's 6:35PM and it sais 65 minutes at 3 PM
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surfer jim
Super Nomad
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Thanks everyone....will print this out and stash in my trucks....sort of a "secret weapon" for the border......
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fdt
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Tijuana, Baja California
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Mood: Yeah, what if it all goes right
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UPDATE!!!! UPDATE!!!!
the 619 690-8999 Just updated to a 20 minute wait, now there is no time of recording mentioned.
Called 700-7000 and its a 60 car wait on left 45 on right and Padre Kino.
I'd go left.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9006
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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Mood: Inquisitive
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| Quote: | Originally posted by fdt
| Quote: | Originally posted by surfer jim
FDT......is there a FM or AM station that gives good border reports? I never have been able to find any.....but maybe they are in Spanish?
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As Hook said, AM 600 has a good report but it's only in the mornings and evening rush hours when Cal Walker is up in the helicopter, and I say this
because I've seen the helicopter hover over the border in the mornings and afternons, as for other times of day they would be one of the most
"inacurate" because they are getting theire info from the SYS border crossing hotline that DanO is telling us about, I am right now at 5:32PM calling
an theire recording sais 3PM. The most accurate on radio is 106.5FM that has two persons reporting live at both borders one @ SYS and one in OTY
reporting every 15 minutes between 6AM and 10PM but it's in spanish. The best source we use is Telnor@ 700-7000 on the phone also live every 15
minutes. Another reliable method we use is http://www.tijuana.gob.mx/garita/
and click on any image, that is updated every 30 seconds.
In any case the by time reporting method has been obsolete in Tijuana, Tecate and Mexicali since after 9/11, now the most accurate is by number of
vehicles. If you have ever in your life crossed the border even once, you have seen for yourself that one lane could have a p..che emigrante that is
searching every car taking between 3-5 minutes per vehicle and the next lane has a emigrante that is just waving people thru thus making the time
forecasting or predicting very inacurate. I know that it might be hard for some of you to listen to a radio report about the border wait in spanish,
but they report like this:
Lado izquierdo (left side) 250 automoviles (250 cars), derecho 100( right 100) Padre Kino 160 ( no translation needed). In that scenario I would take
Lado Izquierdo (left side). Why? because even though the left has 250 cars, it opens up to 12 lanes from an original 4 making that like a 30 to 45
minute wait, the right side is what used to be car pool (non existant for many years now) but staying at 3-4 lanes all the way making those 100 like a
one hour or more wait and finaly Padre Kino with 160 cars should be also like one hour because if the 4 sentri lanes do'nt have too much traffic it
opens up from 2 to 5 or 7 lanes.
It's confusing but you can get used to it, today I left home in Tijuana @ 6:15 AM, there was a 450 car wait on the left side and I arrived @ Kearny
Mesa @ 7:48AM, traveling on the 805 morning rush hour traffic, not bad compared to a friend from Temecula that takes about the same time to get to
work as me. |
FDT, my experience has been just the opposite on which side of the SY border crossing is the fastest. I have always religiously stayed in the far
right lane (the one that passes right in FRONT of the curio stands because it splits into much more lanes that the ones on the left. I have always
watched myself move faster than cars on the left
Now, I am speaking of the lanes on the right, as you return to the US and are looking at the border ahead of you. I am NOT talking about the lanes
that pass behind the curios stands. I took those a couple times and found them to be slower than the front of the curio stands.
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3687
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
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Right Lane
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=4852#pid35390
We did the "right lane" thing a couple of years ago here on Nomad, and got chewed out for spilling secrets.
Go back and look at this one...
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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Whoops! Well heck Ferna, just go back in time and cross at 3 p.m.! I guess the couple of times I dialed the hotline I must've gotten it just after
the update.
It'd be cool if you could have a laptop running the Telnor site on wireless in your car. Then you could see yourself stuck in line up to 15 minutes
ago.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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fdt
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4059
Registered: 9-7-2003
Location: Tijuana, Baja California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Yeah, what if it all goes right
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to Hook
The right side you are talking about is actualy the left, lado izquierdo. Lado derecho is Padre Kino, when they announce border wait they are talking
about all 24 lanes.
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Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
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Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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some of the Mexican am stations give the best reports.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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