Unknown P-25 UHF System

I'm down in the Norcross, GA area with the PGA Championship Golf TV coverage this week, and started picking up a UHF trunked system I have no info on.

I'm getting a control channel on 406.7750 MHz, P25 System ID of 3B9, WACN BEE00, Site 103. It shows connected to Site 101 (406.1125), Site 102 (408.8375) and Site 104 (408.8375). I'm thinking there might be some military connection as the tables show a 380 MHz band available.

It's not coming in super strong up here northeast of Atlanta, but it is consistent. None of these frequencies or system information shows up in Internet searches or Radio Reference.

My first thought was that they could be upgrading the Federal Protective Service trunked system in Atlanta to P-25. It is also a 4 site UHF system. But, when I drove up from the airport last week I don't recall coming across these trunked sites in my initial scan/search of the federal bands.

Anyone want to take a guess at who or what this system is and where it's located?

Border Activity

In addition to DHS Border Patrol traffic, some listeners have reported activity that may be related to National Guard support of border enforcement.

From Eagle Pass, Texas comes a report of 391.0500 MHz, P25 with a NAC of N500. The report says the traffic is encrypted full time and not from Laughlin AFB.

Reports also mention some unknown type digital traffic in the 380-400 MHz bands that are not P-25, and rumored to be coming from Piedras Negras, Mexico.

UPDATE!
An alert reader pointed out that there is a wide-area TETRAPOL trunked system used by the Mexican Federal Police Forces, which may account for the unknown type digital traffic in the 390-400 MHz band.

Upcoming POTUS Bus Tour

An upcoming bus tour of the Midwest US has been announced by the White House. President Obama will embark on a three-day tour from August 15 through 17. The administration said Wednesday that the trip had long been planned, but wouldn’t outline an itinerary:

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/175185-obama-plans-august-bus-tour-of-midwest

There is a line in the story that mentions that the "Secret Service purchased two armored buses for its fleet earlier this year". This could be an interesting opportunity for some listeners along the bus tour route to see what they have incorporated in these buses for communications.

UPDATE:
Apparently the buses mentioned in the above article were purchased from this company:
http://www.hemphillbrothers.com/

They list several political tours as well as some federal government agencies as clients.

NOT the Presidential Tour bus, but an interesting possibility:









UPDATE 2!

Well, not much reported from monitoring the POTUS bus tour of the midwest, but did get a real picture:

Bureau of Prisons Changes

I have been seeing reports of changes occurring in some of the US Bureau of Prisons (BoP) UHF radio systems in use at federal prison facilities. In some cases some frequencies have been changed, in others the entire system seems to have been replaced.

Most recently I heard from a source in Southern California that the Metropolitan Correctional Center San Diego may have a new radio system going on line. A new Motorola control channel was heard on the air on 408.6125 MHz, with a System ID of F008. Later the control channel moved to 410.0000 MHz with the same System ID.

The original MCC trunked system in San Diego uses these frequencies:
System ID 6426
408.3000
411.0250
412.5759
414.1250

It would appear that the system is being replaced to conform with the federal UHF 9 MHz channel offset, with repeater outputs being at the low end of the spectrum, and the repeater inputs being +9 MHz.

Also, reports of a new UHF trunked system have been reported on Radio Reference. A control channel has been heard on 406.2125 MHz in the Fresno County area. The control channel is reporting a System ID of EE2B. Not confirmed but the speculation is that it will be used by the new FCI Mendota:

http://www.bop.gov/jobs/index.jsp

http://www.justice.gov/jmd/2008justification/exhibit300/bop_fci_mendota_ca.pdf

DEA News

A couple of items regarding the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

First, a reader sent me this link:

http://www.ok.gov/okwin/documents/OKWIN%20-%20Executive%20Committee%20-%20Meeting%20Minutes%20-%20%2807.22.11%29.pdf

This is a document containing the minutes from a meeting of the Oklahoma Wireless Information Network (OKWIN) Executive Committee. In these minutes, the DEA requested access and talk groups on the new statewide radio system. This quote appeared in these minutes:

"The DEA currently has UHF frequencies to conduct daily business. They really want to use the system for interoperability, but see the benefits of using the system for day-to-day business so it would be “nice to have.” The DEA coverage is limited in the NW and SE areas of Oklahoma, just as the OKWIN system is limited. So there is no great increase in coverage area for them. Also, the DEA plans on using a new VHF system planned in the future and then only maintaining a presence on the OKWIN system for interoperability."

This triggered some questions about the DEA moving to a VHF radio system. I think they are referring to the DEA's participation in the federal VHF Integrated Wireless Network (IWN), of which the Department of Justice is the primary user. The DEA is using the IWN in areas that it is operational. (In the Pacific Northwest, the DEA had their UHF radios taken away years ago.) But in areas that are not served by the IWN (which is most of the country), they not only remain on UHF, but have started to migrate to new P-25 UHF frequencies.

Which brings us to the second item, and updated list of the UHF P-25 channels that listeners in Texas and other Gulf states are hearing:

409.6250 MHz, N156 - Possible new F1
409.6750 MHz, N156 - Possible new F6
409.8125 MHz, N156 - Possible new F7
409.8250 MHz, N156 - Possible new F8
409.9000 MHz, N156 - Possible new F9
409.9500 MHz, N156 - Repeater, possible new F10
410.4125 MHz, N156 - Repeater/simplex, new 11?
411.1250 MHz, N156 - Simplex 1?
411.1750 MHz, N156 - Simplex
412.2000 MHz, N156 - Simplex 2?
413.9750 MHz, N156 - Simplex 3?
414.2000 MHz, N156 - Simplex, possible new 4 or 5
414.4500 MHz, N156 - Simplex, possibly new 5
418.3250 MHz, N156 - Simplex or possible input to 409.3250 repeater (not heard)
418.6250 MHz, N156 - Input to 409.6250 repeater
418.6750 MHz, N156 - Input to 409.6750 repeater
418.8125 MHz, N156 - Input to 409.8125 repeater
418.8250 MHz, N156 - Input to 409.8250 repeater
418.9000 MHz, N156 - Input to 409.9000 repeater
418.9500 MHz, N156 - Input to 409.9500 repeater

It's also possible that the DEA will be going to the nomenclature of NET and TAC channels that many other DoJ agencies are now using. The NET channels will be repeaters and TAC channels being simplex.

DMAFB Trunked System Update

Just had a chance to monitor some changes at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. They have had a UHF Motorola trunked system there for a number of years, but now have started a separate P-25 UHF system as well.

The new system is using a System ID of 3F6 and the site at the base shows as Site 102. It is not showing as being networked with any other sites yet.

The frequencies are as follows:

409.2750
409.4500
409.5625
410.5625

All frequencies associated with this system were displaying a NAC of 3F0. These 4 frequencies were taken from the original DMAFB UHF system channels. It's unconfirmed, but this may be the start of converting the entire base to a single P-25 trunked system.

The system now has some limited users, and at least one talk group was being heard over both systems. But most of the activity is still on the original base trunked system:

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=3711

Nellis AFB P-25 System Updates

Back in May, I posted some initial reports of an update to the UHF trunked system used by Nellis AFB in Las Vegas. You can find that post here.

I'm now in Las Vegas and have started monitoring and mapping this new system. The first item of note is that this is a separate, true P-25 trunked system and not part of the NNSA Motorola trunked system that Nellis was a subscriber to in the past. Some of the early information had listed this new System ID as "000F", but it is "00F", which indicates that it is a P-25 system (P-25 systems use a 3-digit system ID as opposed to a 4 digit ID used by Motorola Type II systems).

Here are the frequencies in use at Nellis now:

406.5000
406.7875
407.1875
407.3000
407.5000
407.8625
408.1500
408.9625
409.1125
409.5625
409.7125
410.6500

With the exception of 407.1875 and 407.5000, these frequencies were at one time all part of the NNSA Motorola trunked system that serves the entire southern Nevada area. This P-25 system appears to be standalone and is not networked to any other sites.

The original NNSA Site 10 that covered Nellis is now on the air on 408.3875 MHz, and appears to still be in use by a few users.

FEMA Mobile Units

Saw this web page on a recent list posting and thought it was interesting;

http://www.core77.com/blog/transportation/a_tour_of_femas_fleet_19969.asp

It's a nice look at FEMA's Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) command units and the various versions and sizes that they come in.

UPDATE: Fixed the messed up link I had earlier.

CBP Announce New MEA

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced today its new King Air 350, twin engine Multi-role Enforcement Aircraft (MEA), providing the Department of Homeland Security unmatched capabilities to patrol the skies along the nation’s land and maritime borders.

Full story here:

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/national/06102011.xml

Another 414.5625 Report

I have monitored some encrypted P-25 transmissions in the Houston area on 414.5625 MHz with a NAC of N168. Others have also heard it in use in the Charlotte, NC area. I've recently received a report of encrypted traffic on this same frequency in the Boston area, however reports are that the NAC was showing N169. It's possible that whatever agency this is has multiple NACs for different repeaters in the area.

Still no indication as to what agency this is...

Royals Visiting California

Members of the British Royal Family will visiting the Southern California area this coming week, and it could make for some interesting monitoring.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will arrive in Los Angeles on July 8. Their schedule calls for several days of travel and appointments around LA and other cities;
http://www.kcoy.com/story/14924375/schedule-released-for-royal-visit-to-california

Both Secret Service and Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security have possible involvement in security operations for the Royal visit, but media reports have mentioned the DoS as being the agency for this trip.

If scanning the visit, be sure and keep an ear on local and CHP channels for activity, and search the UHF federal band (406-420 MHz) for State Department activity. And don't forget there will most likely be some British Royal security presence as well. The last time I ran into British VIP security in the US they were using some 160 MHz frequencies.

For a list of Secret Service channels, you can check my previous post,
http://mt-fedfiles.blogspot.com/2008/02/secret-service-frequency-list.html

Here is a quick list of possible Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security frequencies. They should be all P-25 digital and utilize a NAC of either N293 or N0F0. Be sure and let me know what you hear active:

406.3750

407.2000

407.5000

407.6000

407.8625

408.1000

408.4000

408.6000

409.1500

409.5250

409.6000

409.6250

409.7000

411.0750

411.1500

411.4250

412.0000

412.2875

415.9000

416.2000

416.2250

417.6000

417.8500

418.0500

418.0750

418.4500

418.5250

418.5750

419.3000

NYC Updates on RR

Some additional, anonymous federal frequencies have been added to the New York City frequency database on Radio Reference:

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=3378

Sifting through the updates, I spotted a couple of interesting items. First, if the contributor is accurate, several VHF P-25 channels that I have caught in the past using a NAC of 864 are identified as being the US Marshals Service, New York. They have been active, but due to encryption, the identity was unknown. Also unknown if this is a NAC used by the USMS nationwide.

Secondly, there are 9 VHF channels listed as being "Federal Interoperability" frequencies. I have noted one or two of these frequencies active during the weekly tests, but some of these are previously unknowns, or used by other agencies. Keep an ear on these and let me know if they are active;

164.4750, N653 (Also used by the National Parks Service in New Jersey)
166.5375, N653* (See Update below)
166.7500, N653
167.3500, N653
167.7875, N653 FI/O 1 (Weekly interoperability roll call tests heard here)
168.6625, N653
171.1125, N653
171.1750, N653 FI/O 2 (Heard during New Years Eve in Times Square events)
172.2875, N653

The frequency of 414.7500 MHz, 82.5pl was also utilized for interoperability tests in the past.

UPDATE!
It slipped past me initially, but I was reminded that the frequency of 166.5375 MHz is actually the input to the BATFE nationwide repeater of 165.2875 MHz. The BATFE uses a NAC of 650 on the repeater output, but uses various NAC's from 650-65A on the inputs. I suspect that they are using 166.5375 MHz, NAC 653 as the input to the BATFE repeater in the area, and the listener assumed that the NAC of 653 meant it was part of the Federal Interop channels.

Also, the inputs for the two known federal interop repeaters are not among the channels that were posted on RR. The input to the 167.7875 MHz repeater is 164.7375 MHz, and the input to the 171.1750 MHz repeater is 162.2875 MHz.

EPA Flys Over Dallas

Apparently in preparation for the celebrations of the Dallas Mavericks NBA Championship, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be doing low-level flights over the downtown Dallas, Texas area;

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43404526/ns/local_news-dallas_fort_worth_tx/t/dont-be-alarmed-low-level-flyovers/

The flights are for sampling air and other environmental readings in order to detect anything unusual that might be released, either intentionally or accidentally.

The next Fed Files column will feature a profile of EPA radio channels. I have not received any information on what the EPA flights in Dallas might be using.

TSA Conducts Multi-State Exercise

If you think the TSA only functions at your local airport, think again:

http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/536701/TSA-conducting-security-exercise-.html?nav=5002

http://wvgazette.com/News/201006160894

As of Wednesday, June 15th, eports are that this was a multi-state exercise involving the VIPR (Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response) teams. The exercise involved inspections of power and chemical plants, rail terminals and shipping terminals, lock and dam complexes and natural gas pipelines. The exercise also involved local and state agencies as well.

DEA Changes in Dallas

Listener reports from the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex seem to indicate that the DEA is starting to use some of it's new P-25 UHF frequency assignments there.

After many reports from the Houston area and other Gulf regions of the new UHF frequencies, reports are that 413.9750 MHz, NAC156 is in use around DFW. The original UHF channels are also still in use in analog mode as well.

For a complete listing of what's been found on the new UHF channels so far, check out this previous blog post:
http://mt-fedfiles.blogspot.com/2011/02/more-new-dea-uhf-p-25.html

POTUS Visit to Joplin, MO

After the terrible devastation of the tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri, it appears that a presidential visit is on tap for Sunday, May 29th. A TFR has been issued for the area:

http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_1_5046.html

If anyone is in the area and can provide any details of emergency communications in the Joplin region following the disaster, please pass them along to us at the Fed Files!

Las Vegas NNSA TRS Updates?

I am seeing posts over on Radio Reference that there may be changes afoot for the Las Vegas area UHF trunked system operated by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Until recently, the NNSA operated the wide-area UHF trunked system that was utilized by Nellis AFB as a subscriber agency.

Now reports are that a new UHF trunked system has come on the air, using the System ID of 00F, NAC of 00F. Site 1 is reported using these frequencies:

406.5000
406.7875 CC
407.1875
407.3000
407.5000
407.8625
408.1500
408.9625
409.1125
409.5625
409.7125
410.6500

Some replies indicate that this new system is a separate system for military use only and that Nellis will no longer be a subscriber to the NNSA system,

If anyone in the Las Vegas area can keep me posted on this change, please send them along to The Fed Files.

UPDATE:
I took a look at the frequencies that have been posted as part of this new "000F" trunked system and see that most of them were part of the NNSA trunked system site 10, that was assumed to be located and service Nellis Air Force Base. 410.6500 MHz, was logged with some activity in Las Vegas a while back, but was not part of the NNSA system as far as I could tell.

So I'm wondering if Site 10 of the NNSA system is still on the air on any frequencies? They might have migrated the Nellis site off to it's own system, since it was probably the busiest site in the NNSA system.

There was a post on Radio Reference that indicated this was a move towards providing common trunked systems for Nellis AFB, NAS Fallon and US Navy carrier operations. Not sure if this makes any sense, but I have no information on this change as being part of any larger Navy system.

NE Florida USCG

I'm in the Jacksonville, FL area for a while and caught some Coast Guard traffic on both VHF and UHF channels recently.

162.3250 MHz, N293 NET111 - SECTOR JACKSONVILLE with various CG assets. SECTOR in the clear, but field units always encrypted.

412.9750 MHz, N293 NET409 - SECTOR JACKSONVILLE with what seemed to be CG helicopters, usually CG6xxx numbers. Again, SECTOR JAX in the clear with others secure. The NET number was confirmed by the SECTOR JAX radio operator, and also confirms another rumor that the CG UHF channels are being used primarily by airborne assets of the Coast Guard.

TSA - All Frequency Updates Here!

Since I featured a list of TSA frequencies heard at various airports in the March 2011 Fed Files, I decided to post the list here and update it with frequencies that have been sent to me.

I discovered I had several TSA related lists going on the bog, so from now on, this will be the most up to date.

All TSA Updates will be updated to this blog post.

If you have any additional TSA channels you have found active, send them along.

When searching for TSA activity, always assume that the TSA at your local airports will have some of these four frequencies in use:
166.4625 MHz
169.3000 MHz
172.1500 MHz
172.9000 MHz

In addition, here are some of the "secondary" frequencies that have been identified as TSA at various airports:
166.2875  MHz
166.7875  MHz
168.0875  MHz
168.8375  MHz
168.9625  MHz
169.1625  MHz

Here are additional channels that have been identified at various airports as being TSA operations. If the channel is designated with a CTCSS tone, it is an analog channel using voice-inversion scrambling. P-25 channels are noted with the appropriate NAC. The analog channels are usually the security checkpoint screeners using Icom F-50v radios. The additional P-25 channels are usually the operators of the full-body scanners communicating with the checkpoints. The operators of these devices are located in a separate area away from the security checkpoints.

Asheville, NC (AVL)
172.9000, N001

Atlanta, GA (ATL)
172.9000, N001

Bloomington, IN (BMI)
172.9000, N001

Boston, MA (BOS)

163.3125, 136.5 PL

166.2875, N001

166.4625, 103.5 PL

168.0875, N003

168.9625, N001

169.1625, N001

169.1625, N003

171.7625, 146.2 PL

172.1500, 103.5 PL

172.1500, 123.0 PL

Chicago, IL O’Hare (ORD)

165.0750, 123.0 PL
165.0750, 131.8 PL

166.4625, 103.5 PL
166.2875, N004
168.9625, N001

169.1625, 123.0 PL

169.1625, N001

169.3000, 136.5 PL

172.1500, 103.5 PL

172.1500, 123.0 PL
172.1500, 136.5 PL
172.9000, 136.5 PL

Cincinnati, OH (CVG)
166.2875, N003 - Scanner operators
169.1625, N003 - Scanner operators
172.9000, N001

Dallas / Ft. Worth, TX (DFW)

168.0875, N004

169.9125, 123.0 PL – TSA Terminal E

170.3375, N001 – TSA “Coordination Center”

170.9375, N004

173.7750, N004

Denver, CO (DEN)

163.6250, 151.4 PL – Behavior Detection Officers using ICE repeater at DEN airport

166.4625, N001 – Scanner operators

172.1500, 123.0 PL

172.1500, 131.8 PL

172.1500, 136.5 PL

Des Moines, IA (DSM)
172.9000, N001 - repeater

Ft. Meyers, FL (RSW)
169.3000, N001
169.3000, 123.0 PL - Checkpoint C
172.9000. N001

El Paso, TX (ELP)
166.2875, N002 - Backscatter X-ray operators
172.1500, N001

Gulfport/Biloxi, MS (GPT)

172.9000, 162.2 PL

Houston, TX Hobby (HOU)

166.2875, N003

169.1625, N001

Houston, TX Bush (IAH)

169.3000, 123.0 PL

Indianapolis, IN (IND)

169.3000, 136.5 PL

172.1500, 146.2 PL

172.9000, 151.4 PL

Jacksonville, FL (JAX)

169.3000, N001

172.1500, 146.2 PL

172.9000, 162.2 PL

Las Vegas, NV (LAS)

166.2875, N002

166.4625, N001

168.0875, N002

168.9625, N001

168.9625, N002

Los Angeles, CA (LAX)

166.7875, 123.0 PL – Terminal 3

168.9625, N001

168.9625, N002 - Scanner operators

169.1625, N001

172.1500, 131.8 PL – Terminal 7

Nashville, TN (BNA)

168.0875, 123.0 PL

172.9000. N001

Philadelphia, PA (PHI)

168.0875, N002 - B Concourse scanner operators

168.8375, N002 - C Concourse scanner operators
171.7625, 131.8 PL - B & C Checkpoints

Phoenix, AZ (PHX)
168.0875, N003
170.1625, N001 - Terminal A Backscatter X-ray operators

Portland, OR (PDX)

169.3000, 146.2 PL – Checkpoint D-E

172.1500, 123.0 PL – Checkpoint A-B-C

(Also using talk groups on the IWN trunked system)

Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)

172.1500, 123.0 PL

172.1500, N001

San Francisco, CA (SFO)

162.2750, 131.8 PL

172.9000, 123.0 PL

172.9000, N001 - Wide area repeater serving San Francisco and Oakland airports

San Antonio, TX (SAT)
172.9000, N001
 
Santa Anna, CA (SNA)
172.1500, 123.0 PL
172.1500, 131.8 PL
172.9000, N001
172.9000, 146.2 PL
172.9000, 151.4 PL


 St. Louis, MO (STL)

164.7875, 131.8 PL - A Checkpoint
169.1625, 123.0 PL

172.1500, N001
172.1500, N004

172.1500, 123.0 PL

Seattle, WA (SEA)

168.6125, N001 - Behavior Detection Officers
172.1500

Tampa, FL (TPA)

166.2875, N001 
168.0875, N004
169.1625, N001
169.3000, N009
169.3000, 123.0 PL
169.3000, 131.8 PL
169.3000, 136.5 PL - Terminal C
172.1500, N001
172.1500, N002
172.1500, N003
172.1500, N004

172.1500, 123.0 PL - Terminal F
172.1500, 131.8 PL - Terminal E
172.1500, 136.5 PL
172.9000, N001 - New wide area repeater
172.9000, N002
172.9000, 151.4 PL - Terminal A
172.9000, 162.2 PL

Tucson, AZ (TUS)
166.4625, N001
169.3000, 123.0 PL


Washington, DC Reagan National Airport (DCA)

172.1500, 136.5 PL
172.9000, N001
172.9000, N013

TSA to TRBO?

I recently received a report of someone hearing what sounded like MOTO TRBO digital traffic on 172.9000 MHz in the Southeast Florida area. This frequency is one of the primary TSA channels used at airports across the country.

It would be strange for the TSA to move to TRBO digital radios, as they are part of the Department of Homeland Security, which is committed to utilizing APCO P-25 digital modes for federal interoperability and have been using P-25 digital radios since they came into existence. Plus the TSA has recently tested the addition of OTAR (over-The-Air Re-keying) of the encryption keys on their P-25 radio systems.

However, since the TSA also decided a few years ago to start equipping security checkpoint screeners with Icom F-50V radio with analog voice-inversion, I guess anything is possible.

Has anyone else caught what might be TRBO digital on any TSA channels? Looking for updates...

FEMA Deploys to Texas Wildfires? -UPDATE

In a rare move, FEMA has declared the Texas wildfires a "Major Disaster" and deployed a mobile command post to the Mineral Wells, Texas area.

Monitors report that the FEMA CP is probably one of the MERS Teams vehicles. They have spotted a mobile truck with two pneumatic masts that support communications antennas. No mention was made in the reports I saw of any satellite dishes, but most if not all of the FEMA mobile units carry satellite dishes.

Only frequencies heard so far that might be connected to the FEMA deployment were 163.1000 MHz and 866.0125 MHz. More as reports come in...

UPDATE - It appears that the original source now says this may not be FEMA's mobile command post operating on location in Texas, despite that fact that Texas has requested FEMA assistance in the fires:

http://texas.onpolitix.com/news/44593/femas-major-disaster-declaration-rare-for-texas-fires

The mobile units spotted in the Mineral Wells area has been described as not looking like the FEMA MERS vehicles I mentioned above. However, reports continue to indicate plenty of state and federal frequencies are in use in the firefighting efforts. You can follow the updates at this link on Radio Reference:

http://forums.radioreference.com/texas-incidents-breaking-news/141626-n-texas-wild-fires.html#post1523455

UPDATE II - Here are some additional frequencies passed along to me by a source on the ground. These were monitored near the Possum Kingdom Lake fires:

163.1000 MHz, CSQ - Aircraft/direct
166.9375 MHz, CSQ - Air-attack to ground units/main/direct/VERY active
168.0125 MHz, CSQ - Aircraft/direct
168.0500 MHz, CSQ - Ground units/direct
168.1000 MHz, 123.0 PL - Command/operations/repeater and direct/heard from
70 miles away either east or west.
168.2000 MHz, CSQ - Ground units/direct

DoJ Buys E.F. Johnson Radios

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fbi-to-deploy-ef-johnson-project-25-radios-73710702.html

The Department of Justice Wireless Management Office has purchased an unknown number of E.F. Johnson branded P-25 radios. This report indicates these radio will be used primarily by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

NCAA Final Four Houston

From the looks of the on-line posting, the Final Four games in Houston this past weekend were loaded with local and federal radio action. As I posted, a lot of federal law enforcement activities were planned for the weekend of the Final Four games, called by some as "Super Bowl levels" of federal planning.

The folks in and around Houston did a nice job of keeping the scanners going and even posted what they heard in a wiki article on Radio Reference:

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/NCAA_Final_Four_2011

One interesting item that was noted during all the activities was some clear traffic that referenced some Department of Energy personnel involved with federal activities, possible monitoring for radiation levels. There was some activity noted on 171.2000 MHz, analog, and that is a nationwide DoE allocation. I did not see anything noted, but would not be surprised if there was some Enviromental Protection Agency (EPA) activity during the weekend as well...

Justice Department "25 Cities Project"

I've written about the DoJ "25 Cities" federal interoperability project in several Fed Files columns, but thought I would post some information here as well.

Some information on the “25 Cities Project” is available on the Internet, but much of it has not been updated in years, and may not reflect the actually current project status:

http://www.npstc.org/documents/commtech/CommTech%20Presentation%2025%20Cities.pdf

http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/files/ric/Publications/wirelesscomm_ritter.pdf

http://www.search.org/conferences/2006interop/DOJ%2025%20Cities%20Fact%20Sheets.pdf

http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp?Item=1518

Web pages and documents available on line now do not have any frequency information available in them, but confirmation from local monitoring and some have verified frequencies for these DOJ radio systems. Here is a rundown of the cities involved in the “25 Cities” project, and what the known radio systems are. Unless noted with a CTCSS tone squelch value, all these repeaters are using P-25 digital mode with a P-25 Network Access Code or NAC of N653.

ATLANTA, GA

“ATL FIO” 170.4750 MHz

BALTIMORE, MD

“BAL FIO” 170.6625 MHz

BOSTON, MA – UPDATE!

Reports from local listeners in the Boston area have reported that the “Boston FIO” channel has had very little use in recent times. The frequency was derived from a US Coast Guard channel used for natural gas terminal operations, but since the Coast Guard has started using the new P-25 “CG NET” channels, traffic on this frequency has pretty much dried up.

“BOS FIO” 165.3250 MHz

“BAPERN FIO” 167.4375 MHz, 167.9 pl–patch to BAPERN 470.7875

“BPD FIO” 158.9100 MHz

CHARLOTTE, NC

Federal agencies in the Charlotte region have access to the large Charlotte-Mecklenburgh County trunked radio system. A cache of portable 800 MHz trunked radios is provided to agencies such as DHS CBP & ICE, DEA, US Marshals Service, the Secret Service and the North Carolina Air National Guard.

CHICAGO, IL

“CG CMD C” 171.6875 MHz (CHICAGO COMMAND CENTRAL)

“CG CMD N” 170.8125 MHz (CHICAGO COMMAND NORTH)

“CG CMD S” 171.4375 MHz (CHICAGO COMMAND SOUTH)

“CG TAC C” 172.2125 MHz (CHICAGO TACTICAL CENTRAL)

“CG TAC N” 168.8875 MHz (CHICAGO TACTICAL NORTH)

“CG TAC S” 168.9125 MHz (CHICAGO TACTICAL SOUTH)

DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TX

“DFW EAST” 170.7250 MHz

“DFW WEST” 171.4375 MHz

DENVER, CO – UPDATE!

Originally the project described the Denver Metro area as being served by a pool of 800 MHz trunked radios programmed to operate on local public safety trunked systems. It now appears that the 25 Cities Project has opted to install 5 VHF P-25 repeaters located around the Denver metro area.

“DEN IO N” 170.6625 MHz (DENVER NORTH)

“DEN IO E” 171.9875 MHz (DENVER EAST)

“DEN IO C” 171.4375 MHz (DENVER CENTRAL)

“DEN IO S” 172.1875 MHz (DENVER SOUTH)

“DEN IO W” 167.2625 MHz (DENVER WEST)

DETROIT, MI - UPDATE!

In the first version of the 25 Cities Project, federal interoperability in both the Detroit area and Michigan statewide was supported through the Michigan Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS). However, new information indicates that Detroit will also be getting a stand-alone VHF repeater for federal interoperability communications.

“DET FIO” 170.5625 MHz

NORFOLK/ HAMPTON ROADS, VA

The Hampton Roads/Norfolk metropolitan area is using a single VHF repeater for federal interop use. Listeners have reported both clear and encrypted traffic on this channel, as well as weekly check-ins between the various agencies utilizing this system.

“HRN FIO” 165.7000 MHz

HONOLULU, HI – UPDATE!

In addition to having access to the local public-safety radio systems, federal agencies in Honolulu have several VHF repeaters for federal interoperability. The “LE-4” repeater is part of the NTIA nationwide interoperability channels available to both federal and non-federal agencies.

“HNL FIO” 170.6250 MHz

“HNL FIO 2” 168.9875 MHz

“LE-4” 168.1125 MHz, N68F

“HNL FIRE” 154.280 MHz, D364

HOUSTON, TX

Two VHF repeaters in the Houston area are now available for federal agency interoperability. These frequencies have also been referred to by FBI units as “L1” and “L2”, which are the channel numbers in the FBI radios that were originally testing these repeaters. The channel names are short for COMMAND and PATCH.

“HOU CMD” 170.7250 MHz

“HOU PAT” 171.4375 MHz

JACKSONVILLE, FL

A single VHF repeater serves the Jacksonville area federal interoperability needs. This repeater can be patched to other area pubic safety radio systems if needed. The US Navy facilities in Jacksonville and Mayport have control stations that access this repeater.

“JAX FIO” 171.4375 MHz

LOS ANGELES, CA – UPDATE!

Two standalone VHF P-25 repeaters in the Los Angeles area service the 25 Cities Project:

“LA FIO 1” 163.1000 MHz

“LA FIO 2” 172.4125 MHz

In addition to these federal repeaters, the Los Angeles Regional Tactical Communications System (LARTCS) has been providing interoperability between federal, state and local agencies. The federal “25 Cities” frequencies listed above do not appear to be part of the LARTCS. Here is a rundown of the LARTCS frequencies that can be patched together:

California National Guard 036.5000 MHz

HEAR 155.3400 MHz

NALEMARS 155.4750 MHz, 156.7 PL

Coast Guard Channel 23A 157.1750 MHz

LA INTEROP D 159.0300 MHz

LA INTEROP C 159.1800 MHz

Federal UHF I/O 406.8000 MHz, 156.7 PL

LACSO MA-1 483.5875 MHz, 186.2 PL

LACSO MA-2 484.0875 MHz, 186.2 PL

LACSO MA-3 483.7875 MHz, 186.2 PL

LACSO MA-4 484.1375 MHz, 186.2 PL

LACSO MA-5 484.0625 MHz, 186.2 PL

I-CALL 866.0125 MHz, 156.7 PL

CLEMARS 8 868.5125 MHz, 156.7 PL

MIAMI, FL

“MIA FIO” 171.4375 MHz

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, MN – UPDATE!

The original rundown of cities for the 25 Cities Project did not include the Minneapolis / St. Paul Metro area. Since then, the Twin Cities have apparently been elevated to be among the 25 “high-risk” cities (Sharp Fed Files readers will note that this brings the total number of cities to 26!). Both of these repeaters were heard on the air during the Republican Convention in late 2008:

“FEDCOM MP” 170.6250 MHz

“FEDCOM SP” 171.6125 MHz

NEW ORLEANS, LA

“NOLA FIO” 171.4375 MHz

NEW YORK CITY, NY – UPDATE!

The Big Apple has three repeaters available as a federal interoperability system. The VHF repeaters are using P-25 digital and the UHF repeater is analog. Also, I was recently advised of another VHF P-25 channel that might be linked to these. The frequency 173.8625 MHz, N653 was heard active, but unknown if this is a permanent part of the NYC Federal Interoperability nets.

“NYC FIO” 167.7875 MHz

“NYC FIO2” 171.1750 MHz

“NYC FIO” 414.7500 MHz, 82.5 PL

PHILADELPHIA, PA

“PH FIO” 171.4375 MHz

PHOENIX, AZ

Federal interoperability communications in Phoenix can use multiple radio systems. One is the Inter-Agency Radio System, or IARS. This is a series of VHF and UHF repeaters tied together to link agencies with dissimilar radio bands. Federal agencies also have radio consoles and portable radios on the Phoenix Regional Wireless Network (PWRN) and the Mesa Trunked Open Arizona Network (TOPAZ).

PORTLAND, OR

Federal agencies operating in the Portland area have access to the local 800 MHz public safety trunking systems. There are talk groups allocated for the various agencies sue, as well as control stations and radios available. The federal IWN trunked system is operational in and around the Portland metro area and there is some interconnection available between the IWN P-25 trunked system and the Portland area 800 MHz radio systems.

SAN DIEGO, CA

San Diego area federal agencies can make use of the San Diego City and County 800 MHz trunked systems with control station and portable radio access. Communications dispatchers also have the ability to patch from their trunked systems to some federal “mutual aid” or “multi-agency” channels. These channels are not directly related to the “25 Cities Project”, but are part of the DHS Border Patrol P-25 network throughout southern California. Listeners have reported patches between these federal frequencies and other agencies:

“MA-4 SP” 166.9125 MHz, N245

“MA-4 PM” 167.3750 MHz, N249

“MA-4 DM” 167.5250 MHz, N247

“MA-4 MCC” 167.7250 MHz, N244

“MA-4 CP” 170.8375 MHz, N248

“MA-1 CP” 171.1750 MHz, N362

“MA-1 PM” 172.2875 MHz, N363

“MA-1 SP” 172.4500 MHz, N148

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – UPDATE!

The Bay Area recently received some upgrades to their federal interoperability system. There now appear to be 2 VHF and 2 UHF federal repeaters in both analog and P-25 digital:

“SF FED-V” 171.6127 MHz

“SF FED-U” 410.4125 MHz

“SF MA V-A” 168.7625 MHz, 167.9 pl

“SF MA U-A” 409.0125 MHz, 167.9 pl

In addition to these federal repeaters, the interoperability system includes these state and nationwide public safety channels:

“CELMARS 7” / “LLAW” 045.8600 MHz, 156.7 pl

“SF MA T-A” 483.1375 MHz, 156.7 pl

“8TAC94” 851.0125 MHz, 156.7 pl / 866.0125 MHz, 156.7 pl

SEATTLE, WA

The Seattle / Tacoma, WA metropolitan areas are served with several large 800 MHz trunked radio systems. Federal interoperability in these cities relies on control stations and portable radios that can access these trunked systems. It also involves patches to these systems as well as the federal IWN trunked system.

ST.LOUIS, MO

“STL CALL” 171.4375 MHz

“STL TAC” 171.6875 MHz

TAMPA, FL

“TAM FIO” 171.6875 MHz

WASHINGTON, DC

“DCIO 1” 159.1500 MHz, MPD Citywide Patch

“DCIO 2” 168.8750 MHz

In addition to the above interoperability channels, there were plans for three additional repeaters, but they do not appear to be on the air at the time I compiled this list. Can anyone in the DC area confirm any activity on these frequencies?

“DCIO 2 N” 173.7500 MHz

“DCIO 2 S” 168.0875 MHz

“DCIO 2 W” 166.7875 MHz

Upcoming Final Four in Houston

A recent article from the Houston Chronicle talks about expected security plans for the NCAA Final Four events:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkc/men/7488677.html

Although it mentions that the security operations will be of "Super Bowl proportions", the NCAA events in Houston do not appear to be declared a National Security Special Event, as Super Bowls and other large pubic events have been.

According to the article, multiple federal agencies will be assisting state and local law enforcement with security, so start searching for activity. The game is scheduled for the first week in April, 2011.

Securing Presidential Communicnations - SCIF

Here's an interesting story from the BBC concerning how they secure Presidential communications while traveling the world with a portable Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF);

Barack Obama's top secret tent

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12810675

Integrated Wireless Network Faces Cancelation

Once again, the future of the Justice Department's Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) is in doubt due to proposed budget cuts:

http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/story/dojs-iwn-faces-cancelation/2011-02-28

The linked article also contains a link to this interesting IWN document, containing some additional details of the proposed system layout and the new sites around the National Capitol Region;

http://assets.fiercemarkets.com/public/sites/govit/iwnreport.pdf

POTUS Visit to Portland

On February 18th, President Obama made a visit to the Portland, Oregon area, specifically the Intel Ronler Acres campus near Hillsboro Stadium. I was unable to be in town when the visit occurred, but was able to catch some traffic from the Advance Teams in the days prior to the visit. I was also able to spot the motorcade rehearsing the routes out of Portland International Airport on the day before the POTUS arrival.

Here is what was active:

164.6500, N001 - USSS TANGO
164.8875, N001 - USSS OSCAR
165.3750, N001 - USSS CHARLIE
166.5125, N001 - WHCA ALPHA
167.0375, N001 - USSS Executive Protection Detail *

In the past I have received many emails complaining that when the President or other dignitaries visited the areas that they never heard anything on the usual Secret Service channels. As I have explained in past Fed Files columns, the Secret Service tends to set up low power and simplex radio systems in areas that are needed rather than try and cover large areas with temporary repeaters.

* - Thanks to all that emailed me information on the "name" of this channel and 167.0125 MHz. The opinion seems to be that 167.0125 MHz is the Vice Presidential Protection Detail, and 167.0375 MHz is the Presidential Protection Detail., called VPPD and PPD. However, I have heard both frequencies used at events/situations where neither the P or VP are in the field, so they do get used for other things, apparently...

DHS to Launch Harris Multiband Radio Pilot in Phoenix, AZ

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate will launch a 30-day pilot of Harris multiband radios in the Phoenix area, starting Feb. 23rd. More information can be found here:

http://radioresourcemag.com/newsArticle.cfm?news_id=6696

NIFOG Version 1.4 Now Available

The latest version of the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG) is now available from the Department of Homeland Security.

http://www.dhs.gov/files/publications/gc_1297699887997.shtm

Version 1.4 is now the most up to date version, with some additional information added. Get it while it's still available for download!

More New DEA UHF P-25

More new Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) P-25 channels are being reported active along the Gulf Coast area. Most of the new channels appear to be active in and around the Houston area, but now I'm seeing reports along the Gulf from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle of new active frequencies.

During my recent visit to Arlington for the Super Bowl, the DEA still appears to be using the old UHF channel plan and are still analog.

Still looking for some P-25 repeaters using the 418.750/409.750 frequencies, which I haven't heard of yet.

Here is a quick rundown of some of the new activity:

409.6250 MHz, N156 - Possible new F1
409.6750 MHz, N156 - Possible new F6
409.8125 MHz, N156
409.8250 MHz, N156 - Possible new F7
409.9000 MHz, N156 - Possible new F9
409.9500 MHz, N156 - Repeater
410.4125 MHz, N156 - Repeater/simplex
411.1750 MHz, N156 - Simplex
412.2000 MHz, N156 - Simplex
413.9750 MHz, N156 - Simplex
414.2000 MHz, N156 - Simplex, possible new F5
414.4500 MHz, N156 - Simplex
418.3250 MHz, N156 - Simplex or possible input to 409.3250 repeater (not heard)
418.6250 MHz, N156 - Input to 409.6250 repeater
418.6750 MHz, N156 - Input to 409.6750 repeater
418.8125 MHz, N156 - Input to 409.8125 repeater
418.8250 MHz, N156 - Input to 409.8250 repeater
418.9000 MHz, N156 - Input to 409.9000 repeater
418.9500 MHz, N156 - Input to 409.9500 repeater

Inside the Secret Service

An interesting article in The Atlantic Magazine about the US Secret Service. Several communications issues discussed, so it's well worth the read:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/03/inside-the-secret-service/8390/

163.2125 MHz

While up on Rocky Butte in Portland, Oregon on Friday, I picked up 163.2125 MHz, N100 conventional P-25 traffic. All encrypted so I don't know who is using this. I noted that I had heard this and 163.6375 MHz active in December of 2006 here in Portland as well.

The frequency is a newer allocation, so I don't have any history on it. It has also been heard active with the same NAC of 100 in Southern California and Washington DC.

Ao anyone hearing 163.2125 MHz active near you?

CBP Provides Air Support over Super Bowl XLV

Nice video presentation highlighting the CBP Office of Air and Marine participation in covering Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, Texas last week:

http://nemo.cbp.gov/opa/videos/2011/spbl_xlv.wmv

I was outside the stadium while these shots of the Blackhawk helicopter orbiting the stadium were shot and should have some ground level stills in an upcoming Fed Files column.

TSA Halts Screening Partnership Program

The TSA has decided to halt the expansion of the Screening Partnership Program, which allowed airports to choose private security screeners in place of the TSA screeners:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/01/29/tsa.private/index.html?hpt=T2

There are currently 16 US airports that have opted out of using TSA security screeners. They are:

• San Francisco International Airport (KSFO)
• Kansas City International Airport (KMCI)
• Greater Rochester International Airport (KROC)
• Sioux Falls Regional Airport (KFSD)
• Jackson Hole Airport (KJAC)
• Tupelo Regional Airport (KTUP)
• Key West International Airport (KEYW)
• Charles M. Schultz-Sonoma County Airport (KSTS)
• Roswell Industrial Air Center (KROW)
• Frank Wiley Field (KMLS)
• Sidney Richland Regional (KSDY)
• Dawson Community (KGDV)
• L.M. Clayton (KOLF)
• Wokal Field (KGGW)
• Havre City County (KHVR)
• Lewiston Municipal (KLWS)

The March edition of Monitoring Times Fed Files column will contain additional details of the TSA communications.

Super Bowl XLV Update

Haven't had much time to update the blog, but things are starting to get busy here in Arlington. Some radio systems checks have been heard, as well as some military units checking communications.

Things will be getting busier as the big game day approaches. Hopefully I will have some time to play with the scanners!

US Forest Service Radio Purchase

The US Department of Agriculture / US Forest Service has purchased a large number of P25 radios from RELM Wireless Corp:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/relm-wireless-receives-15-million-order-from-us-department-of-agriculture-forest-service-112930354.html

As I have mentioned in some of the recent Fed Files columns, the US Forest Service has began to upgrade system infrastructure in US Forests near me for P25 operation. Some USFS systems in other areas have been operating in P-25 digital already.

Super Bowl XLV

Things are starting to ramp up for federal activity related to Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, Texas this February. There were rumors of the possible installation of some sites of the federal IWN (Integrated Wireless Network) in the Dallas Metroplex prior to Super Bowl. However it appears that money and time issues got the best of the proposal.

170.6250 MHz, N167 and 170.9375 MHz, N167 have both been noted as "new" frequencies for the area. They very well may be additions to the are for the Super Bowl, but will remain in place after the big game is over. Also, there have been reports of activity on 171.4375 MHz, a nationwide federal interoperability channel. 170.6625 MHz, N167 had been noted before the new year in Dallas, also a new channel for the area.

I will try to provide updates prior to the big game, and a complete wrap-up will appear in the May 2011 Fed Files column in Monitoring Times magazine.

DEA Updates

Some additional information has surfaced about the new UHF federal frequencies used by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). As we have previously reported in the Fed Files blog, the DEA will be re-channeling their UHF frequencies and have started using these new frequencies in Texas and other southern US areas.

The frequency of 409.8250 MHz, N156 has been heard from the Houston area, but reports were that it is most likely a repeater in the outlying areas and not in Houston. 409.9000 MHz, N156 has been confirmed as a repeater, referred to as "Channel 9" on the west side of Houston.

Also, New Orleans now has a new P-25 DEA repeater on 409.6250 MHz, N156. This is the first confirmation of the new DEA channels being used outside of Texas.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Fed Files! Once again I was working at Times Square in New York City on New Years Eve helping broadcast the event. I had some time to scan and got a few hits on federal frequencies. Some were most likely normal New York City area frequencies, but a few were new. Here is a quick look at what I was able to log. Most of the communications were encrypted, but a few bits and pieces were in the clear. Quite a few radio checks were heard on the 167.7875 MHz Federal Interoperability repeater.


162.0250 MHz
162.3375 MHz
162.7375 MHz, N167
164.4000 MHz, N001 - USSS PAPA
164.7750 MHz, N167*
165.2375 MHz, N310 - CBP
165.9250 MHz, N167* Used at All Star Game simplex
167.4625 MHz, N207
167.7875 MHz, N652 - NYC Federal Interop VHF
167.7875 MHz, N94C
168.2250 MHz, N167 - NYC FBI G1/G2
168.3000 MHz, N167 - NYC FBI H3/H4
168.8250 MHz, N167 - NYC FBI H1
169.7250 MHz, N864*
170.3750 MHz, N167*
170.4250 MHz, N167 - FBI G3/G4
170.6250 MHz, N167
170.6250 MHz, N730
170.9000 MHz, N167
171.1750 MHz, N653 - Perhaps the input to 167.7875 MHz repeater?
171.2000 MHz, N293
171.5500 MHz, N167*
171.6875 MHz, N9C5 - DHS ICE Network
171.7250 MHz, N159
172.6625 MHz, N615
173.6625 MHz, N167 - NYC FBI A1

The frequencies noted with an asterisk were heard last year in Times Square as well. I'm not sure if these are normal NYC area FBI frequencies or not. Perhaps some local listeners can confirm these. But things were definitely hopping this New Years.

Merry Christmas!

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the Fed Files and Monitoring Times readers out there!

Another New DEA P-25 Frequency Found

Listeners in the Houston, Texas region have reported finding another active P-25 frequency that is most likely a new DEA channel.

410.4125 MHz, N156 has been heard active and at this time is presumed to be a repeater in the downtown Houston area. All comms so far on this channel have been reported as being encrypted.

This appears to be part of the move by the DEA to follow the new 9 MHz repeater offset in the federal UHF band. In theory, the input frequency to this repeater should be 419.4125 MHz, but that has not been confirmed yet.

I also forgot to post a previously heard simplex channel, 414.4500 MHz, N156. Also being reported in the Houston area.

Not sure why Houston seems to be the area chosen for the rollout of the new P-25 frequencies, while most of the rest of the country appears to still using the standard UHF channels.

DC Area IWN Rollout Without DHS

An interesting article has appeared on line talking about the roll out of the new IWN DC area overlay trunked system:

http://psc.apcointl.org/2010/11/29/agencies-in-d-c-area-will-be-able-to-communicate-on-radio-system/

As I posted back in September, the new VHF IWN trunked sites started to appear recently in the Washington DC area, and will serve various subscriber agencies, primarily the Department of Justice. However, the article linked above indicates that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will not be participating in the DC area system.

Some DHS agencies are participating in the original IWN sites in the Pacific Northwest, with CBP Customs and Border Patrol being heavy IWN users along the US-Canada border areas.

LA USSS Back On The Air

On Monday, November 30th, while waiting for a flight at LAX airport, I had time for some scanning. While searching the federal bands I happened to catch some radio techs doing checks on the Los Angeles area US Secret Service radio sites. This comes after one of the sites serving the LA Metro area was destroyed by wildfires in August, 2009.


I caught some clear radio checks on:

165.2125 MHz, N001 - MIKE
165.3750 MHz, N001 - CHARLIE
165.7875 MHz, N001 - BAKER
171,7625 MHz, N001 - Input to BAKER repeater on Mt. Disappointment

I missed the radio checks, but other listeners reported:
164.4000 MHz, N001 - PAPA
164.6500 MHz, N001 - TANGO
164.8875 MHz, N001 - OSCAR

When they were finished, one technician proclaimed that they were "finally back on the air after a year and a half!"

New Border Patrol in Arizona

In the November issue of Monitoring Times, I mentioned a number of VHF P-25 repeaters that had been heard on the air in Southern Arizona over the past summer. It now appears that even more new frequencies are on the air and are being used extensively by CBP Border Patrol.

Since my last visit to the Tucson area last spring, there has definitely been an increase in activity on these new frequencies, but the traditional Border Patrol channels in the 163 and 168 Mhz range have become used less and less. If you live in the Southern Arizona area, start searching for new frequencies. Here is a list of what is being heard now:

163.6250 MHz, N206
163.7000 MHz, N201
166.7375 MHz, N30E
168.8250 MHz, N302 - RED MOUNTAIN
168.8250 MHz, N330 - WIDE AREA
168.8250 MHz, N710 - WIDE AREA
169.1625 MHz, N293 - CBP AIR 4 (More on this frequency in the January Fed Files!)
169.5500 MHz, N203 - TUBAC AREA BORDER PATROL ON 1-19
169.9375 MHz, N330
169.9375 MHz, N653 - GILIO 1
170.3500 MHz, N130 - WIDE AREA INTEROP
170.3500 MHz, N20C - WIDE AREA INTEROP
170.3500 MHz, N230 - WIDE AREA INTEROP (Nogalas, AZ)
170.3500 MHz, N340 - WIDE AREA INTEROP
170.4375 MHz, N301 - AJO
170.4375 MHz, N130 - AJO
170.4375 MHz, N230 - Far East Arizona
171.0375 MHz, N201
171.1875 MHz, N110
171.3250 MHz, N20C
171.6625 MHz, N210
172.0625 MHz, N20A
172.7625 MHz, N210
173.1750 MHz, N209
173.1875 MHz, N110
173.1875 MHz, N230 - INTEROP MT. LEMMON
173.5000 MHz, N20B
173.6125 MHz, N210 - May be input or simplex, called "SCAN 3"
173.6500 MHz, N206
173.7375 MHz, N130
173.9375 MHz, N304

This appears to be a major move towards a new network of Border Patrol and CBP operational repeaters that may continue across the southern United States, and along the lines of what has been in use along the Southern California region for quite some time.

FPS Chnges & Updates Continue

UPDATE - Reports from the Northeast US are that many cites in FPS Region 1 (New England) have switched over to 408.2000 MHz repeaters from 417.2000 MHz. It also appears the region is now using a P-25 NAC of N201. Some stragglers may still be using 417.2000 MHz, but should change soon. These moves are to update the repeater frequencies to a new standard 9 MHz offset, meaning the repeater inputs should now be 9 MHz from the repeater output.

Besides the primary region-wide repeaters, be on the lookout for simplex or stand-alone repeaters that might be in use in some specialized federal properties.

Despite some areas of the country already using new frequencies and P-25 digital radio, some areas of the Federal Protective Service are still awaiting updates to the communications systems. Here is a recent request for bids on replacing and upgrading radio gear for FPS Region 7, which includes sites in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=c7a1f275c2f159ee8ac22a9e024608fb&tab=core&tabmode=list&=