USFS Columbia Dispatch Using P-25 Digital

Over the last year or so there have been rumors of upgrades to the radio systems used by Mt. Hood National Forest and Gifford-Pinchot National Forest in northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington. They have apparently combined some of the radio dispatching and are now identifying as "Columbia Dispatch" in the two National Forests, but so far no new frequencies have been discovered - until a couple of weeks ago.

The two national forest areas utilize VHF repeaters and UHF point-to-point links for radio communications. Recently the frequency of 417.9875 MHz, N68F has sometimes been heard carrying the dispatcher in P-25 digital. The frequency should be paired with 408.9875 MHz, but we haven't heard anything on that link yet. The P-25 NAC of N68F is interesting, as this NAC has previously been identified as being used on the federal interoperability systems.

Despite being a digital link, the VHF frequencies are all still analog. However, this may indicate that they have upgraded the core of the system to digital and can flip the switch at any time!

A while back I found this document on line that lists the frequencies for some of these UHF links:
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=7d3481f79285eab7adb988ff06dfa778&tab=core&_cview=1

According to the frequencies listed on this document, the 417.9875 MHz link is to Mt Mitchell in the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest.

DOJ LEWC Budget

Found this document on the web with some updated information on the Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) and what might be next:

http://www.justice.gov/jmd/2011justification/pdf/fy11-lewc-justification.pdf

It is not noted when this document was released, but a couple of interesting items are listed;

* The Southern California Border Patrol system, formerly referred to as the EVRP (Encrypted Vice Radio Project) when it began, is apparently now apparently considered part of the total IWN project. This document refers to the San Diego IWN, but I have not seen or heard any evidence that this conventional P-25 system of repeaters throughout the southern California border area is using trunking technology yet. But several times the IWN has been described as a combination of trunked and conventional technology.

* Planned expansion of the NCR (National Capitol Region) section of the IWN. Deployment of the IWN in the Baltimore area is scheduled for late 2011.

* System planning and design for the Western Great Lakes and Chicago areas is in the 2011 budget.

* Continued implementation of the IWN Systems Operations Center and Region 1 Regional Management Center for interconnection between the IWN and other networks.

Despite not seeing or hearing much new in the IWN project, there are definitely advances being made.

Federal Cell Phone Jamming

A recent mention in another radio forum lead me to this article from Toronto, Canada:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontog20summit/article/821623--g20-security-to-jam-cellphone-signals?bn=1

Although the article is specifically about the use of mobile cell phone jamming "bubbles" at the Canadian G20 events, the same technology surely has been in use at US based events.

There has been much discussion over the years about the WHCA mobile communications vans around the Presidential motorcades and how they have jamming capabilities. There has not been much said in the media about the use of cell phone jammers by the US Secret Service or WHCA and certainly no mention of getting exemptions from federal law forbidding such jamming.

I have not yet been able to confirm or deny the use of cell phone jamming at POTUS events and such. There were rumors of such jamming at the last set of political conventions in Denver and St. Paul, but I had no personal confirmation of any intentional interference of cell systems. There were areas inside the secured buildings that were considered "RF Sensitive" and cell phones were not allowed, however...

Denver Federal Scanning

Just had some short time with the radios during a recent trip to the Denver area. Here's some of what I was able to catch:

162.2250, CSQ - US Postal Service
165.2375, 100.0 - DHS CBP Customs with some OTAR
166.2750 - Mixed mode P-25 and analog, probably US Mint
166.4625, CSQ - Unknown agency doing aerial survellance
166.5875, 100.0 - DHS CBP Customs with more OTAR
167.4625, N167 - Denver FBI
167.6875
168.4625
168.5250 - Unknown agency, heard multiple DTMF tones
169.0000
170.1000, N167 - More FBI?
170.6750, N875 - Unknown agency
170.7500 - US Marshals Federal Courthouse
413.9250 - Federal Reserve

In addition to these conventional channels, heard lots of traffic on the Federal Front Range Trunked system that serves Denver and Buckley ARB. Also caught the UHF system at the Federal Correctional Institution aat Englewood.

Border Patrol Birthday

Today, May 28th, marks the 86th anniversary of the United States Border Patrol. It was originally started in 1924 to combat the illegal entry of aliens, contraband, and the flow of illicit liquor from Mexico and Canada into the United States. The El Paso Border Patrol Sector began operations on July 1, 1924 as the first uniformed division of the Immigration Bureau.

For frequencies that the CBP Border Patrol are using these days, check out this previous Fed Files Blog post:

http://mt-fedfiles.blogspot.com/2007/03/cbp-border-patrol-update.html

Arizona Border Activity

Down in Arizona on a short vacation and have been observing some new and previously unknown frequencies active. The usual CBP Border Patrol and Customs channels are busy as always. But the unknown ones, mostly encrypted, keeping the users unknown for now, but I've got some guesses:

163.6250 MHz, 151.4 pl - Still hearing an analog Border Patrol repeater somewhere.
167.8250 MHz, N293 - Western Area Power Administration (WAPA - http://www.wapa.gov/)
167.9250 MHz, N293 - WAPA
167.9750 MHz, N293 - WAPA
168.8250 MHz - Heard with multiple NAC's of N167, N340 & N710
169.9375 MHz, N330
170.3500 MHz, N340
170.4375 MHz, N230 - Reported as a repeater in Nogales, AZ
173.0500 MHz, N001
173.1875 MHz - Heard with both N001 and N230
409.4000 MHZ, N910
414.9750 MHZ, N115

I suspect the 169.9375, 170.3500, 170.4375 and 173.1875 might be DHS ICE repeaters.

US Fish & Wildlife Activity

Reports from the Georgia Coast are that US Fish & Wildlife Service is active with Loggerhead Turtle tracking and support activities. I have not had much luck catching FWS traffic on the radios, so this information interested me.




Here are some of the active frequencies:
169.8250 MHz
171.6500 MHz
172.4500 MHz - USFWS Skidaway repeater
172.6500 MHz

These repeaters are apparently linked and all activity was reported as P-25 digital (sorry, no NAC data).

USGS Mt. St. Helens Frequencies

In honor of the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in Washington State, the US Geological Survey had an open house at their facility in Vancouver, WA;

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/30Years/CVO_openhouse_flyer.pdf

Thanks to those who were able to attend the open house, here is a list of the US Geological Survey frequencies in use at the Cascades Volcano Observatory:

164.6750 MHz - Link to North repeater
167.0750 MHz, 110.9 - North repeater input
167.0750 MHz, 127.3 - South repeater input
168.4250 MHz - Mt. St. Helens North & South repeaters
169.8250 MHz - USGS simplex

More Federal MOTOTRBO?

I recently came across what sure sounds like another federal frequency using the proprietary MOTOTRBO digital mode.

In Las Vegas I heard many transmissions on 406.9375 MHz that sounded a lot like the known MOTOTRBO users in my home area. I've heard several other federal users, including 406.625 MHz, the Federal Reserve Branch in Chicago, 407.9375 MHz coming from somewhere in the Seattle/Tacoma area, and 409.4375 MHz confirmed as coming from the VA Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington.

FPS in Phoenix

After searching through the UHF federal band many times during my past visits to Phoenix, I finally caught the Federal Protective Service. They are using 409.4000 MHz, NAC920. Seems like they are not as busy as some areas of the country, so they have eluded my searches in the past. But it just proves the point that you need to have patience when looking for those elusive federal frequencies!

So Cal I-10 Road Trip

I had a chance to drive across I-10 from Ontario, CA to Phoenix, AZ this weekend. I was trying to confirm more of the CBP Border Patrol P-25 system, which continues to be used ONLY in Southern California. As soon as I crossed into Arizona, all the regular Border Patrol frequencies came back in use.

I had the scanners running and logging during the trip, but was not able to positively ID everything. Here is a quick listing of what was heard;

162.2500 N132 PALM SPRINGS AREA
163.5125 131.8
163.5250 114.8
163.6250 N141 PALM SPRINGS AREA
163.6250 N001 CBP BORDER PATROL ARIZONA
163.7000 N001 CBP BORDER PATROL ARIZONA
164.2750 N293 WESTERN AREA POWER ADMIN-PHOENIX
164.7500 85.4 SKIP FROM MEXICO?
165.6000 110.9
166.0125 D114
166.3750 103.5 BLM - SO CAL
166.8500 N310 PHOENIX
166.9125 N245 CBP MA-4 SP - PALM SPRINGS AREA
167.2125 N167 ARIZONA
167.3375 N167 FBI PHOENIX
167.3625 N167 FBI PHOENIX
167.4500 N137 CBP CALEXICO EAST - SO CAL
167.5125 N167 FBI PHOENIX
167.6500 N135 SO CAL (CBP EL CENTRO EAST USES NAC 237)
167.7625 N167 SO CAL
167.7750 N125 CBP BP - PALM SPRINGS AREA
168.0875 N710 SO CAL
168.1750 103.5 USFS
168.4750 100.0 USFS
168.8250 N104 CBP - SO CAL
168.8250 N710 PHOENIX
169.3000 N710 SO CAL - ?
169.8875 N430 ARIZONA/PHOENIX
170.3500 N340 ARIZONA/PHOENIX
170.5875 D156 PHOENIX
170.6000 N133 PALM SPRINGS AREA
171.3250 N410 PHOENIX AREA
171.4750 103.5 SAN BERNARDINO NF
171.6750 103.5 JOSHUA TREE NP?
171.8500 D445 PALM SPRINGS AREA
171.9250 162.2 ARIZONA/PHOENIX
172.9000 N001 TSA PALM SPRINGS / PHOENIX
172.9000 N013 TSA PHOENIX
173.0500 N670 PHOENIX
173.1000 N330 ARIZONA
173.1625 N209 CBP BLUE 1 - PALM SPRINGS CAREA
173.5000 N50B ? ARIZONA
173.5500 N167 PHOENIX
173.7125 N167 PHOENIX
173.7125 N730 PHOENIX
173.8375 N167 PHOENIX
173.8875 N508 SO CAL
173.9375 N340 ARIZONA/PHOENIX

More Coast Guard UHF?-Updated!

I have received information that 412.9750 MHz, NAC293 is being heard around the Boston, MA area. This frequency has been identified in the San Francisco area as being used by the Coast Guard as "NET 409".

Reports are that so far all traffic is encrypted P-25, and this frequency is new to the area.

These new UHF channels are part of a radio upgrade program for Coast Guard law enforcement and homeland security activity. But we still don't have a good handle on other frequencies that might be in use, so keep searching!

UPDATE - Bits and pieces of information continue to come in. First, the frequency of 413.0250 MHz, NAC293 has been heard active in the Southeast Florida area. It has been encrypted full time so positive ID has not been made. From a separate source, I have confirmed that Coast Guard assets in the Miami / Ft. Lauderdale area do indeed have UHF radios installed in them. They have been reported as using "NET 411", but no one has yet confirmed the frequency. Does NET 411 = 413.0250 MHz? We shall see if anyone can connect these pieces.

TSA Analog Radios-Continued

Just spotted a report that the TSA screeners are using 173.0875 MHz in analog with voice inversion at the Bellingham, WA airport (KBLI). This is a new frequency for TSA operations since the addition of the analog "screener" radios started around the first of the year (2010).

The Bellingham airport is also home to Customs & Border Protection Air Marine assets.

I will be expanding on the TSA analog radios in a future Fed Files column.

New DEA Frequencies-Continued

As we recently reported, the DEA has been utilizing some new UHF frequencies in the Houston, TX area. Previously a new P-25 repeater was heard repeating traffic from 418.6750 MHz on 409.6750 MHz with a NAC of 156.

Now a new repeater has been heard on 409.9000 MHz, also with a P-25 NAC of 156. In keeping with the 9 MHz repeater offset, the input should be 418.9000 MHz, the old Channel 2 in the DEA nationwide channel plan.

Also heard in Houston as been simplex DEA traffic on 413.9750 MHz, NAC 156. These frequencies (409.6750, 409.9000 and 413,9750) are all new assignments to the DEA, so obviously some changes are in the works. I have not seen any reports of these new frequencies in any areas other than Houston yet.

The old DEA channel plan is still available here:
http://mt-fedfiles.blogspot.com/2006/09/dea-update.html

St. Paul MN Logs-Update

I have been fortunate enough to stay in touch with some folks in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area after the RNC Convention in St. Paul back in September of 2008. One listener was kind enough to send along a sample of what has been heard in the St. Paul area recently. Most entries were P-25 digital and I have added what these frequencies are most likely used for:

164,4000 MHz, N001 - US Secret Service PAPA
167.4375 MHz, N167 - FBI
167.5000 MHz, N293
167.6375 MHz, N167 - FBI
168.2375 MHz, N293 - FBI
170.6250 MHz, N653 - Federal Interoperability
170.7500 MHz, N293 - Most likely US Marshals
171.4375 MHz, N167 - FBI
171.6125 MHz, N653 - Federal Interoperability
171.6875 MHz, N167 - FBI
171.9250 MHz,
172.9000 MHz, N001 - TSA at MSP Airport
173.5000 MHz, N167 - FBI
173.8125 MHz, N167 - FBI

406.1125 MHz, N293
406.8625 MHz, N421
407.0000 MHz, N201
408.8125 MHz, N1e1 - Federal Correctional Institution Waseca TRS
409.2125 MHz, N1e1 - Federal Correctional Institution Waseca TRS
410.0125 MHz, N1e1 - Federal Correctional Institution Waseca TRS
410.4000 MHz, N1e1 - Federal Correctional Institution Waseca TRS
415.8625 MHz

VA Medical Center TRS

For some time there was some discussion on the Radio Reference site about the frequencies used by the VA Medical Center Mountain Home in Johnson City, TN. It apparently has been confirmed that the VAMC is using a UHF Passport LTR trunked system. Here are the frequencies in use:
407.8375, 408.0375, 409.7000, 410.9000

There are no Logical Channel Numbers (LCN's) listed, but since there are no Passport capable scanners out there, it might be a while before we see that information.

Providence, RI

Just a couple of quickies before I board my flight home.

While driving in to Providence this morning, I caught what sure sounded like MotoTRBO digital on 173.9875 MHz. The signal was moderate but not real strong as I entered the airport area (KPVD). The frequency has been associated with a number of agencies in the past, including FBI, DoD, FAA, USFS and the Department of the Interior.

Oh, and the TSA at PVD is using 172.9000 MHz, 162.2 pl in analog with voice inversion for the checkpoint screeners. Normal TSA ops continue on 172.9000 MHz, NAC 001.

I think the new TSA radio rollout is pretty much everywhere, so the only remaining mystery is a channel plan and PL tones for the different airports. And I have confirmed that the radios are using simple voice inversion, no rolling-code encryption.

OOPS! Typo in March Fed Files

Before I get a lot of emails, I wanted to correct a small typo in the March 2010 Fed Files column.

In the column, I referred to the new 9 MHz repeater offset in the federal 406-420 MHz band. I gave an example of the new offset, saying that a 408 MHz repeater would have an input of 418 MHz. Of course, I meant to say that the input would be 417 MHz, because as we all know, 408 + 9 = 417, not 418 as I wrote in the column!

Harris Wins Federal Contract for Multi-Band Radios

http://www.rfcomm.harris.com/talkasone/

http://www.rfcomm.harris.com/talkasone/pdf/Unity_XG-100_Prod_Guide.pdf

Radios Will Be Provided to Departments of Interior, Agriculture and FBI Training Academy through U.S. General Services Administration Blanket Purchase Agreement

ROCHESTER, NY, February 5, 2009 — Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), an international communications and information technology company, has been awarded a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) to provide land mobile radios to the U.S. Departments of Interior, Agriculture and FBI Training Academy. Harris is one of 13 companies receiving an award under a five-year delivery order with a ceiling of $500 million from the U.S. General Services Administration, Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM).

Under terms of the contract, Harris will compete to sell land mobile radios to the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, FBI Training Academy, U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies. Harris will provide multiband, multimission software-defined radios recently introduced by its newly formed Government and Public Safety business unit.

More Cities with New TSA Radios

Just passing through another set of airports this week and found the TSA at my home airport of Portland International (KPDX) is now starting to use the new Icom radios. I found them to be using 172.1500 MHz, 136.2 PL, but not always using the voice inversion option. They also continue to use 172.1500 MHz, P25 with various NACs depending on what checkpoint they are at.

However the personnel who were carrying the new radios also had the larger XTS digital radios as well. Not sure how they are using them as most TSA checkpoint staff have no radios at all.

TSA in Portland also continues to use the 172.9000 MHz, N001 repeater with encryption enabled. A few units are still in the clear, but I suspect the encrypted traffic are some specialized units, perhaps assigned to the ports.