"VIPR" Airport Security Program

Local media is reporting an increase of federal law enforcement presence at the Portland International Airport (PDX) as part of a TSA program called VIPR. The program includes ramped-up security operations at randomly chosen airports and other facilities.

VIPR, standing for Visible Intermodal Protection and Response, has conducted missions at various events and transportation facilities over the last 18 months. The teams include canine teams, Transportation Security officers trained in behavior observation, air marshal supervisors, air marshals not scheduled for flights, surface transportation security inspectors and local police.

A quick search of the TSA web site (http://www.tsa.gov/) shows quite a few news releases on the VIPR program

VIPR Teams were also in Portland for the Rose Festival back in July, but local media did not report on this.

No specific communications frequencies have been noted, but increased traffic (encrypted) on the Justice IWN trunked system here in Portland may be a result of this operation.

More as it becomes available...

VHF EDACS Mystery Solved!?

It appears that our mystery VHF EDACS trunked radio system mentioned in a previous blog entry has been located. Someone tracked down the control channels on 173.4250 MHz and 170.7625 MHz, and they appear to be coming from the NASA Goddard Flight Facility at Wallops Island, VA:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/home/index.html

The NASA web site does not mention this trunked system specifically, but there are some interesting downloads containing information about the range and it's facilities:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/multimedia/index.html

The information about the location of these control channels also indicated that NASA security there continues to utilize their VHF conventional repeaters on 170.0000 MHz and 171.1500 MHz. A quick look at previously monitored frequencies at Wallops Island seems to show a lot of VHF usage in the same area as these trunked systems:

http://www.monitoringtimes.com/html/Monitoring%20NASA%20and%20Space%20Communications.pdf

We'll try and track down more information on this new trunked system and pass it along in a future Fed Files.