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