Federal Emergency Frequencies

In the April issue of The Spectrum Monitor, I presented possible frequencies that would possibly be used, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are some potential monitoring targets for federal agency activity in areas in which federal agencies are supporting public health issues. First is the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). While their day-to-day activity probably does not have many two-way radios involved, they do have emergency response teams and those teams do have radios. Here are the frequencies allocated to HHS;

30.420

30.430

34.050

36.180

36.220

36.250

36.270

36.350

36.750

38.830

40.370

41.350

41.390

41.430 (Nationwide)

41.470 (Nationwide)

41.530 (Nationwide)

41.650 (Nationwide)

41.690 (Nationwide)

41.790 (Nationwide)

41.830

163.0000

163.0750

163.1750

163.2500 (Nationwide Medical Paging Allocation)

163.3000

163.3750

163.7000

164.3000 (Nationwide)

164.5250

164.7000

164.8000

164.9625

164.9875 (Nationwide)

165.0625

165.2625

165.3125

165.3375

166.1000

166.8250

168.0000

168.3250

168.5250

169.6250

170.1250

171.2375 (Nationwide – shared)

171.7250

172.3000

172.7750

407.7000 / 416.7000

408.0500 / 417.0500

409.0000 / 418.0000

410.0250 / 419.0250

410.2000 / 419.2000

410.2250 / 419.2250

410.4000 / 419.4000

410.4250 / 419.4250

411.2250 – Simplex

411.4500 – Simplex

411.8250 – Simplex

413.4500 – Simplex

413.8750 – Simplex

415.4000 / 406.4000

415.8250 / 406.8250

415.9250 / 406.9250

416.9750 / 407.9750

417.6500 / 408.6500

417.7000 / 408.7000

419.1500 / 410.1500

419.6000 / 410.6000

419.6250 / 410.6250

419.8000 / 410.8000

Here is a listing of what was found in an HHS radio channel load at one time and may still be in use. Note the HHS National TAC channels:

409.0000         N293   K2

419.6000         N392   K3

409.2000         N447   K4

418.2000         N744   K6

409.0500         N447   K7

418.0500         N744   K9

409.3375         N447   K10

418.3375         N744   K12

412.8250         N447   K13

412.8500         N447   K14

412.8375         N447   K15

412.8625         N447   K16

412.8500         N068   HHS NTAC 1

413.0500         N068   HHS NTAC 2

413.8125         N068   HHS NTAC 3

417.7000         N068   HHS NTAC 4

In addition to the HHS channels, be sure and listen for activity on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Here are some of the confirmed UHF channels, although FEMA has equipment that can use any VHF or UHF band channels as needed:

138.0250

138.4625

138.6625

138.8875

140.5125

140.7125

141.4500

143.4625

143.8875

148.3000

149.0250

150.4500

150.5125

150.6625

406.2625           N421     FEMA 01/02

406.4500

406.4625

406.8625                         National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)

407.0625           N421     FEMA 03/04

407.1250                         NDMS

407.2625

407.4500           N421     FEMA 11/12

407.4625

407.6625           N421     FEMA 05/06

408.0625

408.2625

408.8625           N421     FEMA Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) 01

409.0000           N447     FEMA NDMS

409.0500           N447     FEMA NDMS

409.0625           N421     FEMA 07/08

409.0750                         NDMS

409.2625                         USAR

409.3375

409.4625           N421     FEMA 11

409.6625                         USAR

409.8625           N421     FEMA 05

410.2625                         USAR

410.3375           N447     FEMA NDMS

410.4625           N421     FEMA 09/10

410.6625                         FEMA Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)

410.8625           N421     FEMA 14

412.4375

412.8250

412.8375

412.8500

412.8625

412.8750

412.8875

412.9000

412.9125

415.2625

415.4625

415.8625

416.2625

416.4500           N421     FEMA INPUT

416.4625

416.6625

417.2875

418.0625           N421     FEMA 08 INPUT

418.3375

418.4625           N421     FEMA 11 INPUT

418.8625           N421     FEMA 05 INPUT

419.2625

419.4625           N421     FEMA 02 INPUT

419.6625           N421

419.8625           N421     FEMA 14 INPUT

In addition to these frequencies, the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) has allocated a number of VHF and UHF channels for federal agency interoperability. This allows different federal agencies some common radio channels where none had previously existed. Here are the current NTIA allocated Federal Interoperability frequencies, and these can be found in the NIFOG document I mentioned earlier:

162.0875         1FCAL-35

162.2625         1FCAL-36

162.8375         1FCAL-37

163.2875         1FCAL-38

163.4250         1FCAL-39

164.7125         1FCAL-40

165.2500         1FCAL-41

165.9625         1FCAL-42

165.5750         1FCAL-43

167.0875         1FCAL-35D

167.0875         LE-1

167.2500         1FLAW-36D

167.2500         LE-2/LE-6

167.3250         1FCAL-44

167.7500         1FLAW-37D

167.7500         LE-3/LE-7

168.1125         1FLAW-38D

168.1125         LE-4/LE-8

168.4625         1FLAW-39D

168.4625         LE-5/LE-9

169.5375         1FCAL-40D

169.5375         NC-1

170.0125         1FTAC-41D

170.0125         IR-1/IR-6

170.4125         1FTAC-42D

170.4125         IR-2/IR-7

170.6875         1FTAC-43D

170.6875         IR-3/IR-8

173.0375         1FTAC-44D

173.0375         IR-4/IR-9

           

409.9875         4FLAW-46D

409.9875         LE-10/LE-16

410.1875         4FLAW-47D

410.1875         LE-11/LE-17

410.2375         4FCAL-52D

410.2375         IR-15

410.4375         4FTAC-53D

410.4375         IR-10/IR-16

410.6125         4FLAW-48D

410.6125         LE-12/LE-18

410.6375         4FTAC-54D

410.6375         IR-11/IR-17

410.8375         4FTAC-55D

410.8375         IR-12/IR-18

413.1875         4FTAC-56

413.1875         IR-13

413.2125         4FTAC-57

413.2125         IR-14

414.0375         4FCAL-45D

414.0375         LE-B

414.0625         4FLAW-49

414.0625         LE-13

414.3125         4FLAW-50

414.3125         LE-14

414.3375         4FLAW-51

414.3375         LE-15

419.1875         4FLAW-47

419.2375         4FCAL-52

419.4375         4FTAC-53

419.6126         4FLAW-48

419.6375         4FTAC-54

419.8375         4FTAC-55

419.9875         4FLAW-46

Some areas have had National Guard units activated to provide mostly logistical support for areas heavily affected by the COVID-19 virus. In addition to their normal unit communications, they could be using the frequencies listed above, and you might consider the following frequencies, which are allocated to federal government itinerant use by any federal government agency:

163.1000

163.7125        

167.1375

168.3500

168.5500        

168.6125        

173.6250        

407.5250        

409.0500

409.0750

409.3375

412.8250

412.8375

412.8500

412.8625

412.8750

412.8875

412.9000

412.9125

416.5250

418.0500

418.0750

418.3375