Monday, April 13, 2020

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