Whistler Group Out of Business

According to posts on social media from National Scanning Magazine, the Whistler Group, parent  company of Whistler scanners, has apparenlty shut down operations. You can read some of the details here: https://natcommag.substack.com/p/scanning-whistler-apparently-out-of-business

For many months now, Whistler scanner users have been complaining about being unable to update their scanners from the on-line Whistler server, and there has been little or no new scanner stock available for some time. 

The Whistler scanner  line was previously manufactured and sold by the GRE Corp, but some years ago, GRE sold their IP and scanner line to Whistler Group, out of Arkansas. 

It remains to be seen if there will be any scanner manufacturers other than Uniden in the market.

End of National Radio Quiet Zone?

Community leaders and citizens in Pendleton County, West Original are growing weary of the longtime restrictions on communications equipment due to regulations surrounding the National Radio Quiet Zone. There are discussions about lifting some of the restrictions or ending the quiet zone altogether:

 https://wvmetronews.com/2024/09/04/pendleton-county-leaders-want-an-end-to-radio-quiet-zone/

The area has strict limitations on the amount of power for transmitters of radio signals and RF frequencies. The restrictions have been in place for decades to protect the work of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, West Virginia.

 

 

 

CBP Aerostats May Be Upgraded

 

The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense are working on plans to upgrade the surveillance blimps along the Southwest border regions.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/southwest/surveillance-blimps-on-southwest-border-could-be-upgraded-lawmaker-says/

The status of the aerostat blimps has been in some question since there have been several blimps damaged or destroyed recently. And the DHS has began upgrading the border areas with more ground-based electronic surveillance systems.

USCG Grounds Helicopters, Shortens Service Life

An interesting article recently appeared that states the Coast Guard is reducing the service life of their MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters from 20,000 hours to 19,000. It appears that maintenance issues have cropped up in older air frames and the reduction is in anticipation of a rebuild program with Sikorsky Aircraft, a division of Lockheed Martin. 

 https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2024/08/30/us-coast-guard-cuts-mh-60t-jayhawk-service-life-grounds-helicopters/

MYSTERY FREQUENCY 172.4000 MHz

Reports of activity on172.4000 MHz, N088 in the Long Island, NY region. No other information was provided. 

For what it's worth, the frequency of 172.4000 MHz is assigned to mostly US Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior agencies;
Animal/Plant Health Inspection Service
US Forest Service,
Bureau of Reclamation
International Boundary and Water Commission,
National Park Service
Soil Conservation Service

There are a few allocations to the US Army in New Mexico.

I have logged the N088 NAC a few times in Pennsylvania, and around the DC area out by Dulles airport, but not on this frequency.

MYSTERY FREQUENCY - 166.1125 MHz

 During a recent POTUS motorcade in Delaware, a listener caught a Close-Call hit on 166.1125 MHz, N001. This has not been noted previously as a Secret Service or White House Communications Agency frequency in the past. 

This frequency has no previous records to any federal agency in the NTIA data I have seen, so this may be a new assignment. As to who or what it is used for, remains to be seen.

MYSTERY FREQUENCY - 168.2250 MHz

I recently saw a report of activity noted on 168.2250 MHz, P25 with a NAC of N001 during an Executive Branch Secret Service motorcade. 

I have not logged that frequency as associated with the Secret Service or White House Communications  Agency before. But I have logged it on previous visits to New York City (FBI) and Pittsburgh (FBI), Nashville, TN (unknown with a NAC of N555) and around the Washington, DC area, where it was in analog with a PL tone of 151.4. 

My records have this frequency assigned to multiple federal agencies, including:

Air Force

Army

Bureau of Land Management

Department of Energy

Justice Department - FBI

US Fish and Wildlife

US Geological Survey

Interior Department (Nationwide)

National Park Service

US Post Office

State Department

Anyone hearing this frequency near you?

MYSTERY FREQUENCY - 406.2875 MHz

I have had reports over several years of activity noted on 406.2875 MHz. My records did not have this assigned to any specific federal agency, but monitoring notes from various locations do record some activity on this frequency.  

Treasury/IRS Philadelphia, PA DMR

Federal Bureau of Prisons, Butner NC - part of the prison trunked system

Florida - Unknown location using DMR, heard in Orlando

Texas - Unknown location using DMR, heard in San Antonio 

Houston, TX - Heard over several years in analog using DCS 205, possible National Guard 

Kansas City, MO - Unknown agency using P25 with a NAC of N293 

Anyone else hearing activity on this frequency? 

ICE Rebranding Itself

It appears that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is attempting to re-brand themselves to help in their investigations.

 https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/homeland-security-agency-ice-rebrands-aid-investigations/story?id=109510154

DEA Aviation Division

I found some information about the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Aviation Division and what aircraft are used as well as where they operate from.:

http://dcnewsroom.blogspot.com/2023/12/dea-contract-documents-provide-detailed.html

And some additional information on DEA leases for hanger space:

https://dcnewsroom.blogspot.com/2020/10/atlantic-aviation-hanger-lease-for-dea.html

The DEA air assets are often heard using the FLINT call sign. Some sources believe that FLINT stands for FLying INTelligence.