Super Bowl Podcast

After my recent trip to LA for Super Bowl 56, I was a guest on Phil Lichtenberger’s Scanner School podcast. 

We talked at some length about the whole event and what I managed to hear. 

You can listen to podcast #221 at scannerschool.com:

https://www.scannerschool.com/scanning-at-the-super-football-game/

 

 

TSA UHF - UPDATES

 

The rollout of the new UHF radio systems for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) appears to be proceeding at a fast pace. 

So far we have found the frequencies of 406.7375/415.7375 MHz, P-25 using various NAC's. The P25 radio IDs are in the 8xxxx or 9xxxx range so far, but some radios are just showing a RID of 1.They appear to be using a repeater at the airport, but I have identified a simplex channel of 411.4875 MHz, using the same NAC at one of the airports listed below. More are likely to be found as I get more time at the airports to monitor. I suspect that the simplex channels will be available with multiple NACs in different zones of the radios, similar to what they used in the VHF channel plans.

Lots of questions regarding encryption - Yes the TSA has always had AES encryption available in their radios and the new APX radios are no exception. And like the other radios, the encryption is not forced on, so you will get some clear transmissions. 

(NOTE: Corrected the frequency pair listing above which started out as incorrect!)

Here is a list of what we have found active so far. I will update the list as new finds come in.

Airport                           P-25 NAC

AUS - Austin Bergstrom            N061

BOS - Boston Logan                N01C

BUR - Hollywood Burbank           N06A

COS - Colorado Springs            N076 

DAL - Dallas Love Field           N07C

DEN - Denver International        N016 

DFW - Dallas/Ft. Worth Int'l      N02A

EWR - Newark                      N03D

GJT - Grand Junction, CO          N243

HOU - Houston Hobby               N028

HPN - Westchester Co NY           N1CB

JFK - New York JFK                N02B

LAX - Los Angeles Intl            N031,N032

LGA - New York LaGuardia          N03A

MCO - Orlando Intl                N040

MDW - Chicago Midway              N070

ORD - Chicago O'Hare              N010

PHX - Phoenix Sky Harbor          N046

SAN - San Diego Intl              N0E0

SAT - San Antonio Int             N0DB

SFO - San Francisco Intl          N049

TUS - Tucson Intl                 N0F0  

NOTES:

 In addition to the repeater paired frequencies, here are simplex channels that have been confirmed:

409.4875

411.2875

411.4875

411.5375

414.6125 

414.6375 

414.9125

415.7375 

418.4875

419.6875

These channels may be used with multiple NACs at the various airport locations.

UPDATES!

On my latest trip through San Diego, the TSA at SAN airport were using 414.6375 MHz, with a NAC of N0E0. Encryption was not forced, so some clear traffic was heard.

I just noticed a posting from CARMA Chicago that they heard a tone on 406.7375 MHz, N293. Unknown if this is testing for a TSA repeater, but odds are that it is. Also unknown if this is O'Hare or Midway airport.

 

LAX TSA Now on UHF

While traveling through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) today, I noted that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents  in the Terminal 2 checkpoint had Motorola APX-900 radios with them instead of the BK Radios that they have been using for some years now. 

 I put one of the radios in my backpack into searching the UHF federal band and quickly came up with some encrypted traffic on 406.7375 MHz, with a P-25 NAC of N031.

 There may be additional UHF channels in use at LAX, but it will take some time to find them. But this frequency seems to be common for all TSA locations so far. The repeater input is 415.7375 MHz.

Super Bowl 56 Reports

 For those wondering, yes I was at Super Bowl 56 in Inglewood last week, and there was plenty to hear. I didn't publish what was happening in real time, but will have a full report in the April issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine. 

I would normally try and get it in the March issue, but due to editorial deadlines and the fact that the game occurred a week later than in past years, just made it too difficult to get done in time. 

I will share a picture of my work space at the stadium for the time I was on site!

Also some of the CBP helicopters that visited the stadium and dodged commercial traffic from LAX!

More UHF TSA Udates

 

 

I have recently received word of the new TSA UHF frequency being heard in the Houston, Texas area.

406.7375 MHz, was heard active with a NAC of N028. The report could not establish if this was from Houston Hobby airport (KHOU) or Houston George Bush Intercontinental airport (KIAH). It might be a common repeater for the area, and each airport may have addtional, simplex P-25 frequencies.

This makes the third or fourth city that has seen the new TSA channel active. Boston is using the same frequency with a NAC of N01C, Colorado Springs is using a NAC of N076. And someone posted on a thread about the TSA in Milwaukee that "Wisconson TSA has gone UHF", but no details were shared.

More updates as they come it!

Federal Protective Service (FPS) Changes?

I have been receiving  reports of some recent changes in the Federal Protective Service (FPS) radio channels in multiple cities. 

First, listeners were not hearing the normal FPS traffic on  410.8000, 410.7000, or 410.9000 MHz in the eastern Georgia region. After some additional monitoring, it was determined that they had changed  their P-25 Network Access Code (NAC) from N270 to N201. 

I also received word that a new FPS repeater on 410.8000 MHz, N201 was being used in the Chicago area. This seems to replace the long used FPS channel of 406.7000 MHz, N201.

Nashville, TN has also reported a new FPS presence on 410.8000 MHz, N201 as well, so maybe they are  attempting to coordinate everything into a regional or national channel plan. 

This may indicate other changes are afoot, so keep an ear on the federal UHF channels for any new activity.

 

 

Chicago Federal Logs

 

One of the great monitoring locations I have encountered in my travels is O’Hare airport in Chicago (ORD). There is so much going on there, not just with air traffic and airlines, but the public safety and federal operations are always busy. One of the ongoing mysteries for me is what frequencies are being used by which federal agencies at ORD? In particular, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Since the TSA moved to their newer P-25 radios a few years ago, they seemed to be hard to catch at ORD.

 

Chicago usually has plenty of federal activity, and here is a listing of what I have caught over my last few visits:

 

162.0625                     NC02              Customs and Border Protection @ ORD

162.8250                     NC02              Customs and Border Protection @ ORD

162.9500                     NC02              Customs and Border Protection @ ORD

163.1125                     N496

163.1375                     N293              Coast Guard NET 113

163.4750                     NC02              Customs and Border Protection @ ORD

163.6250                     NC02              Customs and Border Protection @ ORD

163.6750                     NC02              Customs and Border Protection @ ORD

163.7500                     NC02              Customs and Border Protection @ ORD

163.7750                     NC02              Customs and Border Protection @ ORD

164.2625                     127.3 PL         Department of Energy - Fermilabs

165.0750                     N03D              TSA at ORD Airport

165.8500                     NC02 

166.7375                     N03D              TSA at ORD Airport 

166.8125                     N167               FBI

167.5875                     N167               FBI

168.0875                     NC02

168.8875                     N653               Chicago Tactical North (CG-TAC N)

168.9125                     N653               Chicago Tactical South (CG-TAC S)

169.5750                     N156               DEA

170.3750                     N156               DEA

170.5625                     N156               DEA

170.6250                     N167               FBI

170.7250                     N167               FBI

170.8125                     N653               Chicago Command North (CG-COM N)

170.8500                     N864

170.8625                     N167               FBI

171.2875                     N293

171.4375                     N653               Chicago Command South (CG-COM S)

171.6125                     N167               FBI

171.6875                     N653               Chicago Command Central (CG-COM C)

172.2125                     N653               Chicago Tactical Central (CG-TAC C)

172.6625                     NC02              Customs and Border Protection @ ORD

173.1875                     N650               BATFE

173.8625                     N156               DEA

 

406.1125                     DMR

406.3375                     N482               Postal Inspection Service (PIS)

406.6625                     DMR-CC1      Federal Reserve Bank Branch

406.7000                     N201               Federal Protective Service, Chicago

407.0750                     DMR              

407.1250                     N396               BoP Metropolitan Correctional Center

407.7250                     N482               Postal Inspection Service

407.7750                     N482               Postal Inspection Service

407.8375                     N293

408.2500                     N396               BoP Metropolitan Correctional Center

409.9125                     N396               BoP Metropolitan Correctional Center

409.9500                     N396               BoP Metropolitan Correctional Center

412.9750                     N293

TSA on UHF Frequencies UPDATES!

Over the last year, there has been some anticipation over the move of the Transportation Security Administration to new radios. They had been seeking new UHF radios to replace their current VHF BK radios used in most airports around the United States. 

Today, I received word of some activity on a federal UHF frequency in the Boston, MA area that is likely a new TSA UHF repeater system at Logan Airport.

The active frequency was 406.7375 MHz, NAC was N01C. Radio IDs were in the 839xxx range. Clear testing was heard from locations around the airport terminals. Encryption was also noted. 

 The frequency is interesting as I have no reports on that frequency use before. It is listed in the NTIA documents as being paired with 415.7375 MHz for repeater use.

More on this as I receive additional reports.

UPDATE 11/23/21 - Colorado Springs, CO is now using 406.7375/415.7375 repeater with a NAC of N076.

And thanks to all my anonymous sources!

 

NIFOG 2.0 Available

The latest version of the Department of Homeland Security National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG) is now available for download. You can find this PDF file at this link:

 https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/NIFOG%20Ver%202.0_508%20version_FINAL_9_23_2021_%28signed%29.pdf

The electronic version is also available at the Apple App store and Google Play for your mobile devices:

Apple

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/enifog/id1231552691 

 Google

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.saic.eNIFOG&hl=en_US&gl=US

FEMA Frequencies In Action

 

Recent events in the South Florida area prompted requests from readers for information on the frequencies used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

 

At 1:23 AM on June 24, 2021, a large section of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside, Florida, collapsed. Nearly 100 people lost their lives in the collapse. The response to the building collapse was massive, with not only Miami city agencies and Florida state agencies responding, but quite a few federal agencies sent teams of personal and equipment in. On June 25, President Biden signed an Emergency Declaration authorizing federal assistance to local and state resources.  

FEMA can show up in nearly any federal frequency band, but their primary frequencies of choice these days is in the 400 MHz federal band. All communications are likely P25 digital and encrypted. FEMA has also been observed handing out Motorola DTR710 900 MHz spread spectrum frequency hopping radios in some situations. In addition to the FEMA channels, be sure and keep a watch on the VHF and UHF interoperability frequencies found in the DHS National Interoperability Field Operations Guide, or NIFOG. Radios deployed at disaster sites will have all the NIFOG channels available for use.

 

Here is a listing of known FEMA radio frequencies that were probably in use in South Florida and can be used in any disaster response. The P-25 digital channels will often be used with a Network Access Code (NAC) of N421, but other NACs have been observed in some situations. All of these can be used as repeater pairs (inputs are usually +9 MHz in the UHF band), or any frequency can be simplex:

 

406.2625           N421     FEMA 01/02

406.4500

406.4625

406.6500

406.6750

406.7000

406.7250

406.7500

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

407.5250

407.6625           N421     FEMA 05/06

407.8000
407.8500

407.9000

407.9250

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

409.1500

409.2000

409.2625                         USAR

409.3375

409.4625           N421     FEMA 11

409.6625                         USAR

409.7250

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

414.9125

414.9375

414.9500

414.9625

415.2625

415.4625

415.6500

415.6750

415.7000

415.7250

415.7500

415.8625

416.0625

416.2625

416.4500           N421     FEMA INPUT

416.4625

416.5250

416.6625

416.8000

416.8500

416.9000

416.9250

417.0625

417.2625

417.2875

417.8625

418.0625           N421     FEMA 08 INPUT

418.0750

418.1500

418.2000

418.2625

418.3375

418.4625           N421     FEMA 11 INPUT

418.6625

418.7250

418.8625           N421     FEMA 05 INPUT

419.2625

419.4625           N421     FEMA 02 INPUT

419.6625           N421

419.8625           N421     FEMA 14 INPUT

 

I will continue to update my FEMA frequency listings on the Fed Files Blog page, which can be found here: http://mt-fedfiles.blogspot.com/p/fema-frequencies.html

Government Master File

For those who may have missed the discussions on Radio Reference or in the pages of The Spectrum Monitor magazine, there has been a redacted version of the Government Master File of federal radio frequencies made available on line. 

 

The web site Government Attic obtained the unclassified portion of the GMF and posted it on their site. The first page of the PDF file indicate that Government Attic requested the GMF copy from the Department of Commerce through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The request was submitted on May 19 and was released on June 25, 2021. 

 

 Here is a link to the file if you wish to download it for yourself:

https://www.governmentattic.org/41docs/NTIAgovtMasterFile_2021.pdf

 

The released PDF file is 82 megabytes large and contains over 15,500 pages of text information from the GMF, although some have noticed that there are some blank and duplicate pages in this file. It is important to note that this is only a portion of the entire Government Master File, a portion that had been unclassified for release. 

 

Those who are in the know say that this release is only about 20 percent of the entire file. The entire GMF is quite large and is only available to persons or organizations who hold a government security clearance. Sensitive frequencies used by agencies of the Justice Department, Homeland Security, Department of State, etc., are all redacted from this document.

 

Despite being heavily edited, there are some interesting federal frequencies listed for various offices and agencies that you may not have known about before, so definitely check it out if you have time to look through the file. 

Since this version of the GMF extract is a PDF file, your PDF reader program should have a search function built in. I have found that to find a specific frequency, you can search for “M162.5500”, with M standing for Megahertz and K for kilohertz. You can search for city names or federal facility names or locations.

 

"New" P-25 TDMA Control Channel In Use

This is not federal or military specific, but interesting none the less. 

A recent discovery of a new type of P-25 trunking control channel has sparked some developments in the various monitoring and analysis software solutions. 

It seems that a couple of new Harris P-25, phase 2 trunked radio systems for energy companies have started using the same TDMA modulation for the control channel data as is used for the voice frequencies. Traditionally, the control channels in P-25 phase 2 trunked systems have used FDMA modulation for the control channel data. This is potentially a big change for all P-25 trunked system monitoring, although it appears to be an option for newer systems that are being built out now and is not likely to start showing up on existing public safety radio systems.

Here is the Radio Reference forum thread with more specific information on what was found:

https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/p25-tdma-control-channel-decoding-requesting-help-from-experts.429312/ 

The Bluetail Technologies forum also seems to indicate they have added TDMA control channel support for their SDR receivers:

https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/tdma-control-channel-support.429563/#post-3544536

GMF on Government Attic Web Site

The web site "Government Attic" has posted a PDF of some of the NTIA Government Master File (GMF). This file contains license and associated frequency information for federal agency radio frequencies.

This file appears to have been obtained via a Freedom of Information request.  I have known several people who were able to obtain this same information by filing a federal FOI request. 

Remember that this is the unclassified section of the GMF and contains no real information on federal law enforcement agencies or their radio systems. Even with that said, there are many interesting tidbits of federal frequency usage by other agencies.

 https://www.governmentattic.org/41docs/NTIAgovtMasterFile_2021.pdf

Bonneville Power Administration

Back in February, I mentioned in The Spectrum Monitor column that the Bonneville Power Administration was in the process of expanding their radio network. The BPA, part of the Department of Energy, is responsible for distributing power generated by some of the hydroelectric facilities in the Pacific Northwest. The BPA operated in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and parts of California and Montana.

Here is a list of what might be in use once the project is completed:

168.2250         CA, CO, ID, MT, OR, WA

168.3250         ID, MT, OR, WA

172.5000         ID, MT, OR, WA

172.5250         ID, MT, OR, WA, WY

172.5750         CA, ID, MT, OR, WA

173.0625         Beverly, WA

173.1125         Boistfort Peak, Deer Creek, WA

173.1375         OR, WA

173.1500         ID, OR, WA

173.1625         MT, WA

173.1750         Capitol Peak, WA

173.1875         Targhee Substation, ID

173.4500         Capitol Peak, Sickler Substation, Teanaway, WA

173.4750         Blacktail Peak, MT, Central Ferry Substation, WA

173.5500         MT, OR

173.5750         Stampede Pass, WA

173.6000         Sunnyside, WA

173.6125         Mt. Hebo, Shaniko, OR

173.6375         Bald Mountain, MT

173.6500         Calx Mountain, MT, Augspurger Mountain, WA

173.7125         Beverly, WA

173.7250         Haystack Butte, WA

173.7375         Bald Mountain, MT, Cougar, West Portland, OR

173.7500         Roosevelt, Tunk Mountain, WA

173.8000         Hilltop Substation, CA, Ripplebrook, OR

173.8125         Skyrocket, WA

173.9500         Malaga, WA

173.9750         Ripplebrook, OR

 

406.1875         ID, OR

407.4000         ID, WA

415.1875         ID, OR

416.4000         ID, WA

Super Bowl LV in Tampa

Just a quick note that Super Bowl LV is near at hand and I am in the middle of the broadcasting of the big game. It's going to be a little different this year with very limited crowds and social distancing within our work areas at the stadium.

We've already had the usual parade of DHS helicopters orbiting the stadium each day, as well as the Department of Energy survey helicopter looking at background radiation levels.

I will have more of what I saw and heard in March edition of The Spectrum Monitor magazine!

 

 

 

Department of the Interior Radio Systems

 

Here is a recent article addressing the woes of the Department of the Interior and their various radio systems for the various agencies within the DoI;

https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/536947-the-dangers-of-the-department-of-interiors-radio-system#.YBuBSzn8g1w.twitter

The article mentions an audit by the Office of the Inspector General of the DoI from 2007:

https://www.doioig.gov/sites/doioig.gov/files/2007-G-00042.pdf

And the subsequent verification review in 2017:

https://www.doioig.gov/sites/doioig.gov/files/RadioCommunicationsProgramVerificationReviewPublic.pdf  

And an example of the difficulties of some of the users of the DoI radio systems:

http://aparkrangerslife.blogspot.com/2010/08/radio-communications-park-rangers-life.html

New CBP/FBI Aircraft Call Signs?

Amongst the flurry of activity surrounding the 59th Presidential Inauguration, there were reports that some different radio call signs heard being used by some federal agencies.

Although probably not related to the Inauguration activity, a reported FBI aircraft was heard using the call sign of KONA. This was seen reported on some social media postings.

And there were several reports of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) aircraft using the call sign of TROY. The aircraft using this call were reportedly the slick, dark colored Sikorsky S-76 helicopters seen around the Washington, DC area - https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/33136/the-curious-case-of-customs-and-border-protections-mysterious-unmarked-s-76-helicopters

While the FBI has several call signs they have been known to use, including ROSS, JENA and others, the CBP aircraft usually answer to the OMAHA call sign, but have been known to use special, mission-related calls. 

We will see what comes up in Tampa at the upcoming Super Bowl game.

CHM Inaugration 2021 Edition

 

 The latest edition of the Capitol Hill Monitors Inauguration Special is now available for download.;

http://henney.com/chm/0121/chm0121.pdf

This is a tradition for the CHM group and offers a lot of monitoring information for the Washington, DC area during the planned activities for the Presidential Inauguration on January 20th.

This inauguration is poised to be very interesting for listeners in the DC area, with all sorts of additional agencies and  security operations planned. The newsletter offers a preview of what might be heard during the week and what has been heard in the past.

A special thanks for Allan Henney and the members of the Capitol Hill Monitors for their efforts to put this out.