IRS - Heard Them Lately?

At one time, the IRS division of the Treasury Department was fairly active on their federal frequencies. Lately they seemed to have gotten harder to hear. Not much activity has been heard on their frequencies, but I don't think they've changed to different ones. It's just hat unless they have a major surveillance or warrant service going on, they just don't use the radios that often.

But keep an hear on their frequencies anyway, as you never know when they might get busy!

Here are the frequencies that have been identified as being allocated to and used by the Treasury Department, and specifically the IRS:

163.1000

163.1250

164.1000

164.2500

164.5375

165.1000

165.3375

165.4125

165.4625

165.9125

165.9500

166.0000

166.2000

166.4625

166.5375

166.5875

166.9750

167.0000

167.1000

167.1500

167.9750

168.3500

172.6375

173.0250

173.8625

406.4250

406.5500

406.7250

406.8000

406.8750

407.8000

408.4000

408.6500

409.1000

409.1750

409.2000

409.2250

409.2500

409.7750

409.8750

411.1250

411.5250

411.5500

412.2250

414.3250

414.7000

414.7500

414.9000

415.0000

415.1000

415.4250

415.5500

415.6000

415.7250

415.8000

415.8750

416.0500

416.2000

416.3250

416.8000

417.0250

417.6500

417.7250

417.7500

418.0500

418.0750

418.1000

418.1750

418.2000

418.2250

418.2500

418.5750

Most IRS VHF P25 channels appear to be using a Network Access Code (NAC) of N100. There is evidence that the TIGTA (formerly IOG) operations are using a NAC of N1F1. And the primary repeaters for IRS operations may have adopted the system used by other federal agencies of using different NACs to access different repeaters on the same frequency. Here are some confirmed loggings of IRS channels around the country:

163.2125, N100 – IRS TAC 1, most likely a nationwide assignment

163.6375, N100 – IRS TAC 2, also nationwide

164.5375, N1F1 – IRS TIGTA

165.1000, N1F1 – IRS TIGTA

165.3375, N1F1 – Possible IRS TIGTA TAC channel

165.9500, N001 thru N010 – IRS NET 1, using various NACs

165.9500, N100 – Some areas used as a simplex TAC, or NET 1 repeater out

167.0000, N001 thru N010 – Input to the 165.9500 repeater using various NACs

172.6375, N1F1 – Input to the 164.5375 MHz repeater

Federal Use of DMR

In the January 2016 issue of The Spectrum Monitor, I listed a few confirmed frequencies that seem to be carrying a digital mode called DMR (the Digital Mobile Radio standard), or what Motorola sells as MotoTRBO digital mode. This was considered unusual for a while, as most federal agencies were required to use the chosen standard digital mode, which is APCO P-25. But some federal agencies are exempt from the requirement and buy whatever types of radios they can afford.

Here is that list and I ask that anyone who has stumbled across federal frequencies using DMR to pass them along ot keep the list up to date!

-->

165.4125         Narraganset, RI - Environmental Protection Agency

165.5375         Bedford MA - VA Medical Center Maintenance

171.3875         Mt. Hopkins, AZ - Smithsonian, F.L. Whipple Observatory

173.9875         Providence, RI - VA Medical Center Maintenance

406.1375         Philadelphia, PA

406.1375         Portland, OR

406.2875         Philadelphia, PA

406.3875         Washington, DC - U.S. Capitol

406.5000         Boston, MA

406.5375         New York City, NY

406.5375         New Orleans, LA

406.5375         St. Louis, MO

406.5500         Seattle, WA - U.S. Postal Service Operations

406.6625         Chicago, IL - Federal Reserve Bank

406.9375         Las Vegas, NV - U.S. Postal Service Operations

407.2500         Boston, MA

407.2500         Philadelphia, PA

407.2500         Seattle, WA - U.S. Postal Service Operations

407.3375         Los Angeles, CA

407.5375         Chicago, IL

407.5500         Chicago, IL

407.5500         Seattle, WA - U.S. Postal Service Operations

407.9375         Las Vegas, NV

407.9375         New Orleans, LA

407.9375         Federal Way, WA - U.S. Postal Service Operations

408.0000         Portland, OR

408.1000         Los Angeles, CA

408.5125         Washington, DC - U.S. Capitol

409.1375         Federal Way, WA - U.S. Postal Service Operations

409.4375         Vancouver, WA - VA Medical Center

409.7375         Los Angeles, CA

409.7750         Philadelphia, PA - IRS Facility

409.8375         Washington, DC - U.S. Capitol

413.5250         San Diego, CA

415.2500         Baltimore, MD

416.8375         New Hampshire, unknown location - U.S. Postal Service

Not on this list was some DMR activity heard in South Florida a while back on some known TSA frequencies. I had received information that the TSA was demoing the DMR radios as they were looking to purchase new equipment. The testing lasted for a short time and has not been heard since.

2016 - Where Are The Blog Posts?!?

Sorry to all of the Fed Files blog fans out there. I've been neglecting my blog postings for too long now, and will try and catch up with more information from the Fed Files and the Federal Wavelengths column.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I hope all the Fed Files fans and The Spectrum Monitor readers have a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

406.9375 MHz in Las Vegas Identified

For some time I have been hearing Moto TRBO (DMR) on 406.9375 MHz. I assumed for some time that it was related to the VA Medical Center in Las Vegas.

But now I am field testing a DMR capable radio and I can actually hear what is being said on the frequency, it appears to be the US Postal Service, probably a bulk mail center or main mail processing center. There were plenty of references to loading docks and trucks & trailers. But the big clue was references to "Reno Mail" being loaded.

So far, 406.9375 MHz is the only federal frequency in the area that I have found DMR digital traffic on, so I don't believe this is a trunked system.

More Federal Prison System Updates

It appears that the Federal Bureau of Prisons, part of the Justice Department, is continuing to upgrade their existing Motorola Type II trunked systems to APCO P-25 digital systems.

The Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Englewood, Colorado has recently moved to a P25 system, and here is the PRO96COM analysis of that system:

FileVersion:7
-TowerInfo
#This section is here for information only.  With the exception
#of the Call Sign(s), This data is not Read back into the program at all.
System ID             : 85D
System Name           :
WACN                  : BEE00
Tower Number (Decimal): 1-1
Tower Number (Hex)    : T0101
Tower Description     :
Control Capabilities  : Voice,Registration
Call Sign(s)          :
Timestamp             : Mon Oct 19 08:49:50 2015

-Tables
#Format: Table ID,Base Freq,Spacing,Input Offset,Assumed/Confirmed,BandWidth,Slots
04,380.00000,0.00625,10.00000,"Confirmed",0.01250,1
05,405.40000,0.00625,9.00000,"Confirmed",0.01250,1

-Frequencies
#Format: Channel,Usage,Frequency(/Slot),Input Channel,Input Frequency(/Slot),Input Explicit(1/0),Hit Count
"05-0322","c",407.41250,"05-0322",416.41250,0,0
"05-0620","vp",409.27500,"15-4095",0.00000,1,442
"05-0652","v",409.47500,"05-0652",418.47500,0,3
"05-0716","avp",409.87500,"05-0716",418.87500,1,46
"05-0824","av",410.55000,"05-0824",419.55000,0,43



 

CBP OAM changes to AMO

As of October 1, the Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine has changed their name to CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO).

The CBP operates one of the largest non-military air and naval forces in the world. More information can be found here:

http://www.cbp.gov/border-security/air-sea

Top 100 Military Frequency List

In the October issue of The Spectrum Monitor (http://www.thespectrummonitor.com/index.aspx), I  posted my attempt at an updated version of the Top 100 Nationwide Military frequency list. I started this years ago, and have updated it with some new frequencies that might be heard anywhere in the US. If you have any additions, corrections or suggestions, please let me know!

I will be updating the list as things change, and you can find the most updated version on the front page of the Fed Files Blog - http://mt-fedfiles.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
 
-->

Top 100 Military list:

40.5000           FM      FM Guard – All Agencies & Services

41.5000           FM      Army – FM Common           

121.5               AM     VHF Guard – All Agencies & Services

123.025           AM     Helicopter Multicom

123.05             AM     Multicom       

123.075           AM     Helicopter Multicom 

123.1               AM     VHF Search & Rescue (SAR) Common

123.4               AM     Informal Air-To-Air

123.45             AM     Informal Air-To-Air

126.2               AM     Military Control Towers VHF Common

129.525           AM     Air Force - Special Air Missions VHF Common

130.65             AM     Air Force - Air Mobility Command VHF

136.375           AM     Customs and Border Protection VHF Air “Company”

138.3               AM     Air Force - VHF Common

148.125           AM     Air Force - NORAD VHF

148.125           FM      Civil Air Patrol

148.150           FM      Civil Air Patrol

156.800           FM      Coast Guard - Marine Channel 16

157.050           FM      Coast Guard - Marine Channel 21A

157.075           FM      Coast Guard - Marine Channel 81A

157.100           FM      Coast Guard - Marine Channel 22A

157.125           FM      Coast Guard - Marine Channel 82A

157.150           FM      Coast Guard - Marine Channel 23A

157.175           FM      Coast Guard - Marine Channel 83A

165.2375         FM      Customs and Border Protection

166.4625         FM      Federal Government Common

226.1               AM     USAF - AIR-TO-AIR

226.2               AM     Informal Air-To-Air [SIERRA ONE]

226.4               AM     Informal Air-To-Air [SIERRA TWO]

228.8               AM     Air Force - NORAD Common

234.5               AM     Informal Air-To-Air

234.55             AM     Informal Air-To-Air

236.6               AM     Military Control Towers UHF

237.9               AM     Coast Guard - Air Operations Secondary

238.9               AM     Aerial Refueling

239.8               AM     Air Force - Weather

241.0               AM     Army - Air Common

242.4               AM     Army & Army Guard - UHF Common

243.0               AM     UHF Guard - All Agencies and Services

251.9               AM     Search and Rescue (SAR)

252.1               AM     Air Force Reserve - Command Posts

252.8               AM     Air Force - Air Mobility Command

255.4               AM     FAA Flight Service Stations - UHF

271.5               AM     Air Force - Air Combat Command Air-To-Air

277.8               AM     Navy Fleet Tactical Common

282.0               AM     Coast Guard - Air Operations Common

282.425           AM     Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine

282.7               AM     Aerial Refueling         

282.8               AM     Search and Rescue (SAR) Common

300.6               AM     Informal Air-To-Air [REMINGTON]

303.0               AM     Informal Air-To-Air [WINCHESTER / THIRTY-THIRTY]

308.35             AM     Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine

311.0               AM     US Air Force Air - Combat Command (ACC) Command Posts

319.4               AM     US Air Force Air Mobility Command (AMC)

321.0               AM     US Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC) Command Posts

326.15             AM     Coast Guard Air to Ground Primary

324.6               AM     Aerial Refueling

333.3               AM     Informal Air-To-Air [QUAD THREE]

333.35             AM     Informal Air-To-Air [QUAD THREE-FIVE]

333.55             AM     Informal Air-To-Air (FULL HOUSE]

340.2               AM     Navy Control Towers UHF

342.5               AM     Air Force - Weather

345.0               AM     Coast Guard - Air Operations Primary

349.4               AM     Air Force - Air Mobility Command Common

350.025           AM     Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine

351.2               AM     Air Force Reserve - Command Posts

352.6               AM     Aerial Refueling

360.2               AM     Navy Control Towers UHF

364.2               AM     Air Force - NORAD Air Intercept Command and Control

372.2               AM     Air Force - Dispatch Common

375.2               AM     Air Force - Weather

376.025           AM     Air Force - Air Mobility Command Common

376.075           AM     Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine

379.05             AM     Coast Guard - Air to Ground Secondary

381.3               AM     Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC) Command Posts

384.1               AM     Air Force - NORAD Air Intercept Command Secondary

384.55             AM     Informal Air-To-Air Common [PISTOL FIVE]

385.0               AM     Navy - Port Control Common

385.9               AM     Air Force Air Combat Command - Logistics

390.15             AM     Aerial Refueling - Boom Common

USAF Trunked System Expands in Colorado

It appears that the US Air Force is expanding their regional trunked radio system and will have Buckley Air Force Base moving off of the federally managed Front Range system.

The discussion of the recent changes can be found here:
http://forums.radioreference.com/colorado-radio-discussion-forum/317446-new-air-force-trunked-site-south-denver-metro.html

Indications from local listeners show that Buckley AFB will join Peterson AFB, Cheyenne Mountain and the Air Force Academy as part of a VHF/UHF, multi-state P-25 trunked radio system. You can see the system details here:
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=3593

For many years Buckley AFB was a subscriber to a UHF trunking system managed by the Federal Protective Service and shared with federal and military users. It appears that the military is consolidating their activity on their own radio system.

We will have to see what becomes of the UHF trunked sites that served Buckley to see if they are re-purposed for federal use or retired.

"New" trunked system in Southern California

On a recent trip the Los Angeles area, I stumbled upon a P-25 trunking control channel on 411.4500 MHz. I was located just south of the LAX airport in the Manhattan Beach area.

Using PRO96COM, I discovered that this trunked system was showing three frequencies, 411.4500, 412.4500 and 413.4500 MHz. The system showed a System ID of 001, Site 101 and WACN of 00001. The site status showed that it was in site trunking, and not networked to any other sites.

All of these seem to point to a site or system that was under test. While I monitored this control channel, there were no radio affiliations or other activity.

I have not seen activity on these frequencies in my past visits, but hopefully some of the folks living in the area can keep an ear on this and see what develops.

Portland Rose Festival Fleet Week 2015

   I'm usually out of town for most of the annual Rose Festival Fleet Week, but I just made it back to get a chance to watch some of the US Navy ships that were docked in Portland depart the area this morning.

   When heading across the river on Sunday evening, I was searching the 390-400 MHz band for any possible shipboard trunking systems, I came across an EDACS control channel on 397.6 MHz. This was coming from the USS Chosin, CG-65. I decided to try and come back to the area for the ships departure on Monday morning and see if I could figure out the trunked system setup.

   Came back early on Monday morning before the bridge lifts to let the ships head out to the Columbia River screwed up traffic too much, I found a good parking spot where I could see and hear the ships. I noticed right away that these shipboard trunked systems are not designed to carry very far, so even with the ship in sight, the signal strength from theses systems was pretty weak, but readable. I also discovered a second EDACS control channel belonging to the USS Cape St. George, CG-71.

   I monitored and searched the bands for a couple of hours as both the Chosin and the St. George departed and think I figured out the two Hydra systems. I was unable to fully confirm the system for the Chosin, so this is a best guess, but was able to scan and track the system for the St. George before she left port.

USS CHOSIN CG-65

LCN 1 – 397.6000

LCN 2 – 397.7500

LCN 3 – 399.1500

LCN 6 – 399.3000

LCN 7 – 399.5500

LCN 8 – 399.7500

USS CAPE ST. GEORGE CG-71

LCN 1 – 397.5500

LCN 3 – 397.9500

LCN 5 – 399.2500

LCN 6 – 399.4000

LCN 7 – 399.6500

LCN 8 – 399.8500

Other frequencies in use:

143.4750, 156.7 PL – Coast Guard Auxiliary  - repeater out

156.5500 – Marine Channel 11

156.6000 – Marine Channel 12

156.6500 – Marine Channel 13

156.8000 – Marine Channel 16

157.0500 – Marine Channel 21A

157.1000 – Marine Channel 22A

163.0500, N293 – USCG NET 112

Federal Acitvity at Mayweather Pacquiao Fight

On Saturday, May 2nd, what was touted as the Fight of the Century between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Due to the intense attention this event was bringing, there were some extra security measure taken, involving local law enforcement and even some federal agencies.

The TSA at McCarren Airport in Las Vegas was prepared for the onslaught of visitors to Las Vegas for the weekend of the event, as well as the flood of travelers leaving on the Sunday after the fight.

And it appeared that the FBI was maintaining some presence at the fight. On Friday, May 1, I heard several radio checks that seemed to come from near the fight location at the MGM Grand. I heard some references to downlink video being set up and heard one station ID as "Command Post". On fight day, I also hear some additional radio checks but nothing more. Fredquencies heard were 163.8875 MHz, N167 and 167.7375 MHz, N167.

I also heard some TSA units that were possibly on location at the fight venue, possibly members of the Behavioral Detection Unit (BDU). They were on 169.3000 MHz, N013.

Collecting Federal Radio ID's

In the May 2015 issue of The Spectrum Monitor, the Federal Wavelengths column featured my first attempts at collecting federal radio identification numbers or RID's. I've started a page here on the Fed Files Blog to collect and catalog the RIDs that have been collected. You can see a link to this page in the top bar of the blog home page, or follow this link:

http://mt-fedfiles.blogspot.com/p/federal-p-25-radio-identifications.html

I've just recently acquired a new Whistler WS-1080 scanner that displays RID's effortlessly, so hopefully I can add to this list more in the near future.

If you have any federal radio ID's that you would be willing to add to this catalog, just email me at the address on the blog front page.

March 2015 TSM Update/Correction

The March 2015 issue of The Spectrum Monitor is now available for publication. You can get a copy here: http://www.thespectrummonitor.com/index.aspx

In this issue I have some information on federal use of aviation resources and the frequencies that might be used. Unfortunately, one frequency got mangled in the publication process. The list of CBP AIR frequencies should have AIR 9 as 163.4750 MHz, N293.

You can check out the entire list in the CBP Updates tab on the blog home page: http://mt-fedfiles.blogspot.com/p/cbp-frequency-updates.html

FPS Atlanta Mystery

I am seeing reports on Radio Reference that the multi-site UHF trunked system managed by the Federal Protective Service (FPS) is not longer on the are in the metro Atlanta, GA area. Folks are asking what happened and where did the FPS operations go.

I haven't been down in the Atlanta area in a few years, but when I was there last, the Federal Protective Service appeared to be running a 4 site UHF Motorola Type II trunked system with both analog and digital voice. One of the subscriber agencies appeared to be Dobbins Air Force Base.
Here are the system specs as I had them:

FPS Atlanta
Motorola Type II
System ID - 750d
Voice NAC - N0d0
Site 1 - Atlanta
406.4125, 407.2125, 408.5375, 410.1250
Site 2
406.5625, 407.1625, 408.5625, 410.3625, 410.5625
Site 3
407.3625, 408.3625, 408.7625, 409.3625, 410.7625
Site 4 - Dobbins AFB
406.7625, 406.9625, 407.5625, 407.8625, 408.9625

Since my last time monitoring the system, it appears that Dobbins AFB has built out their own 380 MHz P25 trunked radio system, so they were no longer using the FPAS managed system.

Reports on Radio Reference include some VHF channels (173.7125, 173.9125 and 173.9875 MHz) that claim to be "TRS control channels", but are very weak in downtown Atlanta.

I suspect that if the FPS decided to dismantle the trunked system, they have probably returned to conventional UHF channels, most likely APCO P25.

Can anyone in the Atlanta area offer any further information?

UPDATE:
A listener in the area reports that the FPS is using 410.8000 MHz, N201 for their operations and has been for some time now. I checked my logs from my last trip to the area in 2012 and I did not get any hits on that frequency.

October 2014 Federal Wavelengths Correction

A sharp-eyed reader just brought it to me attention that there were a couple of errors in my listing of the frequencies used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the October issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine.

By all means, if you spot something with any frequency lists either here on the Fed Files blog page or in the pages of The Spectrum Monitor magazine, please feel free to let us know about it.

Here is the corrected list showing the correct EPA repeater input and output frequencies:

ZONE 2 – EPA Repeaters

Repeater Output   Repeater Input    Channel Name

173.8750, D731    166.4750, D731    EPA REPEATER

170.9750, CSQ     168.7000, CSQ     NI/CG REPEATER 1

170.4500, CSQ     168.1000, CSQ     NI/CG REPEATER 2

170.4250, CSQ     168.0750, CSQ     NI/CG REPEATER 3

168.4000, CSQ     166.6125, CSQ     NI/CG REPEATER 4

169.7500, CSQ     167.1000, CSQ     NI/CG REPEATER 5

173.8125, CSQ     168.4750, CSQ     NI/CG REPEATER 6

170.9750, CSQ                       NI/CG SIMPLEX 1           

170.4500, CSQ                       NI/CG SIMPLEX 2

170.4250, CSQ                       NI/CG SIMPLEX 3   

168.4000, CSQ                       NI/CG SIMPLEX 4

169.7500, CSQ                       NI/CG SIMPLEX 5

173.8125, CSQ                       NI/CG SIMPLEX 6

South Florida FPS Changes

In addition to the upgrades to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) radio network in Florida, it appears that the Federal Protective Service (FPS) has also upgraded to P25 digital.

410.8 MHz, N201 is now being used by the FPS in the Miami area. The same frequency is most likely used through out this FPS region. Some sites may have different NAC's.

You can read more about the CBP upgrades and frequency changes in the latest edition of The Spectrum Monitor, http://www.thespectrummonitor.com/index.aspx

CDC Frequencies

Some questions regarding the use of radios by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been posted in regards to the confirmation of Ebola in the Dallas, Texas area.

I know that the CDC uses federal UHF trunking at their fixed facilities around the Atlanta area. But a while back I posted possible CDC field use frequencies that might have been in use for the Swine Flu outbreak:

http://mt-fedfiles.blogspot.com/2009/04/swine-flu-frequencies.html

Department of Health & Human Services (All frequencies are in MHz);

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

Email Apologies To All

To anyone and everyone who might have been sending me emails to the chrisparris@thefedfiles.com address - I realized that I have not been seeing any emails from that address for a while and just assumed no one was sending me anything. But a Fed Files fan on Twitter asked about an email he sent that I hadn't seen on any of my computers or email devices. I discovered that my emails were just sitting there and I wasn't seeing them. I've been trying to catch up on these as I can. 

Please continue to use this email address for future communications: chrisparris@thefedfiles.com

CBP Florida Makes The P25 Switch

Over the last couple of years I have heard that the CBP was coordinating and installing new P25 digital gear in the state of Florida.

I just spotted a post on Radio Reference that indicates the Customs and Border Protection radio systems in Florida have finally moved towards the digital domain after being analog for many years:

http://forums.radioreference.com/federal-monitoring-forum/297786-news-flash-florida-bp-throws-p25-switch.html

There are what appear to be some of the new CBP DNET channels in the +170 MHz end of the band, so I will list them as they can be ID'd in the CBP Frequency Update area on the blog main page.

Air Force One Phone Systems

An interesting post has appeared on line about the new phone systems in use aboard Air Force One. It's an interesting read:

http://electrospaces.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-phones-aboard-air-force-one.html

There is also an story on something I've always wondered about, how they got a secured Blackberry for President Obama:

http://electrospaces.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-obamas-blackberry-got-secured.html

NIFC NATIONAL AIR-TO-GROUND FREQUENCIES

The National Interagency Fire Center maintains a standard issue of nationwide air-to-ground (A/G) channels for use in firefighting and other incidents on federal lands. I have been asked for some time if I had the complete list of these A/G channels, so I decided to sit down and go through all the materials I had access to and see if I could come up with a good list.

What I discovered is that there are some variations of these A/G frequencies, and even some official US government publications don't agree. So keep in mind that this list is not cast in stone, but may have some variations...

-->

A/G 01            154.3100

A/G 02            166.6375

A/G 03            166.6750

A/G 04            159.3450

A/G 04            166.6875

A/G 05            166.7500

A/G 06            166.8000

A/G 07            166.8500

A/G 08            166.8750

A/G 09            166.9125

A/G 10            166.9375

A/G 11            166.9500

A/G 12            167.0750

A/G 13            167.4250

A/G 14            167.5000

A/G 15            167.5250

A/G 16            167.9500

A/G 17            167.9875

A/G 18            168.0125

A/G 19            168.1250

A/G 20            168.1750

A/G 21            168.1500

A/G 22            166.6125

A/G 23            166.7625

A/G 23            168.5500

A/G 24            168.6375

A/G 25            168.7250

A/G 25            168.7500

A/G 26            166.6875

A/G 26            169.8750

A/G 27            166.8250

A/G 27            169.9500

A/G 27            172.2750

A/G 28            170.0000

A/G 29            170.5250

A/G 30            171.1375

A/G 31            171.5250

A/G 32            166.9625

A/G 32            166.9625

A/G 32            171.5500

A/G 33            171.5750

A/G 34            167.1750

A/G 34            171.7875

A/G 35            167.2250

A/G 35            172.2250

A/G 36            172.2500

A/G 37            167.3000

A/G 37            172.2750

A/G 38            167.3750

A/G 38            172.3250

A/G 39            172.4000

A/G 40            167.4500

A/G 41            167.4750

A/G 42            167.5500

A/G 43            167.6000

A/G 44            167.6250

A/G 45            167.6500

A/G 46            167.7000

A/G 47            167.7250

A/G 48            167.8875

A/G 49            168.0375

A/G 50            168.2750

A/G 50            168.2875

A/G 51            168.3125

A/G 52            168.3875

A/G 53            168.4875

A/G 54            168.5375

A/G 55            168.5625

A/G 56            168.6625

A/G 57            168.0875

A/G 57            168.7250

A/G 58            168.0875

A/G 58            169.0875

A/G 59            169.1125

A/G 60            169.1250

A/G 61            169.2875

A/G 62            169.3625

A/G 63            171.4250

A/G 64            171.4750

A/G 65            172.3750

A/G 66            166.6750

A/G 67            159.2250

A/G 68            159.3900

A/G 69            159.4500

A/G 70            167.9500

A/G 71            168.6750

A/G 72            169.1500

A/G 73            169.2000

Some additional information on these and other NIFC assignments can be found on the Radio Reference wiki page here:

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php?title=National_Incident_Radio_Support_Cache&diff=98706&oldid=98699

USFS Air Tanker Base Frequency Updates

The US Forest Service has released some frequency updates for the various air tanker bases around the country. Here is the link to the update:

http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/av_safety/promotion/Information_Bulletins/IAIB%202014-01%20AT%20Base%20Freq%20changes.pdf

NIFOG 1.5 Available

The latest version of the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG) is now available for downloading. You can find links to the various formats of downloads here:

http://www.dhs.gov/national-interoperability-field-operations-guide

This new version contains updated information as well as new information that anyone interested in communications monitoring will find useful.

WHCA Blog

I just stumbled upon a blog page that I haven't seen before. It has some interesting information about the White House Communications Agency (WHCA) history and some interesting facilities and photos. Check it out here:

http://whcacannonball.blogspot.com

BATFE Update

Just as the May issue of The Spectrum Monitor came out, with my column concerning the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), I received an update regarding the channel usage by this agency.

For as long as I've been listening to federal stuff, the ATF has always used 165.2875 MHz as their primary channel. However, with the eventual refarming of the VHF 162-174 MHz federal band to make a standard repeater offset (see the January Federal Wavelengths column for more information), this was bound to change. Information is that at least one major metro area, the ATF has already changed their primary repeater output to 170.9625 MHz, N650 with 165.2875 MHz as the input frequency. I have not run into this change in my travels yet, but will definitely keep an eye out for it.

SoCal DEA going VHF?

I just caught some traffic on a VHF channel with some radio techs regarding receive sites and signal strengths as well as a radio interface bridge. The conversation was on 173.1625 MHz, N156, and I only heard one side of the conversation most of the time, but did hear a couple of replies from a field unit. I also heard one person ask if they were on the "APX" radio. APX is the Motorola radio series that features multi-band operation in a single radio.

This joins the frequencies of 170.6500 MHz and 170.9500 MHz that are most likely VHF DEA channels that have been heard in the Southern California area.

SoCal CBP Marine Common?

While in the Los Angeles area for work, I was picking up some of the many VHF P-25 frequencies being used throughout the southern end of the state by the CBP wide area system. This system is technically separate, but fiscally part of the Integrated Wireless Network (IWN). These are not trunked, but likely a vote-scan system used mainly by CBP Field Operations and Border Patrol. I have noted what is probable use by other agencies as well, such as Coast Guard and likely ICE.

I was checking what I was hearing against what I think is a pretty good source for the area, the SoCal Fedcom Blog, http://socalfedcom.blogspot.com. Among some of the updated frequencies, there is a reference to something the blog author is referring to as the MCS or Marine Common System. I would presume this refers to a common radio system for CBP, Coast Guard and other agencies working the various maritime operations.

Here are the frequencies noted as being part of the MCS:

162.6250 MHz, N820 - common input
171.3250 MHz, N820 - Mt. Solidad repeater
172.0625 MHz, N820 - Santa Ynez repeater
172.7125 MHz, N820 - San Pedro repeater

Reports indicate a fourth repeater located on San Nicolas Island, but the frequency is unconfirmed.

I'm still researching and trying to find more information on this system. 

UPDATE!

While searching early one morning in LA, I found 171.1875 MHz, N820 active with encrypted voice. This might be the missing San Nicolas Island repeater, as I had a nice marine layer working the day I found this!

New BoP System Near Philadelphia?

I'm monitoring a P25 trunking control channel in the Philadelphia area that doesn't match up with what I've heard in the past and is not listed on Radio Reference.

The control channel is currently on 410.0000 MHz, shows a System ID of 4C6, WACN of BEE00. The only system frequencies I have heard so far are 406.8125, 409.2125 and the control channel on 410.0000 MHz. The voice channel NAC is N4C1. These frequencies have been used in other Bureau of Prisons trunked systems in other parts of the country.

Anyone have any information on this one? I am guessing that the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia has upgraded their Motorola Type II trunked system to a P25 system on some new frequencies.

Harlingen TX Logs

I received a few frequencies logged from a friend on a trip down to South Padre Island and Harlingen, Texas. Here is what was picked up:

162.2875, NAC A50 - New CBP Border Patrol
163.1375, NAC 293 - US Coast Guard NET 113
163.4750, NAC A61 - New CBP Border Patrol
169.2625, NAC 293 - CBP OAM AIR 3
171.2375, NAC 293 - US Coast Guard NET 127
172.7125, NAC A60 - New CBP Border Patrol
410.4125, NAC 156 - DEA, new F11

Here are some additional CBP Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley area frequencies that have been posted previously:

163.0625, NA40
163.5250, NA10
163.6500, NA60
163.9750, NA21
164.4375, NA51
164.7375, NA41
166.9875, N310
168.3875, N312
169.5750, NA80
169.6000, NA20
169.6375, NA31 - CBP WESLACO 2
169.6625, NA30 - CBP WESLACO 1
170.1250, NA40
170.3375, NA50
170.4375, NA61
170.5375, NA40 - CBP HARLINGEN 1
170.9875, NA60
171.1875, NA20 - CBP McALLEN
171.1875, NB20
171.3250, NA11 - CBP RIO GRANDE CITY 2
171.3250, NA41 - CBP HARLINGEN
171.6625, NA12 - CBP RIO GRANDE CITY 1
171.6625, NA51
171.7125, NA22 - CBP McALLEN 2 
171.9625, NA10 - CBP RIO GRANDE CITY
171.9875, N311
172.2375, NC20
172.2625, NA21 - CBP McALLEN 1

Houston Federal Activity

I came across a couple of interesting posts regarding federal activity in the Houston, Texas area.

The first was some security detail activity on 168.3500 MHz, N100. Over the years I have caught several security details using this common federal frequency. In at least two cases it was the US Capitol Police providing security for members of Congress. However, I was not able to confirm the P25 NAC on those catches.

Best guess is that this Houston activity was the protective detail for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sebelius. The original poster also mentioned the code name FLOODGATE was associated with this detail.

Second catch from Houston was on 170.8500 MHz, N864, with some testing in the clear that identified this as "USMS Channel B", with USMS being the US Marshals Service. The P25 NAC of N864 has been speculated as being the US Marshals for a while, but not much has been provided for proof. This catch helps tilt the scales a bit towards confirmation.

New Federal VHF TRS

Some recent postings on Radio Reference are providing some details of a new VHF P-25 trunked system somewhere in northern Virginia. Here are the system details that are known;

System ID - 00A
WACN - 0000A
System NAC - 01F
Tower - 101

Main CC - 170.46250
Alt CC - 171.17500
Alt CC - 172.35000
Alt CC - 173.51250

All traffic has been encrypted so far, and no other towers appear to be a part of this system. Some have indicated the information gleaned from running the PRO96COM software package on this system show that it has APCO P25 Phase II TDMA capabilities.

I have noted that the System ID of 00A has shown up on several new trunked systems around the country and I had heard that this System ID is the "default" ID for Harris P25 systems.

I will post more information when it comes in!

US Capitol Police Trunked System

I saw a posting from Alan Henney about the new VHF trunked system in use by the US Capitol Police. The system is apparently in limited use and Alan was able to watch the system activity using PRO96COM software during the State of the Union speech on January 26th. Here's what he found:

System ID = 582
WACN = BEE00

Frequency       Input Frequency        Hit Count
172.6875        165.0875        193
172.3875        164.8125        184
172.9625        165.5375        183
173.1625        165.7750        12 (alternate control)
173.8125        166.4250        79 (alternate control)
170.1375        162.8000        199
169.5750        136.0000        191
173.4750        166.2250        42 (alternate control)
169.8375        162.6125        189
170.3750        163.1625        202
171.7875        164.6125        212
171.4125        164.3250        199
171.0000        164.0125        171
170.5750        163.6000        0 (primary control)

Alan also posted that the new system is being used along with the old, analog repeaters as well. So it appears that the USCP has not moved all operations to the new system full time yet.

Super Bowl XLVIII CAP Flights

It appears that the expected combat air patrol flights will begin with some training on Wednesday, the 29th;

"Individuals in and around the East Rutherford area can expect flights to begin Jan. 29 around 4:30 a.m. EST and continue for approximately one hour.
Exercise Amalgam Virgo 14-01, a NORAD air-defense exercise, will be conducted Wednesday in the greater East Rutherford area so interagency partners can practice procedures for responding to airspace violations."

http://www.norad.mil/Newsroom/PressReleases/tabid/3993/Article/7695/conr-to-fly-air-defense-exercise-in-preparation-for-super-bowl-xlviii.aspx

Super Bowl XLVIII

Things are starting to ramp up at Super Bowl XLVIII in E. Rutherford, New Jersey. The Department of Energy began doing aerial surveys of nominal radiation over most of northern New Jersey this week. Today (1/23) they were operating in the vacinity of MetLife Stadium, where the game will take place on February 2nd.