Pittsburgh Scanning Scene - Updated!

Just got home and had a great time at the Wings over Pittsburgh Air Show last Saturday. I even got to meet up with some of the local scanning group - it was great!
I caught part of the preparations for the All Star Game before I left, but the locals really helped and caught the activities during the events. Here's a quick update:

162.2250 MHz - Coast Guard patrols outside of PNC Park
163.1000 MHz - Federal Wide Area Itinerant - FBI D7
164.5500 MHz - OCDETF / FBI D1/D2
165.2875 MHz - ATF NET 1
166.4625 MHz - DHS Common / Treasury Common / FBI D3
167.5375 MHz - FBI D6
169.8000 MHz - Unknown, but likely FBI
409.3375 MHz - Federal Itinerant UHF repeater with OSCAR and LION callsigns, unknown agency
412.8375 MHz - Federal Itinerant UHF with the same units as on 409.3375, but simplex

A special thanks to members of the Three Rivers Area Monitoring Association group for their help!

More Coast Guard

I was in the Astoria, Oregon area this week and caught the USCG Cutter Steadfast, "El Tiburon Blanco", getting ready to ship out.

http://www.uscg.mil/pacarea/cgcsteadfast/main.htm

While in the area I caught some new frequencies (new to me anyway):

162.2250 MHz, 67.0 pl - Job Corps facility at Tongue Point
162.8250 MHz, 67.0 pl - Job Corps facility at Tongue Point
171.3500 MHz - USCG Air Station Astoria, Helo Maintenance - helicopters would call in with maintenance write-ups when inbound.

Most of the helicopter and surface ops were on the VHF marine channels, but I did catch Group Astoria ask one helo (6030) for a check on 5 Mhz - I did catch them on 5.696 MHz.

And finally, while watching the Steadfast getting ready to depart, I noticed that the guys on deck were using UHF hand-held radios. Found them on 464.5500 MHz, 67.0 pl !?!

Border Scanning - Updated

I'm based in Laredo, Texas for a few days and have started my usual spectrum sweep. Most of the Customs and Border Protection frequencies are still running analog DES encryption, no P-25 yet. I did note that the local ATF repeater is the only federal P-25 I've caught so far. One wierd thing I have run in to is a number of UHF frequencies that seem to be using something like ACSB modulation. I can't tell yet if it's English or Spanish...

Here's a quick list of what's been active:

162.8250 151.4 DHS CBP Border Patrol
162.8500 DHS CBP Border Patrol
162.8750 100.0 DHS CBP Border Patrol
162.9000 100.0 DHS CBP Border Patrol
163.6000 Voice inversion scrambling - may be Mexico.
163.6250 151.4 DHS CBP Border Patrol
163.6750 100.0 DHS CBP Border Patrol
165.2375 100.0 CBP Customs NET 1
165.2875 P-25 ATF NET 1
165.5625 Unknown
165.6875 100.0 DHS CBP Customs Inspectors
166.4625 CSQ DHS Common
166.5875 Unknown
168.1000 100.0 Unknown
168.8625 103.5 Unknown
169.1750 167.9 Dept. of Agriculture
169.4500 100.0 CBP Customs
171.5750 Unknown
173.7750 131.8 DHS CBP Border Patrol
406.4500 Sounds like a trunking control channel, but isn't.
408.3750 123.0 Link? Always active
414.4250 156.7 DEA HIDTA
415.2500 179.9 Unknown
415.5000 Unknown
416.3250 156.7 DEA OTAR
418.6750 156.7 DEA F4 Surveillance
418.9000 156.7 DEA Laredo repeater
419.1250 D465 Unknown
419.4250 156.7 DEA HIDTA

On the non-federal side, I discovered that the Cityof Laredo has a P-25 trunked 800 Mhz system up and running, new since I was here last. No info on Radio Reference yet, but I'll see if I can help submit some info.

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Memphis Federal Logs

Here's what I've logged after a couple days of searching:

163.4625 TN ANG BASE AT MEMPHIS INT'L
163.4875 100.0 UNKNOWN - STRONG SIGNAL DOWNTOWN
164.2000 ? MAY BE PAGING?
164.5625 UNKNOWN
165.7250 P-25 POSSIBLE INPUT TO 170.7500
168.0000 103.5 REPEATER
170.7500 P-25 US MARSHALS - COURTHOUSE SECURITY
173.1000 167.9 FBI REPEATER - CLEAR
406.0000 REPORTED AS SYSTEM 9106
406.1500 D073 VAMC - SECURITY REPEATER
407.1375 P-25 ENC
407.5250 REPORTED AS SYSTEM 9106
407.7500 ?
407.7750 P-25 ENC
407.9250 REPORTED AS SYSTEM 9106
408.2375 ?
408.2500 P-25 BOP TRS 9106
409.0125 P-25
409.0250 ?
409.2125 MOTO CC - SYSTEM 9106
409.4125 MOTO CC - SYSTEM 9105
410.4000 P-25 BOP TRS 9106
410.8125 P-25
411.1250 REPORTED AS SYSTEM 9106
415.1500 D073 VAMC - 406.1500 REPEATER INPUT
416.1375 P-25 POSSIBLE INPUT TO 407.1375

Memphis Fed Scanning

I'm based in Memphis, TN for a few days of work and have started my usual searches of the VHF and UHF federal bands.

To start with I'm trying to figure out the Bureau of Prisons UHF system here. Radio Reference lists a UHF trunked system for the Memphis Federal Correctional Institution, a Motorola 3600 baud system with a SYS ID of 9106. Here are the frequencies:
406.0000
407.5250
407.9250
408.2500
409.2125 - Control Channel
410.4000
411.1250

However, I'm picking up an addional control channel showing a SYS ID of 9105 on 409.4125 MHz. Anyone have any info on this system?

Justice IWN Update

The July issue of Monitoring Times and Fed Files will feature some information on the Justice Integrated Wireless Network Project. This week the Justice Department Joint Project Office has named two winners of the contract for the IWN systems:
http://www.fcw.com/article94863-06-12-06-Print

The JIWN Home Page hasn’t yet been updated as of this blog, but hopefully it will be soon: http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/iwn/overview.html
I’ve also received word that the Oregon state budget has received some funds from the JIWN project to upgrade Oregon state repeater sites for co-location of JIWN equipment. So it appears that the Washington State Pilot Project will eventually be extended south through Oregon.

Thanks!

A sincere thanks to all the Fed Files blog fans out there. I appreciate the updates to the frequency lists that I've been posting and I'll make sure the updates get incorporated in to the frequency lists.

Just a reminder that as a rule, I will NOT use your name as the source of any information unless you give me explicit permission!

Thanks again!

- Chris

US Coast Guard???

I spotted this info posted on Radio Reference a while back. It seems someone was programming up a bunch of HT1000 radios for "a Coast Guard unit" in the San Francisco Bay area. The frequencies are extremely bizarre to say the least:

430.5250
431.5250
432.7350
434.5250
436.7650
437.6250
438.5750
440.5325
440.5850
449.7125
450.5250
451.7625
455.5150
460.7750
465.5250
461.5250

Not only are these not allocated to Coast Guard usage, some of these frequencies aren't even valid US channel assignments!

Anyone want to have a guess at what they were using these for, or even if this is for real?

New York City Quick Scan

I'm spending a few days in the New York City area and have had some time searching the federal bands. Here's a quick rundown on what I've logged so far:












164.3375 D251 Repeater
166.3250 136.5 Repeater
167.1500 167.9 FBI - repeater with squelch noise, not DES
168.8250 P-25 Unknown - clear/encrypted surveillance
169.4125 P-25
170.4250 P-25
170.4500 P-25
172.4750 167.9
172.8250 P-25 FAA @ JFK
172.9000 P-25 TSA @ JFK
173.2000 Telemetry
173.6625 P-25 "Operations - Alpha 1"
406.1500 P-25
407.8125 Motorola control channel – Trunked System B12E
408.0000 151.4 Repeater
408.1000 P-25
408.1250 P-25
409.0250 110.9 Repeater
409.2750 127.3 Repeater
410.2000 127.3 USPS
410.9500 CSQ FAA Data
413.7000
413.8625 Paging
415.9500
417.2500 Analog repeater
418.2500 156.7 DEA (?)
418.3500 Motorola control channel – Trunked System 3517
418.9500 156.7 DEA - OTAR
417.2000 P-25 DHS Federal Protective Service

DHS CBP Channel Lineup

A few years ago I published this new list of DHS Customs and Border Protection frequencies. This list still comes in handy so I thought I'd post it. The frequencies and channel assignments remain current, the only change is the move to P-25 digital in some areas.

Repeater Out PL Repeater In PL Channel Name

165.2375 100.0 166.4375 100.0 NET 1
169.4500 100.0 171.0750 100.0 NET 2
165.2375 100.0 166.5875 100.0 NET 3
165.6875 100.0 166.2250 100.0 NET 4
164.6000 100.0 166.4875 100.0 NET 5
165.2375 100.0 166.4875 100.0 NET 6
165.4625 100.0 166.5875 100.0 NET 7
165.4875 100.0 166.5625 100.0 NET 8
165.6875 100.0 166.4375 100.0 NET 9
163.1250 100.0 164.3250 100.0 NET 10
165.7625 100.0 166.5875 100.0 NET 11
166.5875 100.0 169.5500 100.0 NET 12
165.4125 100.0 166.2250 100.0 NET 13
165.4375 100.0 166.3000 100.0 NET 14
162.0500 100.0 164.5750 100.0 NET 15
164.7750 100.0 165.9750 100.0 NET 16
165.2375 100.0 166.5375 100.0 NET 17
163.6250 100.0 162.8500 100.0 NET 18
163.6750 100.0 162.9250 100.0 NET 19
163.6250 100.0 162.8250 100.0 NET 20
163.6250 CSQ 162.8250 100.0 NET 21
163.6750 CSQ 162.9250 151.4 NET 22
163.6750 CSQ 166.5875 123.0 NET 23
165.6875 094.8 166.4375 100.0 NET 24
165.4875 100.0 166.9750 100.0 NET 25
166.3000 100.0 165.4125 100.0 NET 26
166.2000 100.0 168.0000 100.0 NET 27
163.1750 100.0 166.4875 100.0 NET 28
169.5500 100.0 166.1250 100.0 NET 29
163.2250 100.0 164.1000 100.0 NET 30
170.1000 100.0 166.4875 100.0 NET 31
165.4125 100.0 166.5875 100.0 NET 32
169.5500 100.0 170.1000 100.0 NET 33
162.3000 100.0 164.1000 100.0 NET 34
163.1250 131.8 166.5875 131.8 NET 35
170.7250 100.0 173.5000 100.0 NET 36
165.6875 100.0 170.1000 100.0 NET 37
166.1250 100.0 169.5500 100.0 NET 38
165.2375 100.0 166.4375 100.0 NET 39
165.2375 100.0 164.2500 100.0 NET 40
165.6875 100.0 170.1000 167.9 NET 41
165.5125 100.0 168.8000 100.0 NET 42
165.2375 094.8 166.4375 100.0 NET 43
162.6625 100.0 164.1000 100.0 NET 44
165.4375 156.7 166.3000 100.0 NET 45
164.1000 100.0 169.5500 167.9 NET 46
165.2375 100.0 172.3500 100.0 NET 47
169.4125 100.0 165.4125 100.0 NET 48
165.6875 100.0 166.5875 100.0 NET 49
162.2500 100.0 166.2000 100.0 NET 50
163.3000 100.0 169.4125 100.0 NET 51
165.2375 100.0 166.8750 100.0 NET 52
166.4625 CSQ 166.4625 100.0 DHS COMMON
166.4625 CSQ 166.4625 CSQ DHS INTEROP

165.2375 100.0 TAC 1
169.4500 100.0 TAC 2
164.6000 100.0 TAC 4
163.1250 100.0 TAC 7
165.4125 100.0 TAC 10
169.5500 100.0 TAC 19
165.7375 100.0 TAC 26

Travel Logs - Boston

While traveling for business, I always try and have a couple of scanners in the hotel searching out the federal VHF and UHF bands. I collect all the frequencies that show activity in what I call my "Travel Log". I keep logs for all the cites I travel to and then add them to a master database of federal frequencies.

Some frequencies are indentified by listening, some by cross reference from local info and some are just unknown. Here is the log from my most recent visit to the Boston area:

UPDATED June 6:

162.0500 DES US Coast Guard
163.1750 NPS
163.2625 P-25 VAMC Jamaica Plain
163.7500 P-25 DHS CBP
164.1750 151.4 NPS USS Constitution
164.4000 P-25 USSS Papa
164.6500 P-25 USSS Tango - Boston FO
165.2375 DHS CBP NET 1
165.2875 P-25 ATF NET 1
165.7375 P-25 DHS CBP
166.0000 151.4 NPS Lowell
166.0750 123.0 USPS?
166.3500 151.4 NPS Lowell
166.4375 Input to 165.2375 repeater
166.4625 DHS Common
166.5375 P-25 ATF Repeater in
166.7750 D532 NPS Boston
166.9500 141.3 NPS Boston
166.9500 151.4 NPS Lowell
167.4375 167.9 BAPERN link to 470.7875
167.4625 DES FBI Boston
167.4875 167.9 FBI Boston
167.8500 ?
167.9500 141.3 NPS Boston
169.3000 P-25 Input to 172.9 TSA repeater
170.3750 131.8 USPS Bulk Mail Center - truck movements
170.5750 151.4 USS Constitution
170.7750 ?
171.9750 151.4 USS Constitution
172.7750 P-25 See 163.750
172.9000 P-25 TSA at BOS Logan Airport
173.6125 118.8 USPS South Station
414.3500 ? DTMF Signalling
417.2000 P-25 DHS FPS
418.3000 82.5 US Postal Service - Postal Facility Security

Loxahatchee NWR

From a long time source in South Florida:

172.2750 MHz confirmed as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, in Palm Beach County. FWS personnel from Loxahatchee also administer Hobe Sound NWR, but I don't know if another freq is used up there (in Jupiter, FL). Input to 172.2750 MHz is unknown at this time.

BoP - Coleman

While going through some old notes, I found this information on another Bureau of Prisons UHF trunked system. This is located at the Coleman facility in Florida, near Orlando, http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/cox/index.jsp

Here is the system info:

407.0125 - Control Channel
406.8125
407.0750
408.6125
409.2125
410.0000
410.7000
410.8125

Reported to be both analog and P-25, which would be unusual. I have not monitored this system myself yet, but will check it out next time we're in the Orlando area.

Hanford DoE Fire Dispatch

In addition to the VHF trunking control channel I found at Hanford, I also monitored some conventional VHF traffic from there. The Hanford Fire dispatch came up on three frequencies at once giving a fire conditions forecast for the area. They were on 164.7750 MHz (110.9pl), 165.0250 MHz (192.8pl) and 173.1000 MHz (151.4pl). Later, there was a medical dispatch at the Hanford facility, and the dispatch and associated traffic appeared only on the 165.0250 MHz repeater.

Umatilla Tribal Fire

While driving through Umatilla, Oregon on my way back to Portland, I caught the evening fire tone-out test of the Umatilla Tribal Fire system. The tones and voice announcement were on 172.4250 MHz, with a PL tone of 103.5 Hz.

US Customs in Canada?

OK, here's something I've always wondered about. I occasionally travel to Canada on business,often passing through the Vancouver airport (great airport, by the way!). When coming back in to the US through Vancouver, you are able to pass through US Customs and Immigration Control while still in Canada. There are US Customs and Border Protection officers that work at the Vancouver airport processing the folks traveling to the US. I had not seen any sort of radios in use by the CBP officers in Vancouver until recently.

On my last return trip I noticed a VHF CBP radio at the CBP check point and wondered what frequency they might be using. Since Vancouver is not that far from the US border, could they be simply trying to hit a repeater in the US, or is there a repeater or remote receive site at Vancouver airport? They didn't use the radio while I was in the area, and searching the VHF federal bands produced a lot of extraneous traffic, as the Canadian band plan is totally different that the US.

So, does anyone have any indication of US Customs & Border Protection frequencies in use at the Vancouver International Airport???

New VHF Trunking System

During a recent trip through southern Washington state, I stumbled upon a new VHF P-25 trunking control channel. The frequency was 164.4125 MHz and appeared to be located at the Department of Energy's Hanford Reservation in Richland, Washington.

The control channel showed a System ID "def", WACN of 1 and Tower 101. The system appears to be broadcasting channel numbers instead of actual frequencies. This may indicate that the is an E.F. Johnson trunked system, as has been reported at other DoE facilities.

The system appears to be still in the early stages of being on the air, and no users were monitored while I was watching, but I'll be making some future trips to the area to check on the progress of this system.