issue 40 - scanner digest
TRANSCRIPT
SCANNE PAGE 1
ISSUE 43 JAN-FEB-MAR 2008
R DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 43
♦ SWL WINTERFEST 21st ANNUAL Post Event Report by Alan Cohen ♦ STATEWIDE RADIO SYSTEM FOR MAINE by Loren Fields ♦ PUBLICATION REVIEW – PHILADELPHIA AREA COMMUNICATIONS GUIDE by Joe Cardani ♦ U.S. COAST GUARD’S - RESCUE 21 Program GENERAL EDITOR Jeff Newton
c/o Scanner Digest POB 207
Jamison PA 18929 [email protected]
As many scanner buffs attempt to construct a monitoring post it becomes important to get all the pieces together. Scanner radios can be purchased to cover a wide variety of radio communication systems that they’re attempting to monitor. Other important components of the system would be a outdoor mounted receiving antenna fed with a good quality transmission line. While doing a Google Video/YouTube search we came upon a great video that shows the installation of a connector onto a coax cable. Scott Robbins demonstrates and narrates the video and happens to do a great job. Video tips on soldering a PL-259 on a RG213 cable by W4PA can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1nabA6yMoI Asides from the regular searches we do to acquire information in the scanner hobby don’t forget that the various video sources are becoming very popular to display tips and tricks. Enjoy!
PUBLISHER Lou Campagna, Publisher
POB 207 Jamison PA 18929
[email protected] The timing of Issue 43 was late so we were unable to make notice of the annual SWL Winterfest 2008 in advance. We were however able to included a post-event review of this annual event. In a last minute effort, Alan Cohen was enthusiastic enough to put together a few comments about this year’s event along with some of his photos. Thanks Alan!
Winter SWL Festival by Alan Cohen KB3QLE Once again a great time was had by all who attended this event in Kulpsville PA. Over the past 21 years, I’ve attended a few and as expected, the turnout was great. Folks from all over the country as well as the world gathered together to promote the hobby. Festmeisters John Figliozzi and Richard Cuff once again coordinated a successful gathering for the 21 annual SWL Winterfest held at
st
The Inn at Towamencin in Kulpsville PA. The annual SWL Winterfest convention is the largest gathering of listeners to the radio spectrum — longwave, mediumwave, shortwave (broadcast, utilities, pirates), VHF/UHF, FM, scanners, television and satellites — in the United States, perhaps the world. About 200 persons from around the world attend each year. It is a nice way to break out of the doldrums of the northern hemisphere winter. Broadcaster representatives, clubs, and vendors attend. The gathering is sponsored by NASWA (North American Shortwave Association). A conference room was set aside for exhibits. Kim Elliott of the Voice of America hosts and conducts a continuous demonstration and tests of DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale). Tracy Wood (remote control in hand) explains to a few interested fest participants about satellite Free-to-Air (FTA) and radio broadcasts. On display various TV/ Radio programming from Argentina, Kuwait and Spain. ScannerDigest Newsletter
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SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 43 PAGE 2
Numerous vendor displays, station displays and club displays were being featured. Below is a photo showing a display from the America Radio Relay League (ARRL).
Canadian International DX had an impressive display.
Richard Cuff along with Shan Hassan from Eton introducing the new line of short wave radios from Eton & Grundig. There was also a very informative Q & A session following Shan’s presentation.
Ending Friday evening’s festivities was Allan Weiner as he interviews George Zeller. They were conducting a live remote broadcast over WBCQ www.wbcq.com on 7.415 MHz AM from a hotel room in Kulpsville PA. You can catch next year’s event by keeping a close tab on the events leading up to the 22nd annual SWL Winterfest by clicking on the official link below.
http://swlfest.com
MAINE Loren Fields
c/o Scanner Digest POB 207 Jamison PA 18929
Welcome to the Maine section! The major chatter is what new system the state of Maine will be going to. It is highly rumored that M/A-Com has won a bid to provide new radios to public safety. Initially this will involve the state purchasing a P-25-compliant gear at the outset, to include multiple tower sites, backbone systems, and 3000 mobile radios. These will eventually go to P-25. Pro-Voice and/or Open Sky is thankfully NOT an option. Those that follow radio industry chatter will attest to the fact that M/A-Com has yet to be paid for work done in Pennsylvania and New York because benchmarks have not been met. Oops! Hopefully the state of Maine hasn’t bought into a boondoggle, and M/A-Com doesn’t run out of money. Here’s a link to the VIDA system available from M/A-Com. I have no crystal ball that tells me if this will be implemented down the road or not: http://www.tycoelectronics.com/aboutus/news/prodnews.asp?id=991 Many will hearken back several years ago when the then-Major Jeff Harmon of the Maine State Police, along with others, wanted to create a “digital canopy” over the state. Terrain in Maine is not conducive to cell phones, let alone a brand-spanking new digital radio system. Thankfully that ill-thought-out concept died a slow death.
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The Regional Communications Center (RCC) run by the state of Maine is now dispatching Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office (159.090). This is located on Rt. 27 in Augusta, about 1 mile “up” from the I-95 Exit #112. It occupies the former SCI/Sanima manufacturing plant. The Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is co-located there as well. Kennebec dismantled their communications center at the end of January 2008. Many small towns originally dispatched by KSO were caught totally unawares by the KSO abdication of dispatching responsibilities. A cry has gone up from many taxpayers about the need for County government in light of the communications transfer. Their question is: “Why should the County still assess the same high taxes?” This only adds fuel to the fire for the dismantling of County government in general. I’ve included several different links below that cover the ongoing divisive debate. Make sure to read the commentaries if you have time. http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/4518970.html http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/4601461.html http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/4634081.html http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/4654427.html http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/4709759.html
Bangor International Airport and TSA The Transportation Security Agency is running P-25 on 172.900R. This is usually “in the clear” allowing a Pro-96 scanner or the Bearcat equivalent to pick it up. Traffic on that freq is mundane and boring, but proof that a federal presence is “out there.” Cumberland County SO LMR Channels The Cumberland County Sheriff channel will be a simulcast repeater channel that the dispatch center will use for Sheriff voice communications. The other two simulcast repeater channels will be a county wide law enforcement channel and a county wide Fire/EMS channel for redundant backup to existing municipality's current systems and for radio interoperability when mutual aid coordination is needed. The actual frequencies to be used are as follows: 1. TX=152.5775 RX=157.8375 2. TX=152.0825 RX=158.5425 3. TX=152.5325 RX=157.7925 These frequencies have recently agreed to be purchased by the county and can be used on any site in the County as they are not site specific. (Thanks, Bill!) Here’s a link for commo/infrastructure purchasing in Cumberland County: http://www.cumberlandcounty.org/rfp_ftp.htm Greene FD (WQIA571) is running the following freqs: O=156.105; I=154.9575. I’ll post the PL when I get it. The old freq was 151.100. (Thanks, Jerome!)
Also, Region 2 (155.535/192.8) has been moved back to it's original home at the same site (WCSH-TV). This is one of the eight statewide repeaters (in this case, for the Cumberland County area) that is shared by all law enforcement agencies. As of the New Year, all State agencies located at Spruce Mtn in Oxford County have been relocated from the old 110' to the new 180' tower. New lines and antennae have been installed as well as new microwave dishes/line. Agencies affected are: IF&W (154.725), MSP-Zone1 (156.150), Region 5 (155.550), Maine Army National Guard (139.9625), MDOT, and some Western Maine agencies. Well over $600,000 was spent at this site. (Thanks to Dave for this info.) CONOPS = Communication Operation Plan Here's the breakdown of the Maine CONOPS freqs: 1) SWSP=154.710 2) NWCC=155.475 3) EMS/LASAR (aka Land Air Search & Rescue) 155.160 4) SPCC=154.935 5) State Fire=154.310 6) SWCC=154.695 Here’s the link for more info from the Maine Fire Chiefs Association. This delineates the reasons and situations required to activate the CONOPS freqs. It is quite informative: http://www.mainefirechiefs.com/documents/conopsdraft.pdf Another highly informative CONOPS FAQ can be found here: http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/attach.php?id=35248&an=1 Marine Band bootlegging at its “finest”: A plowing company blatantly and brazenly has been using 156.625 for operations in and around Bangor/Brewer. They are on 156.625 with no tone. Their social commentary and perspectives on life in general gravitate to vulgarity and racist remarks. I caught their traffic with the Pro-97's Signal Stalker 2 feature, as it was a strapping signal. There are several fine "cubby holes" in and around BIA in which to sit and monitor. I heard them full quieting from there while listening in to BIA and the Dow ANG base. “Like my Momma always says: ‘Stupid is, as stupid does!’”
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Here’s a link to the USCG in Maine, and interfacing with local EMS, etc.: http://www.uscg.mil/d1/sectornne/documents/Communication%20and%20Notification.ppt Here’s a link to Newport (ME) dispatching issues: http://bangornews.com/news/t/midmaine.aspx?articleid=158900&zoneid=182 One of our stalwart amateur radio operators, Duane Tracy (KC1AC) was featured recently in the following article. His amazing outlook on life is refreshing for all. Enjoy this heartwarming and upbeat story about a ham "Elmer" that refuses to quit in the face of adversity. Duane can also be found at Brownie's Diner in Pittston (just below Augusta and Randolph) on Wednesday's at 7 a.m. eating breakfast with a bunch of other amateur radio enthusiasts every week. Get to know him, as he will put a smile on your face. http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/4643215.html On a personal note: it is time to say a heartfelt and sorrowful goodbye to two loyal “companions”, my heavily-radio-equipped Caprice and my professional French horn. (This next section only expresses my personal thoughts and feelings, and not those of my Editors or anyone else affiliated with Scanner Digest. I put this disclaimer in here to ward off any politically correct “P/C police” that take offense to anyone that expresses a religious conviction contrary to secular humanism.)
“Before pictures” (an older set-up/install shot)
I was involved as the centerpiece of a serious accident /pile-up mile marker #119 on I-95 southbound here in Maine on Friday, 8 FEB 2008 at approx. 15.10 hrs EDT. I was stopped in a line of traffic for an existing accident that a Maine State Trooper friend was triaging at the time. To my horror, I looked into my rear view mirror and saw an 18-wheeler trailer swinging toward me. I ducked, kept the wheel steady with my left hand, and hugged the passenger seat with my right arm. I verbally called out the name of my Savior by saying "Lord Jesus!" A split second later the impact from the jack-knifing tractor-trailer shattered me from the rear, launching me and my heavy Caprice 200 ft. down the highway. The DOT bar on the rear of the tractor-trailer took me squarely in the right corner of my trunk. Several inches higher would have sliced into the Caprice roof, and either crushing or decapitating me. Upon skidding to a halt (again, 200 ft. later) I calmly put the car in park, turned off the engine (as the gas tank, just topped off, was most likely damaged) and got out of my now-destroyed Caprice. My mind had clicked in to this eerily calm mode. Trooper Bruce Scott (MSP #328), having witnessed my hurtling vehicle, ran over to me wide-eyed, calling out "Loren, do you need an ambulance? Let me call you an ambulance!" I declined, and started praising the Lord in the passing lane as I picked up debris from my trunk! Bruce (Trooper Scott) made the following comment in his cruiser as we filled out paperwork: "Loren, you shot down the highway like a cue ball on a pool table!" Miraculously, I missed all of the cars in front of me. It was as if an invisible third lane had opened in front of me in the very narrow left-hand breakdown lane and snow banking. There are many more details I've left out. Suffice it to say, I am living proof that Jesus Christ is still on the Throne, and that He still dispatches angels to watch over his people. Let no one doubt that. I’ve included pictures to prove what I just said. My professional Conn 8DY French horn was demolished, and was directly in the impact zone. I had to extricate it from the trunk in the junkyard the next day.
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Although a major setback, especially with the loss of my beautiful and lush-sounding French horn, the truism is as follows: "All these things can be replaced eventually." Here's a quote from one of the emails Trooper Scott sent me: "I have discussed this accident with several other Troopers and with help of the photos you sent me, along with the ones I took, we are all in agreement the Tractor Trailer struck you and you are lucky to be alive." I'd like to modify the word "lucky" to, like my Pastor, Rick Stoops said, "blessed." BTW, let me hear NO ONE disrespect our Maine State Troopers! They are consummate and professional protectors and heroes. As always, you are encouraged to join the Yahoo! Groups SCAN-ME list. To join, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ScanMe/ . I may be emailed at: [email protected] Scanner Digest #44 (the next edition) will feature the latest changes to the Maine Army National Guard MECON VHF-hi system. Until next time, keep the eagle flying free, your powder dry, and obey Acts 2:38. Fields out.
PHILADELPHIA METRO
Justin Linn 1864 Wakeling Street
Philadelphia, PA 19124 [email protected]
www.vipercomusa.cj.net We’re proud to present the premier scanner reference guide covering the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. It has and continues to provide the best source in public safety communications as well as other radio services.
Philadelphia Area Communications Guide The Philadelphia Area Communications Guide, edited by Joe Cardani, is the ultimate resource for radio hobbyists and public safety professionals in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Delaware. Filled with exacting detail on radio systems, frequencies, PL/DPL tones, radio codes, police districts, fire/EMS stations, and much more. The guide is a dynamic electronic book in Adobe Acrobat format. With this e-book you can view all chapters online, download them to your computer, or print them out. Chapters will be continually updated to reflect the fast-changing world of public safety radio communications in the Delaware Valley. The guide is perfect for communications professionals, emergency
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management coordinators, volunteer organizations, newsgathering companies, and anyone else who strives for the best. The following chapters are included in the guide: Chapters Introduction * Updates * Bucks County * Chester County * Delaware County * Montgomery County * City of Philadelphia * State of Pennsylvania * Atlantic County * Burlington County * Camden County * Cape May County * Cumberland County * Gloucester County * Hunterdon County * Mercer County * Ocean County * Salem County * State of
SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 43 PAGE 6
New Jersey * State of Delaware * Air Medical Programs * Marine Radio * Military Base Radio * Railroad Communications * Regional Agencies * Business Specialized Mobile Radio Service (SMRS) * Utility Companies * Weather Radio
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE GUIDE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Metro Master Frequency Guide The Metro Master Frequency Guides are a new resource for the communications professional or hobbyist. These guides detail all licensed frequencies for all public safety agencies and businesses in a metro area. Each main guide is sorted by licensee. There is also a frequency-sorted cross-reference. Currently, three metro areas will be offered: a.. New York/Northern New Jersey b.. Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey/Delaware c.. Baltimore/Washington DC We hopefully will be expanding coverage to other metropolitan areas in the near future. The New York Metro Frequency Guide will cover the New York Counties of New York, Bronx, Kings, Nassau, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, Rockland, Westchester, and the northern New Jersey counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren. The Philadelphia Metro Frequency Guide will cover the City of Philadelphia, the southeastern Pennsylvania counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, the southern New Jersey counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Ocean, Salem, and the Delaware counties of New Castle, Kent, and Sussex. The Baltimore/Washington DC Metro Frequency Guide will cover Washington DC, Baltimore City, the Maryland counties of Ann Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Cecil, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, the northern Virginia counties of Fairfax, Louden, and Prince William, including the cities of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax City, Fall's Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park. The following information is detailed within the guides: a.. licensee b.. call sign c.. radio service d.. transmitter location e.. station class f.. frequency
g.. number of units h.. number of pagers The Metro Master Frequency guides are dynamic electronic books authored in Adobe Acrobat format. With these e-books you can view all chapters online, download them to your computer, or print them out. The guides will be updated quarterly to reflect the latest granted licenses. These guides are perfect for communications professionals, emergency management coordinators, volunteer organizations, newsgathering companies, and anyone else who strives for the best.
CLICK TO ORDER METRO FREQ GUIDE VERMONT Jim Lawrence
c/o Scanner Digest POB 207 Jamison PA 18929
[email protected] Greetings again from Vermont. As I type this column and send it off, it's mid-February, and we have at least three feet of snow on the ground at my location in the central part of the state. In my 25+ years living here I don't think I've ever seen more snow on the ground than we have now. And there's more in the forecast. However, I'm sure by the time this column arrives to you, spring will be here and the air will be full of the songs of returning birds! Interoperability Frequencies Showing Life As I've mentioned in previous columns, the interoperability frequencies designated by the state's Department of Public Safety and the Vermont Communications (VCOMM) Steering Committee for use in Vermont are being loaded into more and more radios as time passes. I recently logged some traffic on 453.8625, known as U-Tac-3. Here's a list of frequencies dedicated to interoperability from the VCOMM website.
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Label Freq. CTCSS Description V-Call 155.7525 156.7 National Calling V-Tac 1 151.1375 156.7 VHF Tactical V-Tac 2 154.4525 156.7 VHF Tactical V-Tac 3 158.7375 156.7 VHF Tactical V-Tac 4 159.4725 156.7 VHF Tactical U-Call 453.2125 156.7 National Calling U-Tac 1 453.4625 156.7 UHF Tactical U-Tac 2 453.7125 156.7 UHF Tactical U-Tac 3 453.8625 156.7 UHF Tactical According to the VCOMM website, U-Call (U-Tac) & V-Call (V-Tac) frequencies are shared national calling and tactical channels available for first responder use. V-Call & V-Tac are VHF Channels typically used by Fire and EMS organizations. U-Call & U-Tac are UHF channels typically used by Law Enforcement organizations. There's much more information about VCOMM and interoperability in Vermont at VCOMM's website: http://www.dps.state.vt.us/vcomm/ Profile: Burlington International Airport When I want to give my scanners a real workout, I head up to the Burlington International Airport in South Burlington. Talk about an area that's radio-active! Shown below are many of the most commonly heard active frequencies at the airport. I'm sure there are many others in use that I've overlooked. If you know of others, please send them along to me and I'll include them in upcoming columns. Air Traffic Control Terminal Information: 123.8000, 269.9000 Tower: 118.3000, 257.8000 Ground: 121.9000, 348.6000 Approach: 121.1000, 126.3000, 278.8000,
360.8000 Boston Center (high altitude): 118.8250, 251.0750, 342.2500 FAA Flight Service Station 122.2000 122.6000 VT Air National Guard Security: 143.4250 Flight Line & Alert: 140.4000 Fire: 165.1125 Communications: 165.1625 Snow Removal/Grounds Maintenance: 148.5875 141.9250 141.7500 143.8750 148.5125 138.3750 Airport Operations & Burlington PD Aircraft De-Icing Operations: 131.15000 453.9750 458.5875 TSA 172.1500 (P25)
VT NG 41.2000, 242.4000 Airline Operations ComAir/Delta ops: 130.0000 130.1250
131.9000 United: 130.3250 Continental: 130.5250 JetBlue: 136.6000 460.6500 ARINC Nationwide: 129.4000 Airline Ground Operations: 460.7000 460.7500 National Weather Service link to Mt. Mansfield 410.1000 Parking Operations 464.3375 And that's it for this time around! Your contributions are always welcome. Send them along to me at the address shown at the top of this column. Until next time, happy listening! RHODE ISLAND Elmer Stanley
c/o Scanner Digest POB 207
Jamison PA 18929 [email protected]
City of Providence 800 MHz Digital Radio System Five (5) tower sites in the city. The new Public Safety Complex, East Side, South Providence, Providence College and Olneyville Area. Frequencies: 866.0875 866.6125 867.4250 868.0375 868.1500 868.2750 867.6375 The data frequency is 868.5125 MHz This system is being constructed and the projected date for it to be in full operation is late Spring or early Summer. Here, is my report on the City of Providence 800 MHz. Digital Radio System. Five (5) tower sites in the city. The new Public Safety Complex, East Side, South Providence, Providence College and Olneyville Area. Frequencies: 866.0875 866.6125
867.4250 868.0375 868.1500 868.2750 867.6375
The data frequency is 868.5125 MHz.
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This system is being constructed and the projected date for it to be in full operation is late Spring or early Summer. SCANNING & THE INTERNET Brian Baldwin
c/o Scanner Digest POB 207
Jamison PA 18929 [email protected]
No column this issue. MILITARY Daniel Myers KB3IBQ
823 Horsham Rd. Horsham, Pa 19044-1209
No column this issue. NEW HAMPSHIRE John Bolduc
c/o Scanner Digest POB 207 Jamison PA 18929
[email protected]://www.swnh.org
An update to New London dispatch 8 frequency channel plan, as posted last issue. Croydon fire formerly dispatched by Newport is now being dispatched by New London. They are still being dispatched on 154.070/PL136/5 (same as Newport). That does not match any of New London Dispatches channels we had published. I suspect Croydon's frequency will change. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Several years ago the New Hampshire Highway Patrol separated from the New Hampshire State Police. The Highway Patrol fell under the Department of Motor Vehicles and was responsible mostly for commercial vehicle infractions and weigh station. The State Police falls under the Department of Safety. The Department of Safety used government license plates on their vehicles starting with the designator MV-. There designator on the radio match their plate numbers. The Highway Patrol has merged back into the State Police, now all under the Department of Safety. The new license plates will be "State Police" plates in the 700 series. As before, the Highway Patrol is being dispatched by State Police, there no frequency changes. - - - - - - - - - - - - - In the new license bin I see Dartmouth college in Hanover applying for what appears to be a new set of frequencies, most likely for a trunked radio system. The frequencies are: 451.7875 452.0500 452.4000 452.6750 453.0000 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Department of Homeland Security document of interest. http://www.npstc.org/documents/NIFOG_Final.pdf This is the DHS Guide for all of the Interoperable and potentially Interoperable communications on the national level. New Hampshire has adopted these. The primary lists are for Government & Public Safety use; but it also other communications such as GMRS, MURS, Aviation, Marine, and FRS, - - - - - - - - - - - - - Monitors in the Concord area reporting some Homeland Security / Emergency Management traffic on the duplex frequency pair of 155.160 and 150.805. - - - - - - - - - - - - - New frequencies licensed to Charlotte Russe for clothing stores at the primary malls in Manchester and Salem. It also appears these same frequencies will be used at the chain's others stores in New England. 467.8500 467.8750 467.9000 467.9250 - - - - - - - - - - - - - BAE Systems of Nashua NH has launched a new and first time system known as First Intercomm System. This system will allow that allow UHF/ VHF low/&high band to all talk from one unit. Brookline fire, along with some other neighboring communities that use 33.64 MHz low band along with some UHF and high-band frequencies will also be using this new communications device. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Nashua NH Fire department tests their dispatch tones at 0800 and 1800 each day. There are three separate tones. The high frequency long tone is for a box alarm, building fire, or other significant emergency requiring more than one piece of apparatus. The second tone is a Still Alarm tone, this is usually for EMS calls, motor vehicle accidents and single apparatus responses. The last tone is an Alert tone, used on the scene for either a fire fighter is down, or other emergency traffic from a unit on scene. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Milford Police Department (154.875 / PL136.5) Unit designators Sector 1 ( Amherst Line To Oval) Sector 2 ( Central Area, Covers Both Sectors 1 & 3) Sector 3 ( Wilton Line To Oval) DAVID Units are Detectives SAM Units are Sergeants - - - - - - - - - - - - - New Hampshire's NCIC ORI (Originating Agency Identifiers) New Hampshire Organizational Identifiers
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Shown are the last 5 digits of the ORI numbers assigned by the FBI for NCIC. 00100 Belknap County sheriff 00102 Alton 00104 Barnstead 00106 Belmont 00108 Centre Harbor 00110 Gilford 00112 Gilmanton 00114 Laconia 00116 Meredith 00118 New Hampton 00120 Sanbornton 00122 Tilton 001RU Belknap rural district 00200 Carroll County sheriff 00202 Albany 00204 Bartlett 00206 Brookfield 00208 Chatham 00210 Conway 00212 Eaton 00214 Effingham 00216 Freedom 00218 Hart's Location 00220 Jackson 00222 Madison 00224 Moultonboro 00226 Ossipee 00228 Sandwich 00230 Tamworth 00232 Tuftonboro 00234 Wakefield 00236 Wolfeboro 002RU Carroll rural district 00300 Cheshire county sheriff 00302 Alstead 00304 Chesterfield 00306 Dublin 00308 Fitzwilliam 00310 Gilsum 00312 Harrisville 00314 Hinsdale 00316 Jaffrey 00318 Keene 00320 Marlborough 00322 Marlow 00324 Nelson 00326 Richmond 00328 Rindge 00330 Roxbury 00332 Stoddard 00334 Sullivan 00336 Surry 00338 Swanzey 00340 Troy 00342 Walpole 00344 Westmoreland 00346 Winchester 003RU Cheshire rural district 00400 Coos County sheriff 00402 Bean's Grant 00404 Bean's Purchase 00406 Berlin 00408 Cambridge 00410 Carroll 00412 Chandler's Purchase 00414 Clarksville 00416 Colebrook 00418 Columbia 00420 Crawford's Purchase 00422 Dalton 00424 Dix's Grant 00426 Dixville 00428 Errol 00430 Gorham 00432 Green's Grant 00434 Hadley's Purchase 00436 Kilkenney 00438 Lancaster 00440 Livermore 00442 Martin's Location 00444 Milan 00446 Millsfield 00448 Northumberland 00450 Odell 00452 Pittsburg 00454 Randolph 00456 Sargent's Purchase 00458 Shelburne 00460 Stark 00462 Stewartstown 00464 Stratford 00466 Success 00468 Wentworth's Location 00470 Whitefield 004RU Coos rural district 00500 Grafton county sheriff office 00502 Alexandria 00504 Ashland 00506 Bath 00508 Benton
00510 Bethlehem 00512 Bridgewater 00514 Bristol 00516 Campton 00518 Canaan 00520 Dorchester 00522 Easton 00526 Enfield 00528 Franconia 00530 Grafton 00532 Groton 00534 Hanover 00536 Haverhill 00538 Holderness 00540 Hebron 00542 Landaff 00544 Lebanon 00546 Lincoln 00548 Lisbon 00550 Littleton 00552 Livermore 00554 Lyman 00556 Lyme 00558 Monroe 00560 Orange 00562 Orford 00564 Piermont 00566 Plymouth 00568 Rumney 00570 Sugar Hill 00572 Thornton 00574 Warren 00576 Waterville Valley 00578 Wentworth 00580 Woodstock 005RU Grafton rural district 00600 Hillsborough county sheriff 00602 Amherst 00604 Antrim 00606 Bedford 00608 Bennington 00610 Brookline 00612 Deering 00614 Francestown 00616 Goffstown 00618 Greenfield 00620 Greenville 00622 Hancock 00624 Hillsboro 00626 Hollis 00628 Hudson 00630 Litchfield 00632 Lyndeborough 00634 Manchester 00638 Mason 00640 Merrimack 00642 Milford 00644 Mont Vernon 00646 Nashua 00648 New Boston 00650 New Ipswich 00652 Pelham 00654 Peterborough 00656 Sharon 00658 Temple 00660 Weare 00662 Wilton 00664 Windsor 006RU Hillsboro rural district 00700 Merrimack county sheriff 00702 Allenstown 00704 Andover 00706 Boscawen 00708 Bow 00710 Bradford 00712 Canterbury 00714 Chichester 00716 Concord 00718 Danbury 00720 Dunbarton 00722 Epsom 00724 Franklin 00726 Henniker 00728 Hill 00730 Hooksett 00732 Hopkinton 00734 Loudon 00736 Newbury 00738 New London 00740 Northfield 00742 Pembroke 00744 Pittsfield 00746 Salisbury 00748 Sutton 00750 Warner 00752 Webster 00756 Wilmot 00759 New Hampshire Fish & Game 007RU Merrimack rural district 00800 Rockingham county sheriff 00802 Atkinson 00804 Auburn 00806 Brentwood 00808 Candia 00810 Chester 00812 Danville
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00814 Deerfield 00816 Derry 00818 East Kingston 00820 Epping 00822 Exeter 00824 Fremont 00826 Greenland 00828 Hampstead 00830 Hampton 00832 Hampton Falls 00834 Kensington 00836 Kingston 00838 Londonderry 00840 New Castle 00842 Newfields 00844 Newington 00846 New Market 00848 Newton 00850 North Hampton 00852 Northwood 00854 Nottingham 00856 Plaistow 00858 Portsmouth 00860 Raymond 00862 Rye 00864 Salem 00866 Sandown 00868 Seabrook 00870 South Hampton 00872 Stratham 00874 Windham 008RU Rockingham rural district 00900 Strafford county sheriff 00902 Barrington 00904 Dover 00906 Durham 00908 Farmington 00910 Lee 00912 Madbury 00914 Middleton 00916 Milton 00918 New Durham 00920 Rochester 00922 Rollins Ford 00924 Somersworth 00926 Strafford 00930 University of NH 009RU Strafford rural district 01000 Sullivan county sheriff 01002 Acworth 01004 Charlestown 01006 Claremont 01008 Croydon 01010 Goshen 01012 Grantham 01014 Langdon 01016 Lempster 01018 Newport 01020 Plainfield 01022 Springfield 01024 Sunapee 01026 Unity 01028 Washington 01030 Cornish 010RU Sullivan rural district NORTHERN NEW JERSEY Justin Mattes KC2GIK
10 Carnot Avenue Woodcliff Lake NJ 07677
I would like to wish everyone a happy 2008! First up on the menu is a new fire buffing group in New Jersey. It seems that 1stResponder News, the popular fire magazine has expanded their services once again, this time adding a fire buffing radio network. Like other organizations 1stResponder reports from the scenes using two-way radios, usually on UHF which can be heard by most scanners. They are just starting out and are hoping to expand across New Jersey and New York. Below is the list of the repeaters currently in use. 451.2250 PL= 192.8 Ch1- Fort Lee 463.4000 DPL= 263 Ch2 -Flemington 461.8500 PL= 218.1 Ch3 - Oxford There are other groups in the Metro NJ/NY that offer these services and are a great way to get a heads up on fires and
other incidents. Sometimes they even offer updates on traffic accidents and other valuable information. The people that are involved with emergency services usually give the listener a very accurate account on what's going on during fires and other emergencies. With the weather turning colder those local ski resorts provide plenty of targets to monitor while family members are on the slopes. In Northern New Jersey no trip would be complete without a trip to Mountain Creek Ski Area in Vernon, Sussex County. The following information was provided by Erik Aronson, the webmaster of the Northwest Corner. Mountain Creek Ski Area in Vernon, NJ
Frequency Description PL 153.4400 Park Operations 91.5 153.6350 EMS 123.0 150.9650 Snowmaking / Grooming 123.0 150.9650 Lift Operations 136.5 150.9650 Security / Parking 151.4 150.9650 Retail Operations 167.9 158.2200 Instructors 123.0 159.7500 Special Events 123.0 159.9900 Dropzone Operations 123.0 153.0800 Lift Maintenance 123.0 153.2900 Maintenance Operations 136.5 158.1750 Racing A 123.0 158.1750 Racing B 136.5 150.9650 Reserved 186.2 150.9650 Reserved 206.5
For more information visit Mountain Creek Ski Area’s Website at: http://www.mountaincreek.com/index.htm Vernon Township Frequencies Frequency Description PL
478.5626 Police Dispatch 156.7 478.7125 Police F-2 46.1000 Fire Dispatch 77.0 46.4000 Fireground 77.0 47.5000 First Aid Squad 77
That's it for this issue! I am always looking for material or ideas for this column. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. COMPUTER - SOFTWARE Mike Agner KA3JJZ
112 Water Fountain Way #304 Glen Burnie, Md. 21060-2309
No column this issue.
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CONNECTICUT Keith Victor
44 Suffolk Drive East Hartford CT 06118
[email protected] This is to advise you that the Litchfield County Regional Dispatch Center (LCD) is now on board with the Hartford Intercity Network of 154.265/159.795 MHz PL 107.2. The regional dispatch center will the Capitol Region Emergency Planning Council (CREPC) the largest and most used interoperable network in Connecticut. Reaching four (4) of the five (5) emergency management areas. Litchfield County Regional Dispatch is located in the northwest part of Connecticut. LCD will be on the daily roll call that is conducted at 1900 hours. They will be known as LCD 469 on the network. This VHF network is tied to both UHF and 800 MHz repeaters: UHF: 452/457.1375 MHz PL 167.9 800: 859/814.3875 MHz PL 167.9 Attached is the latest upgraded listing of those centers that are utilizing the Intercity Mutual Aid Network of the following radio frequencies tied together: VHF: 154.2650/159.7950 MHz PL 107.2 UHF: 452.1375/457.1375 MHz PL 167.9 800: 859.3875/814.3875 MHz PL 167.9 Middlebury Fire now operating on 158.8125/151.1225 MHz DPL 205. Listed below is the new Danbury Fire portable radio format: 1 Operations 1 453.7375 (R) DPL 244 2 Operations 2 453.3125 (R) DPL 243 3 Fireground 3/STOCS 3/5 458.8625 PL 156.7 4 Fireground 4 453.7125 DPL 244 5 Fireground 5/STOCS 1 458.4625 PL 156.7 6 Fireground 6?STOCS 2/4 458.7125 PL 156.7 7 Mobile Repeater 460.6125 PL 156.7 8 CMED 8 463.1750 (R) PL 192.8 9 Med Tactical 464.5000 PL 179.9 10 CMED 10 462.9750 (R) PL 192.8 11 Hospital Security 464.9250 (R) PL 192.8 12 Danbury Police 460.5500 (R) PL 110.9 13 WESCONN Police 453.5500 (R) PL 141.3 14 Mall Security 464.6750 (R) DPL 351 15 Operations 2 453.3125 (R) DPL 243 16 Operations 1 453.7375 (R) DPL 244
MASSACHUSETTS Peter Szerlag
c/o Scanner Digest POB 207 Jamison PA 18929
[email protected] Here are a few loggings from the Greater Boston area. 453.3875R - Fire Mutual Aid District 14 - southern Middlesex County area - roll call called by the Ashland Control Point - Acton - Boxboro – Carlisle - Concord - Framingham (never answers) - Holliston - Hopedale – Hopkinton - Hudson - Lincoln - Marlborough - Maynard - Milford - Natick - Northborough - Sherborn - Shrewsbury - Southborough - Stow - Sudbury - Wayland - Westborough - Weston - daily roll call at 830AM 464.025R - new primary channel for Armstrong Ambulance Company which is headquartered in Arlington 154.145R & 470.85R - Lincoln FD radio test - 9AM Saturdays - Car 2 - Car 3 - Engine 1 - Engine 3 - Ladder 1 - A3 153.83 - Winchendon FD still operates a crossband repeater on this channel - apparently it is patched to 33.78 461.8875R - LifeLine Ambulance has a pending repeater at Turkey Hill in Arlington on this freq 462.0875R - LifeLine Ambulance has a pending repeater in Woburn on this freq 451.375 - overflow channel for National Grid LTR TRS - "Lincoln Service to Truck 87" 154.965 - Wilmington snow plows 483.0875R - Billerica PD + Sherborn FD + Sharon DPW - there is only 10 miles between Sharon and Sherborn - there is 20 miles between Sherborn and Billerica 154.3625R - Haverhill FD - dispatch, response, & fireground ops 482.075R - Milton FD new freq - they formerly shared 483.5125R with Braintree FD - Milton does a daily radio check of all radios at 8AM - Engine 1 - Eng 2 - Eng 4 - Ladder 1 - Car 8 - Car 6 - Milton Police Control - portables - 100 - 100 pump - 100 bravo - 200 - 200 pump - 200 bravo - 400 - 400 pump - 400 bravo - 800 - L100
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463.5625R - maintenance men at 1 Emerson St and 5 Longfellow St in Boston 483.1375 - police mutual aid channel in the Newburyport area - called "Tac 7" 154.16 - 154.385 - 154.83 - Gloucester FD is licensed for these freqs - 154.83 might be a typo for 153.83 - maybe not - it shows 100 mobile radios at 10 watts each - 154.16 is their primary channel 154.37R - Marblehead FD does a daily radio test at 845AM - portables are : Eng 1 - 1A - 1B - Eng 2 - 2A - 2B - Ladder 1 - 1A - 1B 464.9625R - operations at the LNG facility in Everett 154.995 - Billerica DPW 484.8625R - NStar "Radio Lab" testing with "Waltham" - 7 Feb 2008 484.8875R - NStar Radio Lab testing with "Somerville Service Center" – 6 Feb 2008 484.9125R - some woman looking for a radio check - probably NStar 484.9375R - NStar Radio Lab testing with "Hyde Park Service Center" - 8AM - 30 Jan 2008 - NStar is the new name for "Boston Edison" 160.125 - upcoming freq for Attleboro Schools 160.56 - 160.41 - 160.875 - 161.28 - 161.46 - 161.475 - pending bases for the MBTA commuter trains in Salem, Beverly, & Ipswich 463.5625R - pending freq for Milton Schools at 25 Gile Road 461.9625R - pending freq for Milton Schools at 80 Edgehill Road 470.10R - Ashland PD is applying to use this freq 453.025R - new freq licensed for Ipswich FD - 159.06R also - ("R" signifies a repeater output freq) 150.805 - 154.145 - 154.325 - Shelburne Falls FD is licensed to use these channels 464.925R - Berklee College of Music in Boston - security ops - "Control" is the dispatcher - "10-32" is a radio check - officer IDs are 323, 327, 341, 925, 343, 351, 322, 913, etc - there is also a "Tent City Officer" 472.6375R - MBTA Silver Line Operations - "452 Truck" is a maintenance / repair truck
461.00R - Wayne Alarm Company in Lynn does a daily radio ID at 630AM 464.875R - Tufts University Maintenance 472.0875R - Norwood PD primary channel - one of their cruisers is "666" 155.715R - Ashby FD shares this freq with Ashby PD, Ashby Ambulance, & Ashby DPW - the FD does have a new freq which they are implementing - believed to be 453.475R 155.355 - AMR primary channel for Taunton area 453.6625 - anyone know what Framingham uses this freq for? Feel free to drop me a note at [email protected] if you have any questions or comments. Have a good one - Peter Sz OREGON Jeff Newton
c/o Scanner Digest POB 207
Jamison PA 18929 [email protected]
Blank Howdy folks, welcome to another edition of the Oregon column, been a while since I've posted some good things here, so, lets get down to business on the home front of the Pacific Northwest. First off we got some email from Kevin Leasure on some unit call signs from the Douglas County Fire Department, which is also known as the Douglas Fire Protection Association. Fire Dept. IDS - Douglas Co. FD Lookinglass-1000 Glendale-2500 Douglas county #2-1100 Yoncalla-2600 Roseburg-1300 Milo-2700 Tri-city-1400 Kellogg-2800 Fair oaks-1500 Elkton-2900 Sutherlin-1600 Azalea-4100 Winston-Dillard-1700 Camas Valley-4200 Myrtle Creek-1800 Days creek-4300 Canyonville-1900 Glendale-4400 Tenmile-2000 Rice Hill-4600 Riddle-2100 Scottsburg-4700 Glide-2200 Tiller-4800 Drain-2300 Glendale Amb.-6770 Oakland-2400 Drain Amb.-6900 West Amb-6800 Unit ID 00-29-Chief/other officers 30-39-Engines 40-49-Reserve Engines
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50-59- Truck Companies 60-69-Tenders/Tankers 70-79-Medical rigs/Ambulances 80-89-Brush rigs 90-99- Special Equipment Second up, the Eugene Fire Department has been changing their unit numbering system as well. Truck units now called Ladder or Tower depending on the type of call being dispatched by firecom. For example, an MVA call you may hear Truck 2 being dispatched at Tower 2, during structure fires it may be changed to Tower 2 or any other truck company in the department may get that designator. So the run down is Truck 1, could be ladder 1, tower 1, truck 2 could be Tower 2, Ladder 2 and so on, engines remain the same as Engine 1, Engine 2, etc. There's has also been some changes in the medic unit program as well, if stations that have a medic unit and are short staffed, firecom will have the engine crews double and staff those medic units for EMS calls, when short handed, as the rumor had it here. Speaking of the engines mentioned above - Engine 3 is now Engine 13, Engine 5 is now Engine 15, Engine 6 is now Engine 16, Engine 7, I believe is still "7", but have not heard E17 being dispatching and the same story goes for Engine's 8, 9 and 10. Also on another note, the Eugene and Springfield Fire Department's have now gone to a 3rd tier response system in the metro area. When a call comes in, the closest fire station will now get those calls for example, there's a structure fire in the Gateway Mall area of Springfield, it will net both units from Eugene and Springfield Fire Departments, just not Springfield alone, and leaving up more resources for other emergencies to be handled by other units - simple as a grain of salt. On the Amateur Radio front, the Valley Radio Club of Oregon is now celebrating its 75th birthday with the ARRL and is known as one of the longest running radio clubs on the country since 1932. As member of Valley Radio Club, the club is offering a special QSL card for those working W7PXL in the various bands while those operate in the club station. The Clubs celebration started back in November of last year (2007) and will run the special QSL card thing for a year, according to the minutes. Lane County Amateur Radio Emergency Services has a new Emergency Coordinator, since Rick Iverson, W7NB, has resigned the position to pursue schooling and business obligations but remains active in the ham community and ARES. Mark Perrin, N7MQ is now the new Lane County Amateur Radio Emergency Coordinator. Welcome aboard Mark and 73's! Non Scanning related news -
The Eugene Police Department has equip about 40 of their officers with the M-26 Tasers for a trial basis while under review for policy making to the department's use of the Tasers out in the field. The result of the EPD getting the Tasers were as a result of a fatal shooting approximately a year or so ago, when a 19 year old Eugene man was shot and killed at gunpoint during a mental episode, while refusing to drop a knife in his hands during the episode, while his family remained inside their home, while he was going through a mental state without his medicine. His mother pleaded with 9-1-1 dispatchers to tell the officer's not to shoot their son, however, officers on the scene did not call Springfield Police Department for assistance with the use of their Tasers as officers believe the taser would not have saved his life. The citizens of Eugene were outraged at the incident, which blamed the officers on the scene for being gun happy and not sensitive to the young man's illness. As the trial basis with the department continues, the saga of the fatal shooting never fails to leave the minds of the people who live in this town. Ok on a final note, those of you in Oregon, if you have photo's of new emergency units please let the Scanner Digest have some photo's to publication and proper photo credit will be given to the photographer of the photo, the same also goes for any news stories you may have related to Scanning in Oregon as well. Until next time, happy scanning and 73's! SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK Frank B. O'Connor
c/o Scanner Digest POB 207
Jamison PA 18929 [email protected]
Welcome to 2008! This is going to be one helluva year! I'm going to jump right in to the fray with a long overdue entry in my on-going series called "What You'll Hear." This edition's entry will be "10-81Nora" and "10 81 Adam." For those of you who might have missed it on the e-groups, these are the newest additions to the New York City Police Department's extensive compilation of radio 10-codes. Anyone who's done any decent amount of highway driving has, at least once, come upon delays during their trip where they've slowed down to almost a crawl – only to come to a certain point in the roadway where, mysteriously, speeds pick back up to normal. At or near that point there likely was a broken down car, an accident, roadwork, or some other reason why a travel
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lane (or lanes) was blocked – resulting in the buildup of delays. That blockage had likely been cleared by the time you got to where it was. These are known as residual delays. Studies performed by Departments of Transportation around the country have found that, during peak travel times, for every minute that a travel lane is blocked, seven minutes of delays build. So something as simple as a car occupying the left lane of a highway, after it ran out of gas, will cause problems for over half an hour after it's gone, if it sat there for as little as five minutes before being pushed or towed out of the way. It is therefore imperative that obstructions be cleared as soon as possible, primarily for the safety of the motorist stranded on the highway and those assisting them (police officers, EMTs, tow operators, etc.) and also to prevent "secondary events," such as other accidents (typically rear-enders) or additional disabled autos (typically overheats of poorly maintained vehicles) caused by the built-up traffic. With this in mind, the City of New York developed the Arterial Tow Program (ATP) – commonly called "Authorized Tow." Qualified towing companies bid on franchises let by the City to tow vehicles off of the city's limited access highways, select high-volume bridges and certain tunnels. The terms of the franchise basically state that in exchange for guaranteed coverage (minimum numbers of available regular, flatbed, and heavy duty tow trucks) on sixteen portions (called "segments") of the highways and some bridges around NYC, the winning tow companies would be granted exclusive towing rights on those highways. As one can imagine, this could be a very lucrative business. Eight companies won the latest biding cycle – Apple, Autorama, Knights, Mikes, Ridge, Speedway, Staten Island Towing, and Universe. In addition to certain minimum equipment standards, certain response time standards were established as well. This is where the 1 minute / 7 minute issue comes into play – the quicker an incident is cleared, the better. During reorganization last year within the NYPD's Traffic Control Division – the supervision of the arterial tow program was transferred from the Traffic Intelligence Unit of the Parking Enforcement District to the Highway District. This long overdue move makes perfect sense because highway patrolmen are the ones most likely to call for the services of an authorized tow truck – as opposed to a traffic enforcement agent covering a local street. It was determined recently that there was no easy mechanism in place to ensure that the tow companies were meeting their contractual response time requirements. That's were the new 10-codes come into play. After a police unit (be it from highway patrol, a local precinct, or any other unit) arrives at an incident on a limited access highway and determines that a tow truck is required, the code "10-81N" – Notify Authorized Tow to Respond – is transmitted to the dispatcher. Once the police dispatcher notifies the tow company's dispatcher of the request for service, the clock starts ticking; a tow truck must appear on the scene within half an hour. When the tow truck arrives on the scene,
"10-81A" – Authorized Tow Arrived – is transmitted by the officer to the dispatcher, thus stopping the clock. In the vast majority of cases a tow truck will be on scene well before thirty minutes. But, should it take more than thirty minutes for an appropriate tow truck (a regular wrecker showing up at a disabled tractor trailer job does not stop the clock) to get to a scene – the awaiting officer can issue a notice of violation to the truck driver. The accumulation of an excessive number of notices could jeopardize the company's qualifications to bid at the next contract cycle. So it behooves the current franchisees to stay on their toes (pun intended) and keep their fleet out on the road, clearing the highways, so that you and I can get to where we're going quickly and safely. *** Articles have appeared in an area daily paper recently reporting that the police departments of the Town of Montgomery (26x units) and the Villages of Montgomery (42x units) and Maybrook (40x units) no longer want to be dispatched by Orange County's Division of Emergency Communications ("Central"). Those agencies, along with Walden Police (20x units), want to set up their own consolidated dispatch center. The Walden Police Department, who currently has their own stand-alone dispatch center ("956"), recently upgraded their simplex dispatch channel by adding a repeater – with a signal that covers well beyond the village's four square miles. I wonder if the two events are related, or merely a coincidence? Keep an ear on 156.150R (100.0) for any new field units popping up. I have a sneaking suspicion that the Maybrook and Montgomery PDs will be doing as many other departments before them have – dumping New York Communications Company's SMR system and returning to a good old fashioned conventional VHF-high band system. *** Despite all the hand wringing and teeth gnashing over the rebanding of the 800 MHz portion of the radio spectrum that's currently underway, progress is moving apace here in the Metropolitan area. The latest agency to get their new frequencies assigned is the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Here's the breakdown of what went were (apologies in advance to our North Jersey columnist, Justin M.).... The primary area wide EDACS trunked system, operating under call sign WNNM-887, used (in logical channel number order): 866.2125 866.8125 867.3750 868.6000 867.8750 868.5500 868.9125 The new frequencies assigned are (in numerical order): 851.2125 851.8125 852.3750
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852.8750 853.5500 853.9125 853.6000 The EDCAS system reportedly in use at John F. Kennedy International Airport, operating under call sign WQCZ-732, uses (in LCN order): 867.0875 867.6250 868.3375 The new frequencies assigned are: 852.0875 852.6250 853.3750 The AirTrain, WQAE-549, (for 867.825), should be moving to 852.825. The system used at the old World Trade Center site, operating under two call signs (WPWQ-420 and WPDS601), used (in LCN order): 866.0750 866.3875 868.1000 Also available were 867.3375 and 867.8125. The new frequencies are: 851.0750 851.3875 852.3375 852.8125 853.1000 Call sign WPXP-445 showed two sites. Assigned to JFK International Airport are 866.1125, 866.6625; added were 851.1125 and 851.6625. Assigned to Port Newark are 866.2375 and 866.7125; added were 851.2375 and 851.7125. One should be noticing a pattern by now regarding the relationship between the old and new frequencies. Some interesting additional finds during my research include: Teterboro Airport (WQEE-296) 866.750 to 851.750 Newark Liberty International Airport (WPGV-310): 867.9125 to 852.9125 Port Authority Bus Terminal (WQHF-732/special temporary): 867.5750 to 852.5750 and a strange entry for East 42 Street and 3 Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, under call sign WPXN-292, for 868.9875 to 853.9875. Lastly, the Port Authority maintains the repeaters for the national 800 MHz interagency interoperability channels for the New York metropolitan area, under call signs WNNM-888, WPFN-315, and WQED-560. You might already be aware that... Designation changes From / To 8 CALL90 866.0125 / 851.0125
8 TAC 91 866.5125 / 851.5125 8 TAC 92 867.0125 / 852.0125 8 TAC 93 867.5125 / 852.5125 8 TAC 94 868.0125 / 853.0125 It looks like the PA's radio technicians are going to have their hands full in the coming weeks reprogramming a lot of equipment. I encourage my readers to keep an ear on the new frequencies and report your findings. I'll, in turn, pass along any news. Those wishing to remain anonymous will have their wishes granted. *** Back in Issue 41 we discussed an article that appeared *The Chief – Civil Service Leader* reporting that FDNY*EMS field units will be regaining access to NYPD Zone channels. The pilot program has gotten underway, as promised, in Brooklyn. Careful listeners may have already heard Emergency Medical Service units on the following police Radio Zones: Patrol Borough Brooklyn South - Zone 18 (63, 69 Precincts) - Zone 20 (67, 71 Precincts) - Zone 21 (72, 76, 78 Precincts) Patrol Borough Brooklyn North (entire borough) - Zone 22 (73, 75 Precincts) - Zone 23 (77, 79 Precincts) - Zone 24 (81, 83 Precincts) - Zone 25 (84, 88 Precincts) and - Zone 26 (90, 94 Precincts) These Radio Zones encompass EMS Division 3 (northern Brooklyn), the start point for the pilot program. We discussed in Issue 41 a number of concerns I had surrounding this project. One of them has been resolved favorably. Thankfully, EMS units have been directed to use their EMS radio IDs prefixed by "EMS" (see http://www.n2nov.net/emscodes.html to determine the formula used to develop EMS radio IDs). The other concern hasn't quite been resolved so favorably. Charlie Hargrove, of www.n2nov.net fame, obtained the new channel plan for the Emergency Medical Service's portable radios and posted it at http://www.n2nov.net/fdny_hts.html Note that only the officers will have access to the police Transit Bureau channels and that none of the radios will have the School Safety or the Traffic (Highway Patrol) channel; disappointing. I haven't been able to determine if the EMS mobile radios have had the police channels added in them yet or if this project is limited to just EMS portables. It's unclear as of this writing when units in FDNY*EMS Divisions 1 (southern Manhattan), 2 (Bronx and
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northern Manhattan), 4 (Queens), and 5 (southern Brooklyn and Staten Island) will have their radios reprogrammed to gain access to the police department's channels – the sooner the better. *** The New Rochelle (Westchester) Fire Department has added a pair of new frequencies to their WQDD-543 call sign. 460.100 is designated as a repeater output and 465.100 is its input. That brings the total number of repeaters they are authorized to operate to three...460.4625R (167.9), 460.100R, and 484.9875R (P25). It's, once again, unclear has of now what the function of the new repeater will be. Sounds like the running theme for this installment... *** I'll close with a quick plug for an upcoming HamFest...the Orange County Amateur Radio Club will be holding on April 26. Visit www.ocarc-ny.org and click on the HAMFEST link in the lower right hand corner for details. See you there! EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA Steve Bower Jr.
9208 Danner Road New Tripoli, Pa. 18066
Lehigh University & Moravian College uses the 800 system only for security and police services. Each college has its own radio system for other operations, Listed below are those frequencies used by those services: [email protected]
lvcomm.proboards33.com/index.cgi Hello everyone and welcome to the Eastern PA Column covering North East PA and West to Harrisburg region. I will touch a bit on the City of Bethlehem 800MHz Motorola Trunk System, all city services and some colleges are on this system. The only services not are school operations and transportation. Bethlehem is known as the Christmas City with activities year round that include the MUSIKFEST events with shows and entertainment all over the city and Chriskindlmart a holiday shopping event. Motorola System-3718/ Motorola Type II 866.1375, 866.8000, 867.0750, 867.8250, 868.5500, 868.8000 MHz Fire Dispatch – 144 Fireground – 976 Fire HazMat – 1040 Fire Investigations – 1104 Fire Operations – 1168 EMS Dispatch – 624 EMS Administration – 752 EMS to St. Luke’s Bethlehem – 560 EMS to Muhlenberg – 592 Police Dispatch – 1232 Police TAC – 880 Police NCIC – 720 Police Traffic – 1424 Police Special Ops – 1296
Special Events 1 – 1328 Special Events 2 – 688 City Landfill – 176 Public Works – 272 Building Inspector – 400 City Golf Course – 528 Parking Authority Ch.1 – 1200 Parking Authority Ch.2 – 1712 Streets Department – 16016 Water Department – 32016 Sewer Department – 48016 Lehigh University Police – 1744 Lehigh University Police TAC – 1840 Moravian College Security 1 – 816 Moravian College Security 2 – 848 Bethlehem School District Security – 2032 They still have a link set-up for police, fire & EMS mutual aid on 155.6100 PL173.8 that is active with EMS units mostly.
Lehigh University Services LTR: 500.5875 LCN01 500.8625 LCN02 501.0125 LCN03 0-01-001 Transportation Services (TS) 0-01-002 TS – Drivers 0-01-003 TS – Mechanics 0-01-004 TS – Administration 0-01-099 Eagles 0-01-101 TS – Events 0-01-110 Lehigh University Police – Backup TGID 0-01-200 Lehigh Wide Emergency 0-01-250 TS Event 2 0-02-001 TS Backup TGID 0-02-011 Security (Night time) 0-02-051 Parking Services 2 0-02-061 Campus Mail 0-02-071 Facilities Services (FS) 0-02-072 FS 2 0-02-073 SNOW 0-02-074 FS – Administration 0-02-081 Telcom 0-02-082 Telcom 2 0-02-110 Lehigh University POLICE 0-02-125 EMS Tactical 151.9250 – Lehigh Parking Services Moravian College: 151.7450 Maintenance 464.7250 464.8750R DPL251 Operations 451.9625R DPL065
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Don’t forget to check the Lehigh County Forum for updates and changes since services are switching to new radio systems all the time and things are always changing. I try to check into different systems on a regular basis to see what is going on. A report that Troop L that covers Reading, Hamburg has switched over to the Open Sky system. I would still leave those PSP frequencies in your banks since you never know when they might switch around. With all the system changes and your towns going digital do not Jump the gun and by an expensive scanner to listen to another county. I am waiting to see what Lehigh County is planning on doing until I decide to upgrade my PRO-97 which does a great job for my applications needed. No Lehigh County service has switched digital as of yet. All communications are in the clear with the exception of those using Nextel. Most Fire departments in Lehigh County use a simplex type system for communications on fire ground. Next article will update those frequencies for most stations, Lehigh has about 4 fire ground channels set aside and used routine but a lot of companies still use “Private” frequencies licensed to them. Hope to hear from you and looking for reader interest or input which has been next too none!! Don’t be afraid to drop me a line or give me suggestions or even if you want to take a shot at doing an article. So much is going on with communications upgrades and we are always learning something new with this hobby. Share your experiences or just send me your favorite frequencies. Till next time, Be Safe and Take Care!! Steve Bower, Jr. EPA Column Editor WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Dan Ruhe c/o Scanner Digest
POB 207 Jamison PA 18929
No column this issue. SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY
Column Editor Wanted CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
Column Editor Wanted
DELMARVA PENINSULA
Column Editor Wanted BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON DC METRO
Column Editor Wanted CENTRAL VIRGINIA – RICHMOND METRO
Column Editor Wanted VIRGINIA COASTAL AREA
Column Editor Wanted WESTERN NEW YORK
Column Editor Wanted
Rescue 21 OverviewRescue 21 is designed to be more robust, reliable, and capable than the legacy system by using a modern radio system coupled with a TCP/IP network, and digital communication using VoIP. Rescue 21 was designed and is supported by General Dynamics C4 Systems out of Scottsdale, AZ. Rescue 21 is standing the watch across 10,649 miles of coastline. Rescue 21 is the United States Coast Guard’s advanced command, control and communications system. Created to improve the ability to assist mariners in distress and save lives and property at sea, the system is currently being installed in stages across the United States. Project Description 21st Century Technology To address the limitations of the current communications system, the National Distress and Response System (NDRS), the Coast Guard has
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implemented a major systems acquisition program entitled Rescue 21. By harnessing global positioning and cutting-edge communications technology, Rescue 21 enables the Coast Guard to perform all missions with greater agility and efficiency. The new system will close 88 known coverage gaps in coastal areas of the United States, enhancing the safety of life at sea. The system's expanded system frequency capacity enables greater coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, as well as other federal, state and local agencies and first responders. When completed, this vital major systems acquisition will provide an updated, leading-edge Very High Frequency – Frequency Modulated (VHF-FM) communications system, replacing the National Distress Response System installed and deployed during the 1970s. Rescue 21 will cover more than 95,000 miles of coastline, navigable rivers and waterways in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico.By replacing outdated legacy technology with a fully integrated system, Rescue 21 provides the Coast Guard with upgraded tools and technology to protect the nation’s coasts and rescue mariners at sea. Rescue 21 will replace a wide range of aging, obsolete radio communications equipment to include:
• Consoles at Coast Guard Sectors and Stations. • All remote transceiver sites (antenna towers), as
well as the network connecting them to the facilities above.
General Dynamics C4 Systems of Scottsdale, AZ, has been hired as the production contractor to replace the Coast Guard’s outdated system in the Contiguous 48 States and Hawaii. Due to the unique logistical and operational needs in Alaska, the Coast Guard has assumed the role of system integrator for deployment to sectors in Alaska. In August 2007, the Coast Guard commissioned the Rescue 21 Project Resident Office Alaska to spearhead the efforts. A quantum leap forward Rescue 21 revolutionizes how the Coast Guard uses command, control, and communications for all missions within the coastal zone. The system:
• where feasible, incorporates direction-finding equipment to improve locating mariners in distress
• improves interoperability amongst federal, state, and local agencies
• enhances clarity of distress calls • allows simultaneous channel monitoring • upgrades the playback and recording feature of
distress calls • reduces coverage gaps for coastal communications
and along navigable rivers and waterways • supports Digital Selective Calling for registered users
• in the Contiguous 48 States, provides portable towers for restoration of communications during emergencies or natural disasters
http://www.boatus.com/foundation/dsc/player.html?WT.mc_id=400090
Promotional Video – Rescue 21 http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemld=222567
Rescue 21 General Dynamics http://www.gdc4s.com/content/detail.cfm?item=816a4a1c-1316-4879-adff-430e9f7972fa ========================================= Rescue 21 communications network In September 2002, the U.S. Coast Guard hired General Dynamics Decision Systems of Scottsdale, AZ on a $611 million contract to replace its outdated communications system in a project titled Rescue 21. Rescue 21 will act as the maritime "911" system for coastal waters. Prior to Rescue 21, the Coast Guard's backbone communications network was the National Distress and Response System (NDRS), established in 1970. The VHF-FM-based radio communication system had a range of up to 20 nautical miles along most of the U.S. shoreline. While this system served the Coast Guard well over the years, it consisted of out-of-date and non-standard equipment with many limitations including:
• Imprecise direction finding capability. • Numerous geographic coverage gaps. • Lack of interoperability - for example, with other
emergency response services. • Single-channel radio operation, which prohibits
the ability to receive radio calls when the system is previously engaged in a transmission.
Harnessing the latest in technology, Rescue 21 will be an advanced command, control, and communications system that will improve the ability of the Coast Guard to execute all missions in the coastal zone. Furthermore, the system enables quicker response to distress calls and increases coordination with federal, state, and local agencies. At completion, Rescue 21 will cover more than 95,000 miles of coastline, navigable rivers and waterways in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Rescue 21 will provide the U.S. with a maritime distress and response communications system comparable to systems in Great Britain and Norway, only on a much grander geographic scale. The Coast Guard's new system will also rival the land-based systems that many state and local emergency services already have in place. More Americans have access to and are utilizing our waterways for recreation, commerce and tourism, resulting in more waterways
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traffic, and therefore, emergencies. Annually the Coast Guard conducts 40,000 search and rescue cases and saves 4,000 lives. The system will consist of approximately 46 Coast Guard region/sector command centers and 220 stations/field offices outfitted with Rescue 21 hardware, software and supporting communications equipment (radios, antennas, routers, workstations, etc). In addition, approximately 3,000 handheld communications devices, and 350 communications towers configured with transmit/receive antennas will overhaul the Coast Guard's legacy VHF short-range communications system. Rescue 21 revolutionizes how the Coast Guard uses command, control, and communications for all missions within the coastal zone. The system incorporates direction-finding equipment to improve locating mariners in distress, improves interoperability amongst federal, state, and local agencies, enhances clarity of distress calls, allows simultaneous channel monitoring, upgrades playback and recording feature of distress calls, reduces coverage gaps for coastal communications along navigable rivers and waterways, supports Digital Selective Calling for registered users, and provides portable towers for restoration of communications during emergencies or natural disasters. Rescue 21 will also increase position localization - within 2 degrees - of VHF-FM transmissions, so rescue vessels have a dramatically smaller area to search. It will increase the number of voice and data channels from one to six, allowing watch standers to conduct multiple operations. It will incorporate protected communications for all Coast Guard operations, position tracking of certain Coast Guard assets such as boats and cutters, provide digital voice recording capability with immediate, enhanced playback, improving the chances for unclear messages to be understood. If properly registered with a Mobile Maritime Service Identity (MMSI) number and interfaced with GPS, the DSC radio signal transmits vital vessel information, position, and the nature of distress (if entered) at the push of a button. In order to implement Rescue 21, visits by Coast Guard and other personnel to Coast Guard units will lead to the development of a Detailed Regional Implementation Plan (DRIP) for each of the regions. Establishment of remote antennae sites will support the Rescue 21 system and the installation of a data network that connects facilities with Coast Guard communications centers. After the data network is installed, the actual, physical installation of the communications equipment at Coast Guard facilities, communication centers, and vessels throughout the region will take place and the old system will be shut down and Rescue 21 will become active. There will be continued, ongoing follow-up maintenance and support of the Rescue 21 system. Rescue 21 will replace consoles at all Coast Guard activities, groups, stations, and marine safety offices (about 270 facilities), all remote transceiver sites, as well as the network connecting them to the facilities above, equipment
on nearly 700 Coast Guard vessels, and approximately 3,000 portable radios. While cost overruns and schedule delays pushed the timeline for achieving full operating capability from 2006 until 2011, Rescue 21 is in place in Atlantic City, NJ; Eastern Shore, VA; Mobile, AL; St. Petersburg, FL; Seattle, WA; and Port Angeles, WA as of 2006. NOAA Weather Radio Frequencies
Channel Frequency (MHz) WX1 162.550 WX2 162.400 WX3 162.475 WX4 162.425 WX5 162.450 WX6 162.500 WX7 162.525
See the NOAA Weather Radio Homepage for more information. Additional Information, Frequencies, & Charts Frequencies are in MHz. Modulation is 16KF3E or 16KG3E.
USCG Recent Press Release
National Security Cutter, the Bertholf MOBILE, Ala. - Feb 11, 2008--The Coast Guard's first National Security Cutter, the Bertholf, took to the seas Monday for the third day of sea trials accompanied by the newly re-engined MH-65C helicopter in the Gulf of Mexico. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas M. Blue Coast Guard HC-130J Arrives at ATC Mobile MOBILE, Ala. -- A Coast Guard HC-130J from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth, N.C., lands at Coast Guard Aviation Training Center here, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008. The HC-130J and crew transported crewmembers of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf from Sacramento, Cal.
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Crewmembers are scheduled to begin sea-trials where they will transit to their homeport in Sacramento, California.
(Feb. 11, 2008) YERBA BUENA ISLAND, Calif. -- A Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco HH-65C helicopter crew performs a search and rescue demonstration to U.S. Customs and Border Protection representatives at Sector San Francisco Monday. The presentation was an initiative of a Federal Executive Board, a program for developing long-term partnerships between intergovernmental agencies. (Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Erik Swanson)
ScannerDigest Newsletter Welcome to the Scanner Digest Newsletter! We’re currently publishing quarterly e-magazine containing information for the scanner hobbyist. If it can be monitored on a scanner, we’ll attempt to cover it from 30 to 1300 MHz and beyond! Our purpose is to produce a newsletter to facilitate the exchange of information pertaining to the various services covered by a typical scanner radio. Dedicated regional column editors make up the heart of this publication. The Scanner Digest Newsletter is not responsible for the accuracy or consequences incurred regarding the use of information listed in this publication. Since the purpose of this newsletter is to provide a platform for the submission and exchange of radio communication information, it thus becomes impossible to deem all contents as accurate. The very nature of radio licensing and usage makes it difficult to verify the accuracy of the information contained within. Generally information listed within the pages of the newsletter are derived from multiply sources including current FCC files, hobbyists and those directly involved with various public safety agencies. Scanner Digest’s policy has been not to limit or edit the individual columns submitted, unless we deem the information sensitive in nature which may jeopardize the safety of the parties involved. Only in this case will we edit out this type of input. (Example: We will not publish the frequencies used by a law enforcement surveillance team.) Naturally the comments of the various column editors are not necessarily the views and opinions of the Scanner Digest Newsletter. All materials, maps, information, photographs submitted to a regional column editor or to Scanner Digest directly, become sole property of the Scanner Digest Newsletter. We encourage and will make every effort to give proper credit to all submissions. All contents within are copyrighted. ©2003-2008
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