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TOP
SECRET RADIO FREQUENCIES OF
All US GOVERNMENT AGENCY'S
OnlinePot News Report Expose'
To the federal agents, If you don't like having
your radio frequencies posted for everyone to see
& learn. & All our other news exposé's that we
do on things. Then all you have to do is STOP
terrorizing, harassing, & arresting,
The valid
medical marijuana patients. Simple compassion
is all it will take, Just simple compassion for the
sick & dying medical patients.
Till that day comes this online medical marijuana
news journalist, I will continue to do my news
expose' stories. & Continue to keep the public
informed on information that I feel they have a
right to know about under the First Amendment.
Return
Back To The Maximum Security Section Main Start Page
And Check Out The Rest Of Our Security Data To Keep You Safe!
- Grove
Federal Frequency Directory on CD-Rom [cd]
Since 1982, official federal government frequency database
records have been classified "Confidential," unavailable to the
public. Now Grove has assembled from non-government sources--mostly derived
from off-the-air monitoring--a massive compendium of federal government
frequency allocations. Additional chapters describe federal radio systems,
frequency assignment procedures, and a comprehensive by-agency table of HF
(2-30 MHz) nationwide frequencies. A glossary of agency abbreviations is
included. Conveniently accessible in PDF format by Adobe Acrobat (included),
the self-loading FFD contains thousands of federal government frequencies
and users in the 2-420 MHz spectrum, the largest and most accurate listing
available outside classified government files. Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard,
Army, NASA, U.S. Marshals, United Nations, Customs, White House
Communications, FBI, Border Patrol, IRS, Secret Service, FAA, National
Strike Force, DEA, Post Office, TVA, U.S. Capitol Police, Social Security,
NSA, Forest Service, FEMA, Indian Affairs, and dozens of other agencies are
included in this comprehensive database. Easy to use and searchable by
frequency, agency, or key words, the new Grove FFD is your key to
identifying government radio users of the VHF/UHF spectrum.
Radio Scanners - Equipment and Software Control-
Intro To Scanning
Strong
Signals - Books - How to select a scanner,
antenna and coax cable: Radio systems: Laws: Popular targets and how to find
them: Setting up a listening post: Scanner clubs, ...
Police and
Scanning Info features information on sounds,
frequencies, and other stuff, including a search engine on scanners.
What are the 4 ‘standard’ 2.4 gig frequencies used by the Wavecoms and
similar wireless video systems?
much
of the consumer-grade low cost wireless video on 2.4 gigs are built around the
same modules. These modules have 4 frequencies hard coded into them and are
relatively standard throughout the industry.
Make
a note of these:
Channel
1 2433.75 megacycles
Channel
2 2452.75 megacycles
Channel
3 2472.75 megacycles
Channel
4 2410.75 megacycles
Yes,
the frequencies are not in ascending order. I believe this is to try to
prevent co-channel interference from two units operating in the same area on
different channels.
Channel
1 is by far the most common frequency used, as most of the Wavecom-generation
devices power up on channel 1.
You
don't need to be exactly on frequency to copy the things with most equipment
other than high end stuff due to the slop from the wide open front end. If
you're within 5 megacycles or so you'll see a picture. If you're within 15
megs, you'll see a raster, enough to know there's a transmitter on the air. 
DESCRIPTION FREQUENCY OR FREQUENCIES
=========== ========================
DEA FREQUENCIES
CH.1 OPERATIONS RPT. 418.625/416.050 MHZ.
CH.2 OPERATIONS RPT. 418.90/416.325 MHZ.
CH.3 SURVEILLANCE/STRIKE FORCE 418.750 MHZ.
CH.4 SURVEILLANCE/STRIKE FORCE 418.675 MHZ.
CH.5 OPERATIONS RPT. 418.825/415.60 MHZ.
CH.6 OPERATIONS RPT. 418.95/416.20 MHZ.
CH.7 OPERATIONS RPT. 418.975/417.025 MHZ.
CH.8 OPERATIONS SIMPLEX 418.975 MHZ.
UNITED STATES MARSHALS
CH.1 OPERATIONS RPT. 163.20/163.8125 MHZ.
CH.2 OPERATIONS SIM. 163.20 MHZ.
CH.3 OPER.RPTS.EXTENDERS 164.60/163.8125 MHZ.
CH.4 OPER.SIMPLEX 164.60 MHZ.
CH.? AIR/MOBILES 163.8125 MHZ.
CH.? OPER.REPORTED 162.7125/170.80 MHZ.
BUREAU OF PRISONS
CH.1 170.875 MHZ.
CH.2 170.925 MHZ.
CH.3 170.650 MHZ.
INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
CH.1 CID OPER.RPT. 165.950/167.00 MHZ.
"IRS" CH.2 CID OPER.DIRECT 167.000 MHZ.
CH.3 CID OPER.DIRECT 165.950 MHZ.
USDT COMMON 166.4625 MHZ.
CH.1 IRS.INVESTIGATIONS 166.00/167.10 MHZ.
CH.2 IRS.INVESTIGATIONS 166.00 MHZ.
? USDT COMMON FREQ. 165.4625/166.5875
CH.1 CID OPER.(UHF) 418.225/414.700 MHZ.
CH.2 CID OPER.DIR 418.225 MHZ.
CH.3 CID TACTICAL 418.175 MHZ.
FED. COMMUNICATION COMM.
167.05 MHZ.
BUREAU OF ALCOHOL , TOBACCO & FIRE ARMS
CH.1,3 OPERATIONS 165.2875/166.5375 MHZ.
AND FIREARMS "BATF" CH.4 USDT COMMON 166.4625 MHZ.
CH.5 OPERATIONS 165.9125 MHZ.
USDT COMMON 165.4625/166.5875 MHZ.
LOCAL OFFICES 165.35 MHZ.
USDT COMMON 166.4625 MHZ.
CH.2 TACTICAL 166.5375 MHZ.
U.S. CUSTOMS
CH.1,2 OPERATIONS 165.2375/166.4375 MHZ.
CH.3 USDT COMMON 166.4625 MHZ.
CH.4 TACTICAL 165.7375 MHZ.
CH.5 USDT COMMON 165.4625/166.5875 MHZ.
OPERATIONS 162.825 MHZ.
TACTICAL CAR-CAR 165.85 MHZ.
LOW POWER FEDERAL FREQS.
UNDER 30 WATTS 163.10 , 418.050 , 418.575 MHZ.
SOME USES ARE : EAR MICS , 5 WATTS 27.575 , 27.585 MHZ.
SECRET COMM. , SOME SURV. 166.75 , 166.875 MHZ.
SECRET SERVICE NATIONWIDE
RPT. 165.375 MHZ.
BAKER 165.7875 MHZ.
FEDERAL EMERGENCY AGENCY DC AREA 16.95 MHZ.
FEDERAL PROTECTION AGENCY 415.20 , 417.20 MHZ.
FEDERAL DISASTER NETWORK 170.20 MHZ.
FEDERAL GOVT. SHARED
408.40 MHZ.
418.075 MHZ.
165.85 MHZ. TACTICAL
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS
163.425/163.925 MHZ.
"FBI" RPT. 163.725/163.775 MHZ.
RPT. 163.80/164.55 MHZ.
RPT. 162.6375/162.7875 MHZ.
RPT. 163.9375 MHZ.
F5 RPT. 163.9125 MHZ.
F1 RPT. 167.3125 MHZ.
F2 SIM. 167.45 MHZ.
F3 167.6125 MHZ.
ALSO SEARCH THROUGH THESE FREQUENCIES
164.00 - 164.55 MHZ.
167.2375 - 167.80 MHZ.
U.S. DEPT. OF LABOR WV. 168.35 MHZ.
OHIO 173.6125 , 406.20 MHZ.
KY. 164.70 MHZ.
ALL PORTABLES 406.20 MHZ.
TO FIND HIDDEN FREQUENCIES
USED BY OUR FEDERAL GOVT.
SEARCH THRU THESE AREAS
162.685 - 162.98 MHZ. 163.20 - 163.99 MHZ.
165.21 - 165.95 MHZ. 166.40 - 166.75 MHZ.
167.05 - 167.80 MHZ. 168.80 - 168.95 MHZ.
170.70 - 170.925 MHZ. 171.15 - 172.00 MHZ.
411.00 - 411.93 MHZ. 413.675 - 413.975 MHZ.
414.00 - 414.575 MHZ. 416.05 - 416.775 MHZ.
417.02 - 417.275 MHZ. 418.05 - 418.98 MHZ.
How To Find Out More Government Radio Frequencies
HOW DO YOU FIND THESE SCANNER FREQUENCIES?
[NOTE: This article may not be reproduced in whole or in
part on CDROMS, in bulletin boards, networks, or
publications which charge for service without permission of
the author. It is posted twice monthly on the USENET
groups rec.radio.scanner, alt.radio.scanner, and
rec.radio.info. It is also available electronically from
the rec.radio.scanner ftp archive on the official USENET
FAQ library ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-
group/rec.radio.scanner. The author writes a monthly
"Scanner Equipment" column for Monitoring Times magazine,
published by Grove Enterprises, but views expressed in this
article are his own.]
I am often asked, "How do you find these frequencies?"
This article answers the question in various sections:
Books
Magazines
Government Records
Web Sites
Federal Radio Stations
Radio Clubs
Do Your Own Sleuthing
What Makes Station Identification Difficult?
Examine the FCC License on Premise
Examine the Labels on Radio Equipment
Examine the Antenna to Determine Frequency Band
Equipment to Determine Frequency Usage
How Can I Determine To Whom I'm Listening? - An Example
Summary
Addresses
Books
The most convenient source of fire and police frequencies
is the Police Call Plus, published each year in 9 regional
volumes by Hollins Radio Data, and sold at Radio Shack and
larger book stores for under $13. Police Call Plus is
basically a computer printout of FCC license information in
the fire, police, local government, and conservation
services in two lists: by licensee name within state, and
by frequency. A few pages of local airport and
non-sensitive federal government frequencies are included.
Selected business frequencies are listed, too, but without
callsigns and other details.
I highly recommend Richard Barnett's book, Monitor America,
published by Scanner Master Corp. A 3rd edition is
available from Grove Enterprises http://www.grove-ent.com
for about $30. It is crammed full of police, fire, local
government, news media, sports, national park, and
commercial broadcast frequencies for all 50 states. The
information was compiled mainly from members of the Radio
Communications Monitoring Association (RCMA), now defunct
.
Monitor America contains detailed communications system
profiles and precinct maps for major metropolitan areas.
Police and fire radio codes and unit identifiers unique to
local agencies are listed for several cities. This differs
from Police Call Plus, which gives a more sterile, but
uniform treatment of licensees, listing even the smallest
of towns.
Scanner Master also publishes regional frequency guides for
Illinois, Florida, Virginia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and
other states.
Aeronautical frequencies are covered in the Aeronautical
Frequency Directory, written by Bob Coburn, W1JJO.
Although most of the information is about civilian
aviation, Bob included sections on military mid-air
refueling and CAP. The 401 page third edition is available
from Official Scanner Guides (P.O. Box 525-NS, Londonderry,
NH 03053). The same publisher sells the Maritime Frequency
Directory and frequency guides for several New England
states. Some of these books are available through Radio
Shack, too.
The longstanding source of sensitive US government
frequencies is still Tom Kneitel's Top Secret Registry of
US Government Radio Frequencies. Published by CRB
Research, the 8th edition is available from Grove
Enterprises for about $22. Kneitel's book contains
frequency listings for NASA, military, FBI, Secret Service,
DEA, IRS, Border Patrol, arsenals, ammunition plants,
missile sites, and others in the 25 to 470 MHz range.
Since the US government no longer offers frequency
information for its own stations, and has never published
sensitive frequencies, most of the information in Kneitel's
book has been collected from listeners over the years. It
is certainly not complete, nor 100% accurate, but is a good
book for this difficult to obtain information.
Tab Books Master Frequency File, first edition, written by
James Tunnell and Robert Kelty, lists federal agencies and
frequencies and deserves a read. However, there are no
military listings and many pages are devoted to appendices
and references which contain no frequency listings. The
space would be much better used by a combined federal
frequency list sorted by frequency.
Magazines
Although national in circulation, local frequency
information is sometimes available in Grove's Monitoring
Times and the sensationalistic Popular Communications
magazines.
Government Records
Every year, the US Government sells FCC license
information, in the form of microfiche, floppy disk, and
magnetic tape, to the public through the US Department of
Commerce National Technical Information Service (NTIS).
These lists contain license information for the industrial
(e.g. Illinois Armored Car, Pinkerton's Security, Joe's
Towing, etc.), highway maintenance, commercial broadcast,
aviation, common carrier, and maritime services, as well as
for police and fire. For more info call NTIS at 703-487-
4630.
Back in "the good old days," Grove Enterprises sold copies
of some FCC microfiche files, and this was much cheaper
than buying directly from NTIS. Grove no longer sells
microfiche, but sells information on CDROM instead.
You can query FCC databases directly from this web page:
http://www.fcc.gov/searchtools.html
The FCC has an agreement with PerCon (tel. 716-386-6015), a
private company, to sell FCC license information to the
public on both floppy disks and CDROMs. You can buy the
full license information for a multi state region or a less
detailed license database covering the the entire USA on
CDROM for about $100.
The PerCon Spectrum CDROM sells for under $30 and contains
a handful of fields for every FCC license in the US.
However, Public Safety license information contained in the
Winter 1996 Spectrum doesn't appear as up to date as in the
1997 Police Call Plus.
Spectrum works in DOS, Windows, and Mac environments. One
can try restricted sample searches of the Spectrum CD for
free via PerCon's web page at
http://www.perconcorp.com/db_srch.htm
.
Companies have appeared which are "plugged into" the FCC
licensing system and they sell computer time allowing on-
line file access. They also sell paper copies of FCC
information. Washington Radio Reports is one example. A
monthly publication, it lists license applications made to
the FCC. A few members of my scanner club subscribe and
share the information with me.
As I have already done for hundreds of radio enthusiasts,
companies, government agencies, and organizations across
the country since 1994, I will locate FCC licensed and
selected FAA and CAP transmitter sites in an area of your
choice, in any state, and produce a custom RadioMap(TM)
report, including a beautiful 11" by 17" scaled color map,
protected by plastic. The map is marked with transmitter
sites, cities, highways, airports, military installations,
national parks, etc. See http://www.megsinet.com/~parnass
for a sample.
RadioMap has been advertised monthly in Monitoring Times
magazine since 1995. The graphical nature of RadioMap
allows you to identify antenna sites and visualize the
transmitter locations in your neighborhood, near your
office, and other places of interest -- from VLF through
microwave. The report lists frequencies, callsigns, and
licensee names. RadioMap covers police, fire, local
government, TV, business, industry, common carrier,
railroad, trucking, and many more types of transmitter
sites, excluding ham radio stations. Wireline and
nonwireline cellular phone and AM/FM broadcast transmitter
sites are clearly marked using unique color icons.
Industrial customers use RadioMap reports to survey the
"radio environment" prior to installation of radios and
wireless microphones at customer sites. RadioMap is used
by the maritime and broadcast industries, as well as ham
radio operators to solve intermod interference problems,
and has been very favorably reviewed in RCMA Scanner
Journal, American Scannergram, and USSN.
The RadioMap processes and software are unique and
proprietary. Unlike "more tame" maps, RadioMap shows the
locations of military bases, ammunition plants, arsenals,
weapons factories, and other military installations.
For a flat fee, you choose the center location, and I
choose the range, depending on transmitter site density:
suburbs: 5 mile range (100 sq. mi.
area)
rural areas: 10 or more miles (400
sq. mi. area)
dense urban area: 1 - 2 mile range
Longer ranges for additional charge - call for pricing.
A custom RadioMap report costs $24.95 plus $5.00 shipping
and handling. For an additional $10.00, the deluxe report
includes and extra index sorted by frequency and a custom
frequency allocation histogram, a 0 - 1,000 MHz "spectrum
analyzer-like" display showing spectrum usage by the
transmitters in the map coverage area. Send check or money
order payable to Bob Parnass for $29.95 for standard or
$39.95 for deluxe RadioMap report with histogram and
additional index by frequency. Include your name, address,
and telephone number, along with center location (nearest
intersection of 2 streets, or latitude & longitude) and
mail to: Bob Parnass, 2350 Douglas Road, Oswego, IL 60543.
tel. (630)554-3839 6-10 PM central time. For a brochure,
send SASE.
Web Sites
If you have access to the World Wide Web, you can visit
dozens of sites with local frequency lists. You can look
up civilian aero frequencies for specific airports at:
http://www.airnav.com/airports/.
Other frequency web sites include:
http://w5gb.nmsu.edu/kc5kto/,
http://www.fordyce.org/scanning/,
and
http://www.scannerway.8m.com.
Federal Radio Stations - Not Licensed
by FCC
Since federal government radio stations are not licensed by
the FCC, they are not listed in FCC microfiche. In 1981, a
group of 60 radio hobbyists split a $1300 fee, and obtained
80 microfiche cards of 'sanitized' information about
federal government radio stations under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA). (See "The Government Giveth, the
Government Taketh Away", by Richard Prelinger, in
Monitoring Times, July 1982.)
Only 12 of the 21 information fields for each station were
furnished. Fields like "Remarks", which indicate the exact
usage of a channel (e.g. "Sky Marshall's Net"), and
"Bureau", indicating agency subdivision (e.g. TAC within
the USAF), were withheld. These 80 pages of microfiche
were sold by Grove Enterprises for $25, but are no longer
available from that source. Private entrepreneurs have
been known to ask $125 or more for a set! In a step
backward, the US Government insists it will no longer
release this type of information - it is now 'classified'.
(See "AFIO and the FOIA", by Bob Grove, in Monitoring
Times, September 1982.)
For a reason unknown to this author, the government
released a 1984 vintage set of frequencies allocated to the
FAA. Perhaps this was a mistake, because the information
is marked 'unclassified', but all fields are furnished,
including some which indicate security related usage.
Grove sold this set of 33 microfiche cards for about $13.
Two way radio equipment formerly used by the armed forces
often appears for sale at hamfests. Less often, Secret
Service and FBI radios appear there from time to time, too.
When you see such equipment, look over the radio for a
frequency label and write down the frequencies stamped on
the crystals or channel elements. Make note of any service
or property tags which specify the agency or military base
which used the equipment.
Radio Clubs
One of the best parts of the hobby is sharing it with other
radio buffs. Trading information with other hobbyists
about frequencies, communication systems, and receiving
equipment is more valuable than a pile of magazines.
Since the early 1960s, I had been an amateur radio
operator, and belonged to amateur radio clubs, but I never
realized there were any scanner clubs! In 1983, I joined
the world's largest scanner club, the Radio Communications
Monitoring Association (RCMA), now out of business. There
are several regional scanner clubs, spun off from the
former RCMA, which hold regular meetings.
Another club which prints sensitive federal frequencies is
the All Ohio Scanner Club. I enjoy its bimonthly
publication, The American Scannergram, which is about 60
pages long. Although concentrating on Ohio, there is
frequency information from other states, and plenty of
product reviews and scanning tips.
More information is available on the WWW page
http://aosc.rpmdp.com and from:
All Ohio Scanner Club
50 Villa Road
Springfield, OH 45503
Do Your Own Sleuthing
There is a challenge in deriving new spectrum usage
information on your own. Sometimes it requires several
days of listening, taping, and compiling fragments of
information. Other times, the frequency information is
there for the taking - without hassle.
You can approach from two directions:
1. Listen first: Monitor a frequency or frequencies, and
determine who's transmitting and what purpose the
channel serves. Once you identify the user,
log the
information.
2. Compile first: Take advantage of opportunities, such
as examining the frequency label on a guard's
radio,
or reading the FCC license hanging on the
"radio
room" wall, to compile frequency lists, then
monitor
the listed frequencies to confirm that they are
really in use. Readers are urged to abide
by the
rules of good taste and local laws in the quest
for
frequency information. Don't trespass, wait
for an
invitation.
Most listeners use a combination of both approaches.
What Makes Station Identification
Difficult?
In most instances, FCC rules require radio users to
identify their operations with FCC assigned call letters.
Police and fire departments, especially those with trained
radio dispatchers, seem particularly conscientious about
station identification. Like commercial broadcasters, many
of these stations identify on the hour and the half hour.
Some repeater stations have Morse code identification
circuits which transmit call letters on a periodic basis,
insuring compliance with FCC rules.
On the other hand, over 75% the industrial radio stations
monitored within the last year ignore the FCC regulation,
making it difficult for a listener to identify a station.
Some stations may operate for years using the
nondescriptive "base to mobile 2" or "Joe to base"
protocol. One rung up the hierarchy are stations that
identify using something like "Acme base to 107", giving
the listener a clue for his log. If call letters are
given, they are often rendered unintelligible by operators
who fail to enunciate. The failure to identify is more
likely due to sloppiness, rather than any attempt to hide
station identity.
While not regulated by the FCC, federal government radio
stations vary in the extent to which they identify their
transmissions. Some federal stations do not have call
letters. A nearby paging transmitter periodically
transmits a voice recording announcing, "This is the Army
Joliet Ammunition Plant." What more could a listener ask
for?
Aside from a scanner and antenna, the most useful piece of
equipment for sleuthing is a voice actuated (VOX) cassette
tape recorder. You don't need a high fidelity model or
anything fancy. I use two modified Radio Shack CTR-75
recorders, a discontinued model.
VOX recorders allow one to compress a whole day's worth of
monitoring onto a single tape. I often leave a recorder
"armed" and connected to a scanner at home while I am at
the office or doing something else. When call letters are
mumbled, I can play and replay the tape until I hear and
understand them.
If you don't have a VOX recorder, consider a device like
the NiteLogger II tape recorder controller, made by
Benjamin Michael Industries. It connects simply between
scanner and recorder and contains sound activation
circuitry to trigger the recorder.
The following examples illustrate techniques I've used to
derive new frequency information.
Examine the
FCC License on Premise
I have found the actual FCC radio license, complete with
frequency assignments, hanging on the walls of places like
the Bell Labs security office and the guard shack at Waste
Management's Greene Valley Landfill in Naperville.
Examine the
Labels on Radio Equipment
Frequency information is engraved on labels on the back of
many walkie-talkies, or inside the battery compartment,
like in the Motorola HT220 model. Most pagers have labels
on the bottom or inside. Like passwords taped onto
terminals, it's not uncommon to find Dymo or P-Touch tape
labels embossed with frequencies or call letters glued to
the front of base stations.
You can make your own opportunities for eyeing the
equipment or take advantage of "open house" events. If
information is displayed publicly, then a reasonable person
could assume it's not government secret.
- At the annual Glenview Naval Air Station open house, I
examined a military manpack radio being used by
dispensary paramedics. The radio's tuning
dial was
set at 34.15 MHz.
- The Illinois Army National Guard displayed two armored
personnel carriers at the local county fair, each
equipped with VHF-FM and HF-SSB transceivers.
In addition to a tuning control (VFO), the VHF-FM
radio had a set of channel select pushbuttons,
much
like those in a car radio. I asked a guardsman a
few
questions about the radio, and he demonstrated
the
channel preset feature. A panel above the
channel
pushbuttons was labeled with the frequencies:
32.055,
34.45, 35.35, 40.55, and 40.60 MHz.
- An Army National Guard UH1 helicopter was displayed at
the Marseilles armory "open house".
The public was
permitted to climb aboard, and observe the
instrumentation and radio gear. A channel
plate on
the instrument cluster listed over a dozen
frequencies.
Hobbyists are urged to exercise a modicum of restraint and
good judgment. In New Jersey, a radio technician/hobbyist
called to service a transmitter in a county building,
noticed a new unattended repeater installation in the same
room. Being curious about what frequency this repeater was
on, he opened the access door to copy the frequencies from
the radio's crystals. It turns out that this radio
belonged to the US Secret Service, and opening the access
door could have activated a "tamper alarm"!
The tech was skating on thin ice. He had nobody's
permission to tamper with that equipment.
Another source of frequency information is as close as your
nearest Radio Shack store. Some Radio Shack stores make a
local frequency list available to assist their scanner
customers. Be sure to ask. Stores located in shopping
malls almost always know the mall security frequencies. I
often check the frequencies programmed into the floor model
scanners, too.
Examine the Antenna to Determine Frequency Band
You can often determine a transmitter's frequency band by
the size and type of antenna used.
The Police Call Plus book contains sketches of antennas.
Antenna catalogs are crammed full with antenna pictures and
specifications and they are usually free. Contact Antenna
Specialists (216-349-8400), Cushcraft (603-627-7877),
Tessco (800-472-7373), Maxrad, Larsen Electronics (800-
426-1656), and other companies in the land mobile equipment
business.
Equipment to Determine
Frequency Usage
If you don't know the exact frequency, but have a general
idea of the range (e.g. 150 - 152 MHz), use your scanner's
"search" mode. Most programmable scanners afford the
ability to search between two frequency limits set by the
user. Some models, including the Radio Shack PRO-2035,
ICOM R7000/R7100, Bearcat 2500XLT, and Bearcat 250, have
the ability to automatically store active frequencies found
during an unattended search operation.
To find the frequency of a hotel communications system, one
fellow installed his Bearcat 250 in his car and parked in
the hotel lot, leaving the scanner in the "search and
store" mode. He left the antenna disconnected so the
scanner would only respond to a transmitter in the
immediate vicinity.
Test equipment can aid in the quest for new frequency
information. I've used a spectrum analyzer connected to an
outside antenna, another spectrum analyzer connected to a
receiver IF stage, and a frequency counter for close-in
work.
How Can I Determine To Whom I'm
Listening? - An Example
While scanning the industrial frequencies in the 150 MHz
range, a van driver was overheard communicating with "base"
while driving around my town. The stations involved never
used FCC call signs -- this would have made life a lot
easier for me, and legal for them! (one may use FCC license
microfiche, described earlier, to identify stations using
call letters.) Transmissions were short and infrequent, so
it was decided to tape record all transmissions on this
frequency for several days to determine the station's
identity.
During daylight hours, a modified Regency K500 scanner was
left tuned to the target frequency, connected to a cheap
tape recorder through a home built interface. Using a
carrier operated relay, the tape interface supplied power
to the recorder only during radio transmissions, so a day's
worth of traffic could be compressed into a 45 minute tape.
Each day, the tape was played back and notes on names,
locations, and activities mentioned during the day's
transmissions were taken. The van driver appeared to be
making daily stops at a local bank and two shopping malls.
A Walgreen's store seemed to be the only stop at one mall.
A few times, "base" ordered the van "back to the Training
Center." There were frequent references to "guests
checking out", "dropping a guest off", and "instructor[s]
missing a class". At times, "base" spoke with
"security",
who must have been using a walkie-talkie as his signals
weren't strong enough to hear.
Was this a hotel? Calls to the three local hotels revealed
that none provides shuttle bus service to the shopping
malls. A call to the Walgreen's, inquiring about bus
service to the store, drew another blank. During my
shopping trips, I began to pay closer attention to vans
with antennas driving through the parking lots.
I was leaving the mall one day, when a week's effort paid
off. A maroon and white van, equipped with a VHF-Hi
antenna, was dropping shoppers off at Walgreen's. A sign
on the van's door read:
XYZ Central Training Center (XYZ is a pseudonym for the
actual licensee name.)
Lisle, Illinois
I watched the driver pick up a microphone, and listened to
him on my portable scanner checking back with his "base".
All the pieces fit: the "guests", the "classes", the
"instructors". Mystery solved; I had been monitoring the
customer training center for a large computer manufacturer.
The training center has hotel rooms and dining facilities
to accommodate students from out of state. As a
convenience, shuttle van service is provided to local
shopping malls.
Summary
Through books, government records, and radio clubs, scanner
listeners can make use of frequency information compiled by
others. Two-way radio users often fail to identify their
transmissions properly, making it more difficult for
listeners to know who they are monitoring. By examining
radio equipment labeling, and monitoring and taping
transmissions, scanner enthusiasts can unearth new
information.
Addresses
Grove Enterprises
7540 Highway 64 West
Brasstown, NC 28902.
tel (828)837-9200
order line (800)438-8155
Official Scanner Guides
P.O. Box 525-NS
Londonderry, NH 03053.
tel (603)432-2615
order line (800)351-7226
Scan America
430 Garner Drive,
Suffield, OH 44260-1557
Scanner Master,
PO Box 428
Newton Highlands, MA 02161.
telephone 1-800-722-6701.
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