Monitoring Tenderfoot Fire?

[scanbc780]

If anyone has the freqs that should be monitored during the Tenderfoot fire could you post them?

I found a slew of them here http://www.wildfireaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014-ASFD-Radio-Frequency-Plan-ver1-3.pdf and in the database. I am hearing the repeater ID's popping through but no traffic so I must not be monitoring the right ones.

It seems all the local firefighters must be on VFIRE, state or BLM channels as their repeaters went silent or could be down as they did say the comms could go down as the fire is at or around some of the Yarnell towers and power was out for the area.

 

[KB7MIB]

I have heard:
172.525 BLM Phoenix District Fire
154.935 Arizona State Lands Flight Follow

John
Peoria

 

[scanbc780]

Thanks John, I'll give those a try.

 

[clover509]

Caught traffic last night around 7 to 8 PM very close to Yarnell on the following:
151.265 107.2 PL Peeples Valley Fire
155.160 Search and Rescue
155.595 110.9 PL Sheriff's Office (ID'd over the air as 'Tac'.)
153.515 151.4 PL Sheriff's Response Team (Assisting with evacuations and observation.)
154.445 123.0 PL South Yavapai Fire District
159.555 146.2 PL Lifeline Ambulance (Yarnell Repeater)

Watched Tanker 910 (DC-10 VLAT) and a P-2V Neptune conduct drops until just about dark. Was unable to catch callsigns or freqs.

 

[KB7MIB]

Air-ground is 167.725
Air attack just ordered a lead plane, 2 SEAT's, a VLAT, and 2 heavy airtankers.

Edit: They just asked for 2 heavy helitankers, as well.

2nd edit: Try 126.325 for air-air. That's what is being reported on the Yahoo groups.

John
Peoria

 

[radioprescott]

Tenderfoot freqs

If anyone has the freqs that should be monitored during the Tenderfoot fire could you post them?

I found a slew of them here http://www.wildfireaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014-ASFD-Radio-Frequency-Plan-ver1-3.pdf and in the database. I am hearing the repeater ID's popping through but no traffic so I must not be monitoring the right ones.

It seems all the local firefighters must be on VFIRE, state or BLM channels as their repeaters went silent or could be down as they did say the comms could go down as the fire is at or around some of the Yarnell towers and power was out for the area.

As of 1500 today:

Command = BLM PHD 172.525 White Tanks Repeat
Pri A/G 47 = 167.725
Sec A/G 34 = 167.175
A/A 4 126.325

 

[radioprescott]

As of 1900 from WildCad

BLM - 2101
BLM - 2103
BLM - 2105
BLM - 2106
PNF DIV-93
AZSF 5-1
AZSF 5-2
TNF BAT 12-61
BLM-PHD E-2311 T3
BLM-PHD E-2612 T6
PNF E-931 PNF T3
H-9RH T1
HT-1CH T1
HT-715 T1
WINSLOW TYPE 2
BLACK MESA IHC

 

[SCPD]

Here is a website many might not be familiar with. I've linked directly to the Tenderfoot Fire thread, but the address of the parent site is one to keep in your favorites for future reference.

AZ-A1S-Tenderfoot

 

[clover509]

Had Lead aircraft "Bravo 89" working with Helitanker 715, Tanker 07, 910 and 911 this morning around 1000 on 120.975.

Also had comms on:
170.6875 136.5 PL NIFC Command 11 (ID'd on the air.)
166.6125 136.5 PL NIFC Air-Ground 22
168.5375 NIFC Air-Ground 54
163.1000 110.9 PL NIFC All-Call/Travel
168.6500 110.9 PL NIFC Flight Following
123.9750 Airtanker Base

Have Helitanker 715 and Tankers 06 and 14 on the deck at PRC now.

 

[SCPD]

Had Lead aircraft "Bravo 89" working with Helitanker 715, Tanker 07, 910 and 911 this morning around 1000 on 120.975.

Also had comms on:
170.6875 136.5 PL NIFC Command 11 (ID'd on the air.)
166.6125 136.5 PL NIFC Air-Ground 22
168.5375 NIFC Air-Ground 54
163.1000 110.9 PL NIFC All-Call/Travel
168.6500 110.9 PL NIFC Flight Following
123.9750 Airtanker Base

Have Helitanker 715 and Tankers 06 and 14 on the deck at PRC now.

An aircraft with the "Bravo" designation is a lead plane and air tactical group supervisor combination. The way to distinguish them from a regular aircraft callsign is that FAA registration designators end with letters, e.g. "53 Hotel" or "3 Foxtrot Golf." In the case of these combination lead plane and air attack ships the letter (always B or Bravo) precedes the numbers.

Thanks for the frequency information. I just came across a document that shows the latest revision of the national air to ground frequency list. I need to work through it and revise the Wiki page I maintain for the NIFC radio system. I'm going to modify the table to show the name of the dispatch center the frequencies are assigned to rather than show just the zone it is assigned to. Some channels have been assigned new frequencies and a few channels have been added. Reports of actual monitoring help fact check the info I am able to obtain.

 

[N9JIG]

Heard this morning (Saturday) as I drove thru the area from Prescott to Wickenburg:


163.100 (000.0) "Heli Base". BLM crews coordinating helicopter dips in the pond at the Hidden Springs ranch in Peeples Valley. "Luke Lake" is a small crescent shaped pond right off of Hwy 89 the choppers were dipping in one right after another.


411.995 (R) "Air Tac". Sounded like chopper to chopper traffic.


159.955 Unknown fire crew working the line


155.400 (R, 141.3) Yavapai County crews working on the "Union" Channel


155.160 Same Yavapai County crews using "County SAR", telling contact to go to the "Union" channel.

 

[SCPD]

Heard this morning (Saturday) as I drove thru the area from Prescott to Wickenburg:


163.100 (000.0) "Heli Base". BLM crews coordinating helicopter dips in the pond at the Hidden Springs ranch in Peeples Valley. "Luke Lake" is a small crescent shaped pond right off of Hwy 89 the choppers were dipping in one right after another.


411.995 (R) "Air Tac". Sounded like chopper to chopper traffic.


159.955 Unknown fire crew working the line


155.400 (R, 141.3) Yavapai County crews working on the "Union" Channel


155.160 Same Yavapai County crews using "County SAR", telling contact to go to the "Union" channel.

411.995 is probably a link frequency for a VHF-AM air to air tactics frequency. The logistics function is the only function to utilize UHF frequencies for simplex and repeater communications on handhelds provided from NIFC caches. Sometimes a UHF frequency is used simplex in camp and called "Camp Net." The NIFC system has quite a few of these UHF frequencies that can be used to link VHF-FM command repeaters together. They are also used to link AM aviation frequencies from portable VHF AM remote bases temporarily placed on high peaks in the fire area.

I have all this documented in a Wiki article that is reached by accessing the "Nationwide Frequency" portion of the database. Scroll down to the link for the "National Incident Radio Support Cache" and once there, hit the Wiki tab. I really like getting reception reports to confirm the information I'm able to get from time to time.

If I remember correctly, the Yavapai SO has a repeater on Mt. Union.

163.1000 is used as a "deck frequency" at heliports and air tanker bases. It sounds like they are using it on this fire at a main watering source.

I don't have 159.9550 in any of the information of the state's from 2015. I'm not sure of when I will get to see their 2016 info, but will keep that frequency in mind when I do. I could not find any licences issued to the State of Arizona for that frequency either.

Welcome to the world of wildland fire listening. This ain't the midwest anymore!! I say that because the western U.S. has a lot of fire dependent ecosystems that burn far more frequently than those in the midwest. Actually I call anything east of the east boundary fence of Denver International, the eastern U.S.! :wink: From your home you should be able to get some Prescott and some Tonto National Forests listening in. I'm not sure of how they link their repeater sites, whether by microwave or in the 406-420 range. I think Mt. Ord is the hub site for the Tonto and Union or Mingus on the Prescott. You will also be able to pick up the Phoenix District of the BLM fairly well. radioprescott has a lot of knowledge of the federal land management agencies in Arizona and has made significant finds and database submissions over the years.

 

[N9JIG]

That CloseCall hit on 159.955 kind of threw me for a loop too. I was in "downtown" Yarnell when I got it and I listened to them all the way down the hill. They were pointing out structures and cleared areas.

I was standing at the fence along AZ-89 watching the helicopters dip a hundred yards away. Awesome sight.

 

[KB7MIB]

Try local FD's from around the state, and see if any of them are licensed to 159.955. I know Peoria Fire/Medical Department has a wildland crew up there ( although they wouldn't be the user of 159.955).

I just looked through the Yavapai County listings, and didn't see it.

John
Peoria

 

[N9JIG]

There was no PL on it so it could have been dialed up on a freq-agile radio. It is also possible that the freq my have been off a notch or two, that happens on scanners with CloseCall sometimes.

 

[N9JIG]

Just noticed a typo from my notes (hard to jot things down when driving...) 411.955 is actually 411.975.

 

[clover509]

And some more hits today near the Tenderfoot fire operations area around 1400...


168.5375 NIFC Air-Ground 55 (ID'd on the air as "Air-Ground Secondary")
163.7125 167.9 PL NIFC Intra-crew

166.7250 136.5 PL Unknown
168.3000 Unknown

 

[SCPD]

Just noticed a typo from my notes (hard to jot things down when driving...) 411.955 is actually 411.975.

Neither frequency is on the several year old list of official NIFC UHF repeater/remote base frequencies. I sure would like to get a hold of a new one. I'm going to have to start a "actually heard" list of these link frequencies. I don't see a lot of people reporting UHF frequencies on large fires as they find the VHF frequencies in use and go no further. Too bad because there are times where picking up the VHF AM frequencies is not possible due to the very low power used, but if a UHF linked remote base is in use all of the aviation communications can be heard.

 

[FLANO]

... I don't see a lot of people reporting UHF frequencies on large fires as they find the VHF frequencies in use and go no further. Too bad because there are times where picking up the VHF AM frequencies is not possible due to the very low power used, but if a UHF linked remote base is in use all of the aviation communications can be heard.

Ok, challenge accepted. I've never heard repeated aviation comms. I do search the UHF links during fires in my area and have never heard it.

Let's see what can be drummed up :O

 

[SCPD]

And some more hits today near the Tenderfoot fire operations area around 1400...


168.5375 NIFC Air-Ground 55 (ID'd on the air as "Air-Ground Secondary")
163.7125 167.9 PL NIFC Intra-crew

166.7250 136.5 PL Unknown
168.3000 Unknown

166.7250 is NIFC Tac 5. The 136.4 PL is the tone assigned to the fire for both tactical and command. Your earlier post shows that.

You can expect to hear many different tones on the intra-crew frequencies as each crew is supposed to pick their own tone so that they don't have to listen to other crews.

I'm currently working on a revision of the air to ground frequency table of the NIFC system air to grounds using 2016 official information. That info shows 168.5375 as Air to Ground 54. A/G 55 has not been reported in use and 168.5625 according to information I received from an official source about 3 years ago. Was an announcement on 168.5375 made identifying it as Air to Ground 55?

Not that it applies to Arizona, but 168.3000 is the BLM California "Scene of Action" frequency. It is interesting for it to show up on an incident in Arizona. I don't have a list of the tactical frequencies assigned to the BLM Arizona State Office.