Post Your Mystery Frequencies

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by ecps92

Two users come to mind. Chris-P might have more.

EPA. Does it sound Simplex or Repeater?

The other is likely USPS and since it's Truck Drivers, maybe from a Distribution & Sorting Facility, that sends the trucks out to the Local Post Offices ??

Then again, bootleggers or an image

It's definitely simplex (which is why I said it was simplex ), it's not an image as different I.F. radios hear it, doesn't sound like USPS, it sounds like regular ole truckers...speaking Spanish and English. It's always just chit-chat type of stuff, mainly complaining about traffic.

[SOFA_KING]

I have to say that the Home Patrol is proving to be a very good search scanner in a very short amount of time. I have been getting many new hits while home, and especially mobile around FL. I think it is a much faster scanner, and that helps. It is also nice to have the recording feature to record the NAC and audio together without the need for a computer and software, but to know it is a direct signal you need to see the signal bars live because the recorder doesn't capture that. And I just wish the audio quality was better!

So last week I was working at home and got the alert of a new hit (several times).

165.1000 NAC 1F1 ITC DIRECT

Two mobiles are in town and there to do a takedown on a target in what sounds like a store or place of business. There was lots of talk of this one shopping strip mall. I got the hit on several sweeps and nothing like a repeater output was found. I turned on my known list and nothing lit up in relation to it. The lack of formality was a little different from the norm. I looked up this NAC in the Wiki and it was listed as used by Treasury. IRS? Maybe. I listened for details, but they were carefull not to talk about case details. I could hear the effort to avoid such talk.

Anyone have anything on this freq or NAC?

[kennyblues]

I've logged this freq and NAC combination about a year and a half ago South of Boston, only one radio heard with a UID of i29930. Best guess is Treasury/IRS

[SOFA_KING]

kennyblues, thanks for that report. I should mention that the local SO did the actual arrest, so these guys were not the force part of the takedown. Also, listening back, there might have been more than two agents involved.

One side note: More TSA freqs lit up last time I was in Orlando, and also Tampa. The good news is that the freqs are the same ones reported in other areas. I do enjoy seeing national standards in frequency coordination, but the way they use these is not very smart or standard...in fact, bad radio practice with a high potential for stepping on one another without knowing they are doing it. Risky in a real emergency!

Phil

[SOFA_KING]

Been getting lots of night time encrypted traffic on two UHF freqs with N169. Chris wanted us to keep an ear out on one of them, and sure enough I am now receiving it in my area. Each night has been a different freq, so far. Last night it lit up on one of the old USPS PI channels.

414.7500 N169 ENC 12/23/12 (old West Palm Beach West Net)
414.4625 N169 ENC 12/20/12 (the one reported in VA and TX to Chris)

So far all enc, and fits the usual night time USPI traffic. Many nights I hear these guys having long QSO's on the area repeater channel, but the local repeater site has had trouble up in my specific area. I think my local transmitter in the wide area system is on the fritz. In the beginning it was full scale, then months later it went to one bar, and then back to full scale for a couple of months, and finally back to one bar as of late. Perhaps coverage up in my area is compromised and simplex it the alternative. I have to believe they have some simplex channels, but it is interesting they are not using NAC482 for direct...if it is indeed them.

Could this be a couple of their direct channels? Has anyone else noticed the same PI traffic pattern?

[trumpetman]

I've heard 414.5625 with NAC 168 in Charlotte, NC. I think it's safe to say they're related considering how close the frequency and NAC are.

Only heard it one day for a few hours, very sporadic. Didn't notice any traffic on the local USPI repeater, but I wasn't listening at the time.

I'll have to get back into searching the fed bands once they get active again after the holidays.

[SOFA_KING]

Roger that. I think I will add these to my PO list and see how they relate.

Thanks for the info!

[ChrisP]

Originally Posted by SOFA_KING

414.7500 N169 ENC 12/23/12 (old West Palm Beach West Net)
414.4625 N169 ENC 12/20/12 (the one reported in VA and TX to Chris)

Yes, these are still a bit of a mystery to me. They are USPS allocations, for sure. But the mystery is that they are using a different NAC than the other standard USPIS channels. But we have also noticed both known PIS operations as well as the N169 operations on some channels, but not all.

And for what it's worth, I've seen the code plug from a USPIS radio and it didn't have these NACs or some of the frequencies heard in it. However, it's possible that these are a separate group from the regular Postal Inspectors, possibly an Inspector General or Internal Affairs group.

- Chris

[SOFA_KING]

Originally Posted by ChrisP

Yes, these are still a bit of a mystery to me. They are USPS allocations, for sure. But the mystery is that they are using a different NAC than the other standard USPIS channels. But we have also noticed both known PIS operations as well as the N169 operations on some channels, but not all.

And for what it's worth, I've seen the code plug from a USPIS radio and it didn't have these NACs or some of the frequencies heard in it. However, it's possible that these are a separate group from the regular Postal Inspectors, possibly an Inspector General or Internal Affairs group.

- Chris

Hi Chris...and Merry Christmas/Happy New Year.

You lucky dog, you! Not everyone gets to see codeplugs! Did you see any simplex at all in that codelug?

You might be right about the inspector general thing. I'm just happy to know what scan list group to put them in, hihi. I have to say (again) that the HP1 with my search file is really digging them out. I only wish it also recorded the signal so I could tell if it is direct traffic on the playback. They are in the simplex part of the band, so I would think no repeaters are involved.

[sflmonitor]

Originally Posted by SOFA_KING

Been getting lots of night time encrypted traffic on two UHF freqs with N169. Chris wanted us to keep an ear out on one of them, and sure enough I am now receiving it in my area. Each night has been a different freq, so far. Last night it lit up on one of the old USPS PI channels.

414.7500 N169 ENC 12/23/12 (old West Palm Beach West Net)
414.4625 N169 ENC 12/20/12 (the one reported in VA and TX to Chris)

So far all enc, and fits the usual night time USPI traffic. Many nights I hear these guys having long QSO's on the area repeater channel, but the local repeater site has had trouble up in my specific area. I think my local transmitter in the wide area system is on the fritz. In the beginning it was full scale, then months later it went to one bar, and then back to full scale for a couple of months, and finally back to one bar as of late. Perhaps coverage up in my area is compromised and simplex it the alternative. I have to believe they have some simplex channels, but it is interesting they are not using NAC482 for direct...if it is indeed them.

Could this be a couple of their direct channels? Has anyone else noticed the same PI traffic pattern?

I've never heard N169 for USPI. But like Chris said, it could be OIG or something similar. The only other NAC codes that I know of are 293, and I believe those are limited to a couple of simplex channels. I don't recall 414.4625 in South Florida. I wonder if it is a new one? I'll plug it in and see if it is active in Dade/Broward Counties.

[SOFA_KING]

Plug 'em both in. We both live in the same district.

And what simplex are you hearing with N293?

Cheers!

[ecps92]

other UHF Notes also show $169 for
414.5625

Originally Posted by SOFA_KING

Plug 'em both in. We both live in the same district.

And what simplex are you hearing with N293?

Cheers!

[SOFA_KING]

Originally Posted by ecps92

other UHF Notes also show $169 for
414.5625

Thank you, Bill, for correcting me. You are right.

I must be getting old. I meant 414.5625 , and not 414.4625. D'oh!

I must have typed it in the dark!

[Squad10]

USPS simplex 409.3750 has been used for USPIS handheld to handheld surveillance traffic in Chicago burbs. I've heard it used for Postal Carrier integrity checks and to report quality of signal from the RF transmitter embedded in a package being surveilled.

Have'nt heard it since USPIS went digital, the few times I have in the past, the check was at a USPO a couple miles from my residence.

[sflmonitor]

Originally Posted by SOFA_KING

Plug 'em both in. We both live in the same district.

And what simplex are you hearing with N293?

Cheers!

These are the two frequencies that I'm talking about, obviously one is a repeater. I haven't personally verified but have been told that the info is accurate.

Emergency Repeater: 408.3375 MHz, N293
Spec Ops: 414.7625 MHz, N293 (simplex)

Interestingly enough, the following wiki page has a few other frequencies with different NACs:

Postal Inspection Service - The RadioReference Wiki

[SOFA_KING]

Interesting...thanks for those reports. I will keep an ear on them.

Phil

[kennyblues]

Encrypted traffic on 414.5625 $169 this morning. South of Boston.

[KB7MIB]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; U; en-US) Gecko/20081217 Vision-Browser/8.1 301x200 LG VN530)

Phoenix: 407.5375 MotoTrbo (I believe). Looks like a common USPS Bulk Mail facility channel, but since I don't have DSD to monitor MotoTrbo, I can't confirm.