CVG Federal Freqs

[jsoergel]

I went planespotting at KCVG today and did a full radio log while there. Didn't want to crosspost, so I'm just putting the federal freqs in this thread. Original post can be found here if anyone is interested: CVG Spotting Trip

166.2875 $001 - TSA body scanner
173.1000 $167 - FBI (167.3375 input)
171.6625 $551 - FBI (169.9375 input) *see note*
173.2500 (131.8) - unknown (made a reference to Terminal 3)

*CHARLIE 100 3008 calling CHARLIE 100 for radio checks, clear and encrypted. Said that it shows up as "Cincinnati IAP" on the console. The NAC was showing $551 on both input and output freqs. They switched to the other FBI freq after some initial comms.

Can someone please explain what causes the 551 NAC? Decoding error, maybe?

[ChrisP]

Originally Posted by jsoergel

*CHARLIE 100 3008 calling CHARLIE 100 for radio checks, clear and encrypted. Said that it shows up as "Cincinnati IAP" on the console. The NAC was showing $551 on both input and output freqs. They switched to the other FBI freq after some initial comms.

Can someone please explain what causes the 551 NAC? Decoding error, maybe?

I'm not sure why you decided that the frequency was FBI. CHARLIE 100 indicates to me that it is Customs & Border Protection (CBP). CHARLIE 100 is the National Law Enforcement Communications Center in Orlando. NAC 551 could very well be correct for this repeater.

- Chris

[jsoergel]

Originally Posted by ChrisP

I'm not sure why you decided that the frequency was FBI. CHARLIE 100 indicates to me that it is Customs & Border Protection (CBP). CHARLIE 100 is the National Law Enforcement Communications Center in Orlando. NAC 551 could very well be correct for this repeater.

- Chris

I thought this was FBI because the users on this freq were using the FBI repeater for quite some time. I realized the real usage early this morning while they were checking cargo shipments from DHL (good strength on the repeater, I can hear it easily from my home north of Cincinnati).

I didn't think $551 was a valid code, though. Or at least I cant find any reference to it.

[ChrisP]

Originally Posted by jsoergel

I thought this was FBI because the users on this freq were using the FBI repeater for quite some time. I realized the real usage early this morning while they were checking cargo shipments from DHL (good strength on the repeater, I can hear it easily from my home north of Cincinnati).

I didn't think $551 was a valid code, though. Or at least I cant find any reference to it.

Do you mean valid for CBP? They have been known to use some oddball NACs on some localized repeaters.

Any hex value from 000 to FFF can be a valid NAC.

Chris

[ecps92]

So your saying the same users on the $167 NAC were also heard on the $551 NAC ??

What you list as inputs, could be Linked Repeaters, the 167.xxxx have been Outputs for years not inputs.

Someone reported months ago 166.2875 as USSS, but they made that assumption due to the $001 NAC

Originally Posted by jsoergel

I thought this was FBI because the users on this freq were using the FBI repeater for quite some time. I realized the real usage early this morning while they were checking cargo shipments from DHL (good strength on the repeater, I can hear it easily from my home north of Cincinnati).

I didn't think $551 was a valid code, though. Or at least I cant find any reference to it.

[jsoergel]

Originally Posted by ecps92

So your saying the same users on the $167 NAC were also heard on the $551 NAC ??

What you list as inputs, could be Linked Repeaters, the 167.xxxx have been Outputs for years not inputs.

Someone reported months ago 166.2875 as USSS, but they made that assumption due to the $001 NAC

Yes, they showed up first on the Cincinnati FBI repeater (173.1000) with full encryption, then moved to 171.6625. The local unit called in the clear on that freq for radio checks but CHARLIE 100 responded secure. After he called one or two more times, CHARLIE 100 called him back in the red. They moved back to the FBI repeater in the clear for some more radio checks, then went encrypted once before disappearing.

I actually got the 166.2875 from Chris's blog, which had $003 for the NAC. I didn't hear the other two freqs listed there.

[jsoergel]

172.7125 $551 CVG Customs repeater active with comms for the nightly DHL inbounds.

[ecps92]

IF they were ENC how did you know it was the same user ??

Originally Posted by jsoergel

Yes, they showed up first on the Cincinnati FBI repeater (173.1000) with full encryption, then moved to 171.6625. The local unit called in the clear on that freq for radio checks but CHARLIE 100 responded secure. After he called one or two more times, CHARLIE 100 called him back in the red. They moved back to the FBI repeater in the clear for some more radio checks, then went encrypted once before disappearing.

I actually got the 166.2875 from Chris's blog, which had $003 for the NAC. I didn't hear the other two freqs listed there.

[ChrisP]

Hey Jared, thanks for all the postings from CVG.

I would think that the 167/173 FBI repeaters were most likely linked and not input/output. They might have a common input, or were being simul-keyed from a dispatch console patch.

As for the same users on all those frequencies, certainly not impossible. Might be one of the FBI (N167) repeaters is being set up for multi-ageny usage at CVG. You never know.

Keep listening and posting!

- Chris

[jsoergel]

Originally Posted by ecps92

IF they were ENC how did you know it was the same user ??

They were only encrypted on the FBI repeater the first time. When they moved back to it, they were in the clear.

[WayneH]

Originally Posted by jsoergel

They were only encrypted on the FBI repeater the first time.

Right, we got that part. How did *you* know it was them the first time. How did you know it was them who switched? Radio ID?

[jsoergel]

Originally Posted by WayneH

Right, we got that part. How did *you* know it was them the first time. How did you know it was them who switched? Radio ID?

At the time, I didn't know it was them...no way to confirm it since they were encrypted. But it's a reasonable assumption given the identical strength of signal and the timeframe - this was all within five minutes or so. I put two and two together once they moved back to the FBI repeater.

[ecps92]

Not really. Multiple Agencies running concurrent Ops with Repeaters at the same sites, might be running different events and regularly be different users. YMMV - PS welcome to the Federal LMR Monitoring side of the Hobby

Being ENC doesn't help, it does however validate SOMEONE is using it, but does not validate it's the same radio/user.

Yes there are some [as CP pointed out] who share frequencies, others who are part of a TF and then the CBP/Sector who contract out to handle many agencies.

Keep listening, maybe you will find an event where the ENC channel is used in the CLR

Originally Posted by jsoergel

At the time, I didn't know it was them...no way to confirm it since they were encrypted. But it's a reasonable assumption given the identical strength of signal and the timeframe - this was all within five minutes or so. I put two and two together once they moved back to the FBI repeater.

[jsoergel]

Originally Posted by ecps92

Not really. Multiple Agencies running concurrent Ops with Repeaters at the same sites, might be running different events and regularly be different users. YMMV - PS welcome to the Federal LMR Monitoring side of the Hobby

Being ENC doesn't help, it does however validate SOMEONE is using it, but does not validate it's the same radio/user.

Yes there are some [as CP pointed out] who share frequencies, others who are part of a TF and then the CBP/Sector who contract out to handle many agencies.

Keep listening, maybe you will find an event where the ENC channel is used in the CLR

Well I know for sure that they did use the repeater in the clear after the radio checks on the other freq. The only unknown is if it was them using it the first time.

[jsoergel]

Went back to CVG again today; I solved some of the mystery but found a few new freqs as well. I checked for input frequencies but found nothing in the normal band range. They may be linked repeaters, or maybe just oddball allocations.

166.3500 71.9 - USPS (162.2250 in)
167.3375/173.1000 $167 enc - probably FBI
169.5750 P25 - unconfirmed
169.9375/171.6625/172.7125 $551 some enc - CBP *see note*
170.7375 $293 enc - ???
171.9875 $167 enc - probably FBI
172.2375 P25 - unconfirmed
173.1500 $167 enc - probably FBI
173.2500 131.8 - ??? (maybe airport employee shuttles?)

*During the day, only the first two freqs are used, fully encrypted. For nightly DHL operations, all three freqs are active in the clear.

[ecps92]

Odd - but not out of the Relm, 166.3500 is generally USFS, NPS, DoI, BLM & USF&W

Originally Posted by jsoergel

Went back to CVG again today; I solved some of the mystery but found a few new freqs as well. I checked for input frequencies but found nothing in the normal band range. They may be linked repeaters, or maybe just oddball allocations.

166.3500 71.9 - USPS (162.2250 in)
167.3375/173.1000 $167 enc - probably FBI
169.5750 P25 - unconfirmed
169.9375/171.6625/172.7125 $551 some enc - CBP *see note*
170.7375 $293 enc - ???
171.9875 $167 enc - probably FBI
172.2375 P25 - unconfirmed
173.1500 $167 enc - probably FBI
173.2500 131.8 - ??? (maybe airport employee shuttles?)

*During the day, only the first two freqs are used, fully encrypted. For nightly DHL operations, all three freqs are active in the clear.

[loumaag]

Threads merged.

DO NOT start a new topic for the very same thing you already have an active topic on.

[Exsmokey]

Originally Posted by ecps92

Odd - but not out of the Relm, 166.3500 is generally USFS, NPS, DoI, BLM & USF&W

Bill, a little alphabet soup clarification wanted here. What is the Dol?

You are correct about the use of the frequency usually being those agencies, my observations have been that this is true more often in the western states than the eastern ones. Eastern land management units are smaller, the radio traffic is less complex, the traffic load on the frequencies is not as heavy, simplex is employed more often as topography is flatter, units don't have the need for multiple nets, there are fewer units and often there is quite some distance between them. As a result, more traditionally assigned natural resource frequencies are available for other agencies.

Case in point, Iowa has two very small NPS units, six National Wildlife Refuges and zero USFS and BLM units.

When I speak of the eastern U.S., my western perspective lumps the mid west and east together, i.e. the east begins on the eastern side of Denver International Airport! .

[ecps92]

Dept of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by Exsmokey

Bill, a little alphabet soup clarification wanted here. What is the Dol?

You are correct about the use of the frequency usually being those agencies, my observations have been that this is true more often in the western states than the eastern ones. Eastern land management units are smaller, the radio traffic is less complex, the traffic load on the frequencies is not as heavy, simplex is employed more often as topography is flatter, units don't have the need for multiple nets, there are fewer units and often there is quite some distance between them. As a result, more traditionally assigned natural resource frequencies are available for other agencies.

Case in point, Iowa has two very small NPS units, six National Wildlife Refuges and zero USFS and BLM units.

When I speak of the eastern U.S., my western perspective lumps the mid west and east together, i.e. the east begins on the eastern side of Denver International Airport! .

[jsoergel]

Originally Posted by ecps92

Odd - but not out of the Relm, 166.3500 is generally USFS, NPS, DoI, BLM & USF&W

166.3500 has been in use for quite some time in the Greater Cincinnati area.

On a side note, I heard several transmissions in the clear on 171.9875 $167 last night and early this morning. Nothing distinguishable - just short comms from a YL calling for someone.