TSA & TSA Contractor Freqs

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mkewman

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I'm trying to figure out something:

Are contractors authorized to use Federal Frequencies?

Where can I find out who is the Contractor for certain airports for the TSA?

Spacifically I'm looking at SMF (sacramento international airport) SFO (san francisco international) SJC (San Jose International) and DTW (detroit metro airport).

SFO has covenant aviation security as it's contractor, and it's unclear if they use their own frequency that they have licensed, or if they use a federal or Airport licensed freq. The main fed monitoring guy at MT has heard it on a frequency licensed to the airport, but the notes on the license say it's for maintaining the airport and staff coordination stuff so...

SMF- well, i drive by it weekly and have all the TSA freqs programmed and have NEVER heard a single peep out of them. I've driven by with a magmount antenna and CloseCall on and haven't heard a peep except for some Air Band stuff.

As for DTW and SJC... i have no clue.

Any ideas?
 

sigint1

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I work at Reno Tahoe International - same here - hardly hear anything - about all I have ever heard is traffic about them being short staff somewhere and a supervisor sending additioal personnel to help out.
 

trooperdude

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Last time I listened to SJC, the TSA was on a 172mhz APCO25 channel.

(not near my home computer so can't tell you exact freq. right now)

Of course that was months ago, since watching grass grow is more interesting
than listening to screening counts on TSA.
 

WayneH

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mkewman said:
SFO (san francisco international) SJC (San Jose International)
The freq used by TSA at San Jose is 172.9000 NAC 001. I've never heard it used at SFO, or any other freq in the Fed bands (at SFO).

I've seen contractors operating under Federal licenses. In this situation I doubt you'll see this though.
 

mkewman

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joking said:
I work at Reno Tahoe International - same here - hardly hear anything - about all I have ever heard is traffic about them being short staff somewhere and a supervisor sending additioal personnel to help out.

who is contracted for screening at Reno?
 

sigint1

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Its the TSA themselves at Reno - not contracted out - sorry should have said that in my post.
 

JoeyC

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Only a handful of airports have contracted security screeners working under the TSAs policies and procedures at those airports. I don't see that they would be utilizing TSA radios however. Last time I was at SJC and SMF, TSA still did the screenings. Utilizing 172.9 at most airports in P25 and going encrypted more and more, there is (was) little if anything of value to be heard on their radios. I used to listen to SAN before they went encrypted because a friend carried one of the radios there. They never said anything worth listening to, much less worth encrypting. Nice way to spend the money while contracting out and cutting screeners in their already marginal service.
 
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10-95

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mkewman said:
are the radios repeated? when i drive by SMF i've NEVER heard anything on the digital band


They use a Quantar at Raleigh Durham International. You can hear it all over Raleigh.
 

kma371

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mkewman said:
are the radios repeated? when i drive by SMF i've NEVER heard anything on the digital band

I don't think SMF is repeated. I confirmed them while waiting for flight. The freq in the DB is correct.
 

hkrharry

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Frequency info Taken from the RR Wiki

The Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, is a part of the the Department of Homeland Security.

The following is the channel plan from the radios and the descriptions from list on the front of the radios. As you can see some of the channels have the same frequencies (i.e. 1 thru 4), but they are apparently using digital conventional talkgroups as the channels do not hear each other (i.e., transmit on Channel 3 is not heard on Channel 4, etc.), the exception to this is Channel 10 which can be heard on Channel 7.

Ch Frequency
1 172.150 = S1 simplex [APCO-25]
2 172.150 = S1 simplex [APCO-25]
3 172.150 = S1 simplex [APCO-25]
4 172.150 = S1 simplex [APCO-25]
5 172.900 = S2 simplex [APCO-25]
6 169.300 = S3 simplex [APCO-25]
7 172.900 = R1 repeater (169.300 input) [APCO-25]
8 172.900 = R1 repeater (169.300 input) [APCO-25]
9 172.900 = R1 repeater (169.300 input) [APCO-25]
10 172.900 = S2 simplex [APCO-25]
11 172.900 = S2 simplex [APCO-25]
12 166.4625 = F1 simplex with 103.5 CTCSS [Analog]
13 166.4625 = F1 simplex [APCO-25]

This Plan is the same for all TSA radios in the CONUS.
The exact channel in use at each airport is a local option.
Channels with the same frequency assignment are coded by NAC code
same goes for the repeater frequenices.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Snip Snip


Most of the major Airports have a TSA quantar repeater installed, it is a 110 watt varity and usally is on a single pole unity gain antenna mounted on a close by tower or roof top.

They are capable of being connected by wireline to a central dispatch point.

As for TSA contractors some use the supplied TSA VHF radio and some use a Local UHF Business frequency. mostly simplex but some have repeaters.

at MCI for example they use a local UHF pair, and the TSA supers use the TSA VHF radio and some of the parking security use a TG on the local EDACS800 trunked system.

hope this helps clairify some of the mysteries.

Sm0ke
 

sflmonitor

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Miami Intl uses 172.900 MHz, repeated. It has GREAT coverage far outside the airport property. I can hear them very clearly from my home which is about 9 miles north of the airport. Not sure if Ft. Laudedale Intl also uses the same freq and/or repeater.
 

mbstone99

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Dfw Tsa

DFW Intl Airport for some reason doesn't use one of the regular TSA bandplan frequencies. They use 169.1625 in P25 mode of course. I am not sure if that one is a simplex or a repeater though.

Matt
 

trooperdude

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Other than lane and traffic counts, what has anyone heard of interest on TSA ?

Even with a security breach at a local airport, all of the interesting traffic was on Airport PD.

So far the listening has been more boring than listening to Target.
 

10-95

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trooperdude said:
Other than lane and traffic counts, what has anyone heard of interest on TSA ?

Even with a security breach at a local airport, all of the interesting traffic was on Airport PD.

So far the listening has been more boring than listening to Target.


I've heard some other users on the TSA repeater at RDU. Most encrypted, I did hear what sounded like Treasury using it once. Of course, they we're using a different NAC.
 

RDCat

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TSA--DENVER????at DIA
anyone know if they even carry radio's
 

mancow

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Sm0ke, have you ever heard them on the Vhf frequency? I haven't. I'm starting to wonder if they have EVER keyed that repeater or even know it exists.


DrSm0ke said:
.........

at MCI for example they use a local UHF pair, and the TSA supers use the TSA VHF radio and some of the parking security use a TG on the local EDACS800 trunked system.

hope this helps clairify some of the mysteries.

Sm0ke
 

datainmotion

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401402 said:
TSA--DENVER????at DIA
anyone know if they even carry radio's

I've heard 172.900 and 172.600 (FAA) both in P25 from about 20 miles away while mobile...
 
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