NYPD TAC Frequencies

Does anyone know which NYPD TAC frequencies are used for each precinct? I'm really only concerned with Staten Island. Here's the page: https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=1855#cid-867. I want to program the correct frequencies for the 120/121 & the 122/123 precincts but the page does not tell you who uses which frequencies.

Looking at the Licenses, it looks like TAC B, C, D & E have an antenna in Staten Island.
All others have antenna in boroughs other than Staten Island.
I hope that helps.

NYPD, FDNY & EMS SYSTEMS

If you scroll down to the TAC channels, You'll see what channels are assigned to what zones.

SI is Zone 35 which is normally assigned to TAC E

Looking at the Chart *(2015)*

Repeated
Zone 35--120-121 pcts--482.8875 / 186.2
Zone 36--122-123 pcts--482.5875 / 186.2
PBSI--Staten Island Boro--482.4125 / 100.0

Simplex
TAC E--Zones 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35---485.4625 / 233.6--Simpl.

Tac E Covers
Zone 5--19 / 23 pcts
Zone 10--40 / 41 pcts
Zone 15--50 / 52 pcts
Zone 20--67 / 71 pcts
Zone 25--84 / 88 pcts
Zone 30--105 / 113 pcts
Zone 35--120 / 121 pcts

There is Nothing Listed for the 122 / 123 pcts for a Tac. that I see

Bill1426 said:

Looking at the Licenses, it looks like TAC B, C, D & E have an antenna in Staten Island.
All others have antenna in boroughs other than Staten Island.
I hope that helps.

Click to expand...

Why would point to point Tac frequencies have antennas?

62Truck said:

SI is Zone 35 which is normally assigned to TAC E

Click to expand...

Staten Island used to be zone 35N and 35S, but since they opened the 121 and combined it with the 120, those two precincts became zone 35. The 122 and 123 became zone 36. There are other sites that haven't updated that info yet, so that's adding some confusion. I scrolled down to TAC channels but don't see anything about the zone. Where is it?

ipfd320 said:

Looking at the Chart *(2015)*

Repeated
Zone 35--120-121 pcts--482.8875 / 186.2
Zone 36--122-123 pcts--482.5875 / 186.2
PBSI--Staten Island Boro--482.4125 / 100.0

Simplex
TAC E--Zones 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35---485.4625 / 233.6--Simpl.

Tac E Covers
Zone 5--19 / 23 pcts
Zone 10--40 / 41 pcts
Zone 15--50 / 52 pcts
Zone 20--67 / 71 pcts
Zone 25--84 / 88 pcts
Zone 30--105 / 113 pcts
Zone 35--120 / 121 pcts

There is Nothing Listed for the 122 / 123 pcts for a Tac. that I see

Click to expand...

Yes it's almost as if the 122/123 zone 36 still hasn't been fully updated anywhere on the internet, and it's been changed to zone 36 for years now.

Bill1426 said:

Looking at the Licenses, it looks like TAC B, C, D & E have an antenna in Staten Island.
All others have antenna in boroughs other than Staten Island.
I hope that helps.

Click to expand...

Well, yes the antennas do point to them being Staten Island but TAC channels don't use repeater towers. It's basically like using walkie-talkies (line of sight) so the officers can communicate among themselves without broadcasting over the central system. But I appreciate your quick reply and I do consider it helpful

Is the 122-123 Precincts dispatcher announcing her/himself as Radio Zone 36 during the FCC call sign/time checks? Prior to the splitting of 35 North and 35 South,Radio Zone 36 covered the Citywide and the five Borough Interop (aka NYMAC) channels. If 36 is now the old Zone 35S, then what Zone is covering the IOs?

Also, there's been a reconfiguration of Tac channel assignments within the last two months. I'm trying to determine the details now. If the sequence was maintained under the old system, the 122/123 PCTs would be using Tac A.

Your best bet, assuming you have the capacity in your scanner, is to program in all 28 Tac channels, as you'll never know who's using what nearby to your location.

Reply to KC2zZe

Yes the dispatcher is giving Zone 36 for the 122-123 pct's and Zone 35 covers the 120-121 without a N or S. As far as the Citywide, five Borough Interop and IO Zone, I don't know because I barley listen to any of the them. I will try listening to all TAC channels but I've noticed when I do listen to them I don't hear anything. I'm probably not close enough to pick anything up. Thank you for your response and if you can find out any more info I'd really appreciate it.

Here are my preliminary findings:

The frequencies used for Tacs B and C have been repourposed. Therefore Tacs B and C have been deleted from service. Tacs A, D, and E have been redesignsted as Patrol tacticals and are available for use across any radio zone. Therefore any grids, as shown above in '320's post or on N2NOV's great webpage, linking particular Tacs to specific radio zones are no longer valid. In other words, any precinct units can use any of the three Patrol tacs now available to them at will.

It is unclear, at the moment, where the MetroTech Area security detail - a primary user of Tac B - went after the realignment. Further details will be forthcoming, as I am able to develop and confirm them.

Doc, you are correct. The tacs are low power point-to-point channels. It is quite likely that you won't hear anything on them, depending on where in the five boroughs you are and who may or may not be operating in your vicinity. I reiterate, though, my recommendation is, if space permits in your scanner, to program in all, now, 26 tactical channels. At the very minimum, space should be found for Tacs A, D, E, F, G, and H, as my observations are that they are the most widely utilized of all the tactical channels.

Reply to KC2zZe

Wow, that is excellent work, thank you. I will certainly concentrate on the main Tacs you mentioned. I also did as you recommended, putting all Tac channels into my scanner. So far I haven't heard anything but someday I'm sure something will come through. As a matter of fact I put them in and skipped all of the other channels that are programmed so I can scan only the Tac channels. I really appreciate all of your help. I can always rely on you guys on this site. It's such a great place to share information.

Patrol (depending on the model radio carried) use tac channels A-E. Haven’t seen Tac b on the newer radios being issued. G and H are used by ESU to talk to each other and aviation units during searches. I think srg uses tac g as well. Tac channels I thru P are used by narcotics units working on the street. As the tac channels are low power, you have to be very close to hear anything. Terrain also affects range. I’ve had problems talking to someone a block or two away, due to a building being between us, and at the same time, heard other units talking almost a mile away, due to them being at a higher elevation.


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Storm_king

Thank you for the info. Yes I've run into the same type of situation as far as hardly being able to talk to someone close by due to buildings and terrain, and that's using the Baofeng UV-82 HP which is supposed to put out about 7 watts, probably less because many radio manufacturers are not accurate with their power levels and even less as the battery drains. I was also given similar information from KC2zZe about the Tac channels. He said "he's found that Tacs A, D, and E have been re-designated as Patrol tacticals and are available for use across any radio zone". He also advised to at least program Tacs A, D, E, F, G, and H as they are the most commonly used. A little off topic but, not being in the loop I'd love to know which radios are still being used. I read some time back that Motorola designed the SSE5000 (an XTS5000 in a different housing) strictly for the NYPD which is long and thin, however cops that I see seem to be using fatter shorter ones, especially auxiliary officers. If you know anything about that I'd love to hear about it. In any case I thank you for your help.

'1978: you're probably seeing the Vertex Standard VX-537. The VX-800 is also in circulation.

Storm: are you suggesting that there are radios still in circulation that have Tac I in them? Tac I was decommissioned almost a decade ago. It's frequency was repurposed to act as the input to the PBSI repeater. If you're still hearing transmissions on Tacs B and C, I could understand those channels possibly still being found in radios that haven't be reprogrammed to delete them yet, as the repurposing of those frequencies is a relatively recent occurrence, but Tac I?

KC2zZe said:

'1978: you're probably seeing the Vertex Standard VX-537. The VX-800 is also in circulation.

Storm: are you suggesting that there are radios still in circulation that have Tac I in them? Tac I was decommissioned almost a decade ago. It's frequency was repurposed to act as the input to the PBSI repeater. If you're still hearing transmissions on Tacs B and C, I could understand those channels possibly still being found in radios that haven't be reprogrammed to delete them yet, as the repurposing of those frequencies is a relatively recent occurrence, but Tac I?

Click to expand...

The detective bureau carries either vertex Vx-800 or Vx-824 radios. The 800’s still have tac i, and cover up to tac p, while the 824’s do not, but cover tac channels j-w (no tac u). The 800’s are being slowly phased out. When we work with different units, we generally choose a tac channel that everyone’s radios can access. Otherwise, different teams use different tac channels, so as not to step on each other. Not that I actively check, but I do see a lot of patrol radios that still have tac b and c programmed in.


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Reply to KC2zZe

KC2zZe: I had a feeling you were going to say Vertex. I've seen them online and they are pretty chunky, but unfortunately, not being part of the NYPD, I couldn't be sure. I really wish I could get my hands on a used Motorola Saber III or even an XTS5000 to use as my scanner and two way for my job. I hate these cheap Baofeng radios that crackle as you drive and their belt clips that break easily. But when I look online, the price of all the equipment plus the difficulty of getting the software I get disgusted and stick with my Micky Mouse Baofeng LOL. But, I did what you said as far as programming the Tac channels, so only time will tell if I'll hear something.

This information was given to me so I thought I would post it.

The following is a consolidated list of all authorized point-to-point channels. This list does not include:
- Outside agency point-to-point channels that select specialized units have access to (i.e.: FDNY handi-talkie channels in Aviation Unit helicopters for coordination purposes at high-rise, brush, and other fire incidents)
- Marine Band channels for Harbor Units
- Air Band channels, or
- function specific interoperability channels, such as NYLaw-1, etc.

TAC – Frequency (tone) – Bureau/Division/unit(s)
A 485.6125 (203.5) Patrol Services
B 485.5875 (210.7) *
C 485.5625 (218.1) *
D 485.4875 (225.7) Patrol Services
E 485.4625 (233.6) Patrol Services

F 485.4375 (203.5) Housing / Yankee Stadium detail / SRG
G 473.6875 (210.7) SOD primary
H 473.7125 (218.1) SOD secondary

I 485.4125 (225.7) *
J 465.1125 (203.5) Narcotics
K 465.1875 (210.7) Narcotics
L 465.2375 (218.1) Narcotics
M 465.3125 (225.7) Narcotics
N 465.4625 (233.5) Narcotics
O 465.4875 (241.8) Narcotics
P 460.1125 (203.5) Narcotics

Q 460.1875 (210.7)
R 460.2375 (218.1)
S 460.3125 (225.7)
T 460.4625 (233.5)

U 460.4875 (241.8) NYCPD/FDNY joint tactical
V 485.5375 (233.6) Communications and Fleet Services Divisions
W 458.8250 (225.7) Detective / HQ Security

X n/a
Y n/a
Z n/a

471.4125 (141.3) School Safety 1 tac (direct of SSD 1)
458.1125 (71.9) School Safety Tac 1A
458.1125 (79.7) School Safety Tac 1B
458.1125 (203.5) School Safety Tac 1C
471.8125 (91.5) School Safety 2 tac (direct of SSD 2)
458.1625 (71.9) School Safety Tac 2A
458.1625 (79.7) School Safety Tac 2B
458.1625 (203.5) School Safety Tac 2C

458.9500 (203.5) Parking Enforcement District Tac

161.1750 (103.5) Transit Tac 1
160.4850 (103.5) Transit Tac 2
160.2600 (103.5) Transit Tac 3
160.5300 (103.5) Transit Tac 4
160.6950 (103.5) Transit Citywide tac (direct of Transit Citywide)

453.2125 (156.7) UCall40D
453.4625 (156.7) UTac41D
453.7125 (156.7) UTac42D
453.8625 (156.7) UTac43D
851.0125 (156.7) 8Call90D
851.5125 (156.7) 8Tac91D
852.0125 (156.7) 8Tac92D
852.5125 (156.7) 8Tac93D
853.0125 (156.7) 8Tac94D

* channel being phased out of current radio plans due to retasking of frequency.

Regarding the Tacs that are phased out, Tac I was deleted years ago for the PBSI channel and was replaced by Tac W. Tac B was needed for Zone 36. Anyone know why Tac C was removed?