Unknown fire user 151.040

[LAflyer]

Received a note about unknown Fire dispatch/tac using 151.04 PL136.5 which is in use by LA County public works road department also.

I gave the frequency a listen, and while weak was able to make out communications by Engines 111 and 115 with SURCOM dispatch this afternoon.

Looking at FCC licenses, don't see anything too obvious. Does anyone have insight?

 

[Randyk4661]

Don't know if this helps, I found this in the forums. Don't think you are hearing Marin County however it is a state fire channel(?).

Update - the following CalFire Local Nets are used to only dispatch CalFire units - in other words - there are no other agencies dispatched on these channels

Humboldt Del Norte - 151.25

Mendocino - 151.385 - possibly this channel is actually used as a Command channel with Cal Fire units being dispatched on the Mendocino County fire channels

Nevada Yuba Placer West - 151.325

San Bernardino East - 151.325

San Bernardino Owens Valley - 151.25

Fresno 1 - 151.385 - possibly used as a Command channel

Fresno 2 - 151.16 - possibly used as a Command channel

Riverside 2 - 151.175 - used as a Command channel

Marin - 151.04 - maybe is not a real Local Channel - maybe only used by mutual aid units responding into Marin County - but this channel typically shows up in the basic CalFire radio loads

(note - lets define a Command Channel as a channel used by units after they are paged on a separate dispatch channel)

Randy

 

[LAflyer]

Marin would sure be some crazy ducting!

Ultimately though pretty certain its in the Southern half of the state as heard dispatch ID as SURCOM which we know has a defined service area.

Don't know if Engine 111 and 115 helps anyone narrow down the user.

 

[kg6nlw]

A much more logical answer would be Santa Cruz Counties FD Orange channel, but it is a Tac channel...

Regards,

-Frank C.

 

[nd5y]

Make sure you aren't really receiving 151.0325 or 151.0475.

 

[zerg901]

checking the FCC General Menu Reports ... 151.04 has multi licenses across Calif ... 151.0475 has no licensed users in Calif ..... 151.0325 just has Loleta BM in Humboldt County way to north + Shasta County MO3 way to north + Visalia BM in Tulare County for 'transportation'

LAflyer did it sound like the signals was coming thru a repeater or not? could someone from nevada or arizona be getting into a LA County dpw repeater on top of a high mtn?

do we know who SURCOM is? southern idaho regional comms in burley? (really had to dig thru the cobwebs to think of that one lol]

 

[iscanvnc2]

Communications Center Locations
California State Parks has two centralized communications centers (listed below) to meet the dispatching needs of its peace officers and staff.

The centers also provide dispatching services for the Department of Fish and Wildlife wardens along with other enforcement and emergency services agencies.

Northern Communications Center (NORCOM)
13304 White Rock Road
Rancho Cordova, CA 95742
916-358-1318

Southern Communications Center (SURCOM)
17801 Lake Perris Drive
Perris, CA 92751
951-443-2959

 

[zerg901]

digging into 151.04 a little more

Los Angeles County has multi FB2 licensed on mtn tops on 151.04 ... ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - KMB861 - LOS ANGELES, COUNTY OF - Frequencies Summary ... looks like the input might be 158.895 or 159.06 ... RRDB does not show any inputs; and the RRDB says that the VHF channels are for backup, or use in deadspots where the county TRS does not work

the State DOT also has 6 FBT at 100 Watts on 151.04 on license 'KME998' for statewide use .. plus 425 mobiles at 100 watts each for statewide service on license 'KA2444' on 151.04

Los Angeles County has approx 20 licenses on 151.04 overall

=======

extra credit

LA County has licenses for 37.92 + 37.94 + 37.96 repeaters on Mt Wilson on KMB861 ... interesting

 

[bharvey2]

This doesn't surprise me. I'm in the SF Bay Area and I heard fire dispatch activity on the older VHF freqs long after the are went on to 800mhz trunked systems. While nice for scanners enthusiasts, I don't think that's why it was done. I haven't listened for them on VHF in a while so I don't know if it's still happening.

 

[LAflyer]

This morning around 11am managed to pick up this activity again (albeit a pretty weak signal).

In the brief period heard dispatch communicate with E141, station 142 and possibly Medic 971.

Unfortunately, no addresses were mentioned that would help identify this agency.

 

[iscanvnc2]

1246 "Eng 181, drill

Clear, very readable in Ventura.

 

[iscanvnc2]

"RE 133 cancel"
"MED 114 copy stage"
"Hwy 78 W of Nordoff"? Definitely Hwy 78. Sounded like "Nordoff".
"114 cancel"

Most transmission are base only. Once was mobile reply via repeater heard.

 

[iscanvnc2]

1357 Scratchy base transmission. Unreadably. First xmissn in over 30 min.
Auto call sign ID after first xmissin after quiet period. I don't read code & have no way of including audio here.

 

[LAflyer]

Well if its SR-78, that runs from Oceanside out to Blythe in Riverside County.
Cant find a Nordoff, the closest is a Nordahl Road exit in San Marcos.

 

[iscanvnc2]

1427 Very strong auto CW ID.
Back soon

 

[iscanvnc2]

1527 Disp calling E134, E124

Disp normally IDs as “Dispatch” but in one exchange both sides used what sounded like “North Com”, not NORCOM.

RR DB shows “San Diego County North County Dispatch JPA (NorthComm)”. This fits with Hwy 78.

No VHF frequencies are listed in the DB anymore for NCD, only San Diego-Imperial County RCS NextGen.
The FCC shows VHF frequencies for WQDC470 - NORTH COUNTY DISPATCH JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY but not 151.040, as we already know.

We need someone to copy the CW ID. Will it be WQDC470 ?

I vote for NorthComm even though I get it in Ventura. But the 151.040???

 

[iscanvnc2]

It finally dawned on me to check the tone: 136.5 PL.

 

[inigo88]

You guys definitely found NorthComm Fire! But 151.04 Mhz 136.5 PL doesn't seem to be licensed in San Diego county yet so looks like it's new.

North Comm JPA dispatches for Carlsbad FD, Encinitas FD, North County FPD, Oceanside FD, Rancho Santa Fe FPD, San Marcos FD, Solana Beach FD, Vista FD and some additional north county contract agencies.
(See "Agencies": https://ncdjpa.org/)

Northcomm dispatches on San Diego RCS Zone 3, see "Fire North Zone (Northcom Dispatch)" on the San Diego-Imperial County RCS Nextgen system: San Diego-Imperial County RCS NextGen Trunking System, Various, California - Scanner Frequencies

They use robot dispatching on Dispatch 3A, but good possible talkgroups this VHF frequency is patched to would be TG 495 (3B ADMIN), or one of the Command channels. I'm out of range of the RCS North Cell so I'll have to wait until mobile to see if I can correlate VHF traffic to one of the zone 3 talkgroups, or maybe we can get this thread moved to the San Diego subforum to get their attention?

San Diego County also has a VHF Wildland Fire Operations zone, and Northcom is assigned "XSD CMD 5" 153.89 MHz PL 156.7. I believe these frequencies can be patched to the RCS but in my experience they're treated separate from the RCS talkgroups by dispatch and are assigned for wildland fire incidents.

San Diego County, California (CA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for San Diego County, California (CA)

www.radioreference.com

FCC Callsign KMA229 (NORTH COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT)

FCC Callsign KMA229 (NORTH COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT)

www.radioreference.com

Assuming this new frequency is located at one of the KMA229 sites used by the usual XSD CMD 5, the most likely candidate might be Palomar Mountain, elevation ~5400 ft. Still propagation all the way to Ventura county is pretty impressive!

Don't know if Engine 111 and 115 helps anyone narrow down the user.

E111 is North County Fire Protection District Station 1 in Fallbrook, CA.
E115 is North County Fire Protection District Station 5 in Bonsall, CA.

https://www.ncfire.org/fire-stations

In the brief period heard dispatch communicate with E141, station 142 and possibly Medic 971.

E141 and E142 are San Marcos FD.

1246 "Eng 181, drill

Not sure about the 180 units.

"RE 133 cancel"
"MED 114 copy stage"
"Hwy 78 W of Nordoff"? Definitely Hwy 78. Sounded like "Nordoff".
"114 cancel"

RE133 is Escondido FD, 114 is North County FPD.

That address would be highway 78 and Nordahl Rd.

1527 Disp calling E134, E124

Disp normally IDs as “Dispatch” but in one exchange both sides used what sounded like “North Com”, not NORCOM.

RR DB shows “San Diego County North County Dispatch JPA (NorthComm)”. This fits with Hwy 78.

No VHF frequencies are listed in the DB anymore for NCD, only San Diego-Imperial County RCS NextGen.
The FCC shows VHF frequencies for WQDC470 - NORTH COUNTY DISPATCH JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY but not 151.040, as we already know.

We need someone to copy the CW ID. Will it be WQDC470 ?

I vote for NorthComm even though I get it in Ventura. But the 151.040???

E134 is more Escondido FD, E124 is Vista FD.

Source Northcomm JPA website / Pulsepoint.