USFS Repeater Database

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DonnieDog

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Found this today while searching online.

US Forest Service Radio Repeater Program

It doesnt list any Frequencies or PL tones that I can find yet. But it does list all repeater locations. Plus you can break it down to region, repeater, forest boundaries.

If anyone can find out further please post here with follow up to help others.
 

SCPD

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Not ALL Repeaters, as yet

Especially in California. I'm very familiar with the repeaters the Forest Service has in the Sierra Nevada and less than 5% of them are in this database. In addition to that 5% there is a huge error factor. For example, on the Inyo National Forest nearly half of the repeaters shown don't even exist and never have. They were part of a proposal that is more than 5 years old, didn't receive environmental assessment approval and were not approved by decision makers.

I haven't taken the time to cross check repeaters in other regions by comparing the repeaters shown on channel plans with the website. I'm pretty familiar with the repeaters in parts of Arizona and New Mexico, but the channel plan and repeater list document I have for that area is 3 years old. Given the website you provided the link to has information, such as the voltage in batteries at the site, that is presumably valid, this site either is private and somehow has Forest Service permission to display it or the site is a Forest Service website. The URL does not support the latter conclusion as there as there is not a ".gov" in it. I'm not sure why widespread access to the condition of the batteries at a repeater site on the Gila National Forest is needed agency wide and why the public has been given access to it.

If the list of repeaters is accurate it could provide some useful information for the scanner hobbyist in order to match tones with sites. In many regions, perhaps all but one, the practice is to announce the name of the repeater in use at the beginning of the call. In California all of the federal (USFS, BLM, NPS, USFWS and BIA) agencies and Cal Fire announce the tone only to increase brevity and reduce confusion for out of area resources called in for mutual aid. If a resource from the, e.g. Cal Fire Siskiyou Unit near at the Oregon border in northwest California, hears someone on the San Bernardino NF say "Tone 9" during the initial call then they just need to turn their tone selector to Tone 9 and don't necessarily need to know where the repeater is located. If the same call is initiated with "San Sevaine" they would need to have a frequency directory right in front of them that shows the use of Tone 9 for accessing San Sevaine Peak.

Using the information on this site allows an attentive scanner listener the ability to identify the tone used for each repeater by a process of elimination along with the knowledge of where the repeaters are located. This is the case where the input tone is transmitted on the output frequency for each repeater. However, in southern California and most of the other USFS regions a common output tone, one for each radio system, is transmitted and the tone cannot be ascertained from reception of the output frequency.

It will be interesting to monitor this website in the future to see if it improves or continues to be available. It would be interesting to know who is running the site as well.
 
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iamhere300

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Pretty accurate for southern MO. Looked a little more, and it is very accurate. Even shows Hercules, the famous site where the hardline goes THROUGH the septic holding tank.....
 
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SCPD

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Heck of a find, Bill. This explains that the site is an official effort and why it is in place. Since the article is from 2012 it is obvious that the effort has expanded beyond the 55 sites the article spoke of being the initial working product. Interesting that the article mentioned the site would be available to USFS employee, yet is accessible to anyone on the net. I hope that continues.

When the list of sites becomes more accurate the main value to the scanner hobbyist will be knowing if a new site is installed and if one is taken off the system.

Thanks again, Bill
 

ecps92

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It's a good reference, but as you say, mighty missing.
I do see imports of data, not sure if that is the Radio Site (Power, Temp etc) or more sites.

And with missing Data (as you said) there are sites listed (still) that were decommissioned


Heck of a find, Bill. This explains that the site is an official effort and why it is in place. Since the article is from 2012 it is obvious that the effort has expanded beyond the 55 sites the article spoke of being the initial working product. Interesting that the article mentioned the site would be available to USFS employee, yet is accessible to anyone on the net. I hope that continues.

When the list of sites becomes more accurate the main value to the scanner hobbyist will be knowing if a new site is installed and if one is taken off the system.

Thanks again, Bill
 

SCPD

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It's a good reference, but as you say, mighty missing.
I do see imports of data, not sure if that is the Radio Site (Power, Temp etc) or more sites.

And with missing Data (as you said) there are sites listed (still) that were decommissioned

In the specific case of the Inyo National Forest not decommissioned, but sites that have never existed. I'm not sure of how many additional NF's this situation exists. When these sites are eliminated from this database I will consider this a useful tool. For whatever reason, very few sites are shown in California (R5).
 

ecps92

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No longer Supported - they stopped loading Data late 2016/ early 2017
and now doesn't even list the Repeater sites anymore.

Was good while it lasted
Found this today while searching online.

US Forest Service Radio Repeater Program

It doesnt list any Frequencies or PL tones that I can find yet. But it does list all repeater locations. Plus you can break it down to region, repeater, forest boundaries.

If anyone can find out further please post here with follow up to help others.
 
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