Forestry repeater tones

[fireinoc]

I want to hear all I can from Forest Service/CALFIRE frequencies, and I see in the database that many frequencies have repeaters associated with them. My question is this... do you have to add the repeater sites as a CTCSS with the associated tone code? Or is it better to just leave it as an FM scanner entry and let it search for them? (I have a GRE/PSR500). I notice I could end up entering the same frequency many times to capture all the tones used. My main focus is to hear transmissions while traveling in my car. Does using the tones make a difference?

Fireinoc

 

[Duster]

The tones are used to access different repeaters on the system. You don't need them to monitor. It's probably best to leave your scanner CSQ if you are going to be moving around. If you are staying stationary and have multiple repeaters covering your area, and want to only hear one, then you can use a tone to filter your traffic.

 

[lbfd09]

With the CDF or as they call themselves Cal-Fire - the various repeaters are normally set for a particular ranger unit or county. All repeaters in the area of operation will normally have only one output Tpl. This is to prevent a escaping massages from an adjacent area, temporary command user, or tac user from interfering and confusing those listening to the repeater. Within the unit the various repeaters will have its own tone to access or talk into the repeater with. That way you will not be talking through multiple repeaters at once (very confusing when this happens). Thus transmit pl's are often different than the receive pl's.

As mentioned carrier squelch to hear everything on the frequency, but Tpl to limit the traffic to the ranger unit you are in.

 

[W6KRU]

I listen to USFS and CDF from four counties with most of the freqs. set to CTCSS search. I see a lot of tones and Ive thought about putting duplicate freqs. with different tones in so I coud ltell with a glance where the transmission was coming from but I haven't found a comprehensive list of repeater sites and tones.

 

[Duster]

I listen to USFS and CDF from four counties with most of the freqs. set to CTCSS search. I see a lot of tones and Ive thought about putting duplicate freqs. with different tones in so I coud ltell with a glance where the transmission was coming from but I haven't found a comprehensive list of repeater sites and tones.

I don't know about USFS criteria, but for CALFIRE, the repeater outputs in each unit are coded to a single specific tone, regardless of the input tone. Generally (with only two exceptions), the output tone is the same as the second digit of the unit radio id number. For instance, BDU is 3500; their output tone is Tone 5 (146.2hz). MVU is 3300; their output tone is Tone 3 (131.8). The exceptions are are HUU and RRU. RRU is tone 13 (141.3), and HUU is Tone 1 (110.9).

Hope that helps you...

 

[W6KRU]

Thanks for the info duster. Are the input tones for the repeaters all the same for the area they are in?

 

[SCPD]

Some National Forests have a common tone output, these being in southern California where this is tone 8 or 103.5. Many pass the input tone to the output. The Sequoia and Inyo NFs are examples. When I enter these NF's frequencies in the scanner I use tone search. I can tell where an incident might located by the repeater being used. The Sierra NF uses a different tone on the output than the input tone. I'm not sure why they do this.

Here in the eastern Sierra the Inyo NF, Mono County, Inyo County and DFG use tones unique to each repeater. I lived here 29 years and have these tones memorized. I've thought of putting duplicate frequencies in different channels with the alphanumeric tags for each repeater corresponding with the tone, as DDan mentioned. However, I scan so many frequencies that adding more would result in missing traffic on other frequencies so I haven't done it.

For many agencies the tones are used to distinguish which repeater is operating so that it can be displayed on the dispatcher's screen.

 

[fireinoc]

Thanks all for your responses!

Fireinoc

 

[Duster]

Thanks for the info duster. Are the input tones for the repeaters all the same for the area they are in?

No. Each input tone is different due to the need to access different repeaters. The number of different input tones depend upon the number of repeaters in the unit.

 

[W6KRU]

No. Each input tone is different due to the need to access different repeaters. The number of different input tones depend upon the number of repeaters in the unit.

I got it now. Last night with some inventive googling, I stumbled onto a chart showing input tones for the local repeaters.