BWI Airport, MD Fire Freq.

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18-3box

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On my scanner, I have the BWI Airport frequency 154.100 programmed. I hear the calls in the county that holds the airport (Anne Arundel County) for the Airport's FRD to respond Mutual Aid- that frequency runs fine, the BWI Fire Department's Dispatch Channel never is heard on my scanner. Not only am I certain that this frequencies status is functional and heard clearly about 20 miles away, it is not on lock-out (l/o). I haven't heard anything on the frequency. 2+ calls mutual aid have been triggered for this station into a surrounding area around the airport. I know the way I use big words is wierd. It confused me, too. Does anyone know WTF is going on with my scanner. It is a PRO-95 Radio-Shack


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n3bxv

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As far as I know the 154.100 is patched to/from Talkgroup 592 {4A BWI DISP} on the AACO Trunked system... The Mutual aid calls may not be patched over to the 154.1 freq and might be just staying just on the AACO Trunked system...
Make sure you put the BWI Talkgroups-- TG 592, TG 624, and TG 656 into your scanner if you are going to put into Closed mode, otherwise you won't hear them..

FYI----
Take a look at the AACO System here - http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=TRSDB&sid=187
The conventionial BWI freqs are here -- http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&aid=1113
 
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18-3box

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What they do is (If you're not familiar with AACOFD):

Dispatched
(For Instance) Medical Box 21-14 (Arundel Mills Mall)

E-21-1 (AACO)
PM-43 (BWI)

Given Address, Map Coordinates and Tactics Channel

The call is recorded by the MDTA (Maryland Transportation Authority) and dispatched to the BWI Fire Department by the MDTA located under C Pier at the BWI Airport; AKA the new name:

Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport YIKES!! 17 Syllables, 55 letters and 6 words. WTF? OMG! What the H3LL? What a big change. Sorry that was way off topic.

As a matter of fact, I have BWI Disp. in bank #9 of my scanner along with 154.010 (AACOFD). I titled it BWI 4A DISP. I went through this whole thing of copying over the PD frequencies and duplicating the frequecies that I already had. Does that have anything to do with it?
 

troymail

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Not use I'm completely understanding the issue here but if the BWI unit(s) are dispatched into AA County, they switch to the AA County TG (Bravo, Echo, etc.) and you won't hear that on the VHF frequency.

When AA County (as well as Baltimore County) run M/A into BWI, they switch to one of the BWI TGs. I can't tell you if you'll hear them on the VHF.

On EIther side/direction, they usually respond in their home system first and then switch over to the other jurisdiction's channel/system.
 

18-3box

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I wasn't exactly clear with the situation. In my bank of frequencies I have:

154.010 AACOFD
154.100 BWIFRD

I used to hear the BWI Dispatch Frequency on that particular bank. About 2 weeks ago, I stopped hearing it. I now only hear AACOFD Dispatch. So in other words, its like BWI Disp doesn't exist anymore. That is what it is like, because I don't hear it. For M/A from BWI to AACO, I hear AA county dispatch BWI PMs or Engine, ect. Then I usually hold the frequency on 154.100 to hear the call again being dispatched to BWI. I don't hear BWI Disp anymore, though I have it programmed in. It is not locked out, either.
 

18-3box

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What was wierd was, I was down in Annapolis and I heard Caroline County Disp and I get up to Glen Burnie and I cannot hear BWI Disp And they're both 154.100
 

troymail

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I was in Annapolis Wednesday night at the Naval Academy fire station and noticed what sounded like an eastern shore jurisdiction dispatching on 154.10 - very clear and loud. I also have had BWI VHF programmed on my old BC600XLT for some time now but I haven't heard anything for a while. I used to here the dispatches simulcasted on VHF and the AA County 800 system (TG 4-A).

On a related note - a few weeks ago, I heard BWI users (techs?) on the AACounty 800 system walking around the airport testing out a "repeater" system. Perhaps they have perfected that and finally reached a point where the VHF dispatching is no longer needed..... ??
 

ka3jjz

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It's a great deal more likely that they were testing portable repeaters for the 800 system. I can easily see where the airport - particularly around the main terminal - would have lots of dead spots. All that RF in the area, I wouldn't doubt that desense is a major headache there.

73s Mike

[edit] A quick check of the Maryland database shows Caroline county uses this freq with a different PL (114,8)
 
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troymail

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ka3jjz said:
It's a great deal more likely that they were testing portable repeaters for the 800 system. I can easily see where the airport - particularly around the main terminal - would have lots of dead spots. All that RF in the area, I wouldn't doubt that desense is a major headache there.

73s Mike

[edit] A quick check of the Maryland database shows Caroline county uses this freq with a different PL (114,8)

Probably true - just thinking about possible reasons why we can't hear the VHF freq. I live just south of the airport and I used to hear it also -- not now.
 

ka3jjz

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There's a possibility that perhaps - just perhaps - the antenna and or transmitter (maybe both) have been changed to protect Caroline? That wouldn't be all that hard technically to do. 73s Mike
 

troymail

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To those who say this freq is still active at the airport - can you confirm it is STILL active? I've been monitoring both the 800 and 154.10 for over a day now and although I've heard dispatches and conversations on AACo 4-A, I've heard nothing on 154.10.

If it is still there, it is so weak, you apparently have to be on the airport property to receive it.
 

TinEar

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Yes, I can confirm it is still active as of 1411 today when I heard the alert tones and a medic dispatch. Here's the problem you're experiencing...they have apparently changed to a very low power transmitter. I can just barely hear them from here and I'm fairly close to the airport. I put a scanner on 154.10 today and then put it on CTCSS search in case they had changed their PL from 123.0 to something else. After hearing Caroline County, PL 114.8, for most of the day, the PL 123.0 finally became active on a medic dispatch to the terminal. They used to be overpowering from my location and I can generally hear anything and everything from the airport - even the tug operators as they push aircraft around the gates. Now, they are actually weaker than Caroline County. BUT...they are still there and still using the freq. Perhaps they had wind damage from a storm to their VHF antenna?

Active again at 1429 with Dispatch asking 43 which door he needs.
 
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18-3box

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TinEar said:
Yes, I can confirm it is still active as of 1411 today when I heard the alert tones and a medic dispatch. Here's the problem you're experiencing...they have apparently changed to a very low power transmitter. I can just barely hear them from here and I'm fairly close to the airport. I put a scanner on 154.10 today and then put it on CTCSS search in case they had changed their PL from 123.0 to something else. After hearing Caroline County, PL 114.8, for most of the day, the PL 123.0 finally became active on a medic dispatch to the terminal. They used to be overpowering from my location and I can generally hear anything and everything from the airport - even the tug operators as they push aircraft around the gates. Now, they are actually weaker than Caroline County. BUT...they are still there and still using the freq. Perhaps they had wind damage from a storm to their VHF antenna?

Active again at 1429 with Dispatch asking 43 which door he needs.

I was down in Cape St. Claire, Annapolis, and I heard BWI Disp loud and clear. It wasn't Caroline County because their tones are different; and it was like being at Friendship Park at the end of 33L. Now, I can't get reception from the AACOFD 18-3 Box (My house)! I will look into that explanation.
 

TinEar

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Maybe the explanation is as simple as the FCC made them cut their power since they don't need to be heard anywhere but on airport property. It makes no sense for them to be able to be heard 100 miles away. When they leave the airport, comms are on the AA County TRS system. During the times I heard them today, they didn't seem to have any trouble communicating for that run to the terminal and back to the station.
 

18-3box

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TinEar said:
Maybe the explanation is as simple as the FCC made them cut their power since they don't need to be heard anywhere but on airport property. It makes no sense for them to be able to be heard 100 miles away. When they leave the airport, comms are on the AA County TRS system. During the times I heard them today, they didn't seem to have any trouble communicating for that run to the terminal and back to the station.

Maybe. Because a call went out for PM-43 to Northrop Grumman with E-321. I fixed the squelch and that is what came up. (154.100)
 
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18-3box

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I was over at BWI and got the 154.100 loud and clear. It is just limited area getting it now.
 
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