2020 Arizona Wildfires

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KD7JVRinAZ

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Scottsdale, AZ
I'd like to get confirmation of these BLM law enforcement channels:

165.6000 P25 NAC 430
169.8000 P25 NAC 455
170.0250 P25 NAC 656 (Most active)

All have had at least some encryption of mobile/portable radios, although not all of the BLM LEO's use it. The base seems to be in the clear full time.

John
Peoria
I hear 170.0250 unencrypted quite frequently but on my end it his very 10-1. It almost sounds off frequency. I'll mess around with and let you know more.
 

ecps92

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Sawtooth Fire
Output PL on Ch.11 would be nice to know as well as other Repeaters from the Forest Net

Ch.01 168.0500 S 131.8 - Tac 1
Ch.02 168.2000 S 131.8 - Tac 2
Ch.03 168.6000 S 131.8 - Tac 3
Ch.04 166.7250 S 131.8 - Tac 4
Ch.05 166.7750 S 131.8 - Tac 5
Ch.06 168.2500 S 131.8 - Tac 6
Ch.07 170.4250 R 131.8 - Command 7 Iron Mtn
Ch.08 170.4125 R 131.8 - Command 8 Malapais
Ch.09 170.6875 R 131.8 - Command 9 Bronco Butte
Ch.10 Blank / Future if needed
Ch.11 171.5000 R ???.? - Tonto NF -Forest Net-Temp Rptr on Iron Mtn
Ch.12 VMED 28
Ch.13 VFIRE 21
Ch.14 167.9500 S - Air/Ground Primary
Ch.15 168.4000 S - Air/Ground Secondary
Ch.15 168.6250 S 110.9 - Air Guard

A/A 1 120.0250
A/A 2 124.5250
Deck 163.1000


I haven't had time to monitor Sawtooth Fire (family emergency) I havent heard too much. Any freq info?
 

waynedc

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Marana, Arizona
Sawtooth Fire
Output PL on Ch.11 would be nice to know as well as other Repeaters from the Forest Net

Ch.11 171.5000 R ???.? - Tonto NF -Forest Net-Temp Rptr on Iron Mtn

Bill, their recommended programming is CSQ for the RX PL as there are multiple repeaters in this mountainous area. The various repeaters including the portable repeaters all have different input PLs. So if your source showed no PL on receive, that was correct.
 

ecps92

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Yes, some forests recommend CSQ for RX, others use PL on the Repeater outputs.
Some repeaters use different tones for each output, some forests use the same PL [different from neighboring forests]

YMMV

the source listed ???.? as the output :) Yes with an input

Also knowing the Output Tone for your forest helps when there is a band openning and you are getting other tones
many which may not even be a USFS agency.
Bill, their recommended programming is CSQ for the RX PL as there are multiple repeaters in this mountainous area. The various repeaters including the portable repeaters all have different input PLs. So if your source showed no PL on receive, that was correct.
 

waynedc

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Yes, some forests recommend CSQ for RX, others use PL on the Repeater outputs.
Some repeaters use different tones for each output, some forests use the same PL [different from neighboring forests]

YMMV

the source listed ???.? as the output :) Yes with an input

Also knowing the Output Tone for your forest helps when there is a band openning and you are getting other tones
many which may not even be a USFS agency.

Bill, what was the input PL listed for the portable repeater?
 

KD7JVRinAZ

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Jun 8, 2011
Messages
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Location
Scottsdale, AZ
Sawtooth Fire
Output PL on Ch.11 would be nice to know as well as other Repeaters from the Forest Net

Ch.01 168.0500 S 131.8 - Tac 1
Ch.02 168.2000 S 131.8 - Tac 2
Ch.03 168.6000 S 131.8 - Tac 3
Ch.04 166.7250 S 131.8 - Tac 4
Ch.05 166.7750 S 131.8 - Tac 5
Ch.06 168.2500 S 131.8 - Tac 6
Ch.07 170.4250 R 131.8 - Command 7 Iron Mtn
Ch.08 170.4125 R 131.8 - Command 8 Malapais
Ch.09 170.6875 R 131.8 - Command 9 Bronco Butte
Ch.10 Blank / Future if needed
Ch.11 171.5000 R ???.? - Tonto NF -Forest Net-Temp Rptr on Iron Mtn
Ch.12 VMED 28
Ch.13 VFIRE 21
Ch.14 167.9500 S - Air/Ground Primary
Ch.15 168.4000 S - Air/Ground Secondary
Ch.15 168.6250 S 110.9 - Air Guard

A/A 1 120.0250
A/A 2 124.5250
Deck 163.1000
Thanx
 

radioprescott

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East Central Arizona
*CNF-413: BIGHORN* near Oro Valley

135.325 AA
122.920 Victor

Bravo 28 enroute from KPRC, confirmed AA on Flight Follow and Victor freq with AA on 135.325.
 
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Paysonscanner

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Mar 1, 2019
Messages
650
Sawtooth Fire
Output PL on Ch.11 would be nice to know as well as other Repeaters from the Forest Net

Ch.01 168.0500 S 131.8 - Tac 1
Ch.02 168.2000 S 131.8 - Tac 2
Ch.03 168.6000 S 131.8 - Tac 3
Ch.04 166.7250 S 131.8 - Tac 4
Ch.05 166.7750 S 131.8 - Tac 5
Ch.06 168.2500 S 131.8 - Tac 6
Ch.07 170.4250 R 131.8 - Command 7 Iron Mtn
Ch.08 170.4125 R 131.8 - Command 8 Malapais
Ch.09 170.6875 R 131.8 - Command 9 Bronco Butte
Ch.10 Blank / Future if needed
Ch.11 171.5000 R ???.? - Tonto NF -Forest Net-Temp Rptr on Iron Mtn
Ch.12 VMED 28
Ch.13 VFIRE 21
Ch.14 167.9500 S - Air/Ground Primary
Ch.15 168.4000 S - Air/Ground Secondary
Ch.15 168.6250 S 110.9 - Air Guard

A/A 1 120.0250
A/A 2 124.5250
Deck 163.1000

The portable repeater on the Tonto is listed in the 2019 SW Freq. Guide as having an input tone of 167.9 (National Tone 7) with no Pl tone on the output. However, the Tonto doesn't list output tones for its regular repeaters in that guide either, but there is one for each of their repeaters. We know this by listening and other members have verified it. Perhaps someone closer to the portable repeater will receive it and report. Per recent practice the command nets are all tied in together by UHF link frequencies to make it a multicast net.

The air to ground frequencies are taken from the national pool of 5 frequencies that NIFC can assign for either air to air tactics (FM) or air to ground. For initial attack air to air tactics AM (Victor) frequencies are used except in California where these are FM. NIFC has to work through the FAA to get temporary AM frequencies for large incidents. There is likely a delay in this process, but they can immediately assign one of these 5. Air to air tactics for a large incident are listed on the aviation plan portion of an IAP (incident action plan - really shifts plans). I think the FAA gives NIFC a pool of AM frequencies each year that they can use for large incidents to avoid delay. In years with a ton of fires these can be all used up, thus the national pool of 5, or is it 6, I can't remember.

I think you may have miss-typed Channel 15 for the Air Guard. I found some recent (in the last 2 years) NIFC direction that requires all large incident loads have Air Guard in channel 16. This was a post Yarnell Hill/Granite Mtn. Hotshot action (June 2013). In that manner ground personnel just have to remember to spin the dial to the end and talk when they have an emergency. Several national forests have placed Air Guard in Channel 16 of all their day to day frequency groups in the last few years.

V Med 28 is the standard air to ground for most western states for use in wildland fire helicopter medical evacuations. The exceptions are California which designated 156.0750 (Cal Cord) and North Dakota has designated 155.4750, V Law 31. Oregon and Washington have not developed a standard for this situation. The standard includes a TX tone of 156.7 consistent with the NIFOG mutual aid disaster direction.

Daddy can't type today due to arthritis, so the above is by dictation. He is the expert on this stuff, I'm just his student.
 

ecps92

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correct typo hence, two Ch.15's

I think you may have miss-typed Channel 15 for the Air Guard. I found some recent (in the last 2 years) NIFC direction that requires all large incident loads have Air Guard in channel 16. This was a post Yarnell Hill/Granite Mtn. Hotshot action (June 2013). In that manner ground personnel just have to remember to spin the dial to the end and talk when they have an emergency. Several national forests have placed Air Guard in Channel 16 of all their day to day frequency groups in the last few years.


Daddy can't type today due to arthritis, so the above is by dictation. He is the expert on this stuff, I'm just his student.
 

milcom_chaser

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Messages
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Some identifiers for AZ aviation resources. The Southwest GACC lists these resources in AZ:

Air Attack 305 Sierra Vista Airport. Pilot and the Air Tactics Group Supervisor on board.
Air Attack 312 Phoenix Mesa Airport. Pilot and the Air Tactics Group Supervisor on board.
Lead 33 is a pilot only unit that assists air tankers with drops
Bravo 33 has the Lead 33 pilot plus an Air Tactics Supervisor. A Bravo unit is called an Air Supervision Module and can be used as a lead plane and Air Tactics Supervisor simultaneously.

Everything has a "3" in it as the USFS Southwestern Region is Region 3 in the Forest Service. The "05" comes from forest #5 in the region, which is the Coronado. The "12" comes from forest #12 in the region, which is the Tonto. I think I will make a submission to the database so each forest is also identified by its number, as lots of apparatus, personnel and aircraft use this number in the identifier.

Once an incident grows beyond initial attack by going into a second operational period or the next day it is called extended attack. Air Tactics Group Supervisors are then identified as "(Incident Name) Air Attack." Example "Purcell Air Attack," given the name of this incident.
FT Mc Dowell uses Trunking for fire & law enforcement. VHF will most likely not be renewed after current license expires.
We confirm White Tanks, the output is 154.695 pl 103.5.
 

milcom_chaser

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Messages
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The portable repeater on the Tonto is listed in the 2019 SW Freq. Guide as having an input tone of 167.9 (National Tone 7) with no Pl tone on the output. However, the Tonto doesn't list output tones for its regular repeaters in that guide either, but there is one for each of their repeaters. We know this by listening and other members have verified it. Perhaps someone closer to the portable repeater will receive it and report. Per recent practice the command nets are all tied in together by UHF link frequencies to make it a multicast net.

The air to ground frequencies are taken from the national pool of 5 frequencies that NIFC can assign for either air to air tactics (FM) or air to ground. For initial attack air to air tactics AM (Victor) frequencies are used except in California where these are FM. NIFC has to work through the FAA to get temporary AM frequencies for large incidents. There is likely a delay in this process, but they can immediately assign one of these 5. Air to air tactics for a large incident are listed on the aviation plan portion of an IAP (incident action plan - really shifts plans). I think the FAA gives NIFC a pool of AM frequencies each year that they can use for large incidents to avoid delay. In years with a ton of fires these can be all used up, thus the national pool of 5, or is it 6, I can't remember.

I think you may have miss-typed Channel 15 for the Air Guard. I found some recent (in the last 2 years) NIFC direction that requires all large incident loads have Air Guard in channel 16. This was a post Yarnell Hill/Granite Mtn. Hotshot action (June 2013). In that manner ground personnel just have to remember to spin the dial to the end and talk when they have an emergency. Several national forests have placed Air Guard in Channel 16 of all their day to day frequency groups in the last few years.

V Med 28 is the standard air to ground for most western states for use in wildland fire helicopter medical evacuations. The exceptions are California which designated 156.0750 (Cal Cord) and North Dakota has designated 155.4750, V Law 31. Oregon and Washington have not developed a standard for this situation. The standard includes a TX tone of 156.7 consistent with the NIFOG mutual aid disaster direction.

Daddy can't type today due to arthritis, so the above is by dictation. He is the expert on this stuff, I'm just his student.
Can confirm:
171.500 Tonto Fire Net 1 RX CSQ
170.500 Tonto Fire Net 2 RX CSQ
Note: Passthru tones is RPTR input dependent.
 

cellphone

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Ahwatukee, AZ (Phoenix)
Tonto has a different repeater output for each repeater. The output tones for the fixed location repeaters are confirmed and documented in the DB and Wiki. The Wiki documents both input and output tones.


No one has confirmed a repeater output tone on the portable repeaters.
 
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