Angeles National Forest

[iepoker]

Other than the run of the mill stuff found in the database, anyone know what channels the rangers may be using??? I dont hear them on 172.375 or 166.125 anymore when I go on my hikes near Baldy, I used to hear them roust people all day long...

Anyone, anyone?

 

[DPD1]

That's weird, because I think I still get them on those in the valley... Pretty sure I just heard them the other day.

Dave
http://www.DPDProductions.com
- Custom Scanner, MURS, GMRS, & Ham Antennas -

 

[Mick]

I've heard them once in awhile on 168.025R in addition to 172.375R and 164.9375R. Weekends seem to be busiest. Happy monitoring!

 

[iepoker]

Gives me something to listen to when I am hiking at 8000ft!

I still hear ANF activity on 172.375... but the Law Enforcement guys seemed to have moved somewhere.

Perhaps I am just not hearing something right.

 

[SCPD]

Fire and law enforcement uses the Forest Net on the Angeles, which you already have as 172.375. The non-armed forest protection officers, recreation, other resources, will be on the Administrative Net which is 164.9375. If you are not hearing the law enforecment officers on Forest Net, just fire management, then try 168.025. If my hunch is correct 168.025 should just be a simplex, but I came across some information that repeaters might be utilized using it as an output frequency.

Last time I went through San Berdo county during the Christmas holiday period, the San Bernardino National Forest was using the Forest and Admin nets in a similar fashion.
Let us know what you come up with. I don't get down to S. Calif. very often and like to keep up with the natural resource management radio systems.

 

[MikeyC]

168.0250 (103.5) is used down here on the Cleveland as "Law Net". In addition to the forest service law units, I've heard the CDF prevention units come up on it during fire season.

 

[Mick]

They also have 168.025 set up in ANF as a repeater too, the input is 164.625 MHz.

Fire and law enforcement uses the Forest Net on the Angeles, which you already have as 172.375. The non-armed forest protection officers, recreation, other resources, will be on the Administrative Net which is 164.9375. If you are not hearing the law enforecment officers on Forest Net, just fire management, then try 168.025. If my hunch is correct 168.025 should just be a simplex, but I came across some information that repeaters might be utilized using it as an output frequency.

 

[RobertW1]

Having a place in Wrightwood, I hike Blue Ridge, Pine Mountain, Baden Powell, etc. I have noticed that the signal on the Angeles Forest Frequencies, including their dispatch fequency, is very weak in the area, whereas it use to be very robust. I believe it has something to do with a repeater change or perhaps a repeater being down.

For area Frequencies including ANF and BNF:

http://pages.prodigy.net/robertmorgan/Wrightwood Scanner Frequencies.html

 

[WayneH]

ANF Channel Lineup

CH	Receive	Transmit	Use
1	172.375	172.375	Forest Net (note)
2	172.375	169.950	Forest Repeater Net (Duplex)
3	164.9375	164.9375	Forest Admin Net (note)
4	164.9375	170.075	Forest Admin Repeater Net (Duplex)
5	168.200	168.200	NIFC Tac-2/R-5 Crew Net
6	170.000	170.000	R-5 Air-To-Ground
7	168.050	168.050	NIFC Tac-1
8	168.600	168.600	NIFC Tac-3

Note – must use tone 8 to speak to ANF Dispatcher

ANF REPEATER TONES – (use with old channel 2, and new channel 2 & 4)
Site	Tone	Site	Tone
Mt Waterman	1	Frazier Mtn	8
Santiago Peak	2	Pine Mtn	9
Mt Hawkins	3	Burnt Pk	10
Frost Peak	4	Magic Mountain	11
Alpine Buttes	5	Mt Lukens	12
Oat Mountain	6	Johnson Peak	13
Josephine Pk	7	Grass Mt	14

TONE	FREQ	TONE	FREQ
1	110.9	8	103.5
2	123.0	9	100.0
3	131.8	10	107.2
4	136.5	11	114.8
5	146.2	12	127.3
6	156.7	13	141.3
7	167.9	14	151.4

 

[SCPD]

Having a place in Wrightwood, I hike Blue Ridge, Pine Mountain, Baden Powell, etc. I have noticed that the signal on the Angeles Forest Frequencies, including their dispatch fequency, is very weak in the area, whereas it use to be very robust. I believe it has something to do with a repeater change or perhaps a repeater being down.

Actually it is because the Feds were all required to switch to narrowband as of 1/1/05. Narrowband signals are just not as strong, remember a signal using less band width cannot carry as much information. Many National Forests may have to add additional repeaters to have the same coverage they did with 25 kHz spacing. The narrowband spacing is 12.5 kHz. We have been listening to 12.5 kHz signals on UHF for some time now and I can't explain why they sound just fine and VHF narrowband is so weak.

I'm having difficulty receiving a good signal on the Inyo National Forest's frequencies as well. It may be time to go back to the drawing board for different ideas on both a base station antenna and for mobile antennas. Others are probably experiencing difficulty with other National Forests, BLM, and National Park Service reception, as well as with other federal agencies. As you can see it is not a mystery.

 

[iepoker]

I did hear a lot of activity yesterday on the ANF Forest Net, including an injured hiker on the trail I had just left 25 minutes earlier!

I also noticed the signal degradation, which in ANF's case, is not good. Angeles has the unique distinction of sitting above 15 milion people, many of whom go into the mountains on the weekend to hike, ski or, in the case of some gang bangers, dump bodies and cause other mischief... it seems a sin that they would subject themselves to even less officer safety by having inappropriate communications when back up is already along ways out.

Also, of note, there was a lot of LASO activity up there yesterday, and I heard them a bunch on LASO SUD 483.5375

And, for a different kind of monitoring, anyone catch Howard Stern today?? It was his first day in outer space and I am wondering if it is worth it.

 

[DPD1]

I did hear a lot of activity yesterday on the ANF Forest Net, including an injured hiker on the trail I had just left 25 minutes earlier!

I also noticed the signal degradation, which in ANF's case, is not good. Angeles has the unique distinction of sitting above 15 milion people, many of whom go into the mountains on the weekend to hike, ski or, in the case of some gang bangers, dump bodies and cause other mischief... it seems a sin that they would subject themselves to even less officer safety by having inappropriate communications when back up is already along ways out.

I know they were having some sort of interference problem with signals coming from Mexico too... Not sure what happen with that.

Lackluster performance seems to be the norm with most of the new (allegedly improved) systems though. I will miss the old fat analog VHF days.

Dave
http://www.DPDProductions.com
- Custom Scanner, MURS, GMRS, & Ham Antennas -

 

[ScannerDude244]

Actually it is because the Feds were all required to switch to narrowband as of 1/1/05. Narrowband signals are just not as strong, remember a signal using less band width cannot carry as much information. Many National Forests may have to add additional repeaters to have the same coverage they did with 25 kHz spacing. The narrowband spacing is 12.5 kHz. We have been listening to 12.5 kHz signals on UHF for some time now and I can't explain why they sound just fine and VHF narrowband is so weak.

I'm having difficulty receiving a good signal on the Inyo National Forest's frequencies as well. It may be time to go back to the drawing board for different ideas on both a base station antenna and for mobile antennas. Others are probably experiencing difficulty with other National Forests, BLM, and National Park Service reception, as well as with other federal agencies. As you can see it is not a mystery.

yeah I listen to Los Padres National Forest where I live and on every signal I pick up its real weak. And god I hate the sound of 12.5khz sounds like s*&.

 

[hotdjdave]

A. N. F.

Here is what I have on the ANF, but I haven't monitored these in a while:

Under the Call Sign KME-22

<F1> Forest Fire Net 171.575
<F2> Forest Fire Net 171.575 R
<F3> Administrative Net 169.950
<F4> Fire Tactical 168.200
<F5> Region 5 Interagency 169.125
<F6> Air to Ground Tactical 170.000
<F7> Fire Tactical 168.600
<F8> Fire Tactical 168.125
<F9> Tactical 169.175
<F10> Air Tactical 169.200
Law Enforcement 166.125 R​

Ranger District Control Links

La Canada/San Fernando - Mt. Lukens 415.225 R
Glendora - Johnstone Peak 415.325 R

​

Other ANF and Related Frequencies

USFS Forest Net 172.3750/171.7250 (RPT)
FWS-LE 01 410.6250/408.6720 (RPT)
FWS-LE 02 408.6750
FWS-LE 03 408.7500
NASA/JPL Fire 168.3500
NASA/JPL Security 165.6125/162.6125 (RPT)​

 

[SCPD]

Most of that information for the Angeles is outdated. I got my hands on an Angeles 160 channel King handheld early last year and accessed its programming mode. The 171.575 and 172.375 haven't been used on that Forest for several years. The 169.175 and 168.125 frequencies were no where in sight in all the banks of the radio I looked at. I believe the 168.600 is one of the NIFC tactical frequencies. The Angeles has a combination of 400 MHz linking and microwave linking. I don't know if what is shown is current. 169.125 is the California Interagency Travel Net and has repeaters all over the state. The air tactical is a air to air VHF FM frequency, is not used for air to ground, and is rarely programmed into radios, and if it is, is usually programmed without a transmit frequency, making it a monitor only channel. The NIFC frequencies are no longer called "R5 Fire" or crew net (as with 168.200), they are referred to as "Tac 1", "Tac 2" etc. This change was made at the beginning of 2005 and has been closely followed by field personnel.

 

[Mick]

I spent the night in ANF last night, and 172.375R 103.5/169.95 is the Forest Repeater Net channel.

Most of that information for the Angeles is outdated. I got my hands on an Angeles 160 channel King handheld early last year and accessed its programming mode. The 171.575 and 172.375 haven't been used on that Forest for several years.

 

[hotdjdave]

I spent the night in ANF last night, and 172.375R 103.5/169.95 is the Forest Repeater Net channel.

Where in the ANF did you stay?

I found out the following information (Current as of 2005):

Angeles National Forest (Region 5)

Ch Forest Net (Use/Location) Frequency CTCSS S/R
1 Direct 172.375 103.5 S
2 Frazier Mountain 172.375 103.5 R
2 Alpine Buttes 172.375 146.2 R
2 Grass Mountain 172.375 151.4 R
2 Magic Mountain 172.375 114.8 R
2 Frost Peak 172.375 136.5 R
2 Mount Hawkins 172.375 131.8 R
2 Mount Waterman 172.375 110.9 R
2 Oat Mountain 172.375 156.7 R
2 Josephine Peak 172.375 167.9 R
2 Mount Lukens 172.375 127.3 R
2 Pine Mountain 172.375 100.0 R
2 Johnstone Peak 172.375 141.3 R
2 Santiago Peak 172.375 123.0 R
3 Admin 164.9375 103.5 S
4 Admin 164.9375 ? R
5 NIFC Tac 2 166.200 S
6 USFS Air to Ground 170.000 S
7 NIFC Tac 1 168.050 S
8 NIFC Tac 3 168.600 S

Link 415.225 ? R
Link 415.275 ? R
Link 415.325 ? R
Link 415.35 ? R

 

[SCPD]

I spent the night in ANF last night, and 172.375R 103.5/169.95 is the Forest Repeater Net channel.

I'm not sure what I was looking at when I wrote that 172.375 was not being used as that is the Forest Net repeater output. What I meant to say was 171.575 (old Forest Net) has not been used in several years and 169.950 (old Admin Net output) has not been used as an ouput in several years and is now the Forest Net input. I see my post was made just before midnight and I must have been asleep!

 

[hotdjdave]

I see my post was made just before midnight and I must have been asleep!

How many other things do you do when you are asleep? :lol:

 

[SCPD]

How many other things do you do when you are asleep? :lol:

Well lets see. I've done a lot of mop-up on a fire and was as close to sleeping as you can be. This as a firefighter and not as a crew boss. I've copied dozens of incident shift plans (OK, Incident Action Plans or IAP's) for fires and been close to being asleep, sometimes wondering when I'm done when I put pages 8-16 in the machine because I sure don't remember it. I've answered the phone in the middle of the night and never woke up. It was usually a dispatcher and they called back in most cases. On many of those occasions I found notes with the Thomas Brothers page and grid, resource order number, and incident number written on a notepad next to my phone and wondering who used my handwriting to write it. I once did some sleep walking at home in the winter. When I stepped off the front porch into 3-4 feet of snow in the driveway with my bare feet I woke up.

On a fire response, driving alone to a CDF fire in San Diego once, I don't remember driving from Coso Junction to Little Lake on U.S. 395. I had worked 12 hours one day, got called out at night, then pulled a 10 hour shift the next day, and just as I was getting in bed was called by the dispatcher and told I had to be on this fire by 0500. After that experience, I always told the dispatcher, after being called late or in the middle of the night, that I could not issue a guarentee for my ETA due to safety reasons.

In college I answered my roomate's question about a complex math principle in the middle of the night while walking about the room. I didn't remember the event but my feet had some dirt on them from the floor the next morning.

If I'm real tired and fall asleep in the recliner my wife tells me we had an agrument about my getting up to go to bed upstairs and I wake up the next morning in that chair.

Oops, was your question a rhetorical one?