BWI area freqs (not Aero)

[ka3jjz]

Here are just a few things I've found;

453.1375 (123.0) garage, maintenance, courtesy patrols
160.23 MARC Camden Line
160.32 MARC Camden Line
160.92 Amtrak/MARC Penn line Road NEC
161.01 (203.5) Light Rail ops
160.905 Light Rail road
161.295 Amtrak Police
464.325 WNBB851 Northrop Grumman docks, loading bays
496.0375 KNT399 Northrop Grumman unk rptr

Apart from what's already on the BWI page, anyone care to add some more? There are numerous businesses, hotels, and other things that could be documented. One thing that's badly needed is a list of all the Taxis that go there; note that the BWI cab I've seen around does NOT appear to have any antennas on it. It could be dispatched via Next-Hell.....er, Nextel :wink:

73s Mike

 

[TinEar]

Mike, there's one of the taxi/transportation companies that seems to dispatch with some kind of data control system. If I remember correctly, it's on 159.495 (I'll double check that since I'm going from memory). They do have limited radio comms though where the dispatcher might just call a name and say something like "number 281 is yours Mike." Then the driver will confirm he got number 281 and is heading for the pickup. They often mention picking up flight crews and special rates for them. There is another taxi company using the same type system from Philadelphia on 154.4975 that comes in fairly well some nights. Anyway, they both seem to use an in-car data system that spits out the location of the pickup and the run is simply numbered. I'll start logging some of those transportation types I run into. I've never heard those two Northrup Grumman freqs you mentioned. I'll have to dump them in somewhere on a list.

 

[TinEar]

461.3875 are the shuttles running from the terminal to the parking lots. They sent something in Morse that I thought was going to be a callsign but turned out to be "something" else. It was...11K2F3E. And that was it. (Edit: I wonder if those are coordinates of some type.)

462.1375 seems to be an aircraft fueling outfit but not sure who they belong to.

 

[ka3jjz]

462.1375 seems to be an aircraft fueling outfit but not sure who they belong to.

According to the BWI page (and I hear this freq constantly), it's one of Signature's frequencies; PL is 100.0. The other is 462.1125 73s Mike

 

[TinEar]

Sorry...didn't scroll down far enough on the BWI page to catch the Signature freqs.

I spent about an hour listening to the 461-464 band and have 33 freqs that I'm working on that "may" have an airport attachment. I have a pair of freqs that had the same dispatcher with an Hispanic accent on 462.7625 and 461.825. At one point they were at the airport and referred to one of their people as "Officer Knight." I don't think they are police though...perhaps private security of some type.

On the airport freq topic...had the Tower controller tell an aircraft tonight that they are having a lot of trouble with 119.4 out on the runway. The aircraft had just complained about hearing static on the freq and thought he might have missed the takeoff command. Might be why they are talking of realigning freqs.

 

[ericcarlson]

461.3875 are the shuttles running from the terminal to the parking lots. They sent something in Morse that I thought was going to be a callsign but turned out to be "something" else. It was...11K2F3E. And that was it. (Edit: I wonder if those are coordinates of some type.)

Weird.. 11K2F3E is an emission designator indicating an 11.2 kHz bandwidth channel using frequency modulation for analog voice. Maybe someone programmed that into the repeater instead of the callsign because the frequency wasn't licensed at the time. The license for this frequency appears to be WPTY207.

-Eric

 

[TinEar]

Wow! That emission designator completely escaped me. As I read your first couple of words it was one of those "slap your forehead" moments. I should have remembered that. Anyway, their business descriptor validates the airport connection. Once again it reminds me that I'm glad I learned Morse all those years ago. It sure helps when you're trying to do the ID business. This is not a real strong signal even though the listing shows it to be a 45 watt transmitter although the mobiles could be much less.

 

[ka3jjz]

461.3875 are the shuttles running from the terminal to the parking lots. They sent something in Morse that I thought was going to be a callsign but turned out to be "something" else. It was...11K2F3E. And that was it.

Yeah, I heard it too - very strange. You would think that now that there's a license on that freq, they would reprogram the IDer, which wouldn't be that big a deal. Wierd! And it does indeed sound like some sort of shuttle service, so that's one to add to the list.

Anyhow, if you'd like, pass your list along to me via private email. It's much faster for 2 people to check a list than 1 person doing it all alone. Besides, I can construct scan files for those frequencies very easily using Radiomax, and be up in no time.

73s Mike

 

[TinEar]

Totally forgot about passing that list of freqs to you Mike. Senility setting in I guess. I'll try to round them up this evening and send them to you. Since I first mentioned them, I've eliminated a couple of dozen and added a few more so there's still plenty of work to do.

The only reason I remembered them was because I came to this thread to pass on something I heard the past couple of evenings. The 172.90 mHz TSA freq has apparently been encrypted. I hadn't caught that freq in a couple of months and it was in the clear the last time I heard it. Two nights in a row now I've heard the encrypted traffic. I don't know yet if it's a mix of both or all encrypted but we'll know soon enough.

 

[TinEar]

Frequency 463.55 are the shuttle buses at BWI. The previous freq we identified as shuttles - 461.3875 - are shuttles for valet parking.

 

[ka3jjz]

Real good, Al. Make sure you pass these 2 to the database team and get them added. I got your list, and will get them scanning probably tomorrow sometime.

We have to watch, though - make sure you pin down the PL or DCS too. That might be important, especially since we're in the middle of the UHF business bands.

73s for now..Mike

 

[ericcarlson]

FWIW, the notes on this license suggests that the usage for 463.55 is for the shuttle to the consolidated rental car facility.

-Eric

 

[NINN27]

FWIW, the notes on this license suggests that the usage for 463.55 is for the shuttle to the consolidated rental car facility.

-Eric

dont know what FWIW stands for, but oh well...

eric is right... that is for the shuttle for the new rental car facility on new ridge rd. its a fairly nice size building that now houses all the rental car companys for BWI.

 

[TinEar]

FWIW=For What It's Worth

Okay, so now we have two groups of shuttle buses and so we still need at least a third one - the one that picks up and drops off passengers from the various self-parking lots.

 

[bear105]

Okay, so now we have two groups of shuttle buses and so we still need at least a third one - the one that picks up and drops off passengers from the various self-parking lots.

Geez...I was just on one of the parking lot buses this week and stood next to the driver. I don't remember seeing a radio up there but that doesn't mean there wasn't one. I can say I never saw the driver use one though.

I would bet there is a radio system but since those routes are so repeditive, there isn't much traffic. Next time I go thru there I will be sure to look...

 

[TinEar]

A couple of posts back I mentioned that I heard encrypted voice on the TSA freq 172.90. I've also now heard them in the clear so I guess they are using a mixture of both based on different users or scenarios.

 

[TinEar]

I have airport baggage handlers talking on 450.1125 with a PL tone of 100.0. No idea yet who this belongs to. And no idea why it's on this freq rather than up in the 460s with the rest of them. I've got to assume it's from BWI since I doubt I could hear ground transmissions from any other area airport.

Note for Eric: Are we interested in harvesting all the TV station IFB freqs for on-site news reports and for helicopter traffic reporting?

 

[ka3jjz]

I have airport baggage handlers talking on 450.1125 with a PL tone of 100.0. No idea yet who this belongs to. And no idea why it's on this freq rather than up in the 460s with the rest of them. I've got to assume it's from BWI since I doubt I could hear ground transmissions from any other area airport.

Al are you sure that you're not hearing an input freq? I know that the standard is 5 mhz in this part of the band but it's not out of the question that someone decided to thumb their noses at the rules...it's just much too close to 462.1125 in freq and usage. It's suspicious.

73s Mike

 

[TinEar]

Nope, I'm not sure at all. Kind of an odd input freq though for a 462 freq. It'll take more listening to determine which airline this is or to match it with one of the others to determine the input freq theory.

I was searching around 450 for the Baltimore Area TV station IFB freqs so I could log all their airborne stuff which is how I came upon this.

 

[ericcarlson]

Regarding media freqs, yes, you can submit those to the database under Baltimore City or District of Columbia as appropriate and we will create a section for them. Actually, DC already has some media freqs in the database.

-Eric