Been hearing a lot of non medical/coordination traffic here lately (156.075).. Over a week now. Anyone else hearing this? Last eve Decker Island and Rio Vista were mentioned. It is marine traffic. I understand this is Marine Channel 61A (ship). Is this legit in this area? Just wondering.
Calcord traffic
- Thread starter Norman
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mmckenna
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Well, it is a VHF marine channel, and there are ships running up and down the river into Stockton, so yeah, it's legit.
There is a thread about this on the San Francisco Bay Area Discussion group. Apparently 61A is not authorized in the U.S., but radios sold in the U.S. have it. From my remote monitor in Calaveras County I too have heard this activity on CalCord, but have not been able to pin point it. I only hear one station and it sounds like a base station. Eventually a medevac copter will hear the chatter and set them straight.
Your're welcome. This morning around 7 I heard that same guy talking about Decker Island. You may have heard him too. So I looked it up:
Decker Island Wildlife Area Fish and Wildlife has an operation here, so now I'm wondering if this is F & W using the channel for legit coordination issues. I'll have to pay more attention to the content of their traffic.
Decker Island Wildlife Area Fish and Wildlife has an operation here, so now I'm wondering if this is F & W using the channel for legit coordination issues. I'll have to pay more attention to the content of their traffic.
techman210
Member
CALCORD is not to be used within the same agency. It is assumed that all agencies have their own tac channels to communicate. Base stations are prohibited.
Of course, it’s not policed, and I have heard surveillance ops, units from the same agency communicating, and encryption used from time to time. It can be used by any two agencies to coordinate operations, it’s not limited to law/fire/medical operations.
If marine radios are being used, then you will not decode the 156.7 hz CTCSS and if you have a service monitor or spectrum analyzer, the transmissions will not be in narrowband mode.
Here’s the rules:
Of course, it’s not policed, and I have heard surveillance ops, units from the same agency communicating, and encryption used from time to time. It can be used by any two agencies to coordinate operations, it’s not limited to law/fire/medical operations.
If marine radios are being used, then you will not decode the 156.7 hz CTCSS and if you have a service monitor or spectrum analyzer, the transmissions will not be in narrowband mode.
Here’s the rules:
Thanks techman210. Good points. Looks like DWR - Dept of Water Resources is in on this restoration project as well and may be using CALCORD radios, but, as you say, the base station would not be authorized. I can't hear any portable/mobile traffic from my monitor post so I just don't know the content of the conversations (yet).
Paysonscanner
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Paysonscanner
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Sorry, I'm mixed up this AM.
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Paysonscanner
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I just wanted to say that CALCORD is not just a medical air to ground frequency, it is used for all sorts of emergencies, especially in an incident's early stages. I once listened to a major mud slide across a highway nearby with county public works, sheriff's department, U.S. Forest Service, CHP and maybe some others on-scene. Everyone was on CALCORD, with one exception. I was particularly interested as late hubby worked for county public works and the closest civil engineer for a little while. This on a state highway, with Caltrans equipment only having 800 MHz radios. I think the Caltrans supervisors might have had it in their second (third?) truck radios.
I worked in a little hospital in a small Sierra foothill county. All the ambulances had CALCORD for air to ground as did the portables issued to the hospital.
PS, I'm getting so many interruptions this morning, sorry for the multiple messages and edits. If DWR and DFW are using this frequency for routine work, the wetland restoration, this is not legal as CALCORD is for emergencies only as I understand it. I was told that in some hospital training on use of radios. Calif. Dept. of Fish & Wildlife has more tactical frequencies now than in the past, it wouldn't seem they would need to use CALCORD.
I worked in a little hospital in a small Sierra foothill county. All the ambulances had CALCORD for air to ground as did the portables issued to the hospital.
PS, I'm getting so many interruptions this morning, sorry for the multiple messages and edits. If DWR and DFW are using this frequency for routine work, the wetland restoration, this is not legal as CALCORD is for emergencies only as I understand it. I was told that in some hospital training on use of radios. Calif. Dept. of Fish & Wildlife has more tactical frequencies now than in the past, it wouldn't seem they would need to use CALCORD.
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Thanks for that info Paysonscanner. There was a flurry of xmsns before and after noon. BTW, I'm not in PL mode, just csq.
His language is unacceptable for radio use, and never an ID. Does not sound professional at all. Several mentions of barges
and loaders. All I know so far.
His language is unacceptable for radio use, and never an ID. Does not sound professional at all. Several mentions of barges
and loaders. All I know so far.
techman210
Member
Routine non-emergency Communications is covered on page 5, priority 5.
It can be used anytime two or more agencies need to communicate and there’s not another option.
Obviously that’s the lowest priority and emergency traffic etc. has priority.
It can be used anytime two or more agencies need to communicate and there’s not another option.
Obviously that’s the lowest priority and emergency traffic etc. has priority.
Paysonscanner
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OK, so I must have remembered the training incorrectly or the trainer was not well informed as you are correct in your citation. However, DFW has a couple of tacticals they didn't have 4-5 years ago. I can't imagine CALCORD being an only option. Pair this with Norman's monitoring of bad language, lack of call signs and such I don't think this is DWR/DFW traffic. DFW had call signs for everyone who ever goes in the field when I lived there. I only moved from CA to AZ last November so this is probably current. I'd put my money on it being some sort of marine activity with some ill informed person who thought 61A sounded pretty quiet so why not use what is not being used. I've heard hunters using marine channels up in the Sierra Nevada and foothills as well.
People don't understand radio much. I met a couple of people once at a family get together and they talked about using a Phoenix area fire tactical (one of them was a Phoenix/Mesa/Glendale or some such firefighter) on a couple of VHF only portables from work up north of Payson, where I live now. They figured they were far enough away from Phoenix to not cause a problem. Late hubby looked up the freq. and found that it was licensed in Yavapai County and somewhere else, maybe in a Mogollon Rim town. Hubby told them they could get fined for transmitting W/O a license, personal use of a govt fire radio, interfering with an emergency, Yada Yada.
After further listening, I agree that this is not a government agency. All traffic sounds marine related. They did mention that it takes them 7 hours to get to their destination and any delay will bring them back late in the morning...so must be an overnight trip. I missed the Reach 7 traffic, but good for them. For Paysonscanner and others that may want to listen in, my scanner in Calaveras County at 4000 feet has CALCORD as well as many fire channels and can be heard here: Cal Fire Working Incidents - TCU Live Audio Feed They do seem to be active around sunrise and sunset.
techman210
Member
The best way to catch these guys is to make recordings, with time and date stamps, THEN find an agency that's affected and have that agency - or the State of California who is the licensee - make a complaint to the FCC. Third parties making complaints will likely be ignored.
I would encourage the FCC to contact the Coast Guard who likely still have marine DF equipment to get a bearing on the offenders, and then look at the AIS data at the same time. See if they can find a match. Look up the contact information for the state under the license KB82490, and it's all there.
I would encourage the FCC to contact the Coast Guard who likely still have marine DF equipment to get a bearing on the offenders, and then look at the AIS data at the same time. See if they can find a match. Look up the contact information for the state under the license KB82490, and it's all there.
I was told it is not the FCC (which is correct), it is the NTIA. They assign the Gov't freqs like the US Coast Guard.
You are spot on with the rest. I heard them talking over a Reach Helo yesterday. I think it will take an incident
to happen before this gets resolved. Or, maybe they will finish their project and move on.
You are spot on with the rest. I heard them talking over a Reach Helo yesterday. I think it will take an incident
to happen before this gets resolved. Or, maybe they will finish their project and move on.
techman210
Member
That's not a USCG frequency anymore. That's why it's assigned to the State of California. For clarification, NTIA assigns Federal frequencies, all other government allocations are assigned by frequency coordinators, and licensed by the FCC.
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