Federal stuff in the Midwest?

[dcs00]

Looking to see if anyone has any Federal stuff for the Midwest they can share with me since everthihg I have is outdated?

Thanks

David Stearns

 

[ChrisP]

Not to sound like a broken record - Your best bet is going to be to search the main federal frequency bands to see what is active in your area. Any existing lists may or may not be accurate.

Search the 162 to 174 and 406 to 420 MHz spectrum and let it run for several days.

I just received some logging's from central Nebraska that had a lot of FBI, Postal Inspection Service, Department of Energy and Federal Protective Service channels being used, so I know there is activity out there...

- Chris

 

[reconrider8]

To go along with Chris's post if your state has a statewide system it maybe an idea to keep an eye out there also like we have here in NC.

 

[Mattnik]

Not sure where you are monitoring besides the generic "mid-west", but try some of the BIA and NPS standard frequencies, as they are quite active in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Also Chris's suggestion about the 162 to 174 and 406 to 420 spectrum is always a good bet. There's a lot of military stuff out there. In more urban areas (such as Chicago or Bloomington, IL or Minneapolis, MN) the statewide systems may be a better bet. Anywhere the state system gets adequate coverage, you can expect a smattering of fedcom.

HTH

Matt

 

[ecps92]

CP you are not the only broken record on this.

Main reason to search yourself if ONLY you will know what you can hear, there have been times that [FedCom] friends hear something and I don't and vice-versa. Sometimes it just comes down to Antenna, Cable, Radio and then finally LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Spend some time searching [give it a few weeks, don't expect immediate results] and then post back what you found
make sure you include CLR vs ENC, PL, DPL, NAC, Colure etc and if using SDR, include the RIDs.

Happy hunting

Not to sound like a broken record - Your best bet is going to be to search the main federal frequency bands to see what is active in your area. Any existing lists may or may not be accurate.

Search the 162 to 174 and 406 to 420 MHz spectrum and let it run for several days.

I just received some logging's from central Nebraska that had a lot of FBI, Postal Inspection Service, Department of Energy and Federal Protective Service channels being used, so I know there is activity out there...

- Chris

 

[es93546]

Not sure where you are monitoring besides the generic "mid-west", but try some of the BIA and NPS standard frequencies, as they are quite active in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Also Chris's suggestion about the 162 to 174 and 406 to 420 spectrum is always a good bet. There's a lot of military stuff out there. In more urban areas (such as Chicago or Bloomington, IL or Minneapolis, MN) the statewide systems may be a better bet. Anywhere the state system gets adequate coverage, you can expect a smattering of fedcom.

HTH

Matt

He should also look up the U.S. Forest Service frequencies for the northern portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. I think it would be interesting to listen to USFS traffic in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. During emergencies they use some interesting aircraft.

I agree with you suggesting NPS frequencies. I think of how interesting it would be to listen to Isle Royale National Park due to its remoteness.

A perusal of the database and some limit searches is the way to start. Don't search all of 162-174 MHz. Keep in mind that repeater input frequencies are allocated in the 162 - 166.9875 range, tactical or simplex from 166.5000 to 169.4875 and repeaters from 169.5000 - 173.9875. I search in 1 MHz chunks for several days using the logging/recording function of the software operate the scanner with. That way I can leave the scanner in search overnight and during times I'm away from the desk, which in my case is most of the time. Sometimes I lower the search range to half MHz chunks in active areas. I search the repeater output frequencies first, then the simplex range next. I have to lockout the known frequencies in each range, otherwise the scanner stays busy logging those frequencies and I might miss the unknowns. The detective work of the scanning hobby is what many hobbyists find intriguing. Posting the results and submitting same to the database is the reason we have a website like this.

 

[ecps92]

Not all Federal Agencies have migrated to the NTIA requirements.

Federal VHF/UHF Channel Plans - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

IT is still best to search the entire spectrum of 162-174 - locking out the NWS as well as the 173 Non Fed Allocations, if they cause reception issues.

He should also look up the U.S. Forest Service frequencies for the northern portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. I think it would be interesting to listen to USFS traffic in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. During emergencies they use some interesting aircraft.

I agree with you suggesting NPS frequencies. I think of how interesting it would be to listen to Isle Royale National Park due to its remoteness.

A perusal of the database and some limit searches is the way to start. Don't search all of 162-174 MHz. Keep in mind that repeater input frequencies are allocated in the 162 - 166.9875 range, tactical or simplex from 166.5000 to 169.4875 and repeaters from 169.5000 - 173.9875. I search in 1 MHz chunks for several days using the logging/recording function of the software operate the scanner with. That way I can leave the scanner in search overnight and during times I'm away from the desk, which in my case is most of the time. Sometimes I lower the search range to half MHz chunks in active areas. I search the repeater output frequencies first, then the simplex range next. I have to lockout the known frequencies in each range, otherwise the scanner stays busy logging those frequencies and I might miss the unknowns. The detective work of the scanning hobby is what many hobbyists find intriguing. Posting the results and submitting same to the database is the reason we have a website like this.

 

[es93546]

Not all Federal Agencies have migrated to the NTIA requirements.

Federal VHF/UHF Channel Plans - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

IT is still best to search the entire spectrum of 162-174 - locking out the NWS as well as the 173 Non Fed Allocations, if they cause reception issues.

True! However, I gave him a good place to start. I also mentioned that he should search the database, which should show the units that are out of compliance. Searching 162-166.4875, half or one MHz at a time will take a very long time and might be confusing when an input frequency is found. I'm finding a lot of compliance with the 2019 freq. allocation in the USFS, with a little less with the NPS and BLM. Some major parks have not made the move yet. I'm thinking they are waiting to replace entire systems, which may not be capable of switching to frequencies in the new allocation. Some parks and BLM districts have some very old equipment. The 173 non fed allocations are sometimes used by the feds, I think of 171.4750 and 171.5750 as examples with the non fed uses mainly east of the Mississippi.