How do you identify frequencies?

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wannabescannist

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The FCC ULS db search never seems to work...I always get a 'last request was canceled' and sometimes I'm brought back to the search page.

I always hit advanced search, exact frequency, and select Illinois.

Here is a list of frequencies I'm trying to identify ( Frq / PL) (which are not in RR's DB):

144.39 / 2M ham data?
147.09 / 107.2 2M ham?

154.845 / 162.2

442.875 / 114.8

453.7 / 151.4
453.25 / sounds like data - short woodblock-sounding impulses
453.3 / 151.4

460.625 / 156.7

470.56250 / 141.3: heard the word seargent

471.73750 when mode set to ltr, ltr: 0-03-200 r03 (varies)
471.86250 when mode set to ltr, ltr: 0-05-255 r05 (varies)
472.63750 when mode set to ltr, ltr: 0-01-209 r13 (varies)

858.9125 / 156.7
860.9125 / 156.7
 
N9JIG

N9JIG

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First, the FCC database will not show you PL tones...

Go to the CARMA Profiles page and download the Cook County CARMA Profile, most of these channels are listed there.

Off the top of my head I can ID some for you:

144.390 is Packet or APRS data, 147.090 is the NORA ham repeater in Glenview.

154.845 is Oak Park PD
442.875 is the York ARC repeater in Downers Grove
453.700 is CTA
453.250 is CTA bus locators
453.300 is CTA
460.625 is CFD Ambulances
470.5625 is Evanston PD
471.7375, 471.8625 and 472.6375 are all ESP Leasing's SMR
858.9125 and 860.9125 were last known to me to be a cable company trunked system, I don't know who is using PL's on these. They may have been reassigned to other users.
 
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SkipSanders

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Note that the FCC does not have records of individual ham stations, so you can only check ham licenses to see who it is, if you have a callsign. That is, a ham station has no 'assigned' frequency, it can operate anywhere within any ham band, subject to operator license and the ham regulations about band use.
 
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wannabescannist

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N9JIG said:
First, the FCC database will not show you PL tones...

Go to the CARMA Profiles page and download the Cook County CARMA Profile, most of these channels are listed there.

Off the top of my head I can ID some for you:

144.390 is Packet or APRS data, 147.090 is the NORA ham repeater in Glenview.

154.845 is Oak Park PD
442.875 is the York ARC repeater in Downers Grove
453.700 is CTA
453.250 is CTA bus locators
453.300 is CTA
460.625 is CFD Ambulances
470.5625 is Evanston PD
471.7375, 471.8625 and 472.6375 are all ESP Leasing's SMR
858.9125 and 860.9125 were last known to me to be a cable company trunked system, I don't know who is using PL's on these. They may have been reassigned to other users.
Click to expand...

Thanks...what pdf are you talking about w/r/t Cook, cause they're split up?

Whenever I have a frequency I'm trying to identify, my first resource is the Chicago RAdio Guide (http://www.carmachicago.com/profiles/chgofreq2.pdf) and then the Chicago section on RR (http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&aid=746).


Then there's the frequency guide on Carma as well (http://www.carmachicago.com/profiles/FrequencyUsage.pdf) but hasn't been updated in a while (which is completely understandable as it is a big task to complete). But something like this frequency guide would be very helpful. Based on the current info, I can get an idea of what the frequency _might_ be, but surely these frequencies are documented....somewhere.

So after those fail, I try to do a frequency lookup on the FCC's ULS database but never bears any results.

I guess what RR needs is a frequency search. Put in a frequency, and based on whatever page you're currently on (say us->illinois->cook cty->chicago), it searches frequencies in the subareas of that page. If this already exists, let me know, as I consider myself a relatively new user on RR.

Maybe if I knew what you guys do when you get activity on a frequency that you've never gotten before, it'd help me (though you guys' scanning intuition most-likely greatly exceeds mine).
 
N9JIG

N9JIG

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wannabescannist said:
Thanks...what pdf are you talking about w/r/t Cook, cause they're split up?

Whenever I have a frequency I'm trying to identify, my first resource is the Chicago RAdio Guide (http://www.carmachicago.com/profiles/chgofreq2.pdf) and then the Chicago section on RR (http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&aid=746).


Then there's the frequency guide on Carma as well (http://www.carmachicago.com/profiles/FrequencyUsage.pdf) but hasn't been updated in a while (which is completely understandable as it is a big task to complete). But something like this frequency guide would be very helpful. Based on the current info, I can get an idea of what the frequency _might_ be, but surely these frequencies are documented....somewhere.
Click to expand...

The CARMA Profiles are broken down by a County basis, but with Cook County being so huge we had to break that down into several docs. So in Cook County we have seperate Profiles for Chicago, Cook County itself, and the suburbs, plus one for NWCD.

When you open these Profiles in Acrobat or Reader you can search them for the freqs you hear.

We are working on a new format that is more database oriented, or at least allows easier searching.
 
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cubn

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wannabescannist said:
I guess what RR needs is a frequency search. Put in a frequency, and based on whatever page you're currently on (say us->illinois->cook cty->chicago), it searches frequencies in the subareas of that page. If this already exists, let me know, as I consider myself a relatively new user on RR.

Maybe if I knew what you guys do when you get activity on a frequency that you've never gotten before, it'd help me (though you guys' scanning intuition most-likely greatly exceeds mine).
Click to expand...

Subscribing members to Radioreference.com can search for identified frequencies the database on this page under the Search for Identified Radio Data section: http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR

Most (but not all) government (ex. pd, fd, public works) frequencies that you will hear will have an associated FCC license. Not all business frequencies (vhf and uhf) will have FCC license which makes it more difficult to track down the user, but legally they should be licensed. Another example, Mike's Towing company may be using a frequency licensed to Communcations Repeater Company so finding the FCC license wouldn't help in those cases.

Sometimes if there is a particularly interesting new frequency that I find, I will voice-activated record on that frequency for a day or two and take notes on what I hear (ex. land marks, nature of the radio conversations, phone numbers mentioned, etc.). I often will put that frequency in a group in my scanner and put the alert beep on that frequency so that when there is talk on there, I'll pay particular attention when I'm scanning. Talkgroups on trunked systems like ClearTalk can be particularly difficult to determine the exact business user.
 
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cubn

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Something else you can do is if it is a UHF repeater that you are trying to identify, plug in the repeater input frequency and PL tone in your scanner and then if you hear activity on that channel, you know they are nearby and you can keep your eye out for them in the area.
 
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