Hunt for frequency

Status
Not open for further replies.

PrivatelyJeff

Has more money than sense
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
1,055
Location
Kings County, CA
Does anybody have any tips for hunting down a frequency? My local sheriffs department has a listing for 4 channels, but they are numbered 1,2,3 & 5 and suspect there might be a 4 but I don't know how to look for it.
They are in the 460 MHz range so I'm thinking of setting my scanner up to scan that range and lock out known frequencies and see if I get a hit. What do you think?
 

N9JIG

Sheriff
Moderator
Joined
Dec 14, 2001
Messages
5,581
Location
Far NW Valley
The missing channel could be one of several channels. It could be:

Simplex on a repeater output ("Talk-around" or "Direct")
Regional Mutual Aid channel
Neighboring agency (Sate police, local police)
Undiscovered tactical or car-car channel (licensed or not)
Highway/Road department or other department
Jail channel
 

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
23,618
Location
Hiding in a coffee shop.
Does anybody have any tips for hunting down a frequency? My local sheriffs department has a listing for 4 channels, but they are numbered 1,2,3 & 5 and suspect there might be a 4 but I don't know how to look for it.
They are in the 460 MHz range so I'm thinking of setting my scanner up to scan that range and lock out known frequencies and see if I get a hit. What do you think?

Use this search tool on the FCC website:
License Search - Advanced License Search

Enter as much reliable/known information that you can and let it do the rest. If they are licensed, it'll show up. It won't tell you what their channels are numbered/named, but it will tell you what they are legally allowed to use.

Also, they can be operating under more than one license, or have agreements with other agencies...
 

natedawg1604

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 29, 2013
Messages
2,726
Location
Colorado
You could also try and find another scanner user who might be familiar with that area; sometimes if you discreetly "ask around" you will stumble upon someone who has comprehensive programming info. for the agency in question...
 

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
23,618
Location
Hiding in a coffee shop.
Yeah, or adding your actual location to your profile. Maybe one of us has the information you are looking for. "Central California" and "460 MHz range" doesn't give us enough info to help you.
Exact department name would be useful.
 

PrivatelyJeff

Has more money than sense
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
1,055
Location
Kings County, CA
Sorry, I am looking for info on kings county sheriffs dept in california. Channels 1 & 2 are dispatch, 3 & 5 are labeled "tactical" (which means what they talk on for info, car to car, etc). They also have a UHF/VHF interop channel which I think could have been it at some point because I did here swat training on it once. I'm not sure though because it's labeled as interop for the whole county and not just LE.
 

PrivatelyJeff

Has more money than sense
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
1,055
Location
Kings County, CA

PrivatelyJeff

Has more money than sense
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
1,055
Location
Kings County, CA
No, but there generally isn't a lot of traffic anyway. We're a small county of 150k but most of the people live in cities with wholly independent police departments so they only have to look after about 25k people. I hear way more traffic on the local PD, fire and EMS frequencies.
 

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
23,618
Location
Hiding in a coffee shop.
So, using the FCC search page I linked to above, I put in the following:
Name = King
City = Hanford (County Seat)
Frequency = 450 - 470

26 Entries came up. Not all of them are the licenses for the Sheriffs Office, but a few are. Some are for their dispatch center, some are probably for public works. What matters is it'll give you an idea of what the county is licensed for. It's not unheard of for a county to use a public works channel as a back up for law enforcement. It's not unheard of to use a frequency intended for something entirely different as a secondary channel. Since the licenses belong to the county, they can do what they want as long as the license allows it.

So, could be the only have 4 channels and they left one out of the count for reasons unknown.
Could be that it's one of these below, low power, simplex and you'll never hear it unless you are close to them when they are transmitting.

Anyway, here's what came up:

460.075 KNAK370 FB2
460.125 KNAK370 FB2
460.500 WNDS201 FB2
460.550 KNAK370 FB2
453.0625 (SWAT/CERT) WPPV271, 2 watts MO only
458.0625 (SWAT/CERT) WPPV271, 2 watts MO only
453.1125 (SWAT/CERT) WPPV271, 2 watts MO only
458.1125 (SWAT/CERT) WPPV271, 2 watts MO only
453.3125 WQVH866 MO only
458.3125 WQVH866 MO only
462.950 WYZ262 FB2
463.000 WYZ262 FB2
463.025 WYZ262 FB2
463.050 WYZ262 FB2
463.075 WYZ262 FB2
463.100 WYZ262 FB2
463.125 WYZ262 FB2
463.150 WYZ262 FB2
463.175 WYZ262 FB2
 

PrivatelyJeff

Has more money than sense
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
1,055
Location
Kings County, CA
Ok. Thanks. I'll have dig around some more. I recognize some of those (462.950-463.175) as part of the regional EMS system (16 separate channels used over 4 counties). Fire is on VHF countywide and PW is on 54.xxx and none of LE have anything more than UHF/VHF antennas.
 

PrivatelyJeff

Has more money than sense
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
1,055
Location
Kings County, CA
Im thinking, by the looks of it, channel 4 became the interop and they didn't re-number their channels. The 460 block is all LE on each frequency, except that one, 453 is SWAT and 462 is EMS.
 

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
23,618
Location
Hiding in a coffee shop.
Other option would be some of the UTAC channels, UHF CLEMARS, etc.

I know San Jose PD used to use one of the UHF CLEMARS channels long ago.

Unless you have contact with someone in the know, it can be a lot of work to track this stuff down. Good luck!
 

PrivatelyJeff

Has more money than sense
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
1,055
Location
Kings County, CA
Maybe, but I still think it's just a reassignment. It doesn't help that they have so many different licenses for the sheriff, whereas everyone else in the area has 1-2 licenses for their frequencies. Oh, well. I'll just play around and see if I dig anything up. Thanks for the help everyone. :)
 

emt_531

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2007
Messages
351
They have never had a channel 4. Just primary, secondary, 3 and 5. Either 3 or 5 used to be called the case channel where they would go sit in silent when they would dictate their reports. Nor have I ever heard them use CLEMARS. They did patch with Fresno County and CHP several months ago during a pursuit, but CHP H-40 organized that.
 

emt_531

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2007
Messages
351
The one that bugs me to search for is channel 3 for Lemoore PD. I know they have it, cause I hear them say "go to three" from time to time, but only one is listed in the database. I'm not there ever to close call it either.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top