Kootenai Natl Forest in Montana - 2020 changes

[zerg901]

I just compared 2020 info to RRDB - looks like some new repeaters and new PLs and maybe they merged some districts or changed district names

We will just list the changes and additions that I/we/us see by comparing the two sources of info

(Ranger) Districts - D1 + D3 - Ksanka (at Eureka) - D4 - Three Rivers (at Troy) - D5 - Libby (at Libby) - D7 - Cabinet (at Trout Creek) - ( apparently there is no D2 nor a D6 )

Work Channel - 168.775 - PL 103.5 for D1 - PL 131.8 for D7

Tac - 171.475 - is also the State Mutual Aid 'Green' Channel but it has PL 156.7

Tac - 167.1125 - is also used as Region 1 Fire Tac but it has PL 0.0

171.2625 R - has repeater at 'Blue Kasanka' - I think they might have 2 repeaters on a Blue Mtn - so they call them Blue Kasanka and Blue ?Libby?

172.25 R - also has a repeater on Horse Mtn

172.25 - "Libby Direct" - mobiles Xmit PL 123.0

171.3875 R also has repeaters on - Baldy Mtn + Henry + King + 80 Peak + Minton + Berrey

171.3875 - West Zone Direct - mobiles show as sending 3 different PLs - PL 110.9 for west zone - PL 123.0 for Radio Bank 16 (open bank) - PL 127.3 in Air Zone Bank and Cabinet D7 Bank

171.3875 - D7 / Cabinet Fire Tac - PL 127.3 (send and receive)

168.3875 - A/G 52 - East - D1 / D3

166.90 - A/G 29 - West - (not shared with any adjacent Forests apparently)

The 3 primary repeater nets now might be called - Libby for 172.25R - West for 171.3875R - Ksanka for 171.2625R

 

[es93546]

The Work Channel, 168.7750 is tone guarded on the Three Rivers RD (RD #4) with 136.5 (National Standard T4), 146.2 (NS T5) on the Libby RD (RD #5), and on the Eureka RD (RD #1) there are the same tacticals used as the other RD's of Tac 1 - 171.4750 and Tac 2 - 167.1125 with 103.5 (NS T8) for the old Rexford RD (RD #1) and 114.8 (NS T11) for the old Fortine RD (RD #3). I notice that the list of resources on the new Eureka Ranger District retains the old RD numbers with resources at Rexford (likely now stationed in Eureka just east of Rexford) retaining #1 and those at Fortine retained as #3. Example, Engine 631 is at Fortine and Engine 611 is at Rexford or Eureka.

The now combined districts are called the Eureka Ranger District and the district office is in Eureka. However, the radio net used by this district is called "Ksanka" and not northeast or Eureka. Someone knows why, but it isn't me.

171.4750, along with 171.5750 can be used by states, which is the case in the eastern U.S. [you know, east of I-25 ], something I don't completely understand, but is also used on many national forests in the west. Montana has a large list of mutual aid frequencies, all labeled with colors.

171.2625 R - has repeater at 'Blue Kasanka' - I think they might have 2 repeaters on a Blue Mtn - so they call them Blue Kasanka and Blue ?Libby?

The channel plan I have shows it as Blue Kasanka and Blue Libby both with T7 (167.9)

172.25 R - also has a repeater on Horse Mtn

Yup, Tone 9 (100.0) on the Libby Net only.

172.25 - "Libby Direct" - mobiles Xmit PL 123.0

Yes, mine says the same.

171.3875 R also has repeaters on - Baldy Mtn + Henry + King + 80 Peak + Minton + Berrey

Funny, my list shows Berray Mtn. showing Tone 2 (123.0) and Tone 15 (162.2) used to access this repeater on the West Net. This from different radio groups of the forest. Also, the west net is used by the Three Rivers RD (#4) and the Cabinet RD (#7).

171.3875 - West Zone Direct - mobiles show as sending 3 different PLs - PL 110.9 for west zone - PL 123.0 for Radio Bank 16 (open bank) - PL 127.3 in Air Zone Bank and Cabinet D7 Bank

Yes, it seems a bit odd. But, isn't having one repeater with tone input tones on the same net, depending of the Radio Group odd also? By the way the King Radios show these as groups an when they are referred to on the air by dispatch, air and ground units they are called groups. I know what you mean, but if someone is monitoring and hears "group," they might not understand you are calling the same thing "banks."

166.90 - A/G 29 - West - (not shared with any adjacent Forests apparently)

The nearest use of A/G 29 are as a secondary for the Kalispell dispatch center and the Bitterroot dispatch center down in Hamilton. Not having much possibility of one center interfering with another on air to ground is why there are as many frequencies on the National Wildland Fire Air to Ground Frequency list as there are. A great deal of thought went into their assignment.

The 3 primary repeater nets now might be called - Libby for 172.25R - West for 171.3875R - Ksanka for 171.2625R

That is what my information shows, but not "might" rather they are called that.

I want to thank you for not publishing your sources for this info. There was a guy on a California that thought it was a joke to protect the sources/links. It isn't a joke at all.