Programming All The NIFOG Channels

[CanesFan95]

I want to program a Unication G5 and Uniden BCD996P2 with everything NIFOG. So I see the RR database has a nice complete list National Interoperability (United States) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference . But my question is, what NAC & TGIDs should be used? Or is there a way to do a promiscuous mode? Thanks.

 

[RaleighGuy]

I want to program a Unication G5 and Uniden BCD996P2 with everything NIFOG. So I see the RR database has a nice complete list National Interoperability (United States) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference . But my question is, what NAC & TGIDs should be used? Or is there a way to do a promiscuous mode? Thanks.

Have you looked at the actual NIFOG publication? That answers your P25 NAC & TGID question. You won't be able to put "everything NIFOG" in a G5 as it covers VHF, UHF and 700/800 MHz range, your G5 only handles two of them. Also, the most you could listen to (on the G5) would be 15 frequencies at once on a knob position. You would be able to do it on the BCD996P2 though.

I suggest starting with the actual NIFOG publication to get a better understanding and use the info in the RR database for programming...

https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-04/NIFOG%202.01_508%20FINAL%20VERSION%205%2011%2022.pdf

 

[CanesFan95]

So I can't scan 64 conventional frequencies on 1 knob position ?

 

[jtwalker]

So I can't scan 64 conventional frequencies on 1 knob position ?

That is correct.

 

[chief21]

I want to program a Unication G5 and Uniden BCD996P2 with everything NIFOG.

Depending on where you live, the actual use of most NIFOG channels will vary from occasional to never. Even where public safety agencies have the channels available in their radios, local procedures (and training) often don't take advantage of such capability.

 

[Wilrobnson]

the NIFOG

this is an outstanding reference document. Note the "25 cities" info on page 52 .... Tons of good info in here. doug

forums.radioreference.com

 

[OpSec]

So I can't scan 64 conventional frequencies on 1 knob position ?

No. The Unication is not a scanner. It has distinct and severe limitations when trying to be used as one.

 

[PACNWDude]

APX6000XE and APX8000XE radios where I work still get as much of the NIFOG placed into them as well, for interoperability, but also rarely get used in those zones.

It amazes me how everyone pushes for interoperably plans and codeplugs, but then never uses them, even when trained in how the radios zones are set, and what each is for. This is for end users that get a copy of the flip book version too. (For those that do not get them, they are available from Amazon in a "print on demand" availability as well).

I find it nice to have a couple of hard copies in additional to .pdf files.

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

APX6000XE and APX8000XE radios where I work still get as much of the NIFOG placed into them as well, for interoperability, but also rarely get used in those zones.

It amazes me how everyone pushes for interoperably plans and codeplugs, but then never uses them, even when trained in how the radios zones are set, and what each is for. This is for end users that get a copy of the flip book version too. (For those that do not get them, they are available from Amazon in a "print on demand" availability as well).

I find it nice to have a couple of hard copies in additional to .pdf files.

That’s because a lot of agencies have been working together for a long time and already have plans in place on how to interop that just work and have been in place longer than NIFOG.

 

[DeeEx]

That’s because a lot of agencies have been working together for a long time and already have plans in place on how to interop that just work and have been in place longer than NIFOG.

True, but in today’s world of staffing issues I find it comes in handy to have VTAC/UTAC banks with alpha-tagged channels in case a newer person doesn’t know the old SOP.

Here in rural Vermont, we are hurting just to staff ambulances and fire stations. We have folks who do per diem at a half dozen departments, often spread out among several counties.

It’s unrealistic to expect a newcomer to know that “the way we have always done it since beloved Chief Jones did in 1973” is to switch to some ancient, unlicensed, obscure town school bus simplex channel buried deep in the radio’s 9th zone when the department default is 1 and the official mutual aid channel zone is 2. Then to coordinate a tanker task force with the town next door on that channel…whereas the person could quickly be told “tanker operations will be on VTAC3”.

The above is not a fictional example.

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

True, but in today’s world of staffing issues I find it comes in handy to have VTAC/UTAC banks with alpha-tagged channels in case a newer person doesn’t know the old SOP.

Here in rural Vermont, we are hurting just to staff ambulances and fire stations. We have folks who do per diem at a half dozen departments, often spread out among several counties.

It’s unrealistic to expect a newcomer to know that “the way we have always done it since beloved Chief Jones did in 1973” is to switch to some ancient, unlicensed, obscure town school bus simplex channel buried deep in the radio’s 9th zone when the department default is 1 and the official mutual aid channel zone is 2. Then to coordinate a tanker task force with the town next door on that channel…whereas the person could quickly be told “tanker operations will be on VTAC3”.

The above is not a fictional example.

Well that’s a whole set of different issues. Here out west where there’s less little kingdoms and such and more larger departments, there’s less of that. Here there’s state fire, county fire and city fire. If you run into the neighboring jurisdiction, you just switch to their channel and get to work.

 

[mmckenna]

That’s because a lot of agencies have been working together for a long time and already have plans in place on how to interop that just work and have been in place longer than NIFOG.

I get it, but that's just lazy. Any self respecting professional radio guy should be loading NIFOG in the public safety radios.

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

I get it, but that's just lazy. Any self respecting professional radio guy should be loading NIFOG in the public safety radios.

They do load them, they just don’t use them because the current system works just fine. If my county fire comes into the city for mutual aid, they switch to city channel. If they go to the next county, they switch to theirs. If they all ran to VFIRE whatever, then dispatch is out of the loop and doesn’t know what’s up. When they are activated by the state for a wildfire, they switch to that as well, which may include using NIFOG stuff.

 

[krokus]

I get it, but that's just lazy. Any self respecting professional radio guy should be loading NIFOG in the public safety radios.

When I had to change our VHF radios, for the narrow band mandate, I made sure all of our VHF radios had all of the VHF NIFOG freqs loaded. (Even the ones not used in this part of the country.)

I also used that opportunity to make sure we had the same radios in our vehicles, instead of the eclectic collection of brands. No reason to confuse operators with different radio interfaces.