Question about narrowband fire channels

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brandon

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I see tons of narrowband frequencies being used for various fires in SoCal. I am wondering if someone has a master list of them all and what their assignments are for. There are the common NIFC and CDF tac's that are listed in directories and websites but it seems none of the narrowband channels are documented anywhere. Is there an official lineup for them?

Here are some that I've seen posted lately.

All for Day Fire
173.7625 - Tactical
168.350 - Tactical
170.3875 - Air
171.1375 - Air/Gnd
172.6125 - Air/Gnd
163.1000 - Helibase
172.475 - Air/Air (probably Day Fire)
170.0125 - Sounds like a Command net for Day Fire

166.6875 - Air Tac (Used in Horse Fire - San Diego)
172.6125 - Air/Gnd (Used in Horse Fire - San DIego)

170.425 - Command (Sawtooth Fire - Yucca Valley)


I wonder how many more unidentified and unlisted channels there are? These are the ones I've seen people report on various discussion lists.

Thanks!
 

Mick

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Uplink

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I have wondered the same thing, when I started seeing all these NFM freqs showing up that are not on these popular lists we see all the time.

Example: Day Fire's "COMMAND 19" 169.3625 is a NIFC repeater on FRAZIER PEAK .

Then a guy with the communications unit at the USFS told me that the lists vary with each brush fire and location. Unused freqs in the area are "borrowed" from other goverment agencies like DEA and BLM and then the lists are distributed and radios re-programmed.

Mark


brandon said:
I see tons of narrowband frequencies being used for various fires in SoCal. I am wondering if someone has a master list of them all and what their assignments are for. There are the common NIFC and CDF tac's that are listed in directories and websites but it seems none of the narrowband channels are documented anywhere. Is there an official lineup for them?

Here are some that I've seen posted lately.

All for Day Fire
173.7625 - Tactical
168.350 - Tactical
170.3875 - Air
171.1375 - Air/Gnd
172.6125 - Air/Gnd
163.1000 - Helibase
172.475 - Air/Air (probably Day Fire)
170.0125 - Sounds like a Command net for Day Fire

166.6875 - Air Tac (Used in Horse Fire - San Diego)
172.6125 - Air/Gnd (Used in Horse Fire - San DIego)

170.425 - Command (Sawtooth Fire - Yucca Valley)


I wonder how many more unidentified and unlisted channels there are? These are the ones I've seen people report on various discussion lists.

Thanks!
 
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BirkenVogt

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That's what I have noticed too, especially since narrowbanding. It used to be that you could find just about any frequency that you were assigned in your mobile radio somewhere, just had to know where to look. Nowadays these odd ball splinters that they come up with don't show up on any list. Must be why the Feds use Bendix King mobiles which I believe are still field programmable.

Birken
 

BlueZebra

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Its the future

Somebody (I assume the FCC) is mandating the narrowbanding of a large number of the freqs a lot of fire agencies use in the 150-174 range, to maximize their use. So we have seen a number of these "split" freqs. This also requires radios capable of narrowbanding.

Recently Bendix King has introduced the "Commander" model, which I believe is their first to narrowband. BKs have been programmable in the field for at least 15 or 20 years, but the Commander is extremely user friendly for programming and other user benefits. For example, like the moble Kenwoods and Motorolas, you can now drag channels from different banks into a "command" bank, which does a great deal of the things field programming has in the past.

There is some sort of goal or deadline for narrowbanding, so expect to see a lot more in the future.
 

MCIAD

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As of last year (2005) all Federal firefighting frequencies are Narrowband. All of them, whether they are USFS, BLM, BIA, etc. In addition to that, by 2010, CDF would like to have all of their frequencies also Narrowbanded. There is an FCC mandate for this to be done.
 

Markb

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BlueZebra said:
Somebody (I assume the FCC) is mandating the narrowbanding of a large number of the freqs a lot of fire agencies use in the 150-174 range, to maximize their use. So we have seen a number of these "split" freqs. This also requires radios capable of narrowbanding.

Recently Bendix King has introduced the "Commander" model, which I believe is their first to narrowband. BKs have been programmable in the field for at least 15 or 20 years, but the Commander is extremely user friendly for programming and other user benefits. For example, like the moble Kenwoods and Motorolas, you can now drag channels from different banks into a "command" bank, which does a great deal of the things field programming has in the past.

There is some sort of goal or deadline for narrowbanding, so expect to see a lot more in the future.

The NTIA actually governs the use of federal radio spectrum. As Mike said, all fed stuff in the 150-174 range is mandated to be narrowband already, which is why we're seeing all these new freqs. I saw a list of the CMD repeater pairs a while back, but it listed 8-14 as "classified", so who knows?
The GPH-Command radio is about the best thing that BK has come up with. I have one and am very happy with it. however, it is not the first narrowband-capable radio they've made. EPH and GPH radios that are "Flex-Mode" have the narrowband capability. They've been around for several years at least. The GPH-CMD is what CDF is now purchasing, as they were awarded the contract over Kenwood a year or two ago.
I'm sure this is only the beginning of unusual freqs popping up. Wait 'till things start going digital!!!

Mark
Reporting from the Day Fire (West)
 

BirkenVogt

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Markb said:
I'm sure this is only the beginning of unusual freqs popping up. Wait 'till things start going digital!!!

My head aches just thinking about it.

On another board a guy has in his signature:

Analog is already interoperable!

Birken
 
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FCC executive summary of the order:

* FCC establishes January 1, 2013 deadline for migration to 12.5 KHz technology.

* Applications for wideband operations (25 KHz channels) will be accepted until January 1, 2011.
* Application for modification of operations that expand the authorized contour of an existing station using 25 KHz channels will be accepted until January 1, 2011. (Also applies to "new" systems submitted for licensing.)
* Manufacture and importation of any equipment on 25 KHz channel will be permitted until January 1, 2011.
* Part 90 paging-only frequencies are exempt from this ruling.



Here is the site

http://www.apcointl.org/frequency/documents/NarrowbandOrder.html
 
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