Radio Traffic on USFS Freqs

[CopperWhopper67]

What kind of radio traffic is usually heard on USFS frequencies? I have not heard much around my area so was just curious on what others heard.


Thanks!

 

[ladn]

What kind of radio traffic is usually heard on USFS frequencies? I have not heard much around my area so was just curious on what others heard.Thanks!

The best answer I can give you is "It all depends."

I live in Southern California, near the Angeles, San Bernardo and Los Padres National Forests and frequently travel to the Owens Valley and points north (Sequoia, Inyo and Humboldt-Toiyabe NF).

The bulk of radio traffic I hear is either fire, weather or recreation related. I've also heard a lot of law enforcement related traffic, search and rescue, special events and aircraft emergencies.

It really depend on what forest you listen to, what channels you monitor and what's happening in a given day.

 

[ko6jw_2]

What is your location and what national forest are you listening to? In this area (Los Padres NF) fire and emergency traffic is on Forest Net, law enforcement and non-emergency traffic is on Admin Net. Forest net 3 and 4 are simplex tactical frequencies. LP also has two UHF links which repeat radio traffic from all areas. These have a lot of activity. However, the link repeaters are on Santa Ynez Peak and may not be heard all over the forest. The VHF repeaters are not linked and are accessed via CTCSS tones unique to each site. Output tones are always the same (103.5). There are also sites which are remote bases (no repeater).

In major fires NICF frequencies will be used. Portable repeaters will be deployed. The RR data base has the details. See California statewide listings. Air to ground and air to air frequencies are drawn from the listings and will vary by incident. I program all known frequencies and then see what is being used. VHF air (AM) are selected by incident as well. Sometimes it takes a few days to sort it all out.

 

[Oakland_Tower]

On the Stanislaus NF, you'll hear fire related traffic on the Ops Net. On the Admin Net you'll hear law enforcement and recreation related traffic. Both of these channels are busy on weekends, but pretty quiet otherwise unless there is a fire in the forest. In the winter months Admin net is busy dealing with park users playing in the snow and creating traffic jams. Always something.

 

[K7MFC]

What I hear on USFS frequencies in Arizona is mostly wildfire and law enforcement comms, as others have mentioned. Most recently I heard some firefighters calling out on 168.35 MHz FEDTRVL for keys/combination to unlock a gate at the Four Peaks summit in Tonto Nat'l Forest. In the winter months I really don't hear much. Places like the Grand Canyon Nat'l Park with year-round tourists are always pretty active for scanner listening.

 

[gvranchosbill]

Like the other posts on this question and its pretty much the same for fire but Law Enforcement can vary due to popular recreation areas or none at all also during some clandestine cartel pot grow raids in this area i never heard anything on NF freqs one that took place was on Calif CLEMARS VHF freq and it was joint covert comms with multiple agencies involved in raid this took place in HTF (Alpine Co,Ca). Most i hear just south of Carson City,Nv is Fire/Law Enforcement traffic. LTBMU Nets (Lake Tahoe) and Fire is most times mutual aid in the basin with Tahoe Douglas FPD(Douglas Co,Nv), Meeks Bay FPD(El Dorado Co,Ca), Lake Valley FPD(Cal-Fire AEU based at LVFPD Stn 5)El Dorado Co,Ca, North Tahoe FPD (Placer Co,Ca), North Lake Tahoe FPD(Washoe Co,Nv) in the Basin. TNF (Tahoe NF) during summer is very active Law Enforcement Traffic via UHF link on Mt Rose most of traffic at Bullards Bar Dam area in (Yuba Co,Ca), Fire traffic is the same as any NF's i listen to. ENF(Eldorado NF) Nets that Hawkins Pk is one rptr i hear has almost zero traffic on it, service net i hear radio checks and nothing else. HTF Carson RD (Humboldt Toyabe NF) i hear during summer months weather,fire disp, during thunder storms there are many fire units in mobile's watching lighting activity on simplex, HTF Bridgeport RD same thing, many weather or fire dispatch happens on NDF,BLM and HTF simulcast from minden disp. Unless its during HIGH FIRE DANGER its pretty boring general forest management.

 

[gmclam]

USFS

What kind of radio traffic is usually heard on USFS frequencies? I have not heard much around my area so was just curious on what others heard.

I am not far from you and I hear a ton of stuff; especially from El Dorado county. Rangers, fire fighters, law enforcement, forest employees, ..... El Dorado National Forest, Tahoe National Forest and Tahoe Management Unit seem to be active all the time.