Unit ID systems Yosemite National Park & Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP's

[es93546]

I just finished writing a Wiki article about the unit ID's systems for these parks. To find it click on the "National Park Service" section of the California database, then click on "Menu" in the upper right corner, choose Wiki and you will find the article. I don't have information for any other parks in the state.

When I get a chance to struggle with the Wiki "word processing" system I will try to make these into tables.

 

[es93546]

Someone gave me a hand with the tables. I will add them when I get a little time. There was a tree that fell on a powerline fairly close to us in the wind we got for about 18 hours. The resulting power outage shut the computer down for most of the day. I have additional details to add once I pull the file that has this info.

 

[es93546]

I just completed the details I wanted to show in this article. I now have a partial list of actual radio ID's. A complete list of ID's would be too lengthy so the partial list should help narrow down what you might hear on the radio systems for these parks. Any suggestions for improvement? Realize that writing out the cumbersome hieroglyphics of Wiki isn't really one of my strong points.

 

[es93546]

I know the final product isn't the best in appearance it should be, but I'm really not much of a computer geek. I had to get some help for how it appears right now. #$@#@ that crappy Wiki "word processing" system. I could write something far better if the Wiki used MS Word or something similar. But, that would be far too simple I would suppose.

 

[inigo88]

Here’s a direct link:

National Park Service (CA) - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

Looks great es93546, thanks for taking the time to put this together!

It’s been a couple years since I’ve been to Yosemite but I remember at one point valley protection rangers also used “Victor”. Any idea if they still do?

Also “Rescue” is most likely the YOSAR specific vehicles. “R-3” in this photo should be “Rescue 3”:

 

[es93546]

Here’s a direct link:

National Park Service (CA) - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

Looks great es93546, thanks for taking the time to put this together!

It’s been a couple years since I’ve been to Yosemite but I remember at one point valley protection rangers also used “Victor”. Any idea if they still do?

Also “Rescue” is most likely the YOSAR specific vehicles. “R-3” in this photo should be “Rescue 3”:

View attachment 130264

Thanks for the picture, it confirms what I was thinking. I suspected Rescue meant either an equipment vehicle or a crew transport vehicle, in this case it looks like it's both.

I looked at my notes and see I left out "Victor." I believe it signifies Valley District non-protection personnel, but unless they aren't using the number series "300" then this doesn't make sense. I haven't been over into the park in since 2018 or 2019 and haven't camped or otherwise stayed overnight in more years than that. I've never heard "India" either which would be a natural for interpretation, so they must be using district numbers. Now I also see that I seemed to have confirmed that "Charlie" is the Crane Flat sub-district of the Mather District. So I don't at all have this thing nailed, but will add my guess for Charlie. It is also my guess that the other sub-district is the Big Oak Flat sub-district. I need more listening time, but having to get a reservation to enter has put a crimp on my ad-hoc, last minute type trips I've taken to Olmstead Point to listen to radio systems in the park.

I've not been able to find the park's new LE frequency either. I confirmed it in 2019 to still be 166.8500, but I haven't heard it on the Mammoth Mountain link for the Devils Postpile protection rangers for a couple of years.

Back to Victor, it might be given to management personnel or others who don't work one of the standard day, evening or night shifts that the valley has. I heard somewhere that there is a sub-district ranger in charge of each shift. Yosemite has the most permanent staff of any park in the NPS. I got a hold of their employee directories a few years back and counted something like 700 employees, including the permanent seasonals. That might sound like an oxymoron, but people who work more than 1039 hours per year (half of a permanent full time employee) and have 18/8 appointments (18 two week pay periods guaranteed and 8 on call) are called permanent seasonals.

 

[es93546]

I found another note, "Wilderness" units have identified on the park net. I think these are the non-protection wilderness rangers rather than the 601+ that I showed on the Wiki. I need to do more work now that I found another page of notes!

EDIT: . . . . and thanks for your help and interest!