MWAA Licenses 700 MHz Frequencies

Joining the increasing number of jurisdictions around the region moving to the 700 MHz band, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) recently licensed frequencies in said band. These frequencies will probably be used for a Project 25 digital trunked system to replace the current Project 16 trunked system.

Based on the license, the new system will probably be configured as Smartzone, as opposed to the current system's simulcast configuration. This means that the mobile or portable radio will automatically select the strongest site (Dulles, Reagan National, Dulles Toll Road) based on where the radio user is located. One practical implication for scanner listeners: the majority of transmissions on a particular site will be from units that "belong" to that site. For example, most transmissions on the Dulles site will be from Dulles units. With the current system, a scanner listener simply needs to program one set of frequencies, and is able to hear transmissions from all units, whether they're at Dulles, Reagan National, or in-between.

The license indicates the system will support 1500 mobile units.

Here are the sites, and the frequencies to be used at each one:

Dulles

770.36875

771.19375

771.79375

772.08125

772.91875

773.14375

Reagan National

770.56875

771.53125

771.90625

772.01875

772.28125

772.80625

Dulles Toll Road

770.06875

771.06875

771.74375

773.40625

774.16875

774.90625