DC Scanning

Lockheed Martin FCC Apps

2012-02-14T20:59:00.002-05:00

Lockheed Martin (various locations) has two applications pending before the FCC. The apps call for MOTOTRBO repeaters on 461.5875, 464.4750, 464.4500, 451.4500, and 462.2250.

0005071209

0005070693

Liberty Place FCC App

2012-02-14T20:55:00.000-05:00

Liberty Place, located at 325 7th St. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 461.6625. The frequency is coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO.

Residences on the Avenue FCC App

2012-02-10T10:48:00.002-05:00

Residences on the Avenue, located at 2221 I St. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 456.6375 and 457.8125.

Weekend Events

2012-02-10T10:31:00.001-05:00

Two events at Verizon Center:

The Wizards play Friday at 7 PM.
Georgetown plays Sunday at 1 PM.

Stafford Planning to Use MOTOTRBO?

2012-02-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

Stafford County has added the MOTOTRBO emission designator (7K60FXE) to their UHF-T licenses. It's unknown what they are going to use these frequencies for, and nothing has been heard on them yet. The sheriff and fire frequencies are no longer used; these departments use the 700 MHz Project 25 system. The schools continue to use their UHF-T frequencies in analog mode.

Arlington Analog Trunked System Off-Air

2012-02-06T11:35:00.001-05:00

The Arlington County analog trunked system (System ID: 0820) has been taken off-air.

CBRE (1220 L St.) FCC App

2012-02-03T10:15:00.003-05:00

CBRE has an application pending before the FCC. This is for their building at 1220 L St. NW. The app calls for a repeater on 464.6000 and simplex on 457.1625 and 457.6375.

Stafford Hospital Talkgroup

2012-02-03T10:05:00.001-05:00

Stafford Hospital appears to have a talkgroup on the Stafford 700 MHz Project 25 trunked system. Talkgroup 4774 had ambulance-to-hospital communications on it a few days ago.

Weekend Events

2012-02-03T10:03:00.001-05:00

Another busy weekend in the Chinatown/Convention Center area:

Georgetown plays Saturday at 11 AM at Verizon Center.
The Wizards play Saturday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
The Capitals play Sunday at 12:30 PM at Verizon Center.
The Washington Auto Show continues through Sunday at the Convention Center. See this post for frequencies found last weekend.

Prince William County Rebanded

2012-02-01T00:56:00.003-05:00

Prince William County has rebanded its trunked system. All frequencies have shifted down exactly 15 MHz.

Possum Point Power Station

2012-01-30T23:49:00.002-05:00

Possum Point Power Station in Prince William County is using 452.3000 [141.3]. This frequency/tone is used at many Dominion stations in Virginia.

The Hamilton Frequencies Found

2012-01-30T23:46:00.002-05:00

Found two frequencies in use at The Hamilton:

456.3125 [ d155] Seating
456.6125 [ d526]

Monster Jam Frequency Found

2012-01-30T23:45:00.001-05:00

The Monster Jam show at Verizon Center this past weekend used 469.5000 [ d047].

Washington Auto Show Frequencies Found

2012-01-30T23:43:00.002-05:00

Here are frequencies found at the Washington Auto Show on Saturday:

462.6250 [ d073] Housekeeping
464.5000 [186.2] Brochure restock, etc.
464.9125 [ d263] Logistics/Engineering? (R)
464.9250 [ d546] "bottlenecking"
467.8125 [ d156] Admin/Command Center
469.1250 [ d026] Concessions
469.5000 [ d315] Private Security?
DC Fire used talkgroup 2096, and may have used 867.5125 [156.7].

Occupy DC at McPherson Square

2012-01-30T16:41:00.000-05:00

Here are some frequencies active today at McPherson Square:

161.6700 [ d331] NBC (National) Desk
166.9250 [127.3] Park Police (Ch. 2)
463.6500 [167.9] Downtown DC Business Improvement District

Children's National Medical Center Using MOTOTRBO

2012-01-29T00:54:00.002-05:00

Children's National Medical Center has switched to MOTOTRBO on their security frequency (464.1500).

The Hamilton - Additional Frequencies

2012-01-27T21:23:00.001-05:00

The Hamilton, a recently-opened music/dining venue in downtown DC, licensed seven simplex frequencies (the application only called for three). Here's the complete list:

451.3875, 451.5625, 452.1875, 452.7875, 456.3125, 456.6125, 457.1375

Washington Auto Show

2012-01-27T16:55:00.000-05:00

The Washington Auto Show at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center begins this weekend and runs through February 5. Here's a list of frequencies for the Convention Center:

453.1125 [156.7] Security and Operations (Channel 1)
453.1375 [ d606] Housekeeping (Channel 4)
453.8875 [ d023] Catering
453.9125 [156.7] Security and Operations (Channel 2)
453.9625 [ d364] Security Alternate (Channel 5)
461.5500 [ d116] Food/Concessions
461.5500 [ 88.5] CES Security (private security for some events) (Channel 1)
463.5750 [ 88.5] CES Security (private security for some events) (Channel 2)
464.5000 [ d703] Maintenance/Security Alternate? (Channel 3)
467.8500 [156.7]
467.9000 [156.7]
467.8750 [156.7] "cable"
467.9250 [ d343] Security Alternate
467.9250 [156.7] "line cord"
469.8875 [156.7] "engineering has control on lights"; (Channel 7)

Note that some of these may not be used regularly or may not be used at all anymore. The Convention Center is also licensed for 453.7875, 453.9875, and 460.5625.

Here are frequencies found at last year's Auto Show:

451.2375 [ d152] (S)
451.3375 [ d174] (S)
451.4375 [ d205] (S)
451.8125 [ d205] (S)
462.5750 [ d315] (S)
464.5000 [ d364] (S)
464.5125 [107.2] (S)

Montgomery County Rebanding

2012-01-23T01:02:00.000-05:00

A poster on Scan-DC advises that the Montgomery County trunked system is rebanding within thirty days. This means all frequencies will shift down exactly 15 MHz.

Weekend Events

2012-01-20T14:53:00.004-05:00

The usual winter Verizon Center events:

The Wizards play Friday at 7 PM.
Georgetown plays Saturday at noon.
The Wizards play Sunday at 1 PM.

Fairfax County Public Safety Rebanding

2012-01-19T09:32:00.001-05:00

The Fairfax County Public Safety system (552B) has begun rebanding. There remain several frequencies that need to be rebanded; these should be changed this week.

Fairfax County Rebanding

2012-01-17T23:55:00.005-05:00

According to this RadioReference post, the Fairfax County Public Safety system and the Fairfax County P25 system are rebanding this week.

Dulles Town Center Update

2012-01-15T18:58:00.000-05:00

Spent a few hours at Dulles Town Center yesterday. Here's the latest list of frequencies:

451.3000 [ d411] Dulles Town Center - Housekeeping (S)
451.5250 [ d411] Dulles Town Center - Security/Engineering (R)
151.8050 [ 74.4] Dulles Town Center - Gap?
158.4000 [ 74.4] Dulles Town Center - Banana Republic?
461.0375 [ d371] Dulles Town Center - Macy's
464.5500 [ 67.0] Dulles Town Center - Cheesecake Factory?
464.5625 [203.5] Dulles Town Center - Aeropostale
466.1875 [ d506] Dulles Town Center - Hollister
467.2250 [ d365] Dulles Town Center - JC Penney Operations
467.8500 [ d047] Dulles Town Center - Old Navy
467.8500 [ 67.0] Dulles Town Center - American Eagle
467.8500 [173.8] Dulles Town Center - Charlotte Russe
467.8750 [ 94.8] Dulles Town Center - Dick's Sporting Goods
467.9000 [ d632] Dulles Town Center - Bath & Body Works
467.9000 [ 71.9] Dulles Town Center - Express
467.9250 [ d743] Dulles Town Center - Victoria's Secret
468.8375 [ d155] Dulles Town Center - H&M

Weekend Events

2012-01-13T16:31:00.001-05:00

Very busy at Verizon Center this weekend:

The Capitals play at 7 PM Friday.
The Wizards play at 7 PM Saturday.
The Capitals play at 5 PM Sunday.
The Wizards play at 2 PM Monday.

DC 800 MHz System Confirmed Rebanded

2012-01-13T16:24:00.000-05:00

The 800 MHz side of the DC trunked system has been confirmed rebanded. The 852.xxxx frequencies have been abandoned, and several new 850 MHz frequencies are in use.

DC 800 MHz Trunked System New Control Channel

2012-01-12T16:35:00.004-05:00

The 800 MHz side of the DC trunked system has a new control channel - 856.1875. Based on this, the system has probably either rebanded or is very close to rebanding.

Weekend Events

2012-01-06T09:49:00.001-05:00

Quiet weekend:

The Wizards play Friday night at 7 PM and Sunday afternoon at 1 PM at Verizon Center.

Weekend Events

2011-12-30T12:29:00.000-05:00

It's a fairly busy New Year's weekend:

The Capitals play Friday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
Georgetown plays Saturday at 2 PM at Verizon Center.
There are many events for New Year's Eve. Two of the largest are First Night Alexandria, and Big Night DC at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center.
The Wizards play Sunday at 6 PM at Verizon Center.

Military Bowl Today

2011-12-28T11:54:00.000-05:00

This afternoon at 4:30, the Air Force Academy plays the University of Toledo in the Military Bowl at RFK Stadium. In 2008, when it was known as the EagleBank Bowl, organizers used 464.7500 [ d156]. Here are some RFK frequencies that may be active:

461.1375 [ d152] CSC Event Staff (S)
461.3875 [ d152] CSC Event Staff (S)
461.4375 [ d152] CSC Event Staff (S)
461.5125 [ d152] CSC Event Staff (S)
461.8125 [ d311] Guest Services (active 4/10)
463.5375 [ d311] Parking (active 4/10)
463.5750 [ d664] Centerplate (S)
464.3750 [110.9] Engineering/Maintenance (R)
464.7250 [ d114] Centerplate? (S)

Weekend Events

2011-12-23T12:10:00.001-05:00

Just one notable event this Christmas weekend:

The Redskins play Saturday at 1 PM at FedEx Field.

Hillwood Museum FCC App

2011-12-21T13:21:00.000-05:00

The Hillwood Museum has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 461.5875 and 464.7875. The frequencies are coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO operation.

Weekend Events

2011-12-16T10:22:00.000-05:00

Quiet weekend:

The Wizards play a preseason game on Friday at 7 at Verizon Center.
Georgetown plays Saturday at noon at Verizon Center.

Trip to Baltimore

2011-12-14T12:21:00.000-05:00

I took a day trip to Baltimore on Sunday, mostly to monitor M&T Bank Stadium. I wanted to see if there were changes to their frequencies, specifically if the stadium had switched to MOTOTRBO (their license indicates the change). Well, even though the license was changed last year, they continue to operate on analog frequencies, as does the Maryland Stadium Authority, which uses frequencies in the 453 MHz range (license). I did see at least one employee with a MOTOTRBO handheld, but he was using it in analog mode. This may indicate they are going to switch to TRBO next year.

I found the talkgroups on the Baltimore P25 trunked system that the police and fire units assigned to the stadium were using. Police were on talkgroup 9111 for inside units, and 9134 for outside units. Fire was on talkgroup 9019.

In other Baltimore scanning news, the National Aquarium has changed some of their subaudible tones from CTCSS to DCS. Here are the updated listings:

461.1000 [ d134] National Aquarium - Visitor Services/Admission (R)
464.4750 [173.8] National Aquarium - Engineering/Housekeeping/Gift Shop/Education (R)
464.8250 [ d245] National Aquarium - Security (R)
464.9750 [ 77.0] National Aquarium - Biological Programs (R)

The Aquarium's license also indicates that they may be switching to MOTOTRBO in the future.

For all the latest finds, see my Baltimore page.

Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center FCC App

2011-12-10T23:16:00.001-05:00

The Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for five simplex frequencies: 451.3625, 451.4375, 452.1625, 452.2875, and 456.3625.

MWAA Rebanded

2011-12-10T00:26:00.001-05:00

A user on Scan-DC reports that the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority trunked system has already rebanded. All previous frequencies shift down 15 MHz. The new control channel is 853.2125.

MWAA Rebanding Early Next Week?

2011-12-09T16:39:00.001-05:00

According to this RadioReference post, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority will be rebanding their system between Monday and Wednesday.

Weekend Events

2011-12-09T09:56:00.001-05:00

Once again, it's a big sports weekend:

The Capitals play Friday at 7 at Verizon Center.
Georgetown plays Saturday at noon at Verizon Center.
The Army-Navy Game is Saturday at 2:30 at FedEx Field.
HBO Boxing is Saturday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The first fight is at 6:30, and the main event begins at 9:45.
The Redskins play Sunday at 1 at FedEx Field.

Orange Sheriff Ch. 2 Using MOTOTRBO

2011-12-08T22:48:00.001-05:00

Orange (VA) Sheriff Channel 2 (155.6850), which is normally used by the Town of Orange Police and the Town of Gordonsville Police, has switched to MOTOTRBO. Orange Sheriff Channel 1 (155.3700) has been using MOTOTRBO for several months. These two frequencies are under license WNWA437.

Tysons Corner Center Major Update

2011-12-04T15:42:00.001-05:00

I spent the day at Tysons Corner Center yesterday, and logged many updates/additions for the mall. Here's the latest list:

461.9875 [ d054] Security (R)
464.3750 [ d047] Housekeeping (Channel 2) (R)

151.6250 [103.5] Sony
154.5400 [ 74.4] Gap?
154.6000 [ d331] Old Navy
158.4000 [ 74.4] Banana Republic
461.0375 [ d371] Macy's Staff
461.1125 [ d606] Auntie Anne's
461.1875 [ d712] Apple
461.2125 [114.8] AMC Theater Techs?
462.3375 [ d503] American Girl - Security/Management?
462.4125 [ d423] American Girl - Managers?
462.6125 [ 67.0] Gordon Biersch Brewery
462.6750 [ 67.0] Puma?
462.7875 [151.4] AMC Theater
463.5625 [ d506] Nordstrom
463.8375 [146.2] Nordstrom Security (R)
464.5000 [ d174] "pet"; "grooming"
464.5000 [ d503] La Sandia
464.5000 [ d612] Macy's Security (S)
464.5000 [100.0] Williams-Sonoma
464.5500 [ d612] Macy's Security (S)
464.5500 [ 67.0] Wasabi
464.5500 [ 91.5] Garage
464.5625 [ 94.8] Ann Taylor/Ann Taylor Petites
464.5625 [203.5] Aeropostale
466.0375 [ 94.8] LOFT
466.1125 [ d606] Armani Exchange
466.1875 [ d516] Unknown clothing store (strong near Banana Republic and Restoration Hardware)
466.2875 [ d155] H&M Staff
466.2875 [146.2] Foot Locker/Kids Foot Locker
467.1375 [173.8] Lord & Taylor Security
467.2125 [ d072] American Girl - Stock Checks
467.3125 [ d116] American Girl - Housekeeping?
467.4125 [ d251] American Girl
467.7625 [ 74.4] LL Bean
467.7625 [179.9] Pottery Barn
467.8125 [ 67.0] New York & Company
467.8500 [ d546] Abercrombie & Fitch
467.8500 [173.8] Charlotte Russe
467.8750 [ d156] American Eagle
467.8750 [ d351] Pottery Barn Kids
467.8750 [ d364] "women's flannel-lined jeans"; "car coat" (strong near restaurants)
467.8750 [ d712] Disney Store
467.8750 [ d723] Guess
467.8750 [ 67.0] Brio Tuscan Grill
467.8750 [ 67.0] Espirit
467.8750 [ 74.4] Champs Sports
467.8750 [110.9] The Limited
467.8750 [233.6] Restoration Hardware
467.9000 [ d365] West Elm
467.9000 [ d632] Bath & Body Works
467.9000 [107.2] "secret sale"; "40% off"; "jewelry"; "scarves" (strong near center of mall)
467.9000 [118.8] Express
467.9250 [ d412] Sephora
467.9250 [ d732] Pink
467.9250 [ d743] Victoria's Secret
467.9250 [ 67.0] TGI Friday
467.9250 [ 67.0] "navy blue jacket" "reference number 012564" (strong near center of mall)
467.9250 [ 88.5] "skinny jeans"; "robo sweater" (strong near center of mall)
467.9250 [110.9] Coastal Flats
467.9250 [218.1] Urban Outfitters
468.0250 [ 77.0] Nordstrom Housekeeping
468.2625 [192.8] Chico's
468.8375 [ d155] H&M Staff
469.7625 [ d155] H&M Security

Tysons security (contracted to AlliedBarton) continues to operate on an unlicensed repeater on 461.9875. I was unable to locate a frequency for Bloomingdale's loss prevention.

Weekend Events

2011-12-02T09:45:00.001-05:00

Sports this weekend:

Georgetown plays at 1 PM Saturday at Verizon Center.
The Capitals play at 7 PM Saturday at Verizon Center.
The Redskins play at 1 PM Sunday at FedEx Field.
The BB&T Classic is at 2:15 PM Sunday at the Verizon Center.

Cardinal Forest Condominium FCC License

2011-12-02T09:20:00.001-05:00

Cardinal Forest Condominium, located in Springfield, was recently licensed for a repeater on 463.6500.

1722 Eye St. FCC App

2011-11-30T10:28:00.001-05:00

1722 Eye St., an office building, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex MOTOTRBO on 456.5375, 457.2875, 457.3125, and 457.4875.

One Franklin Square FCC App

2011-11-30T10:23:00.001-05:00

One Franklin Square, an office building at 1301 K St. NW, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex NEXEDGE on 457.0375, 457.0625, 457.4875, and 457.6875.

Hotel Sofitel FCC App

2011-11-29T15:01:00.001-05:00

The Hotel Sofitel, at 806 15th St. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for four simplex NEXEDGE frequencies (456.4125, 456.41875, 456.6625, and 457.0375). No scanner can monitor this digital format.

The hotel is licensed for several UHF low-power repeaters, although they haven't been noted in recent use.

Arlington County ECC Talkgroups

2011-11-28T19:11:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, "new" Arlington County Emergency Communications Center talkgroups were monitored. They were talkgroups 154 and 156 on the Arlington P25 system. Arlington was conducting a fire training exercise on them.

CNN Using MOTOTRBO

2011-11-28T18:02:00.001-05:00

CNN is using MOTOTRBO on several frequencies (450.1875, 450.6750, 450.7750, and 450.8875). These frequencies have been in use by CNN for years (in analog mode).

Fashion Centre at Pentagon City Update

2011-11-28T17:56:00.001-05:00

Spent some time at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City yesterday. Here are updates to store frequencies:

467.7625 [ 67.0] Sony Style
467.8500 [ d047] Williams-Sonoma
467.8500 [ d506] Hollister
467.8750 [ d031] Unknown (frequency counter hit outside Banana Republic - may be Abercrombie & Fitch, which is directly above)
467.8750 [241.8] Unknown athletic shoe store

See the Arlington County page for the full list.

Weekend Events

2011-11-25T11:47:00.001-05:00

Just one notable event this weekend:

The Capitals play Friday at 4 PM at the Verizon Center.

Tips on Scanning Malls

2011-11-23T16:43:00.001-05:00

As a follow-on to the previous post about shopping mall frequencies, also check out "Tips on Scanning Malls."

Shopping Mall Frequencies

2011-11-22T11:00:00.001-05:00

Here's the annual rundown of shopping mall frequencies. To keep this list manageable, I'm only including the security frequencies; complete lists of frequencies can be found on my website. As always, additions/corrections appreciated.

District of Columbia
452.9250 [141.3] DC USA (S)
461.3250 [ d411] Gallery Place (S)
463.9500 [ d612] Georgetown Park (R)
468.5625 [ d606] Mazza Gallerie (S)
464.5750 [ d346] Shops at Union Station (R)

Maryland
464.2750 [ d606] Chevy Chase Pavilion (R)
464.7750 [ d411] Downtown Silver Spring (R)
464.7000 [ d423] Lake Forest (R)
452.0000 [156.7] Washingtonian Center (R)
463.7625 [203.5] Westfield Shoppingtown Montgomery (R)
461.7250 [ d031] Westfield Shoppingtown Wheaton (R)
464.8250 [151.4] White Flint (R)
461.9750 [ CSQ] Boulevard at Capital Centre (S)
152.9225 [ d074] Bowie Town Center (R)
464.3750 [ d032] Mall at Prince George's (R)
451.3625 [ d156] Arundel Mills (R)
464.8750 [ d315] Marley Station (R)
464.0125 [ d664] Westfield Shoppingtown Annapolis (R)
461.1125 [162.2] Mall in Columbia (R)
936.6625 [ d023] St. Charles Towne Center (R)

Virginia
461.8875 [203.5] Ballston Common (R)
464.9250 [ d612] Pentagon Center (R)
464.4375 [ d074] Fashion Centre at Pentagon City (R)
464.9250 [100.0] Landmark (R)
464.1250 [ ] Fair Oaks (MOTOTRBO) (R)
462.2500 [ 94.8] Galleria at Tysons II (R)
464.5000 [ ] Reston Town Center (MOTOTRBO) (S)
464.3250 [ 77.0] Springfield (R)
461.9875 [ d054] Tysons Corner (R)
451.5250 [ d411] Dulles Town Center (R)
462.4000 [110.9] Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets (R)
461.0125 [100.0] Manassas (R)
463.6000 [ d723] Potomac Mills (R)

Weekend Events

2011-11-18T10:51:00.001-05:00

A few events this weekend:

Cirque du Soleil's Quidam runs through this weekend at the Verizon Center. Cirque has licensed several frequencies for nationwide use.
The Help the Homeless Walkathon is Saturday at 9 AM on the National Mall between 9th and 12th Streets. In previous years, organizers have used UHF rental frequencies. Also keep an ear on Park Police on 166.7250 [127.3].
The Redskins play Sunday at 1 PM at FedEx Field. See this post about recent changes to FedEx Field radio usage.

Rebanding in DC Area

2011-11-15T19:27:00.001-05:00

Since Alexandria recently rebanded its trunked system, I thought I'd review whether or not other systems in the DC area have rebanded:

Arlington: No
Charles: No
Fairfax: No
Fauquier/Culpeper/Rappahannock: Yes
Loudoun: No
Manassas/Manassas Park: Yes
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority: No
Montgomery: No
Prince William: No
Spotsylvania: Yes
University of Maryland - College Park: Unknown
Washington, DC: No

DC Trunked System Talkgroup 2400

2011-11-15T19:14:00.001-05:00

Alan Henney on Scan-DC advises that talkgroup 2400 on the DC trunked system is used by the Children's National Medical Center facility at United Medical Center. (See previous post.)

Prince George's Fire Switched to 700 MHz

2011-11-15T19:10:00.001-05:00

As noted in this RadioReference thread, Prince George's County Fire did switch to the 700 MHz system yesterday. The 490 MHz frequencies are no longer in use.

FedEx Field Major Update (Again)

2011-11-13T20:56:00.001-05:00

FedEx Field has revamped their frequencies again. They've added six frequencies to the LTR system, bringing the total to ten. They've dramatically increased the number of IDs on the system as well.

FedEx has also started using four repeaters that they have an FCC application for (the app is still pending):

452.2750 [ d664]
461.5375 [ d664]
463.5250 [ d664] Parking
464.4750 [ d664] Security

The Prince George's 700 MHz trunked system was active at yesterday's Notre Dame-Maryland game. PGPD used talkgroup 2001 for outside units, and 2003 for inside units. PGFD used 2005 for first aid, and 2007 had hazmat units on it. I would imagine these talkgroups are used in a similar manner for Redskins games.

New Hospital Using DC Trunked System?

2011-11-13T20:28:00.001-05:00

Talkgroup 2400 on the DC trunked system was monitored yesterday. This falls in the range of the hospitals talkgroups, but I didn't catch which hospital was using it. The talkgroup is listed as "0H9 Spare" in RadioReference.

New Talkgroup on Alexandria System

2011-11-13T20:25:00.001-05:00

A new talkgroup (1168) was monitored yesterday on the Alexandria trunked system. This talkgroup was being used for the JROTC competition at T.C. Williams High School. It's unknown if this is a talkgroup for the school itself, or a special events talkgroup for all the schools.

Exercise in Alexandria Yesterday

2011-11-13T11:02:00.001-05:00

Alexandria Fire was conducting some kind of exercise yesterday morning. Talkgroups 2J, 2K, and 2L from the trunked system were in use.

PG System Broadcast in Metro

2011-11-13T10:57:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I confirmed that the Prince George's 700 MHz system is broadcast in the underground portions of the Metro system in the county. See this post about other systems that broadcast in Metro.

Another Event Tomorrow

2011-11-11T16:48:00.001-05:00

I neglected to mention a big event tomorrow at FedEx Field. Notre Dame plays Maryland at 7:30 PM. Expect the usual FedEx Field frequencies to be active (including the new LTR system), as well as the "FedEx Field" talkgroups on the Prince George's County system.

Weekend Events

2011-11-11T09:54:00.001-05:00

The colder months shift the focus to the Verizon Center and other indoor venues:

Georgetown plays Saturday at noon at the Verizon Center.
The Capitals play Saturday at 7 PM at the Verizon Center.

Security Services Unlimited FCC App

2011-11-11T09:45:00.001-05:00

Security Services Unlimited has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.4500. The frequency is coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO.

The transmitter will be located at 9727 Mount Pisgah Rd. in Silver Spring, which is the location of The Chateau (apartment building). Mobile units will operate in Montgomery and Prince George's.

The Hamilton FCC App

2011-11-10T12:47:00.001-05:00

The Hamilton, a music/dining venue opening later this year at 600 14th St. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for three simplex frequencies: 456.3125, 456.6125, and 457.1375.

Alexandria Trunked System Rebanded

2011-11-08T17:14:00.000-05:00

Alexandria has rebanded their Project 16 trunked system. The 866 MHz frequencies have shifted 15 MHz lower. 860.8375 has been replaced by 853.0125. (Interestingly, 853.0125 is supposed to be one of the NPSPAC tac channels.)

Alexandria will eventually transition to a Project 25 trunked system.

Metro Radio System Problems

2011-11-07T12:44:00.001-05:00

This article, published yesterday in The Examiner, contends that there are problems with the Metro radio system.

In general, I've found reception of the Metro system to be good in most underground stations and in tunnels between stations, although the signal strength varies dramatically.

At least several months ago, the analog simulcast of Metro Transit Police dispatch on talkgroup 2224 was discontinued. Dispatch is only heard on digital talkgroup 49168 now.

Analog talkgroup 1968 on the Metro system is used by radio techs.

Several cities/counties broadcast their systems underground in those station which fall in their jurisdiction. Arlington does this for their digital 800 MHz system (they used to only simulcast police and fire dispatch on analog 800 MHz conventional frequencies). DC broadcasts their 800 MHz system, although not the 460 MHz system used by Metropolitan Police. Montgomery broadcasts their 800 MHz system. I am unsure about Alexandria and Prince George's.

PG Fire/EMS Switching to 700 MHz on Nov. 14?

2011-11-06T13:49:00.001-05:00

Prince George's County Fire/EMS is reportedly switching to the 700 MHz system on November 14, according to this post on RadioReference. (They were originally scheduled to switch tomorrow.)

When they do switch, the 490 MHz frequencies will be turned off. Dispatch will continue to be simulcast on 155.6850 [156.7].

Montgomery County Schools FCC App

2011-11-05T14:42:00.004-04:00

Montgomery County Schools has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for five simplex frequencies: 464.3750, 457.7625, 452.7625, 457.3125, and 452.3125. These frequencies are to be used at schools all over the county; the app calls for 5000 mobile units.

Georgetown University FCC App

2011-11-05T14:37:00.003-04:00

Georgetown University has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 464.7000. The frequency is coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO.

Based on the application, it appears this frequency is for Classroom Educational Technology Services (CETS). This will probably replace 462.7250 [ d606] (R), a GMRS frequency that was never licensed.

Weekend Events

2011-11-04T12:38:00.001-04:00

It's quiet this weekend:

The Redskins play Sunday at 1 at FedEx Field.

Tourmobile Ceases Operations

2011-11-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

On Monday, Tourmobile ceased operations on the National Mall. I removed the frequency (495.8125 [156.7]) from the Arlington County page.

Marine Corps Marathon Finds

2011-11-02T12:22:00.000-04:00

Here's what I found on Sunday at the Marine Corps Marathon:

Marine Corps Trunked System Talkgroups (Site 403):
63033 Route
63034 "Division 5" "Division 4" "U-Haul"
63035 Straggler Buses
63036 Water Points
63037 Medical
63038 Medical Alternate?
63040 VIP escorts
63041 "Swing Gate" "8th and I"
63045 Shuttle Buses
63046 Information Technology
63049 Start Line/Finish Line

Arlington Trunked System Talkgroups:
3 Police - Traffic Control
4 Police - Traffic Control
6 Police - Parking
7 Police - "Traffic Command" "Division 4"
8 Police - Rosslyn units
9 Police - Rosslyn units?
11 Police - Motors
17 Police - SWAT units
20 Police - Surveillance/Plainclothes
21 Police - K9 sweeps
32 Fire - Unknown (brief traffic)
33 Fire - Division 1
34 Fire - Division 2
35 Fire - Division 6
36 Fire - Transports
39 Fire - Unknown (brief traffic)
43 Fire - Logistics
44 Fire - Command
47 National Medical Response Team - Command
135 Coordination 1 - "bus in place"

DC Trunked System Talkgroups:
2096 DCFD Special Events 1
2112 DCFD Special Events 2
2128 DCFD Special Events 3
2592 DCFD-MPD Interop

Fairfax Trunked System Talkgroup:
18048 Hospital Roll Call

STARS Trunked System Talkgroups:
32 VSP Tac Team 2
80 VSP Tac Team 7
6149 Interop LE 7 (traffic control)

Metro Trunked System Talkgroups:
50224 MTPD Tac 7 (crowd control)
50256 MTPD Tac 8 (crowd control)

123.0250 [ CSQ] Helicopters
162.2500 [173.8] Capitol Police
166.7250 [127.3] Park Police
169.7750 [NAC 4C5] George Washington Parkway
451.7750 [ d205] Crystal City Security
453.4750 [146.2] Red Cross - DC
462.4000 [ d226] Red Cross - Arlington

New Encrypted Talkgroup on Arlington System

2011-11-02T00:19:00.000-04:00

Talkgroup 212 is a new encrypted talkgroup on the Arlington Project 25 trunked system. It was monitored during the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, but it's unknown if it was used for the race.

Monitoring Strategy for Marine Corps Marathon

2011-11-02T00:13:00.001-04:00

I spent most of the day Sunday monitoring the Marine Corps Marathon from Crystal City. I brought two scanners: the Uniden BCD396XT and the GRE PSR-800. Having the two scanners was a big help in monitoring the race, as there was a huge amount of radio traffic. I set the PSR-800 to monitor three systems: Arlington, DC, and Metro. The BCD396XT handled everything else: the 380 MHz Project 25 system the race organizers were using, STARS, low power/itinerants, and federal.

I'll post the complete list of frequencies/talkgroups monitored soon.

FedEx Field FCC App

2011-11-01T12:24:00.001-04:00

FedEx Field has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for four repeaters and nine simplex frequencies:

452.2750R, 461.5375R, 463.5250R, 464.4750R
451.8000S, 456.8000S, 462.7625S, 462.8375S, 462.9125S, 464.5000S, 464.5500S, 469.5000S, 469.5500S

(Note that the simplex frequencies are to be for nationwide use, but some of these have already been seen in use at FedEx Field.)

This app comes in the face of major changes to radio usage at FedEx Field. An LTR trunked system has been installed at the stadium, and several of the existing UHF repeaters have seen changes.

Pentagon City/Pentagon Center Updates

2011-10-31T22:31:00.002-04:00

Here are updates to the Fashion Center at Pentagon City and Pentagon Center:

Fashion Center at Pentagon City:
461.0625 [ 67.0] American Eagle
467.8500 [ d546] Abercrombie & Fitch
467.9250 [ d743] Victoria's Secret

Pentagon Center:
461.2375 [100.0] Marshalls
467.7625 [ 67.0] Nordstrom Rack - Staff

Renaissance Arlington Additional Frequencies Found

2011-10-31T22:27:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I found a couple of simplex frequencies in use at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel:

456.6125 [ d712] Banquets?
456.6875 [ d031] Valet

The hotel is licensed for several other simplex frequencies.

See this post for information about previously-identified frequencies.

US Airways Switches to MOTOTRBO at DCA

2011-10-31T11:00:00.000-04:00

US Airways has switched to MOTOTRBO at Reagan National Airport. Along with the switch, they have also abandoned 461.1375 and 464.5500, and now use 451.6000 and 452.3250. TRBO was heard yesterday on 460.7000, 460.8000, and 460.8750. The airline is probably using TRBO on 460.7750 as well.

The existing 460.xxxx and new frequencies are under license WPDS307.

For scanner listeners, the abandonment of 461.1375/464.5500 is good news. These frequencies were never licensed, and they were very strong, overpowering other nearby UHF frequencies in the area of the airport. And scanner listeners can now listen to these two frequencies and hear low-powered/itinerant operations, which is what these frequencies were meant for.

These TRBO frequencies join two others at DCA - 460.6500 (Air Canada?) and 460.7250 (United).

Weekend Events

2011-10-28T14:15:00.000-04:00

Two big annual events take place this weekend:

The Washington International Horse Show runs through Sunday at the Verizon Center. Organizers typically use common UHF rental frequencies (464.5000, 464.5500, 464.6000, 464.6250, 464.6500, 464.7000, 464.7250, and 464.7500). Sometimes these frequencies are used as repeaters. Last year, organizers also used a few other UHF business frequencies. Verizon Center staff uses MOTOTRBO radios, which cannot be monitored with current scanners.
The Marine Corps Marathon is Sunday at 8 AM. See this post for full details.

Marine Corps Marathon

2011-10-27T11:21:00.000-04:00

The Marine Corps Marathon is this Sunday. This is one of Washington's biggest annual events. The race begins at 8 AM in Arlington, winds its way through the District, and concludes back in Arlington. Events don't wrap up until late in the afternoon. Here are some of the trunked systems to monitor:

Primary operations for the Marathon will probably be on site 403 of the 14C Project 25 trunked system. Talkgroups are typically in the 63xxx range. For the past several years, most transmissions have been unencrypted. Only in one recent year (2007) were they almost entirely encrypted.
Arlington County typically uses numerous talkgroups on its Project 25 trunked system. Look for several police, fire, emergency management, and coordination talkgroups to be active.
DC also plays a large role in race operations, particularly with medical calls. Look for one or more of the DCFD Special Events talkgroups to be active on the District's trunked system. (MPD also uses talkgroups for traffic control - usually SOD and MPD 3 - but those are now encrypted.)
Virginia State Police handles traffic control on I-395 and the 14th Street Bridge. Last year, they were on talkgroup 6149 on the Arlington site of STARS.
The Metro system is obviously used very heavily on race day. Transit Police use one or more of the Tac channels for crowd control at various stations.

Here are conventional frequencies that were active last year:

123.0250 [ CSQ] Helicopters Air-to-Air
162.2500 [173.8] Capitol Police (Channel 4)
166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Channel 1)
169.7750 [NAC 4C5] George Washington Parkway
451.7750 [ d205] Crystal City Security

Weekend Events

2011-10-21T11:14:00.002-04:00

Another weekend of sports:

Howard University has their homecoming this weekend. The football game is Saturday at 1 PM at Greene Stadium. Howard uses MOTOTRBO for most operations.
The Capitals play Saturday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
DC United plays Saturday at 7:30 PM at RFK Stadium.

Arnold & Porter FCC App

2011-10-19T11:24:00.001-04:00

Arnold & Porter, a law firm located at 555 12th St. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.3625, and simplex on 463.6750, 464.0000, 464.7000, and 464.9750. The frequencies are coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO operation.

555 12th St. currently uses 451.3000 [ d263] under license WQGB997.

Colgan Air FCC App

2011-10-19T11:03:00.000-04:00

Colgan Air, operating as United Express out of Dulles Airport, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 451.1000 and 451.7000. The frequencies are coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO operation.

(Colgan had an application pending in late August for the same frequencies, but that app is marked inactive. This new app replaces it.)

National Public Radio FCC App

2011-10-18T09:40:00.001-04:00

National Public Radio, located at 635 Massachusetts Ave. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for four simplex frequencies: 464.5750, 464.7500, 464.9250, and 464.9750.

Martin Luther King Memorial Dedication Finds

2011-10-18T00:04:00.002-04:00

Here's what I found at Sunday's dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial:

DC Trunked System Talkgroups:
2096 DCFD Special Events 1
33584 Department of Health Tac (primary use)
33872 Emergency Management Agency (sometimes patched to analog 59216)
34448 Department of Health
35600 Traffic Management Center

Joint National Capital Region Talkgroups:
2146 Traffic/pedestrian control

166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Ch. 1)
453.4750 [146.2] Red Cross

WMATA talkgroup 58032 was also active briefly; unknown if it was used for the event.

FedEx Field New LTR System

2011-10-17T00:35:00.000-04:00

FedEx Field has moved some operations to a UHF LTR system. The system appears to have four frequencies, and about twenty talkgroups were noted in use during Sunday's game. The system draws on frequencies from two licenses (WQBM558 and WQBP606), which have always been coded for trunked operation, but were used conventionally. A RadioReference page for the system has been set up; I will add talkgroups to it shortly.

Stafford County Using COG Number 15?

2011-10-15T16:08:00.000-04:00

Stafford County has apparently been assigned number 15 in the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments interoperability numbering scheme. Stafford Fire continues to use their legacy radio designators for routine calls; the county will probably only use the 15-series numbers for large-scale mutual aid incidents.

This recent RadioReference thread details the current numbering scheme.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing Police Switched to P25?

2011-10-14T13:54:00.000-04:00

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing Police appear to have switched to Project 25 with encryption on 407.8250. The NAC is 1F2. This NAC is similar to another Treasury Department NAC (1F1) on this list of federal NACs.

Weekend Events

2011-10-14T11:50:00.001-04:00

Busy weekend, with lots of sports and the Martin Luther King Memorial Dedication:

Maryland plays Saturday at 7 PM at Byrd Stadium.
The Capitals play Saturday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
DC United plays Saturday at 7:30 PM at RFK Stadium.
The Martin Luther King Memorial Dedication begins Sunday at 8 AM. The organizers are using a MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus trunked system. Expect DCFD to be using one or more of their Special Events talkgroups (2096, 2112, 2128). Park Police may use 166.7250 and/or 166.8500.
The Redskins play Sunday at 1 PM at FedEx Field.

Parkfairfax Using 452.8750 [107.2]

2011-10-13T11:30:00.000-04:00

Parkfairfax, a neighborhood of condo apartments in Alexandria, is confirmed using 452.8750 [107.2] (R). The frequency is unlicensed.

Communications Direct Temp Sys for MLK Memorial Dedication

2011-10-12T12:27:00.000-04:00

Communications Direct has licensed several simplex frequencies for use at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial (which is this Sunday). However, these frequencies appear to be used as repeaters as part of a MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus system. 461.7875 was already noted in use in August, when the dedication was originally scheduled. Yesterday, MOTOTRBO data was heard on 452.2875; this frequency is probably part of this Capacity Plus system.

Downtown DC Frequency Update

2011-10-10T23:49:00.003-04:00

While at the Taste of DC yesterday, I was able to snag several new downtown business frequencies:

Metropolitan Square at 655 15th St. NW is using 462.5000 [ d632].
Department of Commerce Headquarters Security confirmed using 452.8750 [ d122] (R).
The Willard Intercontinental Hotel is now using 464.8750 [100.0] as a repeater for Security. Previously, the hotel used 464.8750 and 469.8750 as separate simplex channels.
The W Hotel has made some changes/additions to its frequencies. 461.3125 [233.6] is no longer used by Security/Engineering; it's now used by Valet/Bellmen. 465.7125 [167.9] is a new frequency used by Banquets. In addition to Housekeeping, Engineering is also on 466.1125 [107.2]. Nothing heard on 469.2625, which was previously in use. 469.3125 [241.8] is still used by the POV Bar hostesses. Nothing monitored on 463.9875, which is a repeater licensed to the hotel. And no indication as to a frequency for Security.
461.1125 [ d032] is probably used by a theater downtown, possibly Ford's.

Red Cross Using 462.4000 [ d226]

2011-10-10T23:35:00.001-04:00

The Red Cross was using 462.4000 [ d226] as a repeater at the Taste of DC this weekend. This is a frequency not seen in use by the Red Cross in DC previously. The frequency was used one year at the now-defunct Alexandria Red Cross Waterfront Festival.

Taste of DC Finds

2011-10-10T00:49:00.000-04:00

Here's what I found at the Taste of DC, which concludes Monday:

461.2750 [ d516] Electrical
461.5250 [ d546] Unknown
462.3250 [ d252] Finance
463.7250 [ d306] Primary?
464.9250 [ d632] Unknown
466.5250 [ d331] Runners?

461.0375 [ CSQ] Audio/Visual
467.9000 [ d114] Massive Entertainment Event Staff

DCFD probably used talkgroup 2112. EMA used talkgroup 33872 (sometimes with analog simulcast on 59216).

Weekend Events

2011-10-07T09:51:00.001-04:00

Moderately busy Columbus Day weekend:

The Taste of DC returns after a multi-year hiatus. It runs Saturday, Sunday, and Monday on Pennsylvania Ave. between 9th and 14th Sts.
The Capitals open their season on Saturday at 7 PM at the Verizon Center.
The Army Ten-Miler is Sunday at 8 AM. It begins in Arlington, winds its way through DC, and ends back in Arlington.

Steptoe & Johnson FCC App

2011-10-07T09:29:00.001-04:00

Steptoe & Johnson, a law firm located at 1330 Connecticut Ave. NW, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.1250.

AES FCC App

2011-10-07T09:24:00.002-04:00

AES, a global power company headquartered at 4300 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for four simplex frequencies:

461.7125
463.3750
466.7125
468.3750

LivingSocial FCC App

2011-10-07T09:20:00.001-04:00

LivingSocial, a daily deals company based at 1445 New York Ave. NW, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for five MOTOTRBO simplex frequencies:

451.4375
451.5625
451.5875
456.4375
456.5875

Another Prince William Schools FCC App

2011-10-06T10:16:00.000-04:00

Continuing with the recent slew of FCC applications, Prince William County Schools has another one pending.

Weekend Events

2011-09-30T13:44:00.002-04:00

Relatively quiet this weekend:

The Capitals play Friday at 7 and Sunday at 5 at the Verizon Center.
The Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon is Sunday beginning at 7:30 AM. It runs from Alexandria to National Harbor.

JNCR System Consolidated

2011-09-30T00:53:00.000-04:00

With the recent RadioReference site update, it's now possible to consolidate multiple Project 25 system IDs with the same WACNs into one RadioReference "system." The Joint National Capital Region system has been consolidated in this manner.