Smithsonian Folklife Festival Freqs Found

Here's what I found yesterday at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. This year, the organizers are using MOTOTRBO radios (in analog mode). The radios didn't have any kind of sticker on them which would indicate the rental company. It's also unknown how many channels they are using.

451.8000 [ d026] Tech
456.8125 [ d306] Park Police
461.0875 [ d606] Program Channel
461.1625 [ d116] Audio/Visual?
461.2375 [ d445] Security
461.3125 [ d054] Ice/Beverage
466.0375 [ d155] Talk (Ch. 10)
There is a "Stage Audio" channel.

Barbecue Battle Freqs/Talkgroups Found

Here's what I found yesterday at the Barbecue Battle. The event concludes today.

461.1250 [ d365] Production
461.5250 [ d546] Audio/Visual
463.7250 [ d306] Gates
464.2750 [ d445] Beverage
464.9250 [ d632] Safeway Tent
MPD used talkgroup 21232 (Citywide 2). DCFD used talkgroup 2128 (Special Events 3). Department of Health used talkgroup 34448.

The radios used by the organizers looked to have about ten channels printed on them. No radio rental provider was seen.

Weekend Events

There are two major events this weekend in DC: the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and the National Capital Barbecue Battle. Both events run Saturday and Sunday. The Folklife Festival is on the Mall, and the Barbecue Battle is on Pennsylvania Avenue between 9th and 14th Streets.

In previous years, the Folklife Festival has used a variety of rented UHF repeaters and simplex frequencies. In 2004, they even used talkgroups on the Smithsonian's LTR Passport system. Here are the frequencies used last year:

461.0750 [ d152] "Program" Channel (R)
461.1250 [ d172] Audio/Visual? (R)
461.2500 [192.8] Brief transmission monitored about weather update
464.9250 [141.3] Administration? (R)

Last weekend, I may have heard the Folklife Festival people setting up. If it was them, they were using some common UHF itinerant frequencies, such as 451.8000, 451.8125, 456.8000, 456.8125, etc.

The Barbecue Battle has also used a variety of rented UHF frequencies over the years. Here's what I found last year:

457.5125 [ d412]
459.4125 [ d743] Logistics?
460.6125 [ d223] Safeway Tent
461.21875 [ d371] Production (Channel 3)
462.3250 [141.3] Security/Medical
462.7125 [ 77.0] Stage Operations?
464.1625 [ d464]
465.8375 [167.9] Gate/Beverage Managers (Channel 2)
467.0125 [225.7]
468.0125 [ d664] Area Managers (Channel 10)

DC Trunked System Talkgroups:
2112 DC Fire Special Events 2
21232 MPD Citywide 2
34448 Department of Health
35536 Emergency Management Agency
35600 Traffic Management Center

In previous years, the event has used the common rental frequencies used by Bearcom Rentals and others (464.5/464.55/464.6/464.625/464.65/464.7/464.725/464.75 and their +5 MHz counterparts).

Special Operations Group FCC App

Special Operations Group, which provides private security in the DC area, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for three UHF simplex frequencies.

452.4875

452.8125

457.4875

Nationals Park Update

I attended the Tuesday game against the Red Sox, and had a chance to do some monitoring. Here are some new finds:

461.1375 [d152] CSC Event Staff (S) (only a brief transmission heard; rarely-used frequency; may be for something special like VIP security since Red Sox were in town)

462.5500 [CSQ] mentioned an "order" and "didn't get beer"

467.9250 [67.0] Vendors

867.4875 [156.7] seems to be consistently patched to talkgroup 2096 on the DC trunked system. Previously, DCFD was using the simplex frequency for ops inside the stadium, and the talkgroup for outside operations. Now, inside and outside personnel are on the same frequency/talkgroup.

Metrorail Green Line personnel were using talkgroup 32944 for operations at the Navy Yard Station last night. Previously, Green Line Supervisors used talkgroup 33136. Transit Police were using Tac 8 (talkgroup 50256) last night; they've used Tac 6 and 7 before.

And a couple of frequencies monitored, but not related to Nats Park: 464.2500 [d654] is security for an unknown hospital; they mentioned an "upper helipad." That must mean they have at least one more helipad, which would probably imply a sizeable hospital. They've also mentioned a "pavilion" on this frequency before. And 461.2125 [d754] sounds like a hotel near Nats Park, possibly the Courtyard by Marriott. They mentioned an "eighth floor," which the Courtyard has.

Metro Train Collision

I got a chance to do some monitoring of the Metro trunked system and the DC trunked system (800 MHz) in the hours after Monday's tragic train collision. Neither of these systems comes in well in Fredericksburg, but the warm weather and nighttime hours probably helped reception somewhat. The scanner had trouble decoding the digital on 490.8875 (Metro trunked system) for some reason, so I was never able to hear a transmission on this frequency.

Metro Trunked System talkgroups:

1744 Buses
1840 returning shuttles to Virginia; "SOMs" (sometimes patched to 1904)
1904 Shuttles (sometimes patched to 1840)
1968 talking about keying up VHF radios
24688 Bus Supervisors
32784 Red Line Ops
32976 no voice; Red Line Supervisors?
50224 Metro Transit PD Tac 7

DC Trunked System talkgroups:
1648 DCFD 03 (primary operations)
1680 DCFD 05 (rescue/shoring/recovery)
1936 DCFD 013 ELO (EMS Liaison Officer) (EMS coordination/hospital status)
2720 DCFD 014 Stage-0 (coordinating Montgomery County fillers)
2752 Encrypted
9840 "rehab"
33840 Emergency Management Agency
33872 Emergency Management Agency
34448 Department of Health

Waterfront Festival Frequencies/Talkgroups Found

Here's what I found yesterday at the Alexandria Red Cross Waterfront Festival:

453.4750 [146.2] Gates
461.5500 [ 88.5] CES Security
462.4000 [ d226] Headquarters (Channel 1)
464.6000 [146.2] Engineering/Electrical
464.6250 [146.2] Beer/Beverages
464.7250 [146.2] "water truck"
467.9250 [ d025] "Jim Beam tent"

Alexandria Trunked System talkgroups:
48 Police (Channel 3)
400 Fire/EMS (Channel 2G)

DC Trunked System talkgroups:
2080 DCFD Inspectors (fireworks safety)
18320 MPD Harbor Patrol (fireworks safety)

Alexandria Red Cross Waterfront Festival

The Alexandria Red Cross Waterfront Festival is this weekend. Here are frequencies and talkgroups used last year:

458.4250 [ d754]
463.2500 [ d315]
464.6250 [ d431] Beer?
464.7500 [ d631] Logistics?
469.6000 [ d023] Gates/General Ops?
469.7000 [ d212] Security

Alexandria Trunked System Talkgroups:
48 Alexandria Police (Channel 3)
400 Alexandria Fire/EMS (Channel 2G)
1072 Citywide 1 (shuttle buses/other miscellaneous users)

In 2006, for fireworks safety/coordination, talkgroup 1696 on the Airports Authority trunked system and talkgroup 2080 on the DC trunked system were used.

Lake Anna State Park

Spent the afternoon yesterday at Lake Anna State Park in Spotsylvania. The park continues to use 151.4000 [CSQ] for operations and law enforcement. A Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) law enforcement officer who was patrolling on foot appeared to have a 700/800 STARS portable, but I never saw him use it. Most of the DCR vehicles I saw had older VHF radios installed, probably only capable of the legacy 151.2350 and 151.4000 channels.

As for STARS sites, I had a difficult time picking up any of them from the park. The Fork Mountain site seemed to be the strongest, sometimes reaching five bars on the signal strength meter, but moving the scanner even slightly caused the signal to drop significantly. The Louisa site was able to be monitored, but it was not as strong as Fork Mountain. The only DCR talkgroups monitored were 2005 and 2013, but there was very little traffic on either. Department of Game and Inland Fisheries talkgroup 3236 (Law 5) was somewhat active throughout the afternoon.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary (unit 868) was using Marine Channel 21A (157.0500) to communicate with "Lake Anna Station." Lake Anna Station must have been at another location on Lake Anna, as they were somewhat weak from the state park.

Louisa Sheriff (155.5500) and Louisa Fire (155.8050) were very strong at the park.

The Spotsylvania trunked system was able to be monitored, but usually had a lot of static (much weaker than the Louisa channels).

The North Anna Power Station trunked system came in fairly well. The only talkgroup active, as expected, was security on 9648.

Race for the Cure Frequencies Found

Here are frequencies and other information found at last Saturday's Global Race for the Cure:

461.1125 [ 71.9] "extension cord"; "what to do with dirty linen?"
461.2375 [ 67.0] "Capital Running gave winners"; finish line? route? command?
461.2625 [ 82.5] materials? "trash overflowing"; "stack water"
461.3375 [ 74.4] "point to Metro"
461.3625 [ 85.4]
461.4875 [ 79.7] "people take food"; "go without him"
461.8125 [ 69.3]
462.1125 [ 94.8] "extra table to spare"; communications at late T-shirt pick-up tent
462.2375 [ 88.5] stage scheduling? video?
Radio rentals from Metrotalk Rentals (800-268-4098).

Rental radio channels:
1 Command
2 Volunteer Ops
3 Site Management/Utility
4 Start/Finish/Information
5 Production Office/Communications
6 VIP Areas/Komen Village
7 Sponsors/Food/Marketing
8 Vehicles/Parking/Traffic
9 Stage Manager/Shows
10 Tent Crew/Stage/S&L
11 Event Kit Pick Up Ops
12 Route Staff
13 Medical
14 Komen/Admin
15 Security/Police
16 General Info/Chat

166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Channel 1)
170.1750 [156.7] Capitol Police (Channel 3)
462.5500 [103.5] Video
462.5625 [100.0] "ice on route"; "command center"; citizen volunteers working route?
469.2625 [ d251] "hardware spare"; Video?

DC Trunked System talkgroups:
2096 DCFD Special Events 1
16656 MPD Special Operations Division
33872 DC Emergency Management Agency

Celebrate Fairfax Frequencies/Talkgroups Found

Here is what I found at Celebrate Fairfax last Saturday:

Fairfax Public Safety Trunked System talkgroups:
18192 (Major Incident EMS) Medical
21200 (Coordination D1) Police
21232 (Coordination D2) Police

Fairfax Services Trunked System talkgroups:
24272 (Coordination A1) Organizers - Primary
24304 (Coordination A2) Organizers - Alternate
24400 (Coordination A5) Coordination of voter parking at Government Center (unrelated event)
36560 Fairfax Connector Buses - Shuttles from Vienna Metro
36592 Fairfax Connector Buses - Shuttles from Fair Oaks Mall/Fair Lakes

151.6250 [100.0] Carnival
159.1050 [156.7] Government Center Operations? (R)
464.5000 [ d205] Private Security (Securitas)

Georgetown University FCC App

Georgetown University has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a UHF repeater on 452.3625, with 500 5-watt mobile units. The Office of University Safety is apparently coordinating this app.

Mount Vernon FCC App

Mount Vernon has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a UHF repeater on 452.3875 to be used for "maintenance and security activities." (Mount Vernon currently uses 464.5250 [ d073] for security, and 464.4750 [ d116] for maintenance.)

Weekend Events

Here are two events this weekend:

The Komen Global Race for the Cure is Saturday on the National Mall. This event usually attracts 50,000+ runners and walkers. In 2006 and 2007 (no data for 2008), organizers used VHF rental radios. Park Police will probably use 166.7250 [127.3]. MPD will probably use either talkgroup 16656 or 21232. DCFD will probably use one of the Special Event talkgroups (2096, 2112, 2128).

Celebrate Fairfax runs Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday. Organizers may use the analog coordination talkgroups on the Fairfax County Services trunked system. (The coordination talkgroups have been in use for other recent events in Fairfax County.) In previous years, organizers used UHF rental radios. County police/fire will probably use a few talkgroups on the Fairfax County Public Safety trunked system. (Last year, police used digital Coordination 2 and fire used digital Coordination 3.)

Market Common Clarendon

Spent some time in Clarendon on Saturday, and picked up a few more frequencies for Market Common. Here's the latest list:

151.7600 [ 67.0] Pottery Barn
154.6000 [ 67.0] Williams-Sonoma
461.2625 [ 74.4] Apple
464.5000 [186.2] The Container Store
466.0375 [ 94.8] Ann Taylor Loft
467.8500 [ 74.4] Crate & Barrel

Air Force Cycling Classic Clarendon Cup

Here are frequencies found for the Air Force Cycling Classic Clarendon Cup:

151.6250 [ 91.5] Pace cars/motorcycles

459.9375 [141.3] Specific cycling team?

469.7500 [ d371] Organizers

Arlington Police used talkgroup 11 (1K - Special Operations Section).

Washington Folk Festival

Here are frequencies used at the Washington Folk Festival this past weekend at Glen Echo Park:

169.7750 [NAC 4C5] National Park Service (S)

467.7500 [100.0] Organizers
469.5500 [ d506] Organizers

169.7750, when used as a repeater, is the frequency for the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The Park Service was using it in simplex mode at Glen Echo Park. (Glen Echo is administed by the Park Service as part of the GW Parkway.)

Herndon Festival

The Herndon Festival was this past weekend, and organizers used talkgroups 24272, 24304, and 24336 (Coordination A1, A2, and A3) from the Fairfax County Services trunked system. With more and more festivals in Fairfax County using these talkgroups, this may indicate that Celebrate Fairfax (June 5-7) may use them as well.