Weekend Events

The first weekend of the new year has lots of sports, plus one other unusual event:

• Georgetown plays Saturday at 1 PM at Verizon Center.
• The Wizards play Saturday at 7 PM, also at Verizon.
• The Redskins finish the season Sunday at 4:15 PM at FedEx Field.
• The Inaugural Gala for DC mayor-elect Vincent Gray is Sunday at 7 PM at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Happy New Year!

Stafford County Sheriff Switches to 700 MHz, Encrypts

Stafford County Sheriff has switched to the county's 700 MHz trunked system. Unfortunately, it appears all transmissions are encrypted. The most active talkgroup seems to be 4501, so this is probably the dispatch channel.

Stafford County released a press release about the switch to the new system.

Fire remains on the UHF-T channels for now.

1899 Pennsylvania Avenue FCC App

1899 Pennsylvania Avenue, an office building, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for one repeater and four simplex frequencies. Note that the emission code on the app indicates that these frequencies will be MOTOTRBO.

462.1125R

451.3625S

451.4375S

456.3625S

456.4375S

Potomac Mills/Woodbridge Update

Did some Christmas shopping last night in the Potomac Mills/Woodbridge area, and found a few new frequencies:

462.0750 [ d365] Sentara Potomac Hospital (R)

464.3250 [ d071] CarMax (S)

467.8500 [ d532] Michaels

467.8500 [ d223] is an unknown store; it was strong near Michaels.

The Phoenix at Clarendon Metro

The Phoenix at Clarendon Metro, a mixed-use building, was recently licensed for five simplex frequencies:

451.5125

451.5625

452.0375

456.5125

456.5625

Weekend Events

This weekend should see a lot of traffic around the malls, as it's the last weekend before Christmas. Look for mall security frequencies to be particularly active. Other than that and the usual holiday events, just a couple of notable events:

• Georgetown plays Saturday at noon at Verizon Center.
• The Wizards play Saturday night at seven, also at Verizon Center.

Weekend Events

On a cold winter weekend, sports dominate the major events again:

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

BB&T Classic Frequencies Found

Here's what I found at the BB&T Classic, which was this past Sunday at the Verizon Center:

457.5625 [ 82.5] Audio/Visual/Lighting/Bands/Cues (S)
462.1375 [ d172] Audio/Visual (S)
464.5000 [ d047] (brief use) (S)
464.5500 [ d032] Organizers (S)

Weekend Events

It's all happening at the Verizon Center this weekend:

• The Wizards play Friday at 7 PM.
• Georgetown plays Saturday at noon.
• The Capitals play Saturday at 7 PM.
• The BB&T Classic, a college basketball triple-header, is Sunday at 2:45 PM.

American Systems FCC App

American Systems has an application pending before the FCC. The app says the frequencies are for "construction use for safety and security" at 4900 Seminary Rd. in Alexandria. The app calls for four simplex frequencies and one repeater. The simplex frequencies have the emission code for NEXEDGE; the repeater has the emission code for MOTOTRBO.

451.6125 (S)

452.0875 (S)

452.3625 (R)

452.4125 (S)

452.8375 (S)

The Belvedere FCC App

The Belvedere, a condo at 1600 N. Oak St. in Arlington, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for two simplex frequencies, to be used as either analog or MOTOTRBO.

452.0500

457.0500

Weekend Events

Sports dominate again this weekend:

• Georgetown plays UNC-Asheville at Verizon Center on Saturday at noon.
• Maryland plays NC State at Byrd Stadium on Saturday at 3:30.
• The Wizards play Orlando at Verizon Center on Saturday at 7:00.
• The Redskins play Minnesota at FedEx Field on Sunday at 1:00.
• The Capitals play Carolina at Verizon Center on Sunday at 5:00.

Black Friday Scanning

The following are the security frequencies for select malls in Virginia, DC, and Maryland. I didn't bother to list the housekeeping and individual store frequencies, as this would make the list a bit unwieldy. For the full list of everything I've found at the malls, check out the individual county pages.

Virginia

461.8875 [203.5] Ballston Common

451.5250 [ d411] Dulles Town Center

464.1250 [ ] Fair Oaks (MOTOTRBO)

464.4375 [ d074] Fashion Centre at Pentagon City

464.9250 [100.0] Landmark

462.4000 [110.9] Leesburg Corner

461.0125 [100.0] Manassas

464.9250 [ d612] Pentagon Center

463.6000 [ d723] Potomac Mills

464.3250 [ 77.0] Springfield

461.9875 [ d054] Tysons Corner

464.8250 [ 94.8] Tysons Galleria

DC

452.9250 [141.3] DC USA

461.3250 [ d411] Gallery Place

463.9500 [ d612] Georgetown Park

468.5625 [ d606] Mazza Gallerie

464.5750 [ d346] Union Station

Maryland

461.9750 [ CSQ] Boulevard at Cap Centre

152.9225 [ d074] Bowie Town Center

464.2750 [ d606] Chevy Chase Pavilion

461.1125 [162.2] Columbia

464.7000 [ d423] Lake Forest

463.7625 [203.5] Montgomery

464.3750 [ d032] Prince George's

464.6250 [ d023] Wheaton

464.8250 [151.4] White Flint

Museum of Arts and Sciences FCC App

The Museum of Arts and Sciences, a multi-use venue at 915 F St. NW, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for five simplex frequencies:

462.4625S

462.4875S

467.4625S

467.4875S

467.5125S

Lockheed Martin FCC App

Lockheed Martin has an application pending before the FCC. The app is for the Gaithersburg location of the company "to coordinate activities and personnel during the development, testing, manufacture, demonstration and deployment of specialized electronics systems for customers and potential clients." The app calls for two repeaters and three simplex frequencies:

461.6875R

463.2625R

461.7750S

463.4625S

466.7750S

Weekend Events

Another weekend dominated by sports:

• The Help the Homeless Walkathon is Saturday at 9 AM on the National Mall.
• Penn State plays Indiana at FedEx Field Saturday at noon.
• The Capitals play on Saturday at Verizon Center at 7 PM.
• The University of Maryland plays Florida State at Byrd Stadium on Saturday at 8 PM.

DC Business Update

Updates to DC business frequencies:

• Hotel Helix is using 462.0625 [ 67.0] (S). The hotel has five UHF simplex frequencies pending for license, but they did not appear to be in use.
• Lucky Strike at Gallery Place is using 469.5000 [ d205]. The Family Radio Service frequencies they were previously using appear to be defunct.
• The Woolly Mammoth Theatre is using UHF portables; unable to determine frequency.

How Sweet the Sound Finale

How Sweet the Sound (gospel choir competition) was Saturday night at the Verizon Center. Here are a couple of frequencies found:

464.7250 [ d732] (S)
464.7500 [ d523] (S)

Fairfax County Public Safety Exercise

This past Saturday morning, there was a public safety exercise in Fairfax County. The exercise involved a mass casualty incident on a train in the Franconia area. Several of the "Major Incident" talkgroups from the Fairfax County Public Safety trunked system were active.

18128 FCFD 41B Major Incident Command
18320 FCFD 41H Major Incident Sector 3
18352 FCFD 41I Major Incident Sector 4
18384 FCFD 41J Major Incident Sector 5

The Major Incident talkgroups appear to be the "41" zone of Fairfax County Fire radios.

Fashion Centre at Pentagon City Update

A couple of updates for the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City:

• Armani Exchange is using 466.1125 [ d606]. This is the same frequency/tone combo in use at Tysons Corner.
• An unknown store (probably clothing) is using 467.8500 [ d047]. This frequency/tone is usually used by Old Navy, but there is no Old Navy in the Pentagon City area. A check of the sister brands in the mall (Banana Republic and Gap) showed that they continue to use their VHF frequencies.

JetBlue at Reagan National Airport

JetBlue is confirmed using 463.8625 [210.7] for operations at Reagan National Airport.

Weekend Events

Sports predominate this weekend:

• The Wizards play Friday night at seven at the Verizon Center.
• The Capitals play Sunday evening at five at the Verizon Center.
• The Redskins play Monday night at 8:30 at FedEx Field in a nationally-televised game against the Eagles.

Homer Building FCC App

The Homer Building, located at 601 13th St. NW, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for two repeaters: 451.8625 and 452.9750.

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

Here's what I found at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on October 30:

162.2500 [173.8] Capitol Police (Channel 4)
166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Channel 1)

461.0625 [151.4]
461.3625 [ 82.5] Volunteers/Trash
462.0125 [ d546] Security?
462.8125 [ d371] Audio/Visual?
463.5750 [ d664]

464.6250 [ d412] "production tent"
466.0625 [ 74.4]
(Some of the UHF frequencies may have been used for other nearby events.)

DC Trunked System Talkgroups:
2096 DCFD Special Events 1
2128 DCFD Special Events 3 (transports?)
16656 MPD Special Operations Division
33872 DC Emergency Management Agency

Metro Trunked System Talkgroup:
50256 MTPD Tac 8

Weekend Events

Compared to last weekend, it's relatively quiet in DC this weekend:

• The Capitals play Friday night at 7, and Sunday afternoon at 5.
• The Wizards play Saturday night at 7.

Washington International Horse Show Wrap-Up

Here's what I found Saturday night at the Washington International Horse Show:

463.5125 [ d174] Scores?
463.6375 [110.9] Scores
464.0875 [210.7]
464.6250 [ ]
464.7250 [192.8] (R)
464.7500 [210.7]

Note that 464.0875 and 464.7500 may have been repeaters, but I was unable to confirm.

Rosslyn Update

A couple of new frequencies for Rosslyn:

• Artisphere, a multi-use art space that opened October 10, is using 462.5625 [67.0].
• The Rosslyn Business Improvement District (BID) is using 461.8875 [CSQ] simplex. Note that the nearby Hotel Palomar also uses this frequency as a repeater with a tone of [136.5]. Gallaudet University Security is also on this frequency with a tone of [d243].

Marine Corps Marathon Wrap-Up

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

Marine Corps Trunked System Talkgroups (Site 403):
63034 Marshals
63037 Garbage
63038 Route
63039 Water
63044 Medical
63048 Shuttle Buses
63050 Information Technology
63056 Medical (Channel 2)

Arlington Trunked System Talkgroups:
4 Police - Traffic Control
6 Police - Parking
7 Police - "escort vehicle"
8 Police - "runners mixing"
9 Police - Rosslyn
11 Police - SOS
17 Police - "SWAT buses cleared Wilson Blvd."
20 Police - "visual on individual"
21 Police - K9
33 Fire/EMS - Division 1
34 Fire/EMS - Division 2
35 Fire/EMS - Division 6
36 Fire/EMS - Transports
43 Fire/EMS
44 Fire/EMS
50 Fire/EMS - EOD
117 Emergency Management 1
135 Coordination 1
137 Coordination 3

DC Trunked System Talkgroups:
1952 (encrypted/clear)
2096 DCFD Special Events 1
2112 DCFD Special Events 2
2128 DCFD Special Events 3 (transports)
16656 MPD SOD

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

Metro Trunked System Talkgroups:
50256 MTPD Tac 8 (Rosslyn crowd control)
58032 Escalator Personnel/Techs

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

It's a busy weekend, especially downtown and in Arlington:

• The Washington International Horse Show continues through Sunday at the Verizon Center.
• The Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally is Saturday from 12-3 on the National Mall from 3rd to 7th St. Check for Park Police on the usual frequencies, 166.7250 and 166.8500. DC Fire will probably use one or more of the special events talkgroups (2096, 2112, 2128).
• Saturday is also Howard University's homecoming. University Police use MOTOTRBO, which is unmonitorable with scanners.
• The largest event is on Sunday, the Marine Corps Marathon. It begins at 8 AM, and traverses Arlington and the District. There is almost too much to monitor for this event. Arlington Police and Fire will be very active. The Marines will most likely use the 63xxx-series talkgroups on this 380 MHz trunked system (site 403). Most of these talkgroups were encrypted in 2007, but they were mostly in the clear in 2005, 2008, and 2009. Serveral DC talkgroups will see extensive use as well, particularly the DCFD Special Events channels, as well as MPD SOD and/or Citywide 2. Listen for Park Police on 166.7250 and 166.8500. Keep an ear to the Metro trunked system for updates about the transit system. Virginia State Police/VDOT will help with road closures, and they'll probably be on the Arlington site of STARS. Amateur radio operators have used several 2 meter frequencies in the past. See my Arlington page (under "Special Events") for a listing of frequencies monitored in previous years.

Washington International Horse Show

The Washington International Horse Show began yesterday and continues through Sunday at the Verizon Center. Here's what I found last year:

464.6250 [127.3] Inside Operations? (Channel 1) (R)
464.7250 [192.8] Outside Operations? (Channel 3?) (R)

In previous years, the organizers have used several more channels. Search the typical frequencies used by Bearcom Rentals (464.5000, 464.5500, 464.6000, 464.6250, 464.6500, 464.7000, 464.7250, 464.7500 and +5 MHz).

USA Science & Engineering Festival

Here are frequencies found today at the USA Science & Engineering Festival. The radios were rented from Bearcom.

464.6250 [ d432]
464.6500 [ d143] (Channel 7)
469.5500 [ d306]

Weekend Events

A few weekend events:

• The Capitals play Saturday at 7 PM. The team is also holding a street festival all day on F Street in front of the Verizon Center.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:30 PM.
• The Army Ten-Miler is Sunday at 8:00 AM. In previous years, communications have been on this JNCR trunked system. Arlington County's trunked system will also be very busy, and Virginia State Police will be using STARS (Arlington tower).

George Washington University FCC App

George Washington University (Mount Vernon campus) has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.3875.

Weekend Event

Only one notable event this weekend: the Redskins play at FedEx Field in a nationally-televised game at 8:20 PM on Sunday. See the Prince George's page for frequencies.

New Talkgroup on JNCR - Indian Head

A new talkgroup (22420) popped up today on the JNCR - Indian Head site. There was not much traffic, so it was impossible to determine who was using it. This is the first time a 224xx-series talkgroup has been seen.

Hotel Helix FCC App

Hotel Helix has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for five simplex frequencies:

461.5375

463.4875

466.5125

466.5875

466.8375

Stonewall Jackson 20-Mile Ambulance Run

The Stonewall Jackson 20-Mile Ambulance Run is an annual race in Spotsylvania County, VA. Here are some talkgroups that were in use yesterday:

00-087 Disaster Tac
02-023 Sheriff Tac 2
04-121 Parks & Recreation

Richmond Folk Festival

Here's what I found yesterday at the Richmond Folk Festival:

460.9625 [ 88.5] RMC Events (S)
464.5500 [ d624] (Channel 2) (R)
464.6250 [ d223] Golf Cart Transports (Channel 4) (S)
464.7500 [ d031] Operations (R)
Richmond Police and Fire/EMS used talkgroup 36768 (City 1).

Friday Night Football

I spent some time listening to the Fauquier/Culpeper/Rappahannock trunked system on Friday night. Fauquier deputies were using talkgroups 24688, 24720, and 24752 for details at various football games. Culpeper deputies were using talkgroup 42288.

Spotsylvania deputies usually use talkgroup 02-041 (Patrol 2) for football games. (Even if there is more than one game in the county, they will all use this single talkgroup.)

Weekend Events

Several events this weekend:

• The IMF/World Bank meetings begin Friday and continue through Sunday.
• The Komen 3-Day begins Friday and concludes Sunday at 5 on the grounds of the Washington Monument.
• The Capitals play at Verizon Center on Saturday at 7.
• DC United plays at RFK Stadium on Saturday at 7:30.
• The Redskins play at FedEx Field on Sunday at 1.

United Airlines Switching to MOTOTRBO

United Airlines, which uses 460.7250 at many airports around the country, appears to be switching their radio operations to MOTOTRBO digital. They are keeping the same frequency, but adding the emission designator for MOTOTRBO to their licenses. I've confirmed that digital is in use at Philadelphia. The license for 460.7250 has been modified recently to allow for MOTOTRBO at Reagan National, and a quick check of the FCC database shows that they've modified several other licenses for MOTOTRBO use at various airports. United uses a 900 MHz analog trunked system at Dulles (one of their hubs), and as far as I know, there have been no changes to that. The 460.7250 frequency is typically only used at airports where United does not have major operations or is not the dominant carrier at the airport.

Virginia State Fair Finds

I know it's not in the DC area, but here are some frequency finds from yesterday at the Virginia State Fair in Caroline County, VA:

STARS talkgroups:
6124 VSP Traffic Control
6125 VSP Traffic Control/Parking Lots
6162 VSP/Medical - Interior (Mobile Site)
6385 Brief Use (unknown user)

451.2375 [ d411] Towing
451.3375 [ d411] Parking (Channel 2)
451.4375 [ d411] Electrical/Engineering
451.5375 [ d411] "ID tags"; "shoplifter"
451.6375 [ d411] Trams (Channel 5?)
452.3125 [ d411] Beverages/Beer Garden
464.3250 [ d346] Parking (RMC Events?)
464.3250 [ d546] Parking (RMC Events?)

One Nation Rally Tomorrow

The One Nation Rally is tomorrow from 12-4 on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial. Expect the usual frequencies/talkgroups for these big rallies to be in use. For Park Police, try 166.7250 and 166.8500. For MPD, try talkgroups 16656 and 21232. For DCFD, try talkgroups 2096, 2112, and 2128. For the organizers, search the UHF business frequencies, particularly 461-470 MHz.

Blanchard's USA Radio Rentals

The National Book Festival, which took place last Saturday, was using rental radios from Blanchard's USA Radio Rentals. In doing some research in the FCC database, the only license I could find for the UHF simplex frequencies they were using was for an expired license for coordination of the 2009 Inaugural events. This license lists forty-eight frequencies with 500 4-watt portables on each one. These frequencies might be a good starting point for future events in the DC area where Blanchard's provides the radios. (Local outfit Blanchard's seems to be the second most-popular radio rental company in the area, after BearCom.)

Prince William School Security

A hazmat incident at a school in Prince William afforded the opportunity to learn a bit more about the talkgroups used by school security in the county. School security has their main talkgroup (48848) as well as an alternate (48880). The alternate appears to be known as Channel 7. But when the units operate encrypted on that alternate, it's known as Channel 8.

Virginia State Fair

Although the Virginia State Fair is in Caroline County (just north of Richmond), the talkgroup that the state police is using for traffic control might be active on some of the Northern Virginia STARS sites. That talkgroup is 6125.

Pepco Benning Generating Station FCC License

The Pepco Benning Generating Station, located at 3400 Benning Road in the District, recently was granted a license by the FCC. The power plant will operate a repeater on 463.4125.

More Info on Quantico Fire

A few more talkgroups have been noted for Quantico Fire, as they transition to Quantico's trunked system:

32201 Dispatch

32202 Response

32203 Incident 1

32213 Unknown

The VHF frequency (149.3500) appears to be silent.

National Book Festival Frequencies Found

Here's what I found today at the National Book Festival. The first set of frequencies were the channels used by the organizers. The rental radios were from Blanchard's USA Radio Rentals. The Library of Congress frequency was mostly used in simplex mode.

461.0750 [ d371] (S)
461.1250 [ d072] Line Control/Volunteers (S)
461.5125 [ d306] (S)
462.4250 [ d343] Distribution/Materials (Channel 8) (S)
463.9750 [ d712] Security/First Aid (S)
466.3750 [ d703] Golf Carts
466.5250 [ d155] Book Sales Tent (Channel 6)
467.1750 [ d134] Base Command (Channel 2)
469.6750 [ d532] Author Escorts

166.8500 [127.3] Park Police (S)
410.3375 [ d411] Library of Congress Security (input 419.3375) (R/S)
463.5125 [ 67.0] Videorecording (S)
464.3250 [ d532] Catering (S)
467.8750 [ d432] Borders Books

Weekend Events

Here are this weekend's events:

The National Book Festival is tomorrow on the Mall from 10-5:30. Frequencies from last year:

151.5125 [173.8] Pavilion Managers/Ushers (Channel 2?)
152.9150 [123.0] Base Command (Channel 1?)
155.9100 [146.2] Transportation Command/Golf Carts (Channel 3)
157.8150 [141.3] Electrical
158.0100 [156.7] Volunteers?/Line Captains

410.3375 [ d411] "LSOs"; OSEF units; Security
467.8750 [ d432] Borders Books (Book Sales Tent)
469.5000 [ d125] Audio/Visual

The Dulles Day Family Festival and Plane Pull is tomorrow from 11-4.

DC United plays tomorrow at 7:30.

The Nationals play tonight at 7:05, tomorrow at 1:05, and Sunday at 1:35.

Dulles Airport Update

I did some scanning at Dulles Airport on Saturday. I've updated the page, particularly the "Operations," "Airline Ground Operations," and "Rental Car Companies" sections.

Airport Exercise Talkgroups Found

Here are talkgroups that were in use for the exercise at Reagan National Airport this past Saturday:

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Trunked System talkgroups:
1744 Police (Tac 3)
2288 Fire Command (Channel 3F)
2640 Fire Operations (Channel 3L)
2688 Encrypted

Tysons Corner Update

Spent some time at Tysons Corner Center this past Saturday, and was able to update several frequencies. Here's the latest list:

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

151.7000 [ 71.9] Restoration Hardware
154.5150 [ d172] Gap?
154.6000 [ d331] Old Navy
158.4000 [ 74.4] Banana Republic
458.6625 [ ] frequency counter hit near Sony Style
461.1125 [ d412] Sephora
461.1125 [ d606] Auntie Anne's
461.1875 [ d712] Apple
461.2125 [114.8] AMC Theater Techs?
461.3125 [ 74.4] Pottery Barn Kids
462.6125 [ 67.0] Gordon Biersch Brewery
462.6625 [ CSQ] Macy's Operations?
462.6750 [ 67.0] Puma?
463.5625 [ d506] Nordstrom
463.8375 [146.2] Nordstrom Security (R)
464.5000 [ d503] La Sandia
464.5000 [ d612] Macy's Security
464.5000 [ 67.0] Sony Style
464.5000 [100.0] Williams-Sonoma
464.5500 [ d612] Macy's Security
464.5500 [ 67.0] Express
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] Ann Taylor Loft
466.1125 [ d606] Armani Exchange
466.1875 [ d506] Hollister
466.1875 [ d516] Unknown clothing store (strong near Banana Republic)
466.2875 [ d155] H&M Staff
466.3125 [ d412] abercrombie
467.1375 [173.8] Lord & Taylor Security
467.7625 [ 67.0] West Elm
467.7625 [179.9] Pottery Barn
467.8125 [ 67.0] New York & Company?
467.8125 [ 77.0] FYE
467.8500 [ d546] Abercrombie & Fitch
467.8500 [ 67.0] American Eagle
467.8500 [ 74.4] Foot Locker?
467.8500 [173.8] Charlotte Russe
467.8750 [ d712] Disney Store
467.8750 [ d723] Guess
467.8750 [ 67.0] Brio Tuscan Grill
467.8750 [ 67.0] LL Bean
467.8750 [ 74.4] Champs Sports
467.8750 [110.9] The Limited
467.9000 [ d632] Bath & Body Works
467.9250 [ d732] Pink
467.9250 [ d743] Victoria's Secret
467.9250 [ 67.0] TGI Friday
467.9250 [ 88.5] AMC Theater
467.9250 [110.9] Coastal Flats Restaurant
467.9250 [218.1] Urban Outfitters
468.0250 [ 77.0] Nordstrom Housekeeping
468.8375 [ d155] H&M Staff
469.7625 [ d155] H&M Security

Quantico Fire Using 380 MHz System

Quantico Fire is now using the 380 MHz system installed at the base. The talkgroup is 32201. Unknown if they are simulcasting on 149.3500 [141.3].

Weekend Events

Not as busy as last weekend for events:

• There will be an aircraft accident/river rescue drill at Reagan National Airport Saturday morning from 9-11 AM. Expect to see lots of little-used talkgroups on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority trunked system active, particularly from the Fire and Operations groups.
• The Redskins play at 4:15 on Sunday at FedEx Field.

Nationals Park - 464.7500

464.7500 [233.6], which is in use for some sort of security at Nationals Park, may be used by CSC Event Staff. I haven't heard their 463.8000 [ d152] frequency in use during several recent Nats games.

Georgetown University Using 463.5625

Georgetown University is using 463.5625 [ d364] for maintenance. 463.3750 [ d606], which was previously used by Georgetown for the same purpose, is still active.

Nation's Triathlon Frequencies Found

The Nation's Triathlon was this past Sunday. Here are frequencies and talkgroups that were in use:

166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Ch. 1)
461.2250 [ d624] Organizers (S)
464.5000 [ d205] Organizers (R)

DC Trunked System talkgroups:
2112 DCFD Special Events 2
2640 DCFD Fireboats
20800 MPD Harbor Branch
21232 MPD Citywide 2

Stafford Project 25 Trunked System Update

The Stafford Project 25 trunked system has been on the air for several weeks now. The control channel is 774.18125. So far, only radio techs are using the system, but they're not formally testing the system yet. 4505 and 4712 are the only active talkgroups. These talkgroups are P25 Phase I, but when the system is fully online, it may be a Phase II system. (Phase I can be monitored with current scanners; Phase II cannot.)

The Fairfax FCC App

The Fairfax, a retirement home near Ft. Belvoir, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 464.8750 and simplex on 461.5625 and 463.3250. Note that 464.8750 [ d664] has been used unlicensed by The Fairfax for several years.

Weekend Events

Several major events this weekend:

• The Nationals play at 1:05 Saturday and 1:35 Sunday.
• The National Black Family Reunion is all day Saturday. In 2006, organizers used 152.9150 [123.0]. Also check Park Police frequencies.
• The Nation's Triathlon is Sunday, beginning at 7 AM. Listen for DC Fire on talkgroups 2096/2112/2128, and MPD on talkgroups 16656/21232.
• The Redskins play at 8:20 Sunday.

FedEx Field Update

I did some scanning at the Virginia Tech/Boise State game at FedEx Field on Monday. Here's an updated list of FedEx frequencies:

451.3875 [ d043] Centerplate
451.4625 [ d023] Food
451.4875 [ d073] Centerplate
451.5625 [ d115] Centerplate - Human Resources/Supervisors?
451.6875 [ d074] Centerplate - Management
451.8000 [ d612] TV
456.6875 [ d134] Centerplate
456.6875 [ d152] Centerplate - Engineering/Maintenance
461.0750 [ d627] Parking (R)
461.1125 [ d351] Food/Beverage (R)
461.1500 [ d731] Audio/Visual (R)
461.1375 [ d152] Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC)
461.3875 [ d152] Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC)
461.5125 [ d152] Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC)
461.7625 [ d723] Parking
461.9500 [ d526] Engineering (R)
462.8125 [ d205] Parking
462.8125 [ d712] "suite"; "kitchen"
462.9125 [ d346] Electricians
462.9125 [ d664] "Trailer 1"
462.9125 [ d734] Merchandise
463.4625 [ d023] Food
463.5000 [ d662] Ushers? (S)
463.5125 [ d023] "suite"
463.5375 [ d606] Food/Concessions?
463.8000 [ d664] Facilities - Suites? (R)
463.8125 [ d606] "cocktails"; "server"
463.9250 [ d654] Guest Services - Inside (R)
464.1000 [ d703] Housekeeping (R)
464.5000 [ d125] "equipment to trailer"
464.5000 [ 94.8] ESPN?
464.5500 [ d664] "stadium sections"; "clambake"
464.6000 [203.5] Comcast SportsNet?
464.7750 [ d244] Concessions/Food
464.8000 [ d624] Guest Services - Golf Cart Transports/Gates (R)
464.8500 [ d632] Suites (R)
464.9500 [ d631] Facilities - Club Level? (R)
466.1125 [ d351] Food
467.7875 [ d051] Housekeeping
468.2375 [ d026] "beer"
469.1125 [ d023] Food
469.5000 [ d612] "need to get anthem singers"
469.5125 [ d624] Food
469.5500 [ d612] "referee wants to be wired"; "repair jumper"

Nationals Park New Frequency

Nationals Park is using a new frequency: 464.7500 [233.6] (R). It's unclear exactly who this is, but it appears to be some sort of security. (Nationals Security was previously confirmed on the MOTOTRBO system at the ballpark.)

Georgetown University Using 463.5625

Georgetown University was confirmed using 463.5625 [ d364] yesterday. There wasn't too much radio traffic, but it appears to be used for maintenance/engineering.

Six Flags America Update

Here's an update for Six Flags America. They have started to use some of the frequencies they licensed earlier this year.

151.8800 [ 67.0] Food/Concessions
451.2375 [ d423] Restaurants/Shops Alternate (Channel 8) (S)
451.6625 [192.8] Security Alternate (Channel 11) (S)
451.8500 [ d261] Engineering (Channel 3) (R)
452.1250 [ d606] Security (Channel 5) (R)
452.2125 [ d261] Housekeeping (Channel 4) (R)
461.4125 [ d261] Guest Relations (Channel 1) (R)
463.6375 [ d261] Restaurants/Shops (Channel 2) (R)
464.3250 [192.8] Guest Relations Alternate (Channel 7) (S)
464.8750 [ d261] Shows (Channel 6) (R)
465.6500 [ d331] First Aid?
467.3875 [ d261] Shows Alternate (Channel 12)
467.8500 [ d261] (Channel 10)
468.5375 [ d331] Cleaning
468.6250 [192.8] Special Events? ("tables," "catering")
468.9625 [ d261] Shows/Concerts

Prince George's TDMA Talkgroups

Prince George's County used many TDMA talkgroups for last night's Virginia Tech/Boise State game at FedEx Field. Here are the ones I saw:

57, 97, 199, 205, 2001, 2005, 2043

Note that some of these may not have been used for the game itself, but several of them have not been identified on the RadioReference page.

All of the PGPD and PGFD personnel that I saw were using the APX 7000 portable radio--looks like they've completely abandoned the UHF-T frequencies they previously used at FedEx Field.

Weekend Events

Several events this holiday weekend:

• DC United plays Saturday night at 7:30 at RFK Stadium.
• The Nats play Monday afternoon at 1:05 at Nationals Park.
• WWE Raw is Monday night at 8:15 at the Verzion Center.
• Virginia Tech plays Boise State Monday night at 8:00 at FedEx Field.

Numerous Updates to DC and Baltimore

Because of some recent trips, I've been able to make lots of updates to the DC and Baltimore (and Philadelphia) pages on my website. (I still have a bunch of updates for the DC page.) Also, I'm slowly working on organizing the DC business frequencies into categories, like hotels, property management, retail, etc.

DC Hotel Updates

Recently, I found some frequencies for a couple of DC hotels for which I previously had no information:

Fairmont

461.1125 [ d411] Valet (may be used by Park Hyatt) (S)
462.5000 [ 74.4] Engineering (R)
463.2375 [ 69.3] Housekeeping (R)
464.5875 [ 94.8] Banquets (R)

Doubletree
467.7250 [118.8] Housekeeping
469.3250 [203.5]

Downtown Retail

A few changes to frequencies used by retailers downtown:

• West Elm has closed, and been replaced by Forever 21. They are using 464.5500 [ 67.0].
• Zara has switched frequencies to 461.3125 [ 71.9].
• Banana Republic is using 467.8500 [ d032]. BR usually uses VHF frequencies, but this frequency/tone combo has been seen in a Las Vegas BR.

Women of Faith - Frequencies Found

Here's what I found at the Women of Faith event at the Verizon Center on Saturday. Note that these frequencies are probably used nationwide for their events.

456.8000 [ d165] Merchandise
466.3625 [ d174]

Restoring Honor Rally - Frequencies/Talkgroups Found

Here's what I found on Saturday at the Restoring Honor Rally:

166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Ch. 1)
172.4750 [NAC 4C5] Park Service
464.7250 [ d131] Stage Operations?
464.7500 [ d546] EMS/First Aid
469.5000 [ d131] Audio/Visual?
469.6000 [ d606]
469.7250 [ d662]
469.7500 [ d371]

DC Trunked System Talkgroups:
2096 DCFD Special Events 1
2112 DCFD Special Events 2
2128 DCFD Special Events 3
16656 MPD SOD
33584 Department of Health
33872 Emergency Management Agency (patched with 35536)

Metro Trunked System Talkgroups:
50256 Transit Police Tac 8 (crowd control at Smithsonian)

National Lutheran Home FCC App

The National Lutheran Home, a retirement community in Rockville, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.6625, and simplex on 466.7125.

Weekend Events

There are several big events this weekend in DC:

The Restoring Honor Rally is tomorrow from 10 AM-1 PM at the Lincoln Memorial. Expect Park Police frequencies to be active. Also check MPD (talkgroups 16656/21232) and DCFD (2096/2112/2128). Organizers will probably be using either UHF or VHF business band radios.

Women of Faith has an event today and tomorrow at the Verizon Center. Below are the frequencies that were active last year. (Women of Faith holds a nationwide license for these frequencies.)

451.8000 [ d116] Stage Managers?
456.8000 [ d165]
461.0375 [ d205] "Mandisa performing"
461.2625 [ d346] Admin?
461.3625 [ d612] "check on date"
462.6250 [ d754] Stage Personnel?
464.4875 [ d331] Groups?
464.5000 [ d712] Security?
466.1375 [ d413] Tech Support? (Channel 8?)
466.2625 [ d631] Volunteers?
466.3625 [ d174] Inventory?/Merchandise?

Finally, the Nationals play the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park.

MOTOTRBO Updates

A couple of educational institutions have switched to MOTOTRBO recently. Episcopal High School in Alexandria is now using TRBO on 462.3000, and Montgomery College in Takoma Park is now using TRBO on 461.9750.

SoBran New License

SoBran, a contractor at Bolling Air Force Base, was recently granted a license by the FCC. They are licensed for a repeater on 452.4625 using MOTOTRBO digital.

Legg Mason Tennis Classic Finds

Here's what I found today at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic:

Tournament Radios:
464.5500 [ d532] "kill audio"
464.6000 [ d466] "ambassador had to leave"
464.6250 [ d606] Ball Kids?
464.6500 [ d565] Tournament Staff (Channel 1)
464.7000 [ d516] On-court promos, videos, etc. (Channel 13)
464.7250 [ d632] "changing propane"
464.7500 [ d546] Security/Park Police (Channel 3)
469.5500 [ d546] (Channel 16)
469.6000 [ d606] Parking
469.6250 [ d503] Unknown
469.6500 [ d516] Operations/Contractors
469.7250 [ d662] Food/Hospitality
469.7500 [ d371] Ushers/Volunteers

Other frequencies:
166.8500 [127.3] Park Police (Channel 4) (S)
461.2750 [ d516] Parking - Atlantic? (S)
461.4000 [ d125] "back by ice cream truck" (S)
461.5500 [ 88.5] CES Security (S)
464.3250 [ d532] Design Cuisine? (S)
467.3250 [123.0] "following to court"
467.4125 [ d606] Trash/Housekeeping

Weekend Events

A couple of sporting-related events this weekend:

• The Legg Mason Tennis Classic continues through Sunday.
• Tomorrow is Fan Appreciation Day at Redskins Park. This event drew 29,000 fans last year. I haven't been to Redskins training camp in several years, but they have used rented UHF business band radios in the past. Search 461-470, 451-453, etc.

Beacon Hotel and Corporate Quarters

I recently confirmed the frequency of the Beacon Hotel and Corporate Quarters: 467.7625 [ d131].

DC Property Management Frequencies

Spent some time scanning in the K Street corridor recently, and found a bunch of new property management frequencies. Here they are:

464.7125 [ d223] 1800 M Street (R)

464.8750 [ d156] 1850 M Street (S)

462.0375 [ d156] 1875 K Street (R)

463.2750 [ d516] 1900 K Street (R)

462.1625 [ d712] 2100 M Street (R)

461.4875 [ d351] CTTWB Associates (1875 Pennsylvania Avenue) (R)

463.7000 [ d054] International Square (R)

463.7000 [ d223] International Square - Engineering (R)

463.7000 [ d432] International Square (R)

464.6500 [ ] International Square - Security (MOTOTRBO digital) (R)

Legg Mason Tennis Classic

The Legg Mason Tennis Classic is in Washington this week (concludes Sunday, August 8). This is one of Washington's largest annual sporting events, and many frequencies are in use. Here's what I found last year:

166.8500 [127.3] Park Police (Channel 4) (S)
451.4000 [ d423]
451.7750 [ d432]
451.8250 [218.1] Parking (Tournament radio)
451.8750 [225.7] Audio/Visual (Channel 13?)
461.2250 [ d624] Parking (parking company radio)
461.2375 [233.6] "what suites available?"
461.2625 [241.8] on-court promo
461.3375 [ d346] Legg Mason Tennis Classic Staff
461.3625 [ d351] Operations
461.4000 [ d125]
461.4375 [156.7] Housekeeping
461.4625 [ d364] Security/Park Police/First Aid
461.5500 [ 88.5] CES Security
461.9125 [ d411] Scorekeeping (IDS?) (Channel 6?)
462.5875 [ d365] Volunteers?
464.3250 [ d532] Design Cuisine? (primary)
464.5500 [123.0] "in booth"
464.5750 [ d532] Design Cuisine? (secondary)
467.5000 [229.1] "radar"
469.2625 [210.7] Ecology Solutions
Parking company radios possibly from Blanchard's/USA Radio Rentals.
Tournament radio rentals possibly from Bearcom.

Jiffy Lube Live Using a VHF Repeater

Jiffy Lube Live (formerly the Nissan Pavilion) is using a VHF repeater on 151.6550 [d071]. This frequency used to be simplex. The input frequency is unknown. The repeater was monitored with a handheld scanner at Reston Town Center.

Fannie Mae LTR PassPort Trunked System

Fannie Mae operates a multi-site LTR PassPort trunked radio system in the DC area. There are multiple sites in Washington; one in Urbana, MD; one in Herndon, VA; and one in Reston, VA. Here are the frequencies for the Herndon and Reston sites:

Herndon: 461.7625, 463.9875, 464.4375
Reston: 461.6625, 463.7375, 464.6875

Note that no scanner can track an LTR PassPort system, but the audio can be monitored.

Hyatt Regency Reston

Here is an updated list of frequencies for the Hyatt Regency Reston, which is located at Reston Town Center:

461.7375 [ d754] Banquets (R)
461.7750 [ d631] Security/Engineering (R)
462.5250 [ d631] Housekeeping (S)

Reston Town Center Update

Spent some time at the Reston Town Center recently. Here are some new/updated frequencies:

464.5000 [ ] Security (MOTOTRBO digital) (S)

154.6000 [131.8] Rave Motion Pictures
461.1125 [ d412] Sephora
467.8500 [ 67.0] Apple
467.8750 [ d165] Pottery Barn
467.9250 [ d743] Victoria's Secret
467.9250 [218.1] Anthropologie

Nordstrom Rack FCC Apps

Nordstrom Rack, which is opening stores at Fair Lakes Promenade and Pentagon Centre on August 26, has two applications (Fair Lakes, Pentagon Centre) pending before the FCC. Both applications call for the same five simplex frequencies:

463.8375

464.6125

464.0875

464.2625

467.7625

Dave Matthews Band Concert Tonight

The Dave Matthews Band plays at Nationals Park tonight. Search the UHF business frequencies for stagehands, audio/visual, etc. CSC Event Staff (which provides crowd control) may use 461.5125 [d152]. CSC also has several other UHF frequencies. Nationals Park staff use MOTOTRBO digital radios (cannot be monitored with a scanner). Try talkgroup 2096 for DC Fire, and talkgroup 21232 for Metropolitan Police.

Georgetown Update

Here are some new/updated frequencies for Georgetown:

461.1125 [d412] Sephora

464.5500 [67.0] Zara
467.7625 [67.0] Apple
467.8750 [118.8] Restoration Hardware

VRE Trip Report

I rode the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) several times in the past couple of weeks, and was listening to the scanner all the way up and back. I traveled from Fredericksburg to Crystal City. The road channel (161.5500) was very active with location call-outs, defect reports, etc. The dispatcher channel (160.4100) was only active a few times, notably when the train I was riding had door problems. I didn't hear anything on the VRE channel (160.6800).

While it's easy to hear the rail frequencies from the train, listening to public safety is somewhat more difficult than listening on the trip up I-95 in a car. I assume because the VRE cars are made of heavy metal that the radio signals are somewhat attenuated. Nevertheless, the major 800 MHz public safety systems (Prince William, Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlington) were able to be monitored for much of the trip.

Northern Virginia Community College - Alexandria

Confirmed frequencies and tones for Northern Virginia Community College - Alexandria Campus:

857.4875 [203.5] Maintenance (R)

860.4875 [203.5] Security (R)

The other campuses of NVCC use these same two frequencies with different PL tones.

Marymount University Shuttle Frequency

The shuttle service for Marymount University is using 451.8625 [ d606]. Note that the license for this frequency has been terminated.

Washington Kastles/World Team Tennis

The Washington Kastles are playing once again this summer in a "stadium" set up in the City Center parking lot (site of the old convention center). Here are some frequencies in use:

461.5125 [ d152] CSC Event Staff (S)

464.5000 [ CSQ] Organizers (S)

464.5500 [ CSQ] Organizers (S)

More DC Business Finds

Here are some more business frequencies/tones found in DC:

463.6000 [ d072] International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (R)

464.0000 [136.5] Union Center (R)

464.2500 [ d411] Gallery Place - Engineering (Apartments) (R)

New Business Frequencies Monitored in DC

Here are some new business frequencies that I monitored recently in DC:

462.0125 [241.8] Sirius XM Radio

462.1375 [ d306] DC Health Care Association

463.4250 77 K St. NE (MOTOTRBO digital)

463.5125 [ d754] Constitution Square

Mount Vernon Update

Another update for Mount Vernon: Maintenance/Grounds is using 461.4625 [ d116]. (They used 464.4750 [ d116] previously.) One of the "old" channels, 464.6750 [ d624], remains active with what I believe are tour guides.

Pentagon Center Housekeeping

I'm not certain of this yet, but Pentagon Center housekeeping may use 464.0000 [ d612]. This would be an unlicensed simplex channel. Security uses a repeater on 464.9250 [ d612].

Loudoun County School Buses

Loudoun County school buses use an LTR-Net trunked system. Although scanners can't decode all the data that is passed on these systems, the Loudoun County system can be set up in scanners as LTR, and properly tracked. Here are three of the channels in the system:

461.4125 (1), 463.9625 (12), 452.7375 (14)

Also see the RadioReference page for the system for more details.

Fredericksburg Fire New Channel Plan

Fredericksburg Fire has recently added/changed their channels. Here is the new plan:

154.4150 [ 71.9] Dispatch (Channel 1) (R)

154.4150 [ 71.9] (Channel 2) (S)
158.8350 [203.5] (Channel 3) (R)
158.8350 [203.5] (Channel 4) (S)
159.0600 [203.5] (Channel 5) (R)
159.0600 [203.5] (Channel 6) (S)
155.7150 [156.7] Mary Washington Hospital (Channel 7) (R)
155.7150 [156.7] (Channel 8) (S)
153.8150 [156.7] (Channel 9) (S)

Fairfax County School Buses New Talkgroups

Fairfax County School Buses are using several new talkgroups on the Fairfax County Services trunked system over the past few months. The talkgroups are mostly in the 28xxx range. These appear to be additional talkgroups, not replacements, as the 26xxx and 27xxx talkgroups remain in use. I haven't been able to pin down specific uses for the talkgroups.

Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Update

In an earlier post, I speculated that an LTR system might be set up for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC). From monitoring near the convention center yesterday, it appears the conference organizers are instead using MOTOTRBO radios. Several of the licensed frequencies were active as repeaters, including 451.3375, 451.4375, 451.5375, 451.6375, 452.1125, 452.1375, and 452.2875.

July 4 Monitoring

Here's what I found on July 4:

123.0250 [ CSQ] Helicopters Air-to-Air
159.1500 [NAC 653] DC Interop 1 (patched with Arlington talkgroup 26 and DC talkgroup 59968)
165.5375 [146.2] Capitol Police (Channel 2)
166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Channel 1)
169.2250 [110.9] Capitol Police (Channel 1)
169.7750 [NAC 4C5] Park Service - George Washington Parkway (R)
170.5125 [NAC 4C5] Park Service (R)
172.4750 [NAC 4C5] Park Service (R)
173.5250 [167.9] Capitol Police - Specialized Teams
462.3750 [ 88.5] Red Cross - DC
464.7500 [146.2] Red Cross - Arlington (R)

DC talkgroups:
2160 JHAT
2640 DCFD Fireboats
2672 Unified Communications Center?
2752 DCFD (encrypted)
9840 DCFD Mall Command
16656 MPD SOD
18288 MPD SOD Alternate
20800 MPD Harbor Patrol
33872 Emergency Management Agency
35536 Emergency Management Agency
36688 Medical Bike Teams/Carts
59968 Emergency Operations Center (patched with Arlington talkgroup 26 and 159.1500 [NAC 653])
59984 may be unrelated - discussing illegal gambling

Arlington County talkgroups:
14 SWAT Command
26 Interop (patched with DC talkgroup 59968 and 159.1500 [NAC 653])
36 Fire Command
135 Coordination 1
136 Coordination 2
137 Coordination 3

STARS talkgroup:
6149 Virginia State Police - Traffic Control (dispatcher used callsign WRA534)

Metro talkgroups:
50128 Transit Police Tac 4 (talking about media setting up)
50224 Transit Police Tac 7 (crowd control at unknown station)
50256 Transit Police Tac 8 (crowd control at Smithsonian station)

JetBlue Airways FCC App

JetBlue Airways has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.8625. This is for JetBlue's service from Reagan National Airport, which begins November 1.

PNC Bank FCC App

PNC Bank, located at 800 17th St. NW, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.3000.

Weekend Events

It's a busy holiday weekend:

• The Nationals play the Mets tonight, tomorrow afternoon, and Sunday afternoon.

• The Smithsonian Folklife Festival continues through Monday. When I was there last Saturday, I only found two frequencies (461.7375 [d546] and 463.8625 [d503]), but there are probably more in use.

• The fireworks on the National Mall begin at 9:15 Sunday night. Good things to monitor: Park Police (especially 166.7250 [127.3] and 166.8500 [127.3]), Capitol Police, National Park Service (169.7750, 170.5125, 172.4750, and 172.7500--all Project 25 digital), Red Cross (try 462.375 [88.5]), the DC trunked system (DCFD Special Events, EMA, and MPD SOD/Harbor talkgroups), the Arlington trunked system (try the Coordination talkgroups), and the Metro trunked system. Of course, many of these agencies will be active throughout the day. Also search the UHF business frequencies for organizers working on the Capitol Fourth concert, etc.

Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference

The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) runs from July 11-15 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Communications Direct has licensed several UHF frequencies for the event. Although the license indicates that all frequencies are simplex, Communications Direct has in the past set up LTR trunked systems for special events with some of these same frequencies. (Communications Direct LTR systems were in use at the Inauguration in 2009 and the Microsoft WPC in Houston in 2008.)

Barnes & Noble (12th and E) Security

The Barnes & Noble bookstore at 12th and E downtown is using 466.0375 [ d754] for security.

Folklife Festival Finds

Here's what I found for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The event continues through Monday, and then from July 1-5.

461.7375 [ d546]
463.8625 [ d503] Stages?

Caribbean Carnival Parade and Festival Finds

Here are the talkgroups that were active for the Caribbean Carnival Parade and Festival today. The Festival continues tomorrow.

DC Trunked System Talkgroups:
2096 DCFD Special Events 1
16656 MPD Special Operations Division
33584 Department of Health
35536 Emergency Management Agency
35568 Emergency Management Agency (CERT units)

National Capital Barbecue Battle Finds

Here's what I found today at the Barbecue Battle. Note that the frequencies are very similar to what was used last year. The event continues tomorrow.

461.1250 [ d365] Production
461.5250 [ d546] Stages/Hospitality
463.7250 [ d306] Gates/Box Office (Channel 2)
464.2750 [ d445] Beverage (Channel 1)
464.9250 [ d632] Safeway Tent
466.1750 [ d503] First Aid (Channel 7)
Radios had nine channels. Channel 9 was listed as "Open."
MPD used talkgroup 21232 (Citywide 2). DCFD used talkgroup 2112 (Special Events 2). Department of Health used talkgroup 34448, and possibly 33584.

Weekend Events

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival runs from June 24-28 and July 1-5. Here's what organizers used last year:

451.8000 [ d026] Tech (Channel 1)
456.8125 [ d306] Admin (First Aid, Park Police, etc.)
461.0875 [ d606] Program
461.1625 [ d116] Audio/Visual
461.2375 [ d445] Security
461.3125 [ d054] Ice/Beverage
466.0375 [ d155] Talk (Ch. 10)

The National Capital Barbecue Battle is Saturday and Sunday on Pennsylvania Avenue. Here's what was used last year:

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 Caribbean Parade/Carnival is also this weekend. The Parade is tomorrow at 11 AM, and the Festival runs both Saturday and Sunday. Here's what public safety agencies used last year:

DC Trunked System Talkgroups:
2096 DCFD Special Events 1
16656 MPD Special Operations Division
33584 Department of Health Tac
33872 Emergency Management Agency (linked with analog 59216)

The American Library Association Annual Conference is at the Convention Center from June 24-29. Here are some useful frequencies for the 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)

VSP Division 7 on STARS

Virginia State Police Division 7 switched to STARS as of about 10 AM this morning. Talkgroup 65 is Fairfax 1, and talkgroup 67 is Fairfax 2.

ExpressJet Airlines FCC App

ExpressJet Airlines, which operates as Continental Express and United Express at Dulles Airport, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.2375.

Stafford P25 Trunked System Online

Stafford County's Project 25 trunked system is online. The control channel is 774.18125. The system ID is 2B1, the tower is 101, and the WACN is BEE00. No talkgroups were active during brief monitoring today. It's unknown if this system will support FDMA only (P25 Phase I) or FDMA/TDMA (P25 Phase II), but based on recent area systems coming online, there's an excellent chance it will be P25 Phase II.

ESPN Zone Closed

ESPN Zone has closed all their restaurants except for two in California. Therefore, I've deleted the frequencies from my Washington, Baltimore, New York City, and Las Vegas pages.

VSP Division 2 on STARS

Virginia State Police Division 2 went live on STARS on June 10. Culpeper 1 is talkgroup 17 (legacy 159.1650 [127.3]), and Culpeper 2 is talkgroup 19 (legacy 158.9850 [167.9]). The Thornburg, Fork Mountain, Hogback Mountain, and Mount Weather sites are carrying the new talkgroups. 159.1650 [127.3] has been taken off the air, but 158.9850 [167.9] is being simulcast because of some dead spots.

VSP Division 7 (Fairfax) is scheduled to switch to STARS on June 24.

Nationals Park - CSC Event Staff

Not sure if this is a permanent change, but during the Nationals game on Tuesday, CSC Event Staff was using 461.4375 [ d152] as their "Command Post" channel. They previously used a repeater on 463.8000 [ d152].

Celebrate Fairfax This Weekend

Celebrate Fairfax is this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Here's what I monitored last year:

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 Hospital

Georgetown University Hospital is now using 464.8250 [ d546] for security. They were using 464.8250 [192.8].

Race for the Cure Saturday

The Race for the Cure is Saturday morning on the National Mall. Here's what was active last year:

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

Memorial Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery

Here's what I monitored for the Memorial Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery:

Fort Myer Trunked System Talkgroups:
412 "route closure"
415 "Defender"
482 "Spartan"; "pedestrian flow"
485 "stragglers"

Falls Church Memorial Day Parade/Festival

Here's what I found at the annual Falls Church Memorial Day Parade and Festival:

Arlington County Trunked System Talkgroups:
43 Arlington County Fire Special Events
172 Falls Church Police and Sheriff

45.0800 [173.8] Falls Church Parks and Recreation

Memorial Day Events

• The National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery is tomorrow at 11 AM. The Fort Myer trunked system should be busy in advance of the ceremony. Also monitor the Arlington trunked system. Arlington National Cemetery uses 165.1875 [156.7].

• The National Memorial Day Parade begins at 2 PM tomorrow and runs on Constitution Ave. between 7th and 17th Sts. Organizers will probably use business band radios, but also check out military ceremonial units on the Fort Myer trunked system.

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play the Baltimore Orioles tonight, tomorrow afternoon, and Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park. Expect the crowds to be larger than usual.

• The DC101 Chili Cook-Off is tomorrow from noon to nine at RFK Stadium.

• Bike DC is Sunday from 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM. The ride begins at 15th and Pennsylvania in DC and ends at 23rd St. and Crystal Dr. in Crystal City. Expect MPD Citywide 2 (21232) and/or SOD (16656) talkgroups to be active, as well as Park Police Special Event (166.7250 [127.3]). Arlington Police may use their Special Operations Section talkgroup (11).

Doubletree Hotel Dulles Airport - Sterling FCC App

The Doubletree Hotel Dulles Airport - Sterling has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for four UHF simplex frequencies.

451.6125

452.4125

452.5125

452.7625

No Problem with Scanner at JSOH

There was absolutely no problem taking the scanner through the magnetometers today prior to the airshow. I entered at the Branch Avenue Metro Station. The personnel manning the magnetometers did not even ask about it.

Joint Services Open House Finds

Here's what I found today at the Joint Services Open House at Andrews AFB:

Andrews AFB Trunked System Talkgroups:
11 Distinguished Visitors
151 Police/Security ("escort"; "Defender 1"; "Show Control")
153 Police/Security - Gates
155 Police/Security - General Ops on base?
157 Police/Security at JSOH
203 EMS (aid stations, medcarts)
501 JSOH - "standby for Heritage Flight"
507 JSOH - Public Affairs (Media)
511 JSOH - First Aid
513 JSOH - "Soupdog"; Communications?
521 JSOH - "booth needs some wood"
529 JSOH - Narrator/Airboss?
705 Golf Carts/Deliveries/Logistics?

122.8250 [ CSQ] Unknown aircraft flying at 1:37 PM Saturday
379.2000 [ CSQ] Helicopters flying at 12:18 PM Saturday
463.3250 [ CSQ] AirShowNetwork (Concessions)
464.5000 [ d023] Bus Coordination at Branch Avenue Metro Station
464.8000 [ d624] FedEx Field - Parking
490.5875 [210.7] PGFD at Andrews (First Aid)
494.7375 [127.3] PGPD at FedEx Field
Several talkgroups active on Prince George's County trunked system (Site 102) - all TDMA.
Fairfax County Fire units providing mutual aid using non-display APX 7000 radios (labeled "Cache").

Scanners OK at Joint Services Open House

I e-mailed Capt. Anna Carpenter in Public Affairs at Andrews Air Force Base regarding scanners at the Joint Services Open House this weekend, and she promptly e-mailed back that they are fine to bring. (There has been some confusion and misinformation in previous years about the permissibility of scanners.)

Weekend Events

This is a big weekend for events. One of the largest events of the year is the Joint Services Open House at Andrews Air Force Base. It runs from 8 AM to 5 PM Saturday and Sunday, and the Blue Angels perform at 3 PM each day. On the Prince George's County page, I have frequencies/talkgroups from the 2008 and 2009 shows. There is also a RadioReference Wiki page about the show.

The Preakness Stakes is tomorrow at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The Baltimore City page has frequencies/talkgroups from last year's race.

Boston Properties FCC App

Boston Properties has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 451.8625. This is for an office building at 500 N. Capitol St.

Mount Vernon Update

Mount Vernon appears to have abandoned their old frequencies (464.4750, 464.5250, and 464.6750). They are now using two recently-licensed frequencies. Here's the latest:

452.3875 [ d073] Guest Services (also Security?)
462.1375 [ d343] Interpreters?
462.1375 [ d432] Gift Shop

National Harbor Updates

New/updated frequencies for National Harbor:

452.2250 [ d205] Aloft - Engineering (R)
462.6750 [ d351] Aloft - Housekeeping (S)

464.5500 [ ] Charming Charlie (possible tone of 67.0)

IDX Baltimore FCC App

IDX Baltimore, a technology provider for healthcare companies located at 8901 Snowden River Parkway in Columbia, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.7875. Note that this app is now listed as "Returned."

Citi Group FCC App

Citi Group has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.8125 to "coordinate building maintenance and security." This is for their building at 12401 Prosperity Ave. in Silver Spring.

Hyatt Regency Reston FCC App

The Hyatt Regency Reston Hotel has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 461.7375. The hotel currently uses three frequencies (461.7750 [ d631], 462.5250 [ d631], and 464.7500 [ d631]). All three are unlicensed.

Maryland Soccer Foundation FCC App

The Maryland Soccer Foundation, the organization that runs the Maryland SoccerPlex (where the Washington Freedom play), has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for ten UHF simplex frequencies.

451.2375, 451.4875, 451.5375, 451.6125, 452.3125, 452.4125, 452.4875, 452.7625, 456.2375, 456.5375

Georgetown University Hospital FCC App

Georgetown University Hospital has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 451.7875. The frequency may be used by the Office of Environmental, Health, and Safety.

The Ritz-Carlton Washington (not the Georgetown location) also uses a repeater on this frequency; unknown if there will be interference issues.

Weekend Events

Several notable events this weekend:

• The Nationals play at Nationals Park this weekend.
• Howard University holds their Commencement tomorrow at 10 AM. Howard uses MOTOTRBO on 461.7000. They were using analog on 463.2750 [136.5] and 464.7250 [ 88.5]. They may also use MOTOTRBO on 463.4375, which is licensed for simplex use.
• UDC holds their Commencement tomorrow at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at 10 AM. The convention center frequencies will be in use; UDC may also use their talkgroups on the DC trunked system.
• Dulles Airport is conducting an emergency exercise tomorrow from about 9 AM until noon. RadioReference has an updated list of talkgroups.

Weekend Event

A relatively quiet weekend for events:

• DC United plays tomorrow at 4:30. (The Washington Freedom is also playing a game at RFK.) See the Washington, DC page for recent frequencies.

Weekend Events

Several notable events this weekend:

• The Capitals have a playoff game tonight at Verizon Center. See the DC page.
• The Nationals play tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday at Nationals Park. See the DC page.
• Maryland Day is tomorrow at the University of Maryland-College Park. See the Prince George's County page.
• There is a "Climate Rally" for Earth Day on the National Mall on Sunday. Park Police may use 166.7250 [127.3] and/or 166.8500 [127.3].

DC United Major Update

DC United is using their recently-licensed UHF simplex frequencies. They are using them in analog mode (not MOTOTRBO). Out of the fourteen they licensed, I heard seven in use yesterday evening:

461.2750 [ d152] DC United - General Operations (Channel 1?)
461.3250 [ d412] DC United - Gates/Guest Services (Channel 2)
461.7500 [ d172] DC United - Audio/Visual
462.3500 [ d223] DC United - Unknown
462.4250 [ d245] DC United - Unknown
464.6250 [ d371] DC United - Merchandise
464.7250 [ d023] DC United - Housekeeping

CSC Continues to Work Nationals Park

In an earlier post, I speculated that CSC might have lost their contract at Nationals Park. Looking at CSC's list of events, I see that they have Nationals games listed, so they must still be working there. Here's what they usually use:

463.8000 [ d152] Command Post (R)

461.3875 [ d152] On-field personnel (S)

Busy Sports Weekend

Saturday will be a busy day for sports in Washington. The Nationals play at 1:05, the Capitals have a playoff game at 7:00, and DC United plays at 7:30. All the relevant frequencies can be found on my Washington, DC webpage. The frequencies are listed by venue (Nationals Park, Verizon Center, and RFK Stadium).

Guardian Angels Using VHF Radios?

Yesterday I saw several "Guardian Angels" on the Metro system and at the Cherry Blossom Parade. One of them appeared to be carrying a VHF portable radio. I wasn't able to get a good look at it, but it looked like an older model. Anyone ever seen this/know the frequency?

Cherry Blossom Parade/Japanese Festival

Here's what I found yesterday at the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade:

464.5000 [ d627] "lead banner"
464.6250 [ d606] Seating?
464.6500 [ d565] Logistics?
464.7500 [ d712] Audio/Video Cues
469.6250 [ d503] Golf Cart Transports
469.7500 [ d371] Parade Route?

DC Trunked System talkgroups:
2096 DCFD Special Events 1
16656 MPD Special Operations Division

The Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival was using the same frequency/tone as last year (468.2250 [ d051]).

Weekend Events

The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade is tomorrow morning at 10 AM on Constitution Ave. Here's what I monitored last year:

464.5000 [ d346] Parade marshals (during parade)
464.6500 [ d364] Seating?
469.5000 [ d351] Volunteers
469.5500 [ d306] Parade lineup (before parade)
469.6000 [ d343] Golf Cart Escorts
469.7000 [ d315] Script/Announcer Coordination

164.4750 [127.3] Park Police simplex channel?
461.5125 [ d152] CSC Event Staff
464.5500 [ d274] "Bev's mic" (media)

DC Trunked System Talkgroups:
2096 DCFD Special Events 1
21232 MPD Citywide 2
33872 DC Emergency Management Agency

Fort Myer Trunked System Talkgroup:
411 Ceremonial Units Logistics/Staging

The Cherry Blossom Ten-Mile Run is on Sunday morning at 7:45. Last year, organizers used a repeater on 461.4000 [173.8].

Hotel Monaco Alexandria FCC App

The Hotel Monaco in Old Town Alexandria has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a base/mobile configuration on 151.6850, as well as five other VHF simplex frequencies. Note that the hotel is already using 151.6850, with a tone of 186.2.

151.6850B/M

152.8925S

152.9675S

159.6825S

160.1025S

160.1925S

State of the Union Finds

I know it's late, but here are some frequencies/talkgroups monitored during the State of the Union address in January:

162.2500 [173.8] Capitol Police - Special Event Channel?; K9 sweeps
165.5375 [146.2] Capitol Police - Inside Units
166.4625 [NAC 001] CBP Helicopter (some encryption)
166.7250 [127.3] Park Police Ch. 1 (Motorcades)
169.2250 [110.9] Capitol Police - Outside Units
170.1750 [156.7] Capitol Police - "Motorcade Channel"
406.9375 [ 77.0] Capitol - Audio/Visual
407.8625 [NAC 0F0] State Department Building Security; "Sidedoor"
408.1250 [136.5] Library of Congress Police
408.5125 [ d632] Capitol Tours (Escorts)
408.6000 [NAC 0F0] State Department; "Flagship" (Motorcades)
409.0000 [NAC 293] Disaster Medical Assistance Team (encrypted)

DC Trunked System talkgroups:
2160 Fire Ops roll call (D12?)
2176 Fire Ops
9808 DCFD (encrypted)
16656 MPD SOD (traffic posts)
18320 MPD Harbor Patrol
33584 DC Department of Health Tac
33872 DC Emergency Management Agency
37328 DC DPW? "Echo to Charlie"; radio check

Fort Myer Trunked System talkgroups:
273 "Guardian 21"
283 "Guardian"
415 "Noble Defender"; "Warrior"
418 "Rescue 16"
2146 Posts

Arlington Trunked System talkgroups:
47 "NMRT Command to Warehouse Command"

ExxonMobil Headquarters

Here's a quick review of what frequencies I have for ExxonMobil's headquarters in Fairfax County:

464.5750 [ d243] Security (R)

464.6750 [ d243] Housekeeping (R)

464.8750 [ d243] Unknown (R)

Mount Vernon Licenses Additional Frequency

Mount Vernon has added another frequency onto their recent license. They are now licensed on 452.3875, 461.4625, and 462.1375. In my limited monitoring, I haven't heard anything on these new frequencies. I did hear security yesterday on their usual frequency of 464.5250 [ d073]. I expect that they will begin to migrate to these three new frequencies from their current frequencies of 464.4750, 464.5250, and 464.6750.

Weekend Events

The Washington Nationals play an exhibition game today at 4:05. CSC may have lost the contract for game-day security at Nationals Park, as games at the ballpark are no longer listed in CSC's list of events. Here are other frequencies previously monitored:

461.1125 [199.5] Parking lot attendants - The Yards
461.1375 [ d152] CSC Event Staff (S)
461.2375 [ d115] MASN TV
461.3875 [ d152] CSC Event Staff (On-field personnel) (Channel 2) (S)
461.6625 [ ] Nationals Staff (MOTOTRBO digital)
461.8125 [ ] Nationals Staff (MOTOTRBO digital)
461.9875 [ ] Nationals Staff (MOTOTRBO digital)
462.5500 [ CSQ] "order"; "didn't get beer"
463.7875 [ ] Nationals Staff (MOTOTRBO digital)
463.8000 [ d152] CSC Event Staff (Command Post) (R)
463.9375 [ ] Nationals Staff (MOTOTRBO digital)
464.5000 [114.8] ESPN? (active 3/30/08)
464.5500 [ 67.0] Advertising Sign Maintenance
464.5500 [167.9] Fireworks Coordination
464.5625 [ 91.5] Pittsburgh Pirates (active 5/3/08)
464.6500 [107.2] ESPN? (active 3/30/08)
467.9250 [ 67.0] Vendors
469.9375 [186.2] Transportation Service? (probably not Nationals personnel)
867.4875 [156.7] DCFD First Aid/Medical (inside stadium) (S)
867.7625 [156.7] DCFD First Aid/Medical (inside stadium) (S)

DC Trunked System Talkgroups:
2080 DCFD Inspectors (fireworks safety)
2096 DCFD Special Events 1 (outside stadium)
16400 MPD 1st District (officers around stadium)
16656 MPD Special Operations Division (brief use 3/29/08, 3/30/08; extensive use 5/23/09)
18320 MPD Harbor Patrol (water display/patrol--3/30/08)
18480 MPD unknown use (mostly encrypted--3/30/08)
20176 MPD unknown use (discussion about unloading buses--3/29/08)
21232 MPD Citywide 2 (street closures, traffic coordination)
34512 Traffic Management Center/Department of Transportation? (Traffic Control Officers)
34576 Department of Transportation (brief use 3/30/08)
35536 Emergency Management Agency
35600 Traffic Management Center/Department of Transportation

Metro Trunked System Talkgroups:
32944 Metrorail Green Line (personnel at Navy Yard Station--6/23/09)
33136 Metrorail Green Line Supervisors
50192 Police Tac 6 (crowd control at Navy Yard Station--3/30/08)
50224 Police Tac 7 (crowd control at Navy Yard Station--3/29/08)
50256 Police Tac 8 (crowd control at Navy Yard Station--6/23/09)
58032 (discussion about escalators at Navy Yard Station)
160.6050 [ CSQ] also active for crowd control at Navy Yard Station.

DC United has their home opener tonight at 7:30. Check DC United's new frequencies, which may be analog or MOTOTRBO. Here are some other frequencies previously monitored at RFK:

451.2750 [ d464] (Active 5/10/08 for women's national soccer team game)
451.3750 [ d464] (Active 5/10/08 for women's national soccer team game)
464.3750 [110.9] Cleaning?/HVAC/Engineering (R)
464.6750 [110.9] Guest Services? (S)
463.5875 [ d172]
464.5000 [ d412] DC United Ticketing/Box Office (Channel 6)
464.5500 [ d412] DC United "Corona party"
464.5875 [ d412] "beverages on way"
464.6125 [ d364] DC United "crowding Gate A"
464.6250 [ d152] DC United Engineering?; "check scripts"; "band a little slow"; "ticket sellers to A"
464.6500 [ d412] DC United "play video"; "send ceremonial kickers"; "countdown clock for warm-ups"
464.7250 [ ] DC United
464.7500 [ d152] DC United (Channel 5?)
466.8250 [ d412] DC United Media (Channel 3)
469.5000 [ d152] DC United Audio/Visual

452.2875 [ d754] Aramark
457.2875 [ d754] Aramark (beer operations)
458.6625 [ d516] Press Coordination?; "programs for students"
461.1375 [ d152] CSC Event Staff
461.3875 [ d152] CSC Event Staff - On-field operations (Channel 2)
461.4375 [ d152] CSC Event Staff (Channel 4?)
461.5125 [ d152] CSC Event Staff (Primary Channel)
461.8125 [ d311] Guest Services
462.1125 [ d516] Merchandise
462.3625 [ d315] "character generator"; "skycam"; "wireless cameras"
463.2375 [ d754] Aramark; "event center"
463.2875 [ d516] Merchandise (Channel 3?)
463.5250 [ d754] Aramark (R)
463.5375 [ d311] Parking (still active 5/08)
464.2625 [ d516] Merchandise
464.5000 [ d754] Aramark Human Resources
464.5500 [ 67.0] Advertising Sign Maintenance
464.5500 [167.9] Fireworks Coordination
464.7625 [ d516] Mechandise
464.8125 [ d364] Ticketing
465.2625 [110.9] Concession operations?; Ob Serv operations
466.1125 [ d311] Housekeeping (still active 5/08)
469.2625 [ d411] First Aid; "towing a school bus"
Metropolitan Police used talkgroup 21232. DC Fire used talkgroup 2096.

Holton Arms School FCC App

The Holton Arms School in Bethesda has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for one repeater and three simplex frequencies.

461.9875R

451.1875S

451.3125S

451.7375S

Weekend Events

The National Cherry Blossom Festival begins this weekend. The Opening Ceremony and other events are at the National Building Museum on Saturday. Previously, I had 462.6875 [ 77.0] for Staff and 464.5000 [ d703] for Security, but these may be obsolete. (The Building Museum may be using a special internal communications system.) In 2008, the volunteers working the Cherry Blossom events at the Building Museum used Family Radio Service frequencies.

The Smithsonian Kite Festival is also on Saturday. In 2008, organizers used 462.6375 [ 77.0].

Columbia Center FCC App

Columbia Center, an office building at 1152 15th St. NW, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.4625.

MLS Page Added to Sports Licenses

I've added Major League Soccer (MLS) to my group of pages about sports stadium licenses. It seems like a good time, with the New York Red Bulls opening a new stadium in Harrison, NJ, and DC United acquiring several new MOTOTRBO frequencies. Additionally, the Philadelphia Union is joining the League this year.

Hines Interest FCC App

Hines Interest Limited Partnership, which manages an office building at 1200 19th St. NW, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for one repeater and four simplex frequencies.

462.0125R

451.2375S

451.3625S

451.4625S

451.6875S

Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center Using MOTOTRBO

Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, which is slated to open in June, was monitored using MOTOTRBO on 463.5625 today.

PSR-500/600 New Firmware

New firmware (DSP and CPU) has been released for the PSR-500 and PSR-600 scanners. The upgrade process wasn't too complicated, but one must follow the instructions carefully. Remember to install the DSP before the CPU. All the details, including the files to download, can be found at GRE Support.

DC United FCC App

The company that controls DC United (MacFarlane-Chang D.C. Soccer) has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for fourteen UHF simplex frequencies. The frequencies are coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO modes. These frequencies will be used at RFK Stadium.

461.2750, 461.3250, 461.6500, 461.7500, 462.3500, 462.4250, 463.2750, 464.0500, 464.4500, 464.6250, 464.6750, 464.7250, 464.8500, 464.9500

JBG Companies FCC App

The JBG Companies has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for one repeater and five simplex frequencies. These frequencies will be used at the Rockwall I office building at 11400 Rockville Pike in Rockville.

463.8625R

451.2875S

451.3625S

451.4125S

451.5625S

452.3125S

700 13th St. NW FCC App

700 13th St. NW, an office building managed by Jones Lang LaSalle, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 464.6750.

Spotsylvania County EDACS System

Spotsylvania has added a frequency to their EDACS system. The frequency is 856.1375, and it is in logical channel number 5.

Mount Vernon FCC App

Mount Vernon has another application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 461.4625. Mount Vernon also recently licensed a repeater on 452.3875, but I haven't monitored activity on it.

Update on Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP P25

Radio techs continue to bring the P25 system for the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park online. They mentioned the locations of four of the six sites today: Spotsylvania Fire Company 7, the National Park Service maintenance facility, the Chief Ranger's office, and Chatham. They were also testing encryption last night.

Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park Switching to P25

Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park is transitioning to Project 25. They are still using analog, but they are also testing digital on 166.9500 [NAC 4F9]. The radio techs stated that one digital site is operational now, but they will eventually have six online.

Six Flags America FCC App

Six Flags America has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for three repeaters and five simplex frequencies. These will probably replace the many unlicensed repeaters and simplex frequencies that Six Flags currently uses. (Note that three of the current repeaters are licensed--451.8500, 452.1250, and 461.4125.)

452.2125R

461.8625R

463.6375R

451.2375S

451.4375S

451.6625S

456.2375S

456.4375S

Residence Inn Alexandria at Carlyle

The Residence Inn Alexandria at Carlyle has been licensed for two UHF simplex MOTOTRBO frequencies.

457.1625

457.4125

Accenture FCC App

Accenture, a management consulting company in Reston, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 464.5750.

Armed Forces Retirement Home FCC App

The Armed Forces Retirement Home (Soldiers' Home) has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 464.6625.

Lincoln Place FCC App

Lincoln Place, an office building at 600 Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for twenty mobile units on 461.5875, using MOTOTRBO digital.

Washington Auto Show

The Washington Auto Show continues today and tomorrow at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. (Their website says they are open despite the weather.) Here are frequencies found in 2006, the last year I attended:

461.7750 [ d411] Operations
462.5500 [131.8] Ticketing
463.5500 [203.5] Operations
463.5750 [ 88.5] CES Security
464.0000 [ d411] Operations
464.5500 [ d134] Food/Concessions
467.9250 [ d343] "rovers"; Security?

Here is what I have for the Convention Center itself:

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)

January 2010 Capitol Hill Monitor Newsletter Posted

The January 2010 Capitol Hill Monitor newsletter (PDF) has just been posted. As usual, it has several excellent articles. There is information about the Prince George's and Loudoun TDMA trunked systems, a new radio system for the Capitol Police, and Northern Virginia STARS.

STARS Encryption

On the Thornburg site of STARS (Virginia's statewide digital radio system), I monitored the VA Department of Emergency Management Ops 1 talkgroup (2407) a few days ago. One person was advising a field unit to press a softkey marked "SEC" on his radio. After this, several of their transmissions were encrypted. They then went back to "open" mode. I believe this is the first time I've heard encryption on STARS, but it's not too surprising.

(The Thornburg and Fork Mountain sites may be in range of those in the Northern Virginia/DC area, particularly with a good antenna.)

MWAA Police Tac 3

While listening to the RadioReference audio feed of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority trunked system, I heard two Reagan National Police officers talk about switching to "Tac 3." I've never come across this talkgroup before. Does anyone know what talkgroup number it is?

Suitland High School FCC App

Suitland High School, located in Prince George's County, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 152.8700.