Our Lady of Good Counsel High School FCC License

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, located in Olney, was recently licensed for a MOTOTRBO repeater on 462.1375, and MOTOTRBO simplex on 451.5875, 451.7125, 452.6625, 456.5875, 456.7125, and 457.6625. The school had originally requested just the simplex frequencies, but decided to add the repeater.

Montgomery Express Shuttle FCC License

Montgomery Express Shuttle, which provides airport transportation, was recently licensed for a repeater on 860.1625.

International Limousine Service FCC License

International Limousine Service, which provides corporate and leisure transportation, was recently licensed for a repeater on 464.9500, and simplex on 466.7125, 466.8375, 469.7125, and 469.9625. The repeater transmitter is located at 2201 G St. NW on the campus of George Washington University.

Weekend Events

• The Wizards play Friday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
• The Redskins play Sunday at 8:20 PM at FedEx Field.

Military Bowl Tomorrow

San Jose State and Bowling Green play in the Military Bowl tomorrow at 3 PM at RFK Stadium. Expect one or more of the CSC Event Staff frequencies to be active (461.5125 [ d152] appears to be their "primary" frequency in the Washington area, with 461.3875 [ d152] also commonly in use.) Also look for RFK staff on the stadium's repeater (464.3750 [110.9]). Staff for the game will probably use rented UHF radios. (In 2008, when the game was known as the EagleBank Bowl, staff used 464.7500 [ d156].)

George Mason University FCC License

George Mason University was recently licensed for ten simplex frequencies. The frequencies are probably used for the Patriot Center. Indeed, several of the frequencies have already been confirmed in use at the Patriot Center:

461.5125 [ d152] George Mason - Patriot Center - CSC Event Staff (S)
463.2750 [  88.5] George Mason - Patriot Center - Operations (Ticket issues/talk about national anthem)
463.9250 [  88.5] George Mason - Patriot Center - Security/General Operations (Ticket Takers/Ushers/Housekeeping)
464.6000 [  88.5] George Mason - Patriot Center - Parking
464.6750 [  88.5] George Mason - Patriot Center - Concessions

Weekend Events

• Georgetown plays Saturday at noon at Verizon Center.
• The Wizards play Saturday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.

George Washington University Police Switch to MOTOTRBO

According to this RadioReference post, George Washington University Police are now using MOTOTRBO on 464.2000. Their license does not have the MOTOTRBO emission designators, but this is not unusual.

Weekly FCC License Grants

This page lists weekly FCC license grants by state.

Weekend Event

• Georgetown plays Saturday at noon at Verizon Center.

Hilton McLean Tysons Corner Hotel FCC App

The Hilton McLean Tysons Corner Hotel has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 464.9250. Note that the hotel has previously used this frequency, with DCS 244.

Republic Airlines FCC App

Republic Airlines, which operates as US Airways Express at Reagan National Airport, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.7500.

Narrowbanding in the DC Area

With the January 1, 2013 narrowbanding deadline coming up, many agencies are quickly changing their licenses with updated emission designators. RadioReference has received many updates for narrowbanded frequencies, particularly for Maryland. The "mode" for these frequencies is "NFM."

DC Migrating to 700 MHz System?

According to this RadioReference post, DC may be moving to a 700 MHz trunked system.

1350 I Street FCC App

1350 I Street, an office building in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 461.6625, 461.7375, 462.1125, and 463.9875.

Weekend Events

• Georgetown plays Saturday at noon at Verizon Center.
• The Wizards play Saturday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
• The Redskins play Sunday at 1 PM at FedEx Field.

FINRA FCC App

FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), located at 9509 Key West Ave. in Rockville, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for ten UHF simplex frequencies.

Weekend Event

• The BB&T Classic is Sunday at 12:15 at Verizon Center.

World Bank FCC App

The World Bank has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 462.5000. The frequency is coded for analog and MOTOTRBO.

This frequency may replace 151.9550 [107.2], which has been used by security in a base/mobile configuration for years. The Bank also uses a repeater on 463.7500 [ d606] for engineering.

American University FCC App

American University has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a MOTOTRBO trunked system with two sites. The Anderson Hall site will use 461.6250 and 461.7625. The Katzen Arts Center site will use 461.5250 and 463.5125. This will probably be either a MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus or Connect Plus system.

American University is reportedly currently using Nextel for their operations; they may be switching to MOTOTRBO because of the upcoming shutdown of the Nextel network.

Weekend Events

• Georgetown plays Saturday at noon at Verizon Center.
• The Wizards play Saturday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.

This is also a big shopping weekend. For mall security frequencies, see this post.

National Cancer Institute Rockville FCC App

The National Cancer Institute building, located at 9609 Medical Center Dr. in Rockville, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 461.5500. The frequency is coded for analog and MOTOTRBO.

Franklin Square Renews License

Franklin Square, an office building located at 1300 I St. NW in DC, recently renewed its license for a repeater on 461.8250.

Franklin Court Building Renews License

The Franklin Court Building, located at 1099 14th St. NW in DC, recently renewed its license for repeaters on 452.8000 and 463.6000.

8300 Greensboro Dr. FCC App

8300 Greensboro Dr., an office building in McLean, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.5000.

Shopping Center Security Frequencies

With Black Friday approaching, here's the annual list of shopping center security frequencies. Note that for simplicity and brevity, this list only contains the security frequency of each mall - housekeeping and other frequencies are excluded. (These frequencies, as well as individual store frequencies, are on my website.)

There have been several changes over the past year, particularly with malls migrating to MOTOTRBO.

DC
452.9250 [141.3] DC USA
468.5625 [ d606] Mazza Gallerie
464.5750 [ d346] Shops at Union Station

Virginia
461.8875 [203.5] Ballston Common Mall
464.4375 [ d074] Fashion Centre at Pentagon City
464.9250 [ d612] Pentagon Center
452.2000 [ d226] Landmark Mall
464.1250 [         ] Fair Oaks Mall (MOTOTRBO - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1)
464.7375 [         ] Reston Town Center (MOTOTRBO - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 100)
464.3250 [  77.0] Springfield Mall
461.9875 [ d054] Tysons Corner Center
462.2500 [  94.8] Tysons Galleria
451.5250 [ d411] Dulles Town Center
462.4000 [110.9] Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets
461.0125 [100.0] Manassas Mall
463.6000 [ d723] Potomac Mills (may be switching to MOTOTRBO soon)

Maryland
464.2750 [ d606] Chevy Chase Pavilion (may have switched to MOTOTRBO)
464.7750 [ d411] Downtown Silver Spring
464.7000 [ d423] Lake Forest Mall (may switch to MOTOTRBO in the future)
463.7625 [203.5] Westfield Montgomery Mall
461.7250 [ d031] Westfield Wheaton Mall
464.8250 [151.4] White Flint Mall
461.9750 [ CSQ] Boulevard at Capital Centre
152.9225 [ d074] Bowie Town Center
464.3750 [ d032] Mall at Prince George's (probably switched to 463.4375; may be MOTOTRBO)
451.3625 [ d156] Arundel Mills Mall
464.8750 [ d315] Marley Station Mall (may have switched to MOTOTRBO)
464.0125 [ d664] Westfield Annapolis Mall
461.1125 [162.2] The Mall in Columbia

Goldin & Stafford New License

Goldin & Stafford, a construction company for the Marriott Marquis Hotel at 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW in DC, was recently licensed for MOTOTRBO repeaters on 463.5125 and 463.5500, and MOTOTRBO simplex on 451.5625, 452.1625, 452.1875, 452.6625, and 452.7875.

The hotel is scheduled to open in May 2014.

AMC Hoffman Center 22 Theatre New License

The AMC Hoffman Center 22 Theatre in Alexandria was recently licensed for simplex on 452.0875 and 452.1125. As of this summer, the theatre was using 467.9250 [241.8].

AMC Loews Georgetown 14 Theatre New License

The AMC Loews Georgetown 14 Theatre was recently licensed for simplex on 452.0875 and 452.1125.

National Press Building FCC Apps

The National Press Building, located at 529 14th St. NW in DC, has two applications pending before the FCC. One of the apps appears to be for security, and calls for a repeater on 463.5250. The other app appears to be for engineering, and calls for a repeater on 462.1750.

Le Meridien Arlington Hotel FCC App

The Le Meridien Arlington Hotel, located in Rosslyn, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 461.8875, and simplex on 456.7375, 457.4125, 457.7625, and 457.8625. Note that the hotel already has a current license (under Hotel Palomar) for these frequencies. 461.8875 [136.5] has been confirmed in use for the hotel; the simplex frequencies have not been monitored.

800 N. Glebe Rd. FCC App

800 N. Glebe Rd., an office building in the Ballston area of Arlington, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 464.7250, and simplex on 462.3500, 463.4875, 464.6875, 467.3500, and 469.6875. The frequencies are coded for both MOTOTRBO and NXDN.

Weekend Events

• Maryland plays Saturday at noon at Byrd Stadium.
• The Wizards play Saturday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
• The Redskins play Sunday at 1 PM at FedEx Field.
• DC United plays Sunday at 4 PM at RFK Stadium.

Washington Adventist Hospital Security New Frequency

Washington Adventist Hospital is using 462.1375 [ d654] for security. 464.4750 [ 82.5] remains in use for other staff.

The new frequency was added to the license in August.

Thanks to Alan Henney for the confirm on this.

Georgetown University FCC App

Georgetown University has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.3750. This frequency has previously been used with [ d606] for maintenance/engineering.

The Dupont Circle Hotel FCC App

The Dupont Circle Hotel, located at 1500 New Hampshire Ave. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.3625. The frequency is coded for analog and MOTOTRBO.

The hotel was last monitored using 464.5000 [ d032] for engineering, and 464.5000 [ d125] for housekeeping.

Georgetown University Law Center Switching to MOTOTRBO?

Georgetown University Law Center has an application to add MOTOTRBO emission designators to the frequencies (461.3750 and 462.2500) on its license. 461.3750 [ d606] is currently used for engineering.

Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center FCC App

The Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center, located in Manassas, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.8625.

CNN FCC App

CNN has an application pending before the FCC for their Washington operations. The app calls for MOTOTRBO repeaters on 464.9625 (from 2844 Wisconsin Ave. NW) and 452.7000 and 462.2750 (from 820 First St. NE).

CNN currently uses MOTOTRBO repeaters on 450.1875, 450.6750, 450.7750, and 450.8875.

Weekend Event

• The Wizards play Friday at 7 at Verizon Center.

Baltimore City Trunked System Rebanded

The Baltimore City trunked system has been rebanded.

Two Democracy Center FCC App

Two Democracy Center, an office building located at 6903 Rockledge Dr. in Bethesda, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 461.4375, and simplex on 461.5500 and 464.2500. The frequencies are coded for analog, MOTOTRBO, and NXDN.

National Place FCC Apps

National Place, located at 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in DC, has three applications pending before the FCC. Each app requests a UHF repeater:

461.6625
463.2625
464.8875

1301 Pennsylvania Avenue FCC App

1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, an office building, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 464.2875.

Westfield Wheaton Using MOTOTRBO

Westfield Wheaton (formerly Wheaton Plaza) is using MOTOTRBO on 461.7250. The license, which was renewed in July, shows only analog emission codes. The mall also had a repeater on 464.6250; it's unknown if this is still used.

NoMa Business Improvement District New License

The NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) recently licensed a repeater on 461.5875.

Obama Campaign Rally - Jiffy Lube Live

Here's what was active at tonight's Obama campaign rally at Jiffy Lube Live:

Prince William Trunked System talkgroups:
16432 Police - Special Events 1
16464 Police - Special Events 2
32496 Fire

Weekend Events

• Maryland plays Saturday at 12:30 at Byrd Stadium.
• The Wizards play their home opener Saturday at 7:00 at Verizon Center.
• DC United plays a playoff game Saturday at 8:00 at RFK Stadium.
• The Redskins play Sunday at 1:00 at FedEx Field.

Marine Corps Marathon Finds

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

Marine Corps Trunked System Talkgroups (Site 403):
63033 Route
63034 Medical?
63037 Medical
63040 "mascots for 10K finish" "VIP tent"
63041 "VIP Juliet on deck" "post"
63045 Shuttle Buses
63046 Information Technology
63047 "checkpoint"
63049 Start Line/Finish Line

Arlington Trunked System Talkgroups:
3 Police - Traffic Control
4 Police - Traffic Control
7 Police - Division 3
8 Police - Division 2
9 Police - Rosslyn area
10 Police - Unknown
11 Police - Traffic Control
20 Police - Tactical-type units?
21 Police - Tactical-type units?
25 Police - Tactical-type units?
42 Fire - Unknown
43 Fire - "Rosslyn Division"
44 Fire - Unknown
45 Fire - Rosslyn Metro?
46 Fire - Iwo Jima
47 Fire - Transportation
57 Police - SWAT units
58 Police - "suspicious packages" "plainclothes"
61 Police - Encrypted
70 Unknown
135 Coordination 1
222 Unknown - "staging"

DC Trunked System Talkgroups:
2096 Fire - Special Events 1 (Primary)
2112 Fire - Special Events 2 (EMS Liaison Officer)
2128 Fire - Special Events 3 (Transports?)
2592 Fire - Interoperability with MPD
33840 Emergency Management Agency
33872 Emergency Management Agency

Fairfax Trunked System Talkgroup:
1128 MEDCOM (Hospital Roll Call)

STARS Trunked System Talkgroup:
6149 Interop LE 7 (Traffic Control)

Metro Trunked System Talkgroup:
50160 Police - Tac 5 (Crowd Control)

123.0250 [ CSQ] Helicopters
162.2500 [173.8] Capitol Police (Ch. 4)
166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Ch. 1)
169.7750 [NAC 4C5] George Washington Parkway
451.7750 [ d205] Crystal City Security
453.4750 [146.2] Red Cross
462.4000 [ d226] Red Cross
462.7000 [ 97.4] "aid station" "cots"

Library of Congress Police Patched to Capitol Police

During the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, the Library of Congress Police frequency (408.1250 [136.5]) was patched to Capitol Police Ch. 4 (162.2500 [173.8]). It's unknown if the patch is temporary or permanent.

Hurricane Sandy Monitoring - Montgomery County

This RadioReference forum thread lists active talkgroups on the Montgomery County trunked system.

Hurricane Sandy Monitoring - Fredericksburg Area

Notes from monitoring today:

• Spotsylvania is using their Disaster Tac talkgroup (00-087).
• Stafford is using their Fire Dispatch 2 talkgroup (4602).
• Fauquier had individual (private) calls on the system; first time I've seen this.
• Rappahannock Sheriff was monitored on 28752; this is probably an alternate talkgroup.
• Talkgroup 30224 on the Fauquier/Culpeper/Rappahannock system appears to be a new talkgroup for Rappahannock, although an exact use could not be determined.
• Charles had a new talkgroup (18896) active. This is probably a Maryland Transportation Authority alternate.
• Charles Fire seems to be coordinating much of their storm response on Tac 4 (17104). 
• The Virginia Department of Military Affairs was active on STARS talkgroup 4524. This is the first time I've seen this talkgroup on the Thornburg site. There was communication about moving from the Fredericksburg Armory to a location in Leesburg.

(I'll update this post with new finds.)

JetBlue Adds Frequency at Reagan National

JetBlue has added a frequency to their license for operations at Reagan National Airport. The airline has been using 463.8625 [210.7] (R). They have added a repeater on 451.2875.

Weekend Events

• The Washington International Horse Show continues through Sunday at the Verizon Center.
• The Marine Corps Marathon is Sunday at 7:55 AM in Arlington and DC.

Marine Corps Marathon

The Marine Corps Marathon is Sunday morning. Here are some suggested trunked systems and frequencies to monitor:

• Marine Corps trunked system (site 403) - Look for the 63xxx talkgroups to be active.
• Arlington trunked system - Numerous police and fire talkgroups will be active.
• DC trunked system - Look for the Fire Special Events talkgroups to be active.
• STARS trunked system - Talkgroup 6149 (Interop LE 7) has been active in recent years for traffic control.
• Metro trunked system - Look for one or more of the Police Tac channels to be active for crowd control at various stations.
• 123.0250 [ CSQ] Helicopters
• 162.2500 [173.8] Capitol Police
• 166.7250 [127.3] Park Police
• 169.7750 [NAC 4C5] George Washington Parkway
• 451.7750 [ d205] Crystal City Security
• 453.4750 [146.2] Red Cross
• 462.4000 [ d226] Red Cross

Amateur radio operators have used 145.1700, 145.1900, 146.6100, 444.5500, and 449.9750 in recent years.

Washington International Horse Show

The Washington International Horse Show began yesterday and continues through this Sunday at Verizon Center. Organizers typically rent UHF radios. Search 461-470 MHz. Verizon Center staff use UHF MOTOTRBO radios.

Army Ten-Miler Finds

Here's what I found at Sunday's Army Ten-Miler:

JNCR Trunked System Talkgroups:
310 Fort Myer MP Alternate
401 K9 Sweeps/Searches
404 "parked vehicles"
412 "Enforcer"
415 "Legion"
432 "Warrior" "move waves up"
439 Transportation
457 Media
477 "lines" "Legion"
485 "clean up at water point"
22421 Medical
22422 Medical

Arlington County Trunked System Talkgroups:
11 Police - Special Operations Section
14 Police - Emergency Response Unit
25 Police - Unknown
42 Fire - Logistics
43 Fire - Unknown
44 Fire - South Division
45 Fire - North Division
46 Fire - Transportation
50 Fire - Explosive Ordnance Disposal (encrypted)

DC Trunked System Talkgroup:
2096 Fire - Special Events 1

166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Ch. 1)

Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City Using MOTOTRBO

The Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City is using MOTOTRBO on 461.3500 and 464.4750. The license continues to show a pending application for the change from analog to MOTOTRBO, but the hotel is apparently already using it.

Blanchard Communications FCC App

Blanchard Communications, a radio rental provider based in Annapolis, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for seventy-three UHF simplex frequencies. These frequencies will be used by various groups during Inaugural events in January 2013.

Weekend Events

A busy fall weekend for sports:

• Howard has homecoming events on Friday and Saturday. Police use MOTOTRBO on 461.7000.
• Maryland plays their homecoming game Saturday at 3:30 at Byrd Stadium. Expect the university's trunked system to be active.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:30 at RFK Stadium.
• The Army Ten-Miler is Sunday at 8:00 AM in Arlington and DC. Look for extensive use of 4xx talkgroups of the Joint National Capital Region trunked system. Arlington's trunked system will also be busy.

One Washington Circle Hotel FCC App

One Washington Circle Hotel, located in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 452.0875, 452.4125, 451.5625, 452.7125, 452.1625, and 451.4875.

Ryan Visit to Fredericksburg

Paul Ryan visited Fredericksburg on Tuesday. Here's what I monitored:

159.0600 [203.5] Fredericksburg Fire (Channel 5)
165.2125 [NAC 001] Secret Service Mike (encrypted)
451.8000 [156.7] Unknown - possibly unrelated

159.0600 seems to be Fredericksburg Fire's "special events" channel (it's been in use for a few other recent events). I was surprised to see 165.2125 in use for the Secret Services, as that channel is supposedly for foreign dignitary protection. 451.8000 may not have been for the event - it was used by people talking about how to get back to Interstate 95.

Romney Visit to Leesburg

Mitt Romney visited Leesburg last night. This RadioReference thread has information on active talkgroups from the Loudoun trunked system, as well as encrypted Secret Service frequencies.

GRE Releases PSR-800 Beta Firmware to Support P25 Phase II

Today, GRE released beta firmware for the PSR-800 to decode Project 25 Phase II trunked systems. Phase II isn't used in the immediate Washington area, although Loudoun County and Prince George's County use Project 25 Motorola X2-TDMA, which is Motorola's proprietary TDMA solution. See the RadioReference Wiki for information about the different "flavors" of Project 25.

The 700 MHz First Responders Interoperable Radio System Team (FIRST), which will eventually become Maryland's statewide trunked system, does use P25 Phase II. So far, this system is only active in the Baltimore and Eastern Shoe areas.

MWAA Secondary Fire Talkgroups

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) secondary fire talkgroups have recently changed their designations to conform to talkgroup naming conventions of other Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments jurisdictions. The changes have been made to the RadioReference MWAA trunked system page.

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 8:30 at Nationals Park.
• The Redskins play Sunday at 4:25 at FedEx Field.

Weekend Events

• The Taste of DC is Saturday, Sunday and Monday on Pennsylvania Ave. between 9th and 14th Sts.
• Maryland plays Saturday at 3:30 at Byrd Stadium.
• The Redskins play Sunday at 1:00 at FedEx Field.

Baltimore County Abandons Analog Systems

Baltimore County has abandoned their two analog trunked systems, in favor of a Project 25 system.

Bloomingdale's (Chevy Chase) FCC App

Bloomingdale's, located at Wisconsin Place in Chevy Chase, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 464.4125. The store was previously monitored using 464.5500 [110.9]. The store also holds a license for several other UHF frequencies.

Emirates Airlines FCC App

Emirates Airlines (at Dulles Airport) has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.0500, and simplex on 456.3625 and 457.2875. The frequencies are coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO.

Alexandria Shuts Down Project 16 System

Alexandria has shut down its Project 16 trunked system, and is now using the Project 25 trunked system exclusively.

Frederick County, MD Switches to Project 25 System

Frederick County, MD has switched from a Project 16 to a Project 25 system. The old system is still on the air, but is reportedly only used for data. It should be turned off by December.

Bloomingdale's (Tysons Corner) FCC App

Bloomingdale's, located at Tysons Corner Center, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 451.4375, 451.6375, 452.7875, 452.8125, and 452.8375.

Boston Properties (500 North Capitol St.) FCC App

Boston Properties has an application pending before the FCC for an office building at 500 North Capitol St. The app calls for a repeater on 464.9375. The frequency is coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO.

FedEx Field Update

I did some monitoring at Saturday's Virginia Tech/Cincinnati game at FedEx Field. I was able to update several IDs on the FedEx LTR system. Several of the IDs appear to have the same use (e.g. Guest Services/Ushers), but are used for different levels of the stadium.

Even with the LTR system, FedEx is still using at least four conventional repeaters:

452.2750 [ d664] Electrical/Engineering (R)
461.5375 [ d664] Security - Rapid Response (R)
463.5250 [ d664] Parking (R)
464.4750 [ d664] Field Security (R)

The Prince George's trunked system "FedEx" talkgroups were active, although it is difficult to receive them at FedEx because of simulcast digital distortion.

2001 FedEx Field 1 (PGPD outside units)
2003 FedEx Field 2 (PGPD inside units)
2005 FedEx Field 3 (PGFD first aid)

Fairfax County Project 16 System Shut Down

Fairfax County's Project 16 Public Safety trunked system has been shut down. All public safety operations are now on the Project 25 system. The move from two systems to one simplifies things for scanner listeners, although users are reporting more problems with simulcast digital distortion with the P25 system.

University of Maryland, College Park Rebanded

The University of Maryland, College Park, has rebanded its 800 MHz trunked system. All frequencies have shifted down 15 MHz. Talkgroups are unaffected.

Weekend Event

• Virginia Tech plays Cincinnati Saturday at 3:30 at FedEx Field. Expect the "FedEx" talkgroups of the Prince George's County trunked system to be active, as well as FedEx Field's LTR system. Also see my Prince George's page (scroll down to the "Business" section) for other frequencies used at the stadium.

Northern Virginia Schools Frequencies

Now that the school year is underway, I thought I'd run through the frequencies/talkgroups being used by Northern Virginia schools. (I'll update this post with significant changes.)

Arlington - Buses use talkgroups 199, 200, 201, 202, and 203 on the Arlington trunked system. Specific uses of the talkgroups have not been determined. Washington-Lee High uses 152.4050 [ d411]. Yorktown High probably uses 152.3750, according to this license. The license also lists several other VHF simplex frequencies (159.7050, 159.9600, 160.0200, 160.1400), which are probably used for various schools in the county.

Alexandria - Buses use talkgroup 70, security uses talkgroup 72, and T.C. Williams High uses talkgroup 73 on the Alexandria trunked system. Talkgroups 82, 83, 84, and 85 are used by unknown schools. Douglas MacArthur Elementary is licensed for 456.1875, 456.2875, and 456.5375.

Fairfax - Security is on the Project 25 trunked system (talkgroups 1335, 1336, 1337, and 1338). Buses and maintenance are on the Services trunked system. Individual schools generally use VHF simplex or repeater frequencies. Some of the identified ones:

151.5950 [  77.0] Edison High
151.5950 [103.5] Hayfield Secondary
151.8950 [ d162] Willow Springs Elementary
152.2850 [103.5] Thomas Jefferson High
152.9750 [  88.5] Mark Twain Middle
153.3350 [  94.8] Key Middle
153.3350 [107.2] Marshall High
153.3650 [ d115] Hayfield Secondary
153.3650 [ d116] Robinson Secondary
153.3650 [  94.8] Annandale High
153.3650 [100.0] Lee High
153.3650 [107.2] West Springfield High

(Fairfax has dozens of frequencies licensed for schools all over the county - too numerous to list all of them here.)

Falls Church - The school system holds a license for a repeater on 152.2700.

Prince William - Bus and security talkgroups are on the county's trunked system. The county recently licensed a slew of UHF frequencies for individual schools. These are listed in the FCC database under "Prince William County Public Schools."

Manassas - Buses use a repeater on 856.6125 [136.5]. Mayfield Intermediate is licensed for 462.3125 and 462.3625.

Manassas Park - Buses use a repeater on 463.9250 [ d023]. Manassas Park Middle is licensed for 461.1250 and 464.2250.

Loudoun - Buses operate on an LTR-Net trunked system, which is monitorable, but not trackable, with scanners. (It is believed that the system can be tracked reasonably well by entering the system in a scanner as a standard LTR.) Individual schools use conventional UHF frequencies; the licenses may be found under "Loudoun County Public Schools" and "Loudoun County Schools."

Stafford - Buses use 489.1125 [156.7], which is known as "Dispatch 2," and 488.5625 [156.7], which is the "Garage" channel. The license for these frequencies indicates that they may change to MOTOTRBO in the future. Identified individual school frequencies are listed on this page. The county has licensed frequencies for almost every school.

Fredericksburg - Buses use ID 0-05-146 on the Communication Specialists LTR system. James Monroe High uses Nextel. Other identified frequencies:

464.5000 [ d411] Walker-Grant Middle (S)
464.5500 [127.3] Original Walker-Grant (S)
467.9250 [ d723] Hugh Mercer Elementary

The city is licensed for six UHF simplex frequencies; these are not in use.

Spotsylvania - Buses, maintenance, and administration use several talkgroups on the county's EDACS trunked system. Identified individual school frequencies are listed on this page. The county has several applications pending before the FCC for individual school frequencies. These are listed under the individual school names.

King George - Buses use a MOTOTRBO repeater on 151.7750. Identified individual school frequencies are listed on this page.

Fauquier - Buses and maintenance are on the county's trunked system.

Culpeper - Buses and maintenance are on the county's trunked system. Culpeper High and Eastern View High are also on this system.

Rappahannock - Buses use a repeater on 464.0500 [179.9].

Warren - Buses use a repeater on 464.1000 [  88.5].

National Book Festival Frequencies Found

Here's what I found today at the National Book Festival:

410.3375 [ d411] Library of Congress Security
456.3125 [127.3] Golf Cart Escorts
459.9125 [173.8] Materials Distribution
462.9125 [107.2] Volunteers
463.6250 [ d431] Car/Van Transportation?
464.5125 [  85.4] Security?
466.0375 [233.6] Pavilion Managers
466.9125 [ d311] Staging
467.3125 [ d734]
DC Fire used talkgroup 2112.

Radios were from USA Radio Rentals.

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 1:05, and Sunday at 1:35.
• The National Book Festival is Saturday from 10:00-5:30 and Sunday from 12:00-5:30 on the National Mall between 9th and 14th Sts.
• The Redskins play Sunday at 1:00 at FedEx Field.
• DC United plays Sunday at 7:00 at RFK Stadium.

Boeing Service Company FCC App

The Boeing Service Company, located at 14675 Lee Rd. in Chantilly, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 451.3250, 452.1250, 452.1500, 452.3375, 452.7500, and 452.8000.

Bruce Springsteen Concert Frequencies Found

Here are frequencies found at yesterday's Bruce Springsteen concert:

461.3875 [ d152] CSC Event Staff (S)
464.7500 [233.6] CSC Event Staff (R)

461.0375 [         ] Concert Organizers? (MOTOTRBO) (S)
461.0875 [         ] Concert Organizers? (MOTOTRBO) (S)
466.0875 [         ] Concert Organizers? (MOTOTRBO) (S)
466.1375 [         ] Concert Organizers? (MOTOTRBO) (S)

DC Trunked System talkgroup:
2096 DCFD Special Events 1

Weekend Events

• Bruce Springsteen performs Friday at 7:30 at Nationals Park.
• Maryland plays Saturday at 12:30 at Byrd Stadium.
• James Madison plays West Virginia Saturday at 4:30 at FedEx Field.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:30 at RFK Stadium.
• The Navy-Air Force Half Marathon & Navy Five-Miler is Sunday at 7:30 AM on 15th St. near Constitution Ave.

Loudoun Hospital Center FCC App

Loudoun Hospital Center has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for MOTOTRBO repeaters on 461.5750 and 464.8375, and MOTOTRBO simplex on 451.3375, 452.1375, 452.3125, 456.3375, and 456.7375. Note that these frequencies will be used at two locations.

Georgetown Preparatory School FCC App

Georgetown Preparatory School, located at 10900 Rockville Pike in Bethesda, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 452.0875, 452.1875, and 457.1875.

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 1:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• The Nation's Triathlon is Sunday. The event begins at 7:00 AM in West Potomac Park.

Charles County Schools FCC App

Charles County Schools have an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for MOTOTRBO repeaters on 152.3075 and 152.9825. This system will be used for school bus transportation, and should replace 46.5400 [ 71.9].

Weekend Events

Busy Labor Day weekend:

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 4:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• Maryland plays William & Mary Saturday at 3:00 at Byrd Stadium. The university's trunked system should be very active; it's unknown if this system has been rebanded. Several conventional frequencies are also used; see the Prince George's page for these.
• The Nation's Football Classic is Saturday at 3:30 at RFK Stadium. See the Washington, DC page for RFK frequencies (scroll to Business / RFK Stadium).

And a big event in Baltimore:

• The Baltimore Grand Prix is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Inner Harbor. Several public safety trunked systems will be in use: Baltimore, CMARC, and FIRST. (Note that some talkgroups on FIRST use Phase II TDMA modulation, which cannot be monitored with any scanner.) Race organizers will probably use UHF repeaters/simplex, possibly MOTOTRBO. Racing Electronics held a license for last year's race; it's unknown if these frequencies will be in use again this year.

Rappahannock School Buses

Rappahannock County (VA) School Buses are using 464.0500 [179.9] (R). This frequency is probably covered under this license, even though the transmitter is located in Warren County.

Another Stafford Schools Update

Stafford Schools continue to conduct radio testing on several UHF-T frequencies. The schools are apparently going to use the UHF-T frequencies that Fire used previously. 488.6375 [156.7], which was Fire Channel 2, was referred to as Channel 1. 489.1125 [156.7], which was Fire Channel 3, was referred to as Channel 2. No MOTOTRBO was monitored, so they may use the frequencies in analog mode, at least for now.

AirCare 2 and King George

AirCare 2, a medical helicopter based at Shannon Airport in Fredericksburg, was responding to a motor vehicle accident this afternoon in King George. The helo tried contacting the county on 155.7600 [ d412], but received no response. The county currently uses 155.7600 [141.3]. (The tones were switched from DCS to CTCSS several years ago.) I believe the helo was able to land at the scene without any problem, but this incident highlights the importance of keeping responders informed of radio system changes.

Arundel Mills Mall Major Update

Updated frequencies for Arundel Mills Mall are on the Anne Arundel County page. (Scroll down to the "Business" section.)

Maryland Live! Casino Using MOTOTRBO Connect Plus

The Maryland Live! Casino, located adjacent to Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover, is using a MOTOTRBO Connect Plus trunked system. This type of system is used to connect multiple MOTOTRBO sites. Each site has a dedicated control channel. The casino appears to be using two sites. This RadioReference page has all the known information about the system.

Stafford Schools Probably Switching to MOTOTRBO

Stafford Schools are probably switching their UHF-T frequencies to MOTOTRBO for the upcoming school year. As was mentioned in a previous post, MOTOTRBO emission designators have been added to the license. Radio testing (in analog mode) was also monitored on a couple of the frequencies, and the users mentioned digital.

Weekend Event

• The Redskins play a preseason game Saturday at 4 PM at FedEx Field. The "FedEx Field" talkgroups on the Prince George's County trunked system should be active, as well as the Redskins' LTR trunked system. The National Football League also licensed several frequencies over the summer for use at the stadium.

Loudoun County Youth Center FCC App

The Loudoun County Youth Center has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for MOTOTRBO simplex on 451.5125, 451.6375, 452.8375, 456.5125, and 456.6375.

Charles County Rebanding

Charles County has started to reband its trunked system. The current control channel is 853.3750.

Cirque du Soleil - Totem

Cirque du Soleil's Totem is playing at National Harbor now through September 30. Cirque holds a nationwide license for their traveling performances.

Montgomery County Completes Rebanding

Montgomery County has completed rebanding. All frequencies have shifted down 15 MHz.

DC Water and Sewer Authority - Blue Plains

The DC Water and Sewer Authority is using 451.6875 [151.4] (R) for the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant. The license does not indicate a repeater.

Fairfax County Update

Two frequencies found for Fairfax County:

• The Kings Gardens apartments are using 452.2625 [ d271] (R). This complex is one of several managed by Southern Management; the license covers several other sites in Virginia and Maryland.
• Belle Haven Country Club is using 456.5625 [173.8]. The club is also licensed for another simplex frequency.

Another Alexandria Update

Here are some more frequencies found in Alexandria:

• The Lorien Hotel & Spa is using 451.4125 [ d115] (S). This is an alternate channel; their primary channel is 451.3875 [ d023] (S). They also have several other simplex frequencies licensed.
• The Wyndham Old Town Alexandria is using 464.5500 [ 67.0] (S). This is the first frequency I've found for this hotel; they do not have a license.
• The Residence Inn on Duke Street is using 451.4875 (MOTOTRBO - Color Code 1, Group 1). This is one of four MOTOTRBO simplex frequencies the hotel licensed in 2010.
• The Meridian at Carlyle apartment building is using 452.7250 [ d411] (S). This is one of four simplex frequencies licensed.
• Alexandria Union Cab is using 451.8500 [218.1]. The cabs are on 456.8500 [218.1]. The frequencies were licensed in 2011.

Weekend Events

• The Women of Faith event is Friday at 7:00 and Saturday at 9:00 AM at the Verizon Center. The organization holds a license for fifteen UHF simplex frequencies.
• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 7:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• DC United plays Sunday at 5:00 at RFK Stadium.

Meridian at Mount Vernon Triangle FCC App

Meridian at Mount Vernon Triangle, an apartment building located at 425 L St. NW, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 462.1125, and simplex on 456.7125 and 457.6625. The frequencies are coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO.

Charles E. Smith Modifies, Adds Frequencies

Charles E. Smith, a major commercial property owner in the Washington area, has modified and added frequencies at several sites around the region. A new license adds MOTOTRBO/analog repeaters at six locations in Virginia. An application to a license adds frequencies and adds a MOTOTRBO emission designator to existing frequencies at sites in Virginia, Maryland, and the District.

Avis Budget Group (DCA) Using MOTOTRBO

Avis Budget Group at Reagan National Airport is using a MOTOTRBO repeater on 452.7000. This recently-licensed frequency is quite weak - I had difficulty receiving it from Gravelly Point, which is just north of the airport.

Crystal Gateway Marriott Using Unlicensed Repeater

The Crystal Gateway Marriott is using 461.9625 [ d346] (R) for banquets. This frequency is unlicensed, and is used infrequently.

Virginia Hospital Center Using MOTOTRBO

Virginia Hospital Center was confirmed yesterday using MOTOTRBO on 461.9625. The license also indicates another MOTOTRBO repeater on 464.7625.

MOTOTRBO and NXDN in DC

• Capital Gallery, located on Maryland Ave. SW between 6th and 7th Sts., is using a MOTOTRBO (Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1) repeater on 463.7250. The license incorrectly indicates that the frequency is only used in analog mode. Note that this frequency (with the same color code) is also used by The Rotonda in Fairfax County.
• The Constitution Center, located at 400 7th St. SW, is using NXDN repeaters on 452.0000, 461.9000, and 462.2250. The building is also licensed for an additional repeater on 464.1000. No scanner can decode this digital format.
• General Dynamics Information Technology, located at 2701 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE, is using a MOTOTRBO repeater on 452.4000. According to the license, this is for "IT cabling and equipment installation." This is probably for the Department of Homeland Security consolidation project at St. Elizabeth's West. 

380 MHz Control Channel Found

There is a 380 MHz Project 25 control channel (387.7875) that appears to originate from the Fort Belvoir North Area, in the Newington section of Fairfax County. Because I was driving, I was unable to analyze the control channel, but I suspect it's part of the Joint National Capital Region system.

Kaiser Medical Centers (Gaithersburg and Tysons) New Frequencies

The Kaiser Medical Centers in Gaithersburg and Tysons Corner have licensed frequencies. The Gaithersburg office is licensed for a MOTOTRBO repeater on 461.7625. The Tysons Corner office is licensed for a MOTOTRBO repeater on 463.8375, and has an application for a MOTOTRBO repeater on 464.6625.

CTTWB Associates (1875 Penn. Ave.) Switches to MOTOTRBO

CTTWB Associates, located at 1875 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in DC, has modified its license for the MOTOTRBO emission designators. Previously, they used 461.4875 [ d351] (R).

Washington Adventist Hospital New Frequency

Washington Adventist Hospital, located in Takoma Park, recently added an additional repeater (462.1375) to its license. The hospital already uses 464.4750 [ 82.5] (R) for security.

Sheraton National FCC App

The Sheraton National Hotel has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for the addition of MOTOTRBO repeaters on 463.5875 and 464.3375. The hotel already has a MOTOTRBO repeater on 463.9375, as well as several other MOTOTRBO simplex frequencies.

Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City FCC App

The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City has an application pending before the FCC. The app adds MOTOTRBO emission designators to the hotel's existing three repeaters.

Montgomery County Rebanding

According to this RadioReference thread, Montgomery County is supposed to begin rebanding their system today. The process is expected to take about a week.

Neighborhood Profile: Carlyle Area of Alexandria

Here's a neighborhood profile of the Carlyle area of Alexandria:

Federal:

• Hoffman Buildings: Security for these buildings is on the Joint National Capital Region trunked system (talkgroup 201). Note that this talkgroup is almost always encrypted. The Hoffman Center also appears to have private security; a guard was carrying a UHF portable.
• U.S. Courthouse: Nothing monitored, but federal courthouses often use 170.7500 (P25). This frequency is sometimes encrypted.
• U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: Nothing monitored.

Apartments/Condos:

• Carlyle Place: 451.2875 (S) (MOTOTRBO - Color Code 1, All Call) in use. Also licensed for 451.7125, 452.1875, and 452.2875.
• Carlyle Towers: Engineering and Housekeeping use 451.7875 [ d351] (R). 451.9250 [ d351] (R) also in use. 461.4250 [ d351] (R) is another possible frequency.
• Meridian at Carlyle: Monitored several years ago on 452.7250 (no tone found). Also licensed for simplex on 452.6250, 457.6250, and 457.7250. 
• Meridian at Eisenhower: Licensed for MOTOTRBO simplex on 452.6875, 452.8875, 457.6875, and 457.8875.
• Post Carlyle: No license found.

Hotels:

• Holiday Inn: Shuttle uses 452.2125 [ d025] (B/M). Housekeeping uses 457.3375 [ d251]. Hotel also licensed for 452.3375, 457.2125, 463.7875, and 468.7875.
• Residence Inn: 457.1625 (MOTOTRBO - Color Code 1, Group 1) in use. License indicates an additional frequency of 457.4125.
• Westin: No license found, and no radios observed in a recent visit. May use special internal communications system.

Retail:

• AMC Theater: 467.9250 [241.8] in use. The theater previously used several UHF business frequencies with DCS 365, but these appear to be abandoned.

Fair Oaks Mall Update

Fair Oaks Mall has seen many frequency changes since the last time I visited. Notably, housekeeping now uses MOTOTRBO on 464.4750 (Color Code 6, Slot 1, Group 5). Many of the stores have also switched frequencies. For a complete list of all the changes, see the Fairfax County page. (Scroll down to the Business / Retail section.)

Alexandria Update

Here are a couple of updates to the Carlyle area of Alexandria:

• The AMC Hoffman Center 22 Theater is using 467.9250 [241.8]. Previously, the theater used several UHF business frequencies with DCS 365. These appear to be abandoned.
• The Residence Inn (Carlyle) is using MOTOTRBO (Color Code 1, Group 1) on 457.1625.

Weekend Event

• Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw perform Sunday at 4:30 at FedEx Field. Expect the FedEx Field talkgroups on the Prince George's trunked system to be active. Also look for extensive use of FedEx Field's frequencies, including its LTR trunked system.

Virgin America (DCA) FCC App

Virgin America, which begins service from Reagan National Airport on August 14, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.7625.

US Airways Licenses Additional Frequency at DCA

US Airways has licensed an additional MOTOTRBO frequency (452.8750) for use at Reagan National Airport. The airline is already using MOTOTRBO repeaters on 451.6000, 452.3250, 460.7000, 460.8000, and 460.8750.

Liberty Place New License

Liberty Place, an office building located at 325 7th St. NW in DC, was recently issued an FCC license for a MOTOTRBO repeater on 451.8625. Liberty Place had previously applied for a license for 461.6625, but that application is inactive.

Washington Court Hotel Additional Frequency

The Washington Court Hotel, located at 525 New Jersey Ave. NW in DC, recently added another repeater (462.0500) to its license. Here are the previously-identified frequencies for the hotel:

461.0375 [  77.0]
464.3250 [  97.4] Housekeeping (R)
464.4250 [ d162] Security/Engineering (R)

Howard Hughes Medical Institute-Janelia Farm Research Campus FCC App

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute-Janelia Farm Research Campus, located in Ashburn, VA, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 461.4750, 462.0000, and 463.5750. The frequencies are coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO.

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School FCC App

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, located in Olney, MD, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for MOTOTRBO simplex on 451.5875, 451.7125, 452.6625, 456.5875, 456.7125, and 457.6625.

Clark Office Building FCC App

The Clark Office Building, located at 7500 Old Georgetown Rd. in Bethesda, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 451.3250, and simplex on 457.7500, 461.9000, 466.8750, 466.9000, and 468.6750.

Residence Inn Alexandria (Carlyle) Using MOTOTRBO

The Residence Inn Alexandria (Carlyle) is using UHF MOTOTRBO portables. A specific frequency was not found, but the hotel is licensed for MOTOTRBO simplex on 457.1625 and 457.4125.

Potomac Mills Frequency Update

Here are new/updated frequencies for Potomac Mills:

461.1875 [ d732] Timberland
462.7250 [ d226] IKEA Car Loading Helpers
467.3125 [ d115] Nautica
468.2625 [ d343] Nike

The housekeeping channel (461.3000 [ d043]) is known as Channel 1. The security channel (463.6000 [ d723]) is known as Channel 2.

Find the complete list here.

Potomac Mills Switching to MOTOTRBO?

Potomac Mills security guards are now carrying MOTOTRBO portables. They are still transmitting on their analog frequency (463.6000 [ d723]) for now, however. This frequency has never been licensed. The license for the housekeeping frequency (461.3000 [ d043]) shows a pending application for a modification. The modification adds the emission designator for MOTOTRBO. Perhaps security will move onto this frequency on one slot, with housekeeping on the other. (MOTOTRBO allows two talkpaths, or slots, on a frequency.)

Gaylord National Switched to MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus

The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD has switched from an LTR system to a MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus system. This Capacity Plus system is believed to be the largest one in use in the Washington area.

Holiday Inn Eisenhower Ave. Additional Frequency

The Holiday Inn Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria is using 457.3375 [ d251] for housekeeping. Previously, the hotel was confirmed using 452.2125 [ d205] (B/M) for the shuttle. The hotel has several additional simplex frequencies on its license.

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 4:05 (with an additional game following), Saturday at 7:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:30 at RFK Stadium.
• The Citi Open continues through Sunday at the Fitzgerald Tennis Center.

Redskins Training Camp

Here are frequencies found at Redskins Training Camp yesterday:

451.4125 [         ] Licensed to NFL (MOTOTRBO) (S)
451.8000 [ d031] Coaches/Trainers?
452.4500 [ d664] (S)
456.8000 [ d031] Parking
461.1125 [  67.0] Injury Reports
464.5000 [ d031] Food/Logistics?
464.5500 [ d031] VIP Hospitality?
467.9250 [  67.0] Media?

It's unknown if 451.4125 was used by NFL personnel or by the Redskins; it's licensed to the NFL. 451.8000, 456.8000, 464.5000, and 464.5500 are licensed to the Redskins for nationwide use. 452.4500 is also licensed to the Redskins. The frequency is used as part of an LTR trunked system at FedEx Field, but it was used in simplex mode at Redskins Park.

Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia FCC App

The Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, located at 8900 Little River Tpke. in Fairfax, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 457.1625, 457.7625, 159.5400, and 159.8400.

Virginian Suites Arlington FCC App

Virginian Suites Arlington, a hotel located at 1500 Arlington Blvd. in Rosslyn, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.9875, and simplex on 457.2000, 457.2375, 457.9750, 466.0500, and 467.1500.

International Finance Corporation Headquarters FCC App

The International Finance Corporation Headquarters, located at 2121 Pennsylvania Ave. in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a MOTOTRBO repeater on 464.8375.

Three Bethesda Metro Center FCC App

Three Bethesda Metro Center, an office building, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater 461.5125.

Reston Town Center Security New Frequency

Reston Town Center security has switched frequencies. They were previously using MOTOTRBO on 464.5000 simplex unlicensed. They are now using a MOTOTRBO repeater on 464.7375. This frequency is licensed to Cassidy Turley, a property management company.

Weekend Events

• The Citi Open (formerly the Legg Mason Tennis Classic) begins today and continues through August 5. Organizers typically use UHF business frequencies. Park Police have used 166.8500 [127.3] (S).
• DC United plays tonight at 7:30 at RFK Stadium.

Avalon Park Crest Apartments FCC App

Avalon Park Crest Apartments, located in Tysons Corner, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 461.4875.

Weekend Event

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 1:05 and 7:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.

Weekend Event

• The Immortal World Tour by Cirque du Soleil is Friday at 8PM, Saturday at 8 PM, and Sunday at 4 PM at Verizon Center. Cirque du Soleil has a license for nationwide use; these frequencies may be in use this weekend.

Website Moved

In an effort to save on web hosting expenses, I've moved the content of my website from davidschoenberger.net to the Dropbox public folder. Here are the addresses for frequently-visited pages:

Home Page: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/19779545/index.html
Scanning: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/19779545/scanning/index.htm
DC: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/19779545/scanning/dc/washington.htm
Virginia: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/19779545/scanning/virginia/index.htm
Maryland: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/19779545/scanning/maryland/index.htm

Prince George's County Talkgroup 9001 (Update)

A post on RadioReference states that talkgroup 9001 on the Prince George's County system is apparently the Waysons channel for Anne Arundel Police.

Fairfax Project 25 System RadioReference Update

The Fairfax Project 25 system has been updated in RadioReference with current frequencies and talkgroups. Users continue to rapidly migrate to this system from the Public Safety system.

National Independence Day Celebration Finds

Here are frequencies/talkgroups found on July 4 for the National Independence Day Celebration:

123.0250 [ CSQ] Helicopters
151.6250 [156.7] Medical Teams on National Mall
162.2500 [173.8] Capitol Police (Channel 4)
166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Channel 1)
169.7750 [NAC 4C5] Park Service - George Washington Parkway
172.4750 [NAC 4C5] Park Service - Mall (Unified Command)
409.0000 [NAC 447] Disaster Medical Assistance Team? (encrypted)
409.0500 [NAC 447] Disaster Medical Assistance Team? (encrypted)
452.3125 [ d365] Organizers - Capitol
462.4000 [ d226] Red Cross (R)

DC Trunked System talkgroups:
1952 Clear/Encrypted
2080 DCFD Inspectors
2160 DCFD Primary
2176 DCFD Alternate
2640 DCFD Fireboat
35536 Emergency Management Agency
37680 Spare 2 ("team deploying on Constitution")
59216 Emergency Management Agency (analog)
59968 MA 2

Arlington Trunked System talkgroups:
7 ACPD District 1 (Iwo Jima Command)
8 ACPD District 2
11 ACPD Special Operations Section (Traffic Control)
14 ACPD Emergency Response Unit
43 ACFD A1F Special Events
44 ACFD A1G Special Events Command ("south parking")
45 ACFD A1H National Medical Response Team A ("North Division")
117 Emergency Management 1

Metro Trunked System talkgroups:
49200 Police 2 (Smithsonian)
50128 Police Tac 4 (Rosslyn)
50192 Police Tac 6

Joint National Capital Region Trunked System talkgroups:
310 Fort Myer MP Alternate ("mobile command"; "TCP")
315 Fort Myer MP Alternate
316 Fort Myer MP Alternate
318 Fort Myer or Fort McNair? ("mobile command"; "TCP")
2149 Military Support Units?
2150 Military Support Units? ("TCP")
2151 Military Support Units? ("Eagle"; "15th and Constitution")

Red White and Boom Frequencies Found

Here are frequencies found at the Red White and Boom music event, which was Wednesday at Kastles Stadium at the Wharf:

456.4500 [229.1] Organizers
461.5125 [ d152] CSC Event Staff

National Independence Day Parade Frequencies Found

Here are frequencies found for the National Independence Day Parade:

463.5750 [ d445] Cues (S)
464.1750 [ d503] Line-up (S)

Radios were from USA Radio Rentals.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Frequencies Found

I had a chance to monitor the Folklife Festival on Wednesday. Organizers were using Icom radios, which I initially believed were for the Smithsonian's LTR Passport trunked system. It turns out, however, that they are using NXDN frequencies (410.9625 and 412.9000) for the event. 410.9625 is a repeater with a 419.9625 input. Note that this frequency is used on sites 103, 106, and 107 of the Passport system. There is no scanner that can monitor NXDN.

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 4:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• The Smithsonian Folklife Festival continues through Sunday on the National Mall. Organizers are using NXDN frequencies (410.9625 and 412.9000), which cannot be monitored with any scanner.

The Mall at Prince Georges FCC App

The Mall at Prince Georges has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.4375. The frequency is coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO. The mall currently uses 464.3750 [ d032] (R) for security, and 469.5750 [ d032] for housekeeping.

AT&T National Talkgroup

A poster on Scan-DC reports that medical/first aid units at the AT&T National were using Montgomery County talkgroup 1808, which is J3 Special Events 3.

The Potomac School FCC License

The Potomac School, located in McLean, was recently licensed by the FCC for a repeater on 461.7500.

Bowie State University FCC License

Bowie State University was recently licensed by the FCC for repeaters on 461.3750 and 463.7000. The frequencies are coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO operation.

Weekend Events

• The AT&T National Golf Tournament continues through Sunday at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda. Montgomery County Police and Fire/Rescue will probably use the Special Events and/or Public Safety Coordination talkgroups on the county trunked system. Congressional uses several VHF frequencies; see my Montgomery County page for those. Organizers will probably use a slew of UHF business repeater and simplex frequencies. MOTOTRBO may see some use on these frequencies.
• The Smithsonian Folklife Festival continues this weekend; see previous post.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:30 PM at RFK Stadium.

E&A Protective Services-Bravo FCC App

E&A Protective Services-Bravo, which provides security at the Department of Transportation Headquarters, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 462.1750, and simplex on 452.0625, 452.1875, 452.6375, 457.0625, and 457.6375. Contract security at DOT Headquarters presently uses 463.5500 [ d723] (R).

Baltimore Washington Medical Center FCC App

Baltimore Washington Medical Center, located in Glen Burnie, MD, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 463.8750 and 463.9250. The frequencies are coded for both analog and NXDN operation.

MOTOTRBO Data Integrated into Website

I've started to integrate MOTOTRBO data (color code, slot, group) into my website. MOTOTRBO has been around since the fall of 2007, and many businesses in the Washington area have switched to it. There are also a handful of MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus systems in the area; these are being added to RadioReference, and linked to my website.

Most of the MOTOTRBO data is on the Washington, DC page.

MOTOTRBO is a TDMA digital format that Motorola targets to businesses and small public safety agencies. No scanner on the market can monitor MOTOTRBO, but the Java program DMRDecode can be used with a discriminator-tapped scanner to obtain the MOTOTRBO parameters. The Digital Speech Decoder (DSD) program (for Windows and Linux) can be used with a discriminator-tapped scanner to listen to MOTOTRBO voice transmissions.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival began today, continues through July 1, and then runs again from July 4-8. Organizers have used a wide variety of radio systems in past years. Last year (and in 2004), they used the National Mall site of the DC Area Federal SMR system. Because this is an LTR Passport system, it is not trackable with scanners, but is able to be monitored conventionally. In other years, organizers have used UHF business frequencies. Search the 451-453 MHz and 461-470 MHz bands. Also look for Park Police on 166.8500 [127.3].

National Capital Barbecue Battle

The National Capital Barbecue Battle is Saturday from 11 AM to 10 PM and Sunday from 11 AM to 7:30 PM on Pennsylvania Ave. between 9th and 14th Sts. Look for DCFD on one of their Special Events talkgroups, and DC Department of Health on one of their talkgroups. Organizers use UHF business channels. Here is what they used in 2010, the most recent year monitored:

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)

Potomac Hospital New Frequency

Potomac Hospital is using 462.2750 [ d606] (R) for engineering. The hospital has previously been identified using 462.0750 [ d365] (R) for security.

Potomac Mills Update

Here is an updated list of Potomac Mills frequencies:

461.3000 [ d043] Potomac Mills - Housekeeping (R)
463.6000 [ d723] Potomac Mills - Security (R)
151.8350 [  74.4] Potomac Mills - Banana Republic
154.5700 [  74.4] Potomac Mills - Gap
154.6000 [ CSQ] Potomac Mills - Finish Line
461.0375 [  74.4] Potomac Mills - Foot Locker (across from Books-A-Million)
461.1125 [  67.0] Potomac Mills - AMC Theater
461.1875 [ d712] Potomac Mills - Factory Brand Shoes
461.2375 [100.0] Potomac Mills - Marshalls HomeGoods
461.4625 [ d265] Potomac Mills - IKEA Operations
462.5625 [  67.0] Potomac Mills - IKEA Housekeeping
464.4875 [  67.0] Potomac Mills - Tilly's
464.5000 [  67.0] Potomac Mills - Nordstrom Rack?
464.5500 [  67.0] Potomac Mills - XXI Forever
464.5500 [  67.0] Potomac Mills - Ann Taylor
464.5625 [203.5] Potomac Mills - Aeropostale
464.5750 [127.3] Potomac Mills - Neiman Marcus Last Call - Loss Prevention
464.6250 [146.2] Potomac Mills - Nordstrom Rack - Loss Prevention
464.9875 [ d464] Potomac Mills - Coach
466.0250 [ d371] Potomac Mills - Nike
466.1875 [ d506] Potomac Mills - Hollister
467.2250 [ d365] Potomac Mills - JC Penney
467.5625 [  71.9] Potomac Mills - IKEA Stockers
467.7625 [  67.0] Potomac Mills - American Eagle
467.8125 [  67.0] Potomac Mills - Costco
467.8500 [ d047] Potomac Mills - Old Navy
467.8500 [ d546] Potomac Mills - Abercrombie & Fitch
467.8500 [ d606] Potomac Mills - Polo Ralph Lauren
467.8500 [ d712] Potomac Mills - Children's Place
467.8500 [  67.0] Potomac Mills - Espirit
467.8500 [173.8] Potomac Mills - Charlotte Russe
467.8750 [ d263] Potomac Mills - Unknown (strong in Fashion District)
467.8750 [ d712] Potomac Mills - Disney
467.8750 [ d723] Potomac Mills - Guess
467.8750 [  67.0] Potomac Mills - AMC Theater Ushers/Primary Operations
467.8750 [  94.8] Potomac Mills - Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th
467.8750 [100.0] Potomac Mills - T.J. Maxx
467.9000 [ d503] Potomac Mills - Unknown (strong in Fashion District)
467.9000 [ d632] Potomac Mills - Bath & Body Works
467.9000 [ d731] Potomac Mills - New York & Company
467.9000 [  67.0] Potomac Mills - Tommy Hilfiger
467.9000 [141.3] Potomac Mills - Starbucks
467.9250 [ d743] Potomac Mills - Victoria's Secret
467.9250 [  67.0] Potomac Mills - AMC Theater Projector Operators
467.9250 [  88.5] Potomac Mills - J. Crew
468.2625 [ d343] Potomac Mills - "CEO" (strong near Nike)
468.8375 [ d155] Potomac Mills - H&M

Market Square FCC App

Market Square, located at 701 Pennsylvania Ave. in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 461.5750 and 464.3250, and simplex on 451.6875, 452.8625, 456.6875, and 457.8625. The frequencies are coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO digital operation. Note that Market Square has used the 464.3250 repeater (with DCS 632) for several years already.

Sailabration Monitoring

Here's what I found on Saturday at the Sailabration in Baltimore:

Baltimore P25 Trunked System Talkgroups:
9016 BFD B3 Support 2
9017 BFD B4 Training 1
9018 BFD B5 Training 2 (Inner Harbor activity)
9019 BFD B6 Event 1 (Inner Harbor activity)
9023 BFD B10 City
9111 BPD Special Events
9133 BPD Special Events
9274 Traffic Reports
9310
9318 K9s/Shuttle Buses
9319 Medical
9320 Shuttle Buses
9323 Shuttle Buses
9324 Marine Channel Patch

451.8000 [ d026] Organizers (S)

Weekend Events

• The Nationals host the Yankees this weekend at Nationals Park. The game times are Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 1:05, and Sunday at 1:35. This is obviously a major series, so expect the crowds and radio activity to be exceptional.
• The Star-Spangled Sailabration is this weekend in Baltimore.

Star-Spangled Sailabration

Baltimore hosts the Star-Spangled Sailabration through the weekend. The Sailabration is a parade of more than forty tall ships and other naval vessels. It also features waterside festivities and an air show featuring the Blue Angels. There are already a couple of forum posts at RadioReference about frequencies the Blue Angels are using, and about active talkgroups on the Central Maryland Area Regional Communications Committee trunked system. The Baltimore City trunked system is likely to be very busy as well. Coast Guard frequencies, the 406-420 MHz band for shipboard trunked systems, and business frequencies for organizers are also good bets.

Monitoring Times 2012 Air Show Guide Posted

The Monitoring Times 2012 Air Show Guide has been posted to the Monitoring Times website. The Guide originally appeared in the March issue of the magazine. The information on the Blue Angels may be helpful for those going to see them in Baltimore this weekend.

Signature Flight Support (IAD) FCC App

Signature Flight Support at Dulles Airport has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.4625. Signature has used 460.8250 [118.8] at Dulles before.

Pentagon City Finds

A few updates to Pentagon City-area frequencies:

461.7375 [ d143] Renaissance Arlington Capital View (R)
467.9000 [ d743] Pentagon Center - Best Buy (this is in addition to 467.9250 [ d506])
464.5500 [  67.0] Pentagon Row - Bed Bath & Beyond
467.8500 [146.2] Pentagon Row - Harris Teeter

Girl Scouts Rock the Mall Recap

Here's what I found at yesterday's Girl Scouts Rock the Mall event:

462.3250 [ d252] Staff
463.3750 [ d047] Audio/Visual?
463.5750 [ d664] "get in touch with driver"
464.2750 [ d445] Production
464.9250 [ d632]
468.6750 [ d223] "accessible seating"
469.3250 [ d143] First Aid

166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Ch. 1)

DC Trunked System talkgroup:
2096 DCFD Special Events 1

Celebrate Fairfax Finds

Celebrate Fairfax concludes today. Here are talkgroups found yesterday:

Fairfax Project 25 Trunked System talkgroups:
1325 Coordination D1 (Outside Police)
1327 Coordination D2 (Sheriff - Inside?)
1329 Coordination D3 (Fire)
1331 Coordination D4 (Fire)

Fairfax Public Services Trunked System talkgroups:
24272 Coordination A1 (Organizers - Primary)
24304 Coordination A2 (Organizers)
24336 Coordination A3 (Organizers)
24368 Coordination A4 (Organizers)
24400 Coordination A5 (voter coordination at Government Center)
36592 Fairfax Connector Shuttles

Robert Trent Jones Golf Club FCC App

Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, located in Gainesville, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 461.9500 and 463.6750, and simplex on 462.2125.

Prince George's Hospital Center FCC App

Prince George's Hospital Center has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.2750.

Celebrate Fairfax

Celebrate Fairfax, which is sort of the county fair for Fairfax County, runs this weekend. The county P25 system, public safety system, and services system will all see activity. Organizers have been using multiple Coordination talkgroups on the services system in recent years. Also check 159.1050 [156.7] (R) for government center operations.

Weekend Event

• On Saturday, there will be a major gathering of Girl Scouts at the Washington Monument. Organizers are expecting up to 200,000 people. Monitor 166.7250 for Park Police, the DCFD Special Events talkgroups, and possibly UHF business frequencies for the organizers.

Arena Stage Additional Frequency

I found an additional frequency for Arena Stage on Saturday: 464.0125 [ d023] (S). 464.4375 [ d032] (S) was previously identified for the venue. Both are unlicensed.

Waterfront Station Frequency Found

Security at Waterfront Station, a mixed-use development at the Waterfront Metro Station, is using 451.5000 [ CSQ] (S). The frequency is unlicensed.

Big & Rich Concert Frequencies Found

Here are frequencies found for the Big & Rich post-game concert at Nationals Park yesterday:

453.9625 [ d114] (S)
464.6750 [ d506] (S)

Note that the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington also uses 464.6750 [ d506] (as a repeater).

Maryland Aviation Administration Trunked System Rebanded

The Maryland Aviation Administration trunked system, which is used at BWI Airport, has been rebanded.

El Salvador/Honduras Soccer Match Frequencies Found

Here are frequencies found at yesterday's soccer match at RFK:

464.1750 [ d212]
464.5500 [167.9]

DC United's frequencies were not as busy as I expected. They mostly used Channels 1 and 2. CSC Event Staff was very busy on 461.5125 [ d152]. DCFD used talkgroup 2112 (Special Events 2) on the DC trunked system.

Holiday Inn Eisenhower Ave. New Frequency

The Holiday Inn at 2460 Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria is using its new frequency of 452.2125 [ d205]. The frequency was heard in use for the hotel shuttle, in a base/mobile configuration. The hotel is also licensed for five other simplex frequencies.

Race for the Cure Frequencies Found

Here are a couple of frequencies found at the Race for the Cure yesterday. I arrived near the end of the race, so I didn't hear much, but the frequencies appear to be the same ones they've used the last few years.

461.1125 [  71.9] (S)
461.4875 [  79.7] (S)

Herndon Festival

The Herndon Festival concludes today. Here are talkgroups that were active yesterday:

Fairfax Services Trunked System Talkgroups:
24432 Coordination A6
24464 Coordination A7
24496 Coordination A8

Fairfax Project 25 Trunked System Talkgroups:
1319 Herndon Police Tac 4

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 4:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• The Race for the Cure is Saturday at 8:00 AM on the grounds of the Washington Monument. In recent years, organizers have used simplex UHF business frequencies. Also listen for Park Police on 166.7250, and DCFD on one or more of their Special Events talkgroups.
• El Salvador plays Honduras Saturday at 4:15 at RFK Stadium. Look for DC United's frequencies, the CSC Event Staff frequencies, and the RFK repeater on 464.3750 to be active.

Constitution Center FCC App

The Constitution Center, an office building located at 400 7th St. SW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 461.9000, 464.1000, and 452.0000. The frequencies are coded for NXDN digital, which is not monitorable with current scanners.

National Spelling Bee

The National Spelling Bee concludes tonight from 8-10 PM at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor. National Harbor uses MOTOTRBO frequencies (unmonitorable), but the Gaylord uses an LTR trunked system.

National Capital Historical Museum of Transportation FCC App

The National Capital Historical Museum of Transportation, located in Silver Spring, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.8875.

Woodlake Towers Condominium FCC App

Woodlake Towers Condominium, located at 3100 S. Manchester St. in Falls Church, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 461.5750 and 461.9875. The frequencies are coded for both analog and NXDN digital.

National Aquarium (Baltimore) Switched to MOTOTRBO

The National Aquarium in Baltimore has switched their four UHF repeaters (461.1000, 464.4750, 464.8250, and 464.9750) to MOTOTRBO.

Weekend Events

• DC United plays Saturday at 7:30 at RFK Stadium.
• The National Memorial Day Parade is Monday at 2:00 on Constitution Ave. from 7th to 17th Sts. Look for organizers to use UHF business frequencies, DCFD to use one of their "Special Events" talkgroups, and military ceremonial units (usually the 400-series talkgroups) to be active on the Pentagon sites of the Joint National Capital Region trunked system.

CenturyLink FCC App

CenturyLink, an IT services provider located in Sterling, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 461.8250 and 464.2250. The frequencies are coded for both analog and MOTOTRBO digital.

7799 Leesburg Pike FCC App

7799 Leesburg Pike, an office building in Tysons Corner, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.6000.

Prince George's Trunked System - Talkgroup 9001

Does anyone know who's using talkgroup 9001 on the Prince George's system? It's some kind of law enforcement agency, and it may be a patch into the PG system. The talkgroup appeared to be running in FDMA mode today.

Frequencies/Talkgroups Found at JSOH

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

Joint Base Andrews Trunked System Talkgroups:
301 "mules to radio trailer"
321 "bus driver lost marshal"
501 Media?
503 Director
513 Tech
515 Flightline Security
519 First Aid/Medical
533 Announcer/Airboss
535 "get in tower"
705 "pickup at squadron"

Prince George's County Trunked System Talkgroups:
2001 PGPD at FedEx Field
2013 PGPD around Andrews
2015 PGFD at Andrews

461.0875 [ d606] Concessions
461.1625 [ d116] Concessions?
464.5000 [ d023] Shuttle Bus Coordination at Andrews
466.1375 [ d732] Food

Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes is Saturday at 6:18 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. This event routinely draws over 100,000 people, and so there is plenty to monitor. Most of the frequencies used by Pimlico are under a license for the Maryland Jockey Club.

In 2009, 162.6125 [127.3] (S) was active for the congressional security detail, and 453.3500 [118.8] (S) was active for the governor's security detail.

Baltimore Police and Fire used the city's Project 16 trunked system in 2009, but this year they'll be using the Project 25 trunked system. Look for the the Fire "Event" talkgroups to be active, as well as the Police "Special Events" talkgroups.

Here are the conventional frequencies monitored in 2009:

451.3000 [179.9] Baltimore Police?
452.1250 [ d223] Facilities (R)
452.8000 [179.9] "Security 2"
452.9750 [ d174] (R)
456.3000 [179.9] Food
457.8000 [179.9] Food
461.6250 [ d174] SAFE?
462.3250 [ d174] Betting Operations (tickets, totes, programs, etc.)
463.4250 [ d174] Ticketing/Track Access?
463.8000 [141.3] Audio/Visual
464.3750 [ d174] Preakness Organizers?
464.4750 [179.9] Housekeeping (R)
464.7250 [ d174] Parking
464.9750 [ d174] Security
469.3750 [ d174] First Aid
469.7250 [ d174] "Lifestar"
469.9750 [179.9] Horse Operations

1100 First St. NE FCC App

1100 First St. NE, an office building, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 467.1875, 456.5375, 457.7125, and 451.5375.

Weekend Events

• The Joint Services Open House is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Andrews Air Force Base.
• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 7:15, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• The Preakness Stakes is Saturday at 6:18 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:30 at RFK Stadium.

Joint Services Open House

The Joint Services Open House (JSOH) is this weekend at Andrews Air Force Base. Friday's show is only open to DoD personnel, school groups, and media, but the public is welcome on Saturday and Sunday. At an event this large, there is plenty of radio traffic to monitor. In previous years, I've focused mostly on land-mobile users. The Andrews 380 MHz system and the Prince George's 700 MHz system provide most of the action. (To monitor the PG system, which uses TDMA talkgroups, one needs a PSR-800 scanner.)

Air show personnel typically use more than a dozen talkgroups on the Andrews system, most of them in the 500s. Security/law enforcement personnel use many talkgroups in the 150s and 160s.

Beginning with last year's show, Prince George's moved from 490 MHz conventional frequencies to the 700 MHz system. Talkgroup 1055 was used for first aid/medical, and 2015 was used for traffic control around the base. 2001 was used for parking/traffic at FedEx Field, which is one of two locations for people to catch shuttles to the base.

Other land-mobile users are typically found in the UHF business bands. 464.5500 [ d023] was active last year with shuttle bus coordination at the base. 464.5000 [ d023] was active in 2010 with shuttle bus coordination at the Branch Avenue Metro Station. 463.3250 [ CSQ] was active in 2010 with concessions.

For specific frequencies and talkgroups used from 2007-11, see my Prince George's County page.

A RadioReference Wiki page has information about the 2006-11 shows, including military and civilian air frequencies.

The Monitoring Times 2012 Air Show Special (which was in the March issue of the magazine) is apparently not available for free as a PDF this year. Grove is selling it for $0.99 in the Kindle format.

Scanners Permissible at JSOH?

The Joint Services Open House (JSOH) at Andrew Air Force Base is this weekend. According to a post on RadioReference, it looks like scanners will be allowed at the show this year. (It would be a good idea to bring along this message to show to security personnel if one encounters any problems.)

Weekend Event

• The DC101 Chili Cook-Off is Saturday from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM at RFK Stadium. Look for organizers on UHF business frequencies, CSC Event Staff on 461.5125 or 461.3875, and DCFD on one or more of the Special Events talkgroups (2096, 2112, 2128).

Virginia Gold Cup Talkgroups Found

The Virginia Gold Cup was this past Saturday at Great Meadow in The Plains, VA. Here are the talkgroups monitored on the Fauquier County trunked system:

16 Sheriff/Fire Coordination
26256 Medical (primary)
26288 Medical

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children FCC App

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, located at 699 Prince St. in Alexandria, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.3500, and simplex on 461.7125, 463.4875, 463.5500, and 464.8500.

Embassy Open Houses

This Saturday and next Saturday, many embassies will be open for public tours. See this post on Scan-DC for frequencies found in past years.

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 1:05, and Sunday at 8:05 at Nationals Park.
• The Capitals play Saturday at 12:30 at Verizon Center.

Weekend Events

• The USA Science and Engineering Festival is Friday through Sunday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Expect the usual channels plus some business frequencies used by organizers.
• The White House Correspondents' Dinner is Saturday evening at the Washington Hilton. If the channels haven't changed, the Hilton uses 463.9250 [ d026] for housekeeping, 464.3250 [ d143] for security, 464.3750 [ d143] for engineering, and 464.5125 [162.2] for banquets.
• "America's Night of Hope" is Saturday evening at Nationals Park. The usual stadium frequencies should be active, as well as some UHF business channels for the organizers.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:30 PM at RFK Stadium.

American Public Health Association FCC App

The American Public Health Association, located at 800 I St. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for five simplex frequencies: 462.2125, 462.3375, 467.2625, 467.3125, and 467.3625.

Corporate Office Properties Trust FCC Apps

Corporate Office Properties Trust has two applications pending before the FCC. One calls for a repeater on 463.5500 at 3120 Fairview Park Dr. in Falls Church, and the other calls for a repeater on 452.4000 at 1550 Westbranch Dr. in McLean.

Weekend Events

• The spring IMF/World Bank meetings are this weekend. Don't expect to monitor much from MPD; most of their traffic is encrypted. The World Bank uses 151.9550 [107.2] (B/M) for security, and 463.7500 [ d606] (R) for engineering.
• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 1:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• The Capitals play Sunday (time has not been announced) at Verizon Center.
• DC United plays Sunday at 6:00 at RFK Stadium.

Nationals Park

With the Nationals first home series of the season this weekend, I thought I'd recap the radio usage at Nationals Park. In listening extensively yesterday, not much has changed from last year. Nationals staff continue to use MOTOTRBO channels (five repeaters and four simplex, although they are licensed for several more frequencies). DC Fire was monitored on Special Events 1 (talkgroup 2096). They were not using the 800 MHz simplex frequencies (867.4875 [156.7] and 867.7625 [156.7]) that they have used in previous years. CSC Event Staff was using 464.7500 [233.6] (R) for primary ops and 461.3875 [ d152] for on-field personnel. 461.1375 [ d152] was also monitored; this channel may be for supervisors and/or player security.

A few new conventional frequencies popped up. 467.7625 [ d263] is used by security (bouncers) at the new Fairgrounds area outside the ballpark. 464.5500 [ d732] and 467.7625 [ d732] were both active; I'm assuming they're related since they have the same tone. On the latter frequency, there was talk about the "New Jersey lobby" and "cars sneaking in."