Conference/Tour Group at Sheraton Pentagon City

Yesterday, a large student conference or tour group was at the Sheraton Pentagon City (formerly the Sheraton National). The organizers used handheld radios:

464.8750 [ d432] (Channel 1)
463.5250 [ d411] (Channel 2)

UPDATE: The conference group was seen at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City on July 2. The organizers were using the radios inside the mall. The conference appears to be a Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC).

Torpedo Factory Associates FCC App

Torpedo Factory Associates, which manages properties on the Alexandria Waterfront, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for MOTOTRBO simplex on 451.7375, 452.0625, 452.6875, 457.0625, and 457.6875.

Wilson Center FCC App

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 451.8375, 451.9625, and 452.2750. The frequencies are coded for analog and MOTOTRBO.

Landmark Mall FCC App

Landmark Mall has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 452.2000. Note that this frequency has been in use for some time, with a DCS of 226.

Weekend Events

• The Smithsonian Folklife Festival continues through Sunday, and then runs again from July 3-7 on the National Mall. Last year, organizers used a NXDN repeater on 410.9625 and NXDN simplex on 412.9000.
• The AT&T National continues through Sunday at Congressional Country Club. Organizers will probably use UHF frequencies. Congressional uses several VHF frequencies; these are on the Montgomery County page.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7 PM at RFK Stadium.

Residences on the Avenue FCC App

The Residences on the Avenue, located at 2221 I St. NW in DC, has a modification to its license pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 451.9750.

Jefferson Hotel FCC App

The Jefferson Hotel, located at 1200 16th St. NW in DC, has a modification to its license pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 456.4625, 456.5375, 456.5875, and 456.6375. The frequencies are coded for analog and MOTOTRBO. Additionally, the app adds the MOTOTRBO emission designator to 462.3500, a simplex frequency that was already on the license.

U.S. Amateur Public Links FCC License

Creative Communications Sales & Rentals has licensed frequencies for the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, a golf tournament running from July 15-20 at Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton. The license lists thirteen UHF simplex frequencies, although some of the frequencies may be used as repeaters.

Greenspring Abandons LTR System

Greenspring Retirement Community has abandoned its LTR system. Two of the frequencies from the system are now used as conventional repeaters:

451.4500 [ d606]
451.7750 [ d243]

The license never indicated a trunked system, so Greenspring is now operating according to the license.

Convention Center Switches to MOTOTRBO

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center has switched to a MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus trunked system. A few groups (1, 3, 4) were seen, but no identifications were made.

The convention center's license has not been updated to reflect the new system; in fact, the license does not even indicate that the frequencies are used as repeaters.

453.9875 (Color Code 10) was active, but it may be used as a MOTOTRBO conventional repeater.

Willard Intercontinental Using MOTOTRBO

The Willard Intercontinental Hotel is using MOTOTRBO, even though their application has not been approved yet.

451.2375 [         ] (MOTOTRBO) (S)
451.2875 [         ] (MOTOTRBO) (S)
463.2125 [         ] Security (Ch. 1) (MOTOTRBO - Color Code 7, Slot 1, All Call) (R)
463.2125 [         ] Engineering/Housekeeping/Private Dining (MOTOTRBO - Color Code 7, Slot 2, All Call) (R)

The previous frequency (464.8750 [100.0]) appears to be abandoned.

Renaissance Downtown Switches to MOTOTRBO

The Renaissance Downtown Hotel has switched to MOTOTRBO. Only one frequency was noted in use - 464.7750 (Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1). The license was recently modified to add the MOTOTRBO emission designator.

Barbecue Battle Frequencies Found

Here's what I found at the National Capital Barbecue Battle on Saturday. The event concludes Sunday.

461.1250 [ d365] Production/Electric (Channel 5)
461.5250 [ d546]
462.3250 [ d252]
463.8250 [ d306] Box Office/Gates (Channel 2)
464.2750 [ d445] Beverage/Volunteers (Channel 1)
464.9250 [ d632]
468.6750 [ d223] Talk/Alternate (Channel 9?)
469.3250 [ d143] First Aid/Security (Channel 10)

Channels printed on radios:
1 Beverage/Volunteers
2 Box Office/Gates
3 Contest
4 Hospitality/Stages
5 Production/Electric
6 Safeway Pavilion
8 Clean Up
9 Open/Conversations
10 First Aid/Security

Medical personnel used talkgroup 33872/35536 on the DC trunked system.

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 12:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• The National Capital Barbecue Battle is Saturday from 11-9 and Sunday from 11-7:30 on Pennsylvania Ave. between 9th and 14th Sts.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7 at RFK Stadium.

Stafford County Fire Talkgroup Changes

Stafford County Fire has made changes to their talkgroups. See the RadioReference page for the updates.

Crowne Plaza Hotel Old Town Alexandria FCC App

The Crowne Plaza Hotel Old Town Alexandria, located at 901 N. Fairfax St., has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.9500, and simplex on 452.1375, 456.2875, 456.3625, and 456.5375. The frequencies are coded for analog and MOTOTRBO.

Fairfax County Talkgroup 1543

Talkgroup 1543 (encrypted) was monitored today on the Fairfax County Project 25 trunked system. This talkgroup is likely used by a federal agency.

Tigua FCC License

Tigua, a building management company, was recently licensed for repeaters on 461.9375, 463.6500, 464.4125, and 464.6875. These frequencies will be used at a Food & Drug Administration building located at 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy. in College Park, MD.

Capella Georgetown Hotel FCC License

The Capella Georgetown Hotel was recently licensed for a repeater on 451.8375. The frequency is coded for analog and MOTOTRBO.

Arlington National Cemetery Talkgroup on JNCR System

Arlington National Cemetery has a talkgroup (359) on the Joint National Capital Region (JNCR) trunked system. This talkgroup has been active for at least a few months.

The Cemetery previously used 165.1875 [156.7]; it's unknown if this frequency remains active.

Frontier Modifies License at DCA

Frontier Airlines has an application pending to its license at Reagan National Airport to add a repeater on 460.6875. The airline may be moving away from its repeater on 464.9625, which has become busy recently in the Washington area.

Southwest Using MOTOTRBO at DCA

Southwest Airlines is using MOTOTRBO on 452.8375 at Reagan National Airport. This frequency appears to be unlicensed; the airline has an application pending before the FCC, but the repeater listed on the application is on 451.8375.

Weekend Event

• DC United plays Saturday at 7 PM at RFK Stadium.

Knollwood FCC App

Knollwood, a military retirement residence located at 6200 Oregon Ave. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 464.8625, and simplex on 451.6875, 452.8125, 452.9875, 456.6875, and 457.9875.

The Concordia Hotel FCC App

The Concordia Hotel, located at 1250 New Hampshire Ave. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 457.4125, 457.7125, 457.9875, and 456.3125.

MPD No Longer Using 460 MHz Trunked System?

MPD appears to have abandoned the 460 MHz Project 16 trunked system for the Project 25 system. The control channel remains on the air, but no talkgroups were seen today. (The 850 MHz "side" of the Project 16 system is still in use by DCFD and city services.)

Radio Testing on DC Project 25 System

This afternoon, there was radio testing on talkgroup 11181 on the DC Project 25 trunked system. Interestingly, this talkgroup was in FDMA mode, and was unencrypted.

Another Microsoft FCC App

Following yesterday's application, Microsoft has another application pending before the FCC for a data center in Bristow. The app calls for a MOTOTRBO trunked system using 451.8625, 452.2500, and 452.7500.

Microsoft FCC App

Microsoft has an application pending before the FCC for a data center in Ashburn. The app calls for a MOTOTRBO trunked system (unknown if Capacity Plus or Connect Plus) on the frequencies of: 461.5875, 461.7375, and 463.4000.

Weekend Events

• Celebrate Fairfax is at the Fairfax County Government Center from Friday to Sunday. In previous years, organizers have used the coordination talkgroups on the county's Project 16 trunked system, and public safety personnel have used the coordination talkgroups on the county's Project 25 trunked system.
• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 4:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.

Willard InterContinental Hotel FCC App

The Willard InterContinental Hotel, located at 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 463.2125 and 463.2500, and simplex on 451.2375, 451.2875, 451.3625, and 456.3875. The frequencies are coded for analog and MOTOTRBO.

(The hotel has previously used an unlicensed repeater on 464.8750 [100.0] for security.)

AT&T National Golf Tournament FCC App

Creative Communications Sales & Rentals has requested frequencies for the AT&T National Golf Tournament, which runs from June 27-30 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda. The application lists nineteen UHF simplex frequencies, although some of the frequencies may end up being used as repeaters.

Takoma Business Center FCC App

Takoma Business Center, located at 6930 Carroll Ave. in Takoma Park, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.4125.