Mazza Gallerie FCC App

The Mazza Gallerie, a shopping center in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a DMR repeater on 461.6125. The Mazza Gallerie was previously monitored using an unlicensed repeater on 464.1125 for security and housekeeping.

DSD+ 1.101 Released

The creators of DSD+ provided a welcome Christmas present a couple of days ago: the release to the public of version 1.101 of the program. The last public release (1.074) was back in May. (Those willing to pay a small fee already had access to non-public releases of the program.) The primary features added since 1.074 are the ability to track Connect Plus and NEXEDGE systems, but there have been numerous other feature additions. A full changelog is available at the DSD+ website and is also included with the program download.

Orbital ATK FCC App

Orbital ATK, located in Sterling, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a DMR/analog repeater on 462.3500, and DMR/analog simplex on 457.0750, 464.7000, and 469.7000.

Weekend Event

• Georgetown plays Saturday at 2:30 at Verizon Center.

Sanaria FCC License

Sanaria, a biotech manufacturer in Rockville, was recently licensed for a repeater on 463.4375.

Weekend Events

• The Wizards play Friday at 7 and Sunday at 6 at Verizon Center.
• Georgetown plays Saturday at 1 at Verizon Center.

Archstone Fairchase Apartments FCC App

Archstone Fairchase Apartments, located in Fairfax, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for DMR simplex on 469.6500, 469.7125, 469.7875, 469.8625, and 469.9500.

Retail Scanning

Too late for Black Friday, but here is a list of shopping center security frequencies. Note that for simplicity and brevity, this list only includes the security frequency of each mall - housekeeping and other frequencies are excluded. Some of these frequencies may have switched to DMR. (These frequencies, as well as individual store frequencies, are on my website.)

DC

461.2000 [         ] Chevy Chase Pavilion (DMR - Color Code 2, Slot 1, Group 300)

463.7250 [ d306] DC USA (may have switched frequencies - see WQVD528)

464.1125 [ 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

461.7750 [ d226] Landmark Mall

464.1250 [         ] Fair Oaks Mall (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1)

463.8875 [         ] Mosaic District (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1)

464.7375 [         ] Reston Town Center (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1)

464.9125 [         ] Springfield Town Center (DMR - Color Code 7, Slot 1, Group 1000)

461.9875 [ d054] Tysons Corner Center (may have switched frequencies - see WPTD935)

462.2500 [  94.8] Tysons Galleria

451.5250 [ d411] Dulles Town Center

462.4000 [110.9] Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets

461.3000 [ d043] Potomac Mills

Maryland

464.7750 [ d411] Downtown Silver Spring

464.7000 [ d423] Lakeforest Mall

453.0125 [203.5] Westfield Montgomery

461.7250 [ d031] Westfield Wheaton

461.4250 [         ] Wisconsin Place (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 2, Group 200)

152.9225 [ d074] Bowie Town Center

463.4375 [ d032] Mall at Prince George's

464.4125 [         ] Tanger Outlets (DMR - Color Code 8, Slot 1, Group 1001)

451.3625 [         ] Arundel Mills Mall (DMR - Color Code 2, Slot 1, Group 100)

464.8750 [ d315] Marley Station Mall

464.0125 [ d664] Westfield Annapolis

461.1125 [162.2] The Mall in Columbia (may have switched frequencies - see WPYE616)

Morgan Stanley Modifies License

Morgan Stanley has modified its license to add a DMR repeater on 464.8500 at a location in Manassas.

Fredericksburg to Join Stafford System

The Fredericksburg City Council recently voted to have the city join the Stafford trunked system. The city currently uses analog VHF frequencies for police and fire. The move to Stafford's system is a relatively inexpensive way to upgrade their communications. Stafford's system has excellent coverage in the city.

Charles Modifies Fire/EMS Talkgroups

Charles County has recently modified the labels of its Fire/EMS talkgroups. The talkgroups now begin with a "10," probably to bring the county in line with other Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments jurisdictions, which have adopted a standardized numbering system for radio channels.

Uniden Announces ProVoice Upgrade for x36 Scanners

Today, Uniden announced an upgrade for the BCD436HP and BCD536HP scanners to allow monitoring of ProVoice communications. The upgrade will be available next month and cost $50. ProVoice communications have previously only been monitorable with programs such as DSD and DSD+.

EDACS (and ProVoice) have essentially reached end-of-life status - most of these systems are being upgraded to other formats in the United States. Still, there are a few major cities using these systems, so it will be a welcome upgrade for some.

Vanguard Car Rental (IAD) License Modification

Vanguard Car Rental, which operates Enterprise, Alamo, and National, recently modified its license for operations at Dulles International Airport. A repeater was added on 452.4000.

Freeman Exposition FCC License

Freeman Exposition, which coordinates events at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, was recently licensed for DMR simplex on 451.9500, 452.8875, 456.7250, 457.0250, and 457.7875. (The company was licensed for the same frequencies at the Baltimore Convention Center.)

Weekend Events

• The University of Maryland plays Saturday at noon at Byrd Stadium.
• The Capitals play Saturday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.

More RIOS Testing

A few days ago, RIOS testing was monitored on STARS talkgroup 6129 (Comlinc 2) and Stafford talkgroup 4505 (Coordination). This follows previous testing of RIOS by Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania.

St. John's College High School FCC App

St. John's College High School, located in Chevy Chase, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 451.8500, 452.1000, 456.8500, 464.1500, and 469.1500.

8251 Greensboro Drive License

8251 Greensboro Drive, an office building in Tysons Corner, was recently licensed for a DMR repeater on 464.4000, and DMR simplex on 452.3125, 457.3125, 462.1875, 462.5125, and 467.1875.

Downtown Silver Spring Drops Analog Emission Designators

Downtown Silver Spring has dropped its analog emission designators, leaving only DMR designators on its license. The organization operates repeaters on 461.4000 and 462.5000.

Rapidan Radio Communications FCC App

Rapidan Radio Communications has an application pending before the FCC for a NXDN trunked system. The transmitter will be located at 2804 Lookout Rd. in Haymarket. The system will use four frequencies: 452.0000, 462.4250, 463.9000, and 464.4250.

Weekend Events

• The Capitals play Friday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
• 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.

Weekend Events

• Maryland plays Saturday at 3:30 PM at Byrd Stadium.
• The Capitals play Saturday at 7:00 PM at Verizon Center.

RIOS Test

Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, and Prince William conducted a weekly RIOS test this morning. (RIOS is a system for combining radios and other communications methods.) Fredericksburg used Police Ch. 3 (156.1050 [ 69.3]), and Spotsylvania used Sheriff Tac 2 (talkgroup 02-023). It's unknown what channel Prince William used.

Maryland Jockey Club Modifies License

The Maryland Jockey Club has modified its license to add DMR/analog simplex 461.9125, 464.1750, and 466.9125. These frequencies are for use at Laurel Park.

Bullis School Modifies License

The Bullis School, located in Potomac, recently modified its license to add a repeater on 461.9250.

Digital Realty Trust FCC App

Digital Realty Trust, a data center company located in Ashburn, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a DMR repeater on 454.0000.

Weekend Events

• The Capitals play Friday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
• The Wizards play Saturday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
• DC United plays Sunday at 3 PM at RFK Stadium.

Marine Corps Marathon Findings

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

Marine Corps Trunked System Talkgroups (Site 403):
32912 "Marines pick up finish line"
63016 "shift" "spread out more" (partially encrypted)
63031 "water point" "condensing tables down"
63033 Course
63034 "pick up Marines" "behind cone trucks"
63037 (encrypted)
63038 (encrypted)
63039 "charity" "awards platform"
63040 (encrypted)
63042 (encrypted)
63045 (partially encrypted)
63047 (partially encrypted)

Arlington Trunked System Talkgroups:
3 Police - "area for meet and greet" "buses need to stay in place?"
4 Police
7 Police - Area 2 (lead/tail escort?)
8 Police - Area 3
9 Police - Area 4
11 Police - Motors
41 Fire - Logistics
43 Fire - Crystal City Division
44 Fire - Iwo Jima Division
45 Fire - Rosslyn Division
47 Fire - Command
48 Fire - Transportation
57 Police - SWAT units
58 Police - SAM units
60 (encrypted)
61 (encrypted)
135 Buses blocking roads

DC Trunked System Talkgroups:
716 Fire units? "Unified to Operations" "JHAT"
717 "Medical to Logistics" "Medical branch" "transports"

STARS Trunked System Talkgroups:
70 Units escorting trucks
6149 Road closures

Metro Trunked System Talkgroup:
49200

146.6250 [107.2] Amateur Radio (R)
166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Ch. 1)
453.4250 [ d266] Go Teams - VA (R)
462.7000 [  97.4] Aid Station - DC (R)

Verde Pointe Apartments FCC App

Verde Pointe Apartments, located at 1947 N. Uhle St. in Arlington, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a DMR repeater on 452.2125, and DMR simplex on 452.5375, 452.5875, and 452.5625.

Chaney Enterprises FCC App

Chaney Enterprises, a ready-mix concrete company, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a DMR repeater on 938.2250 at 2844 Wisconsin Ave. in DC.

Hertz (DCA) FCC App

Hertz has an application pending before the FCC for operations at Reagan National Airport. The app calls for a DMR/analog repeater on 451.7250, and DMR/analog simplex on 451.4375, 451.6625, 452.6625, 456.6625, and 457.6625.

Morgan Stanley FCC App

Morgan Stanley, located in Ashburn, has an application pending before the FCC for a possible data center. The app calls for a DMR repeater on 461.6000.

Weekend Events

• The Washington International Horse Show continues through Sunday at Verizon Center.
• The Marine Corps Marathon is Sunday in Arlington and DC.
• The Redskins play Sunday at 1 PM at FedEx Field.

1005 N. Glebe Rd. FCC App

1005 N. Glebe Rd., an office building in the Ballston area of Arlington, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for DMR simplex on 457.7625, 457.8375, 457.8625, and 462.1875.

1600 Wilson Blvd. FCC App

1600 Wilson Blvd., an office building in the Rosslyn area of Arlington, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for DMR simplex on 456.3375, 456.4125, 457.0625, and 462.3625.

Baycomm FCC App

Baycomm, which manages a multi-state NXDN trunked system, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for repeaters on 451.00625 and 451.0125 in Bethesda.

Theodore Davis Middle School FCC License

Theodore Davis Middle School, located in Waldorf, was recently licensed for a DMR/analog repeater on 153.2150, and DMR/analog simplex on 153.0050, 159.6150, 159.7500, 160.1475, and 160.2000.

Weekend Events

• The Capitals play Saturday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
• DC United plays Sunday at 2 PM at RFK Stadium.

Stafford Adds Repeaters for High Schools

Stafford Schools has been updating its licenses to add repeaters at several of the county's high schools. Here are the licenses and frequencies:

Colonial Forge - 461.9125
Mountain View - 464.9125
North Stafford - 464.7500
Stafford Senior - 463.6625

(Brooke Point had a license for a repeater on 461.9875, but it expired last year.)

The repeaters are coded for analog and DMR.

Weekend Events

• The Taste of DC is Saturday and Sunday from noon to 7 PM on Pennsylvania Ave. between 3rd and 7th Sts.
• The Army Ten-Miler is Sunday morning in Arlington and DC.

Mary Washington Hospital Switches to DMR

Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg has switched to DMR on 461.0750. The license has had the emissions designators for DMR for some time.

Springvale Terrace FCC App

Springvale Terrace, an assisted-living facility in Silver Spring, has an application pending before the FCC for a repeater on 452.7250.

Stafford Schools Adds DMR Emissions Designators

Stafford County Schools has added the emissions designators for DMR to its license. An analog/DMR repeater on 464.9125 has also been added for Mountain View High School.

FedEx Ground FCC App

FedEx Ground, which will open a shipping facility this fall in Prince William, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for an analog/DMR repeater on 464.4125.

Weekend Events

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

Cox Communications FCC App

Cox Communications, which provides cable service in Fredericksburg, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a DMR repeater on 463.4250. Cox has several DMR repeaters in Virginia, linked via IP Site Connect. This repeater may be configured to link with the others.

Papal Visit Finds

Here are frequencies/talkgroups monitored on September 23 during Pope Francis's visit to DC:

DC Trunked System talkgroups:
716 Medical - White House/Mall area
717 Medical - Basilica area
2099 Department of Health
2161 Department of Transportation
2223 "release to armory"
2341 Bishop units; "soldiers returning to armory"

Joint National Capital Region Trunked System talkgroups:
2133 Encrypted
2147 Roam unit; Vatican unit
25543 Medical

Metro Trunked System talkgroups:
49200 Crowd control at Brookland after Mass
50096
50224 Crowd control (unknown station)
57440 Media units
58032 SAFE units

166.7250 [127.3] Park Police
461.2000 [  82.5] National Shrine Security
462.7000 [  97.4] Go Teams (R)

Federal Reserve Switches to NXDN

Security for the Federal Reserve headquarters building in DC has switched to NXDN. The frequency remains the same (419.4875).

Prince George's Business Update

Here are new/updated Prince George's business frequencies:

461.9875 [         ] Largo Medical Center (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 4000) (R)
464.9750 [         ] Prince George's Community (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1000) (R)
464.5500 [  67.0] Woodmore Towne Centre - Costco
467.2250 [ d365] Woodmore Towne Centre - J.C. Penney
467.8500 [ d047] Woodmore Towne Centre - Old Navy
467.8750 [  67.0] Woodmore Towne Centre - Party City
467.9250 [ d506] Woodmore Towne Centre - Best Buy
469.5000 [ d172] Woodmore Towne Centre - Wegmans

Montgomery Hospitals Update

A couple of new DMR frequencies found for Montgomery County hospitals:

462.4250 [         ] Holy Cross (DMR - Color Code 3, Slot 1, Group 3) (R)
462.1375 [         ] Washington Adventist - Security (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1) (R)

Air Show Finds

Here's what was found at the Joint Base Andrews Air Show last Saturday:

Joint National Capital Region trunked system talkgroups:
9645 Medical/First Aid
25107 Public Affairs
25149 Bike Patrols ("Defender")
25156 Security ("Guardian" "Havoc")
25168 Fire (simulcast of Prince George's talkgroup 2007)
25183 Utilities/Portable Restrooms
25259 "Support 1" "flight kitchen"
25260 Distinguished Visitor Parking/Escorts
25261
25263 Vendor Support?
25265 Air Ops/Air Boss
25267 "box lunches on buses"

Prince George's County trunked system talkgroups:
95 PGPD Escorts?
249 Maryland State Police Forestville Tac
321 Maryland State Highway Authority District 3
2007 Fire
2009 Medical/First Aid
2011 FedEx Field Parking
2013 PGPD traffic control around base/Metro
2015 Special Event 2
2027

125.3500 [ CSQ] Air Boss

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 4:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• The Landmark Music Festival is Saturday and Sunday at West Potomac Park.

Accenture Federal Services FCC App

Accenture Federal Services, located in Chantilly, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for an analog/DMR repeater on 464.7500, and analog/DMR simplex on 451.2875, 451.5125, 451.7125, 452.1625, 456.2875, 456.5125, 456.7125, and 457.1625.

Park Shirlington Apartments FCC App

Park Shirlington Apartments, located in Arlington, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for analog/DMR simplex on 451.6625, 452.1875, 452.8375, 456.6625, and 457.8375.

University Towers Condo FCC App

University Towers Condominium, located in Silver Spring, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for an analog/DMR repeater on 463.4625, and analog/DMR simplex on 452.0750, 457.0750, 464.1000, 464.4500, and 469.1000.

DC Hotels Update

Updates for two DC hotels:

462.5000 [         ] Fairmont - Engineering (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1) (R)
462.5000 [         ] Fairmont - In-Room Dining (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 2, Group 2) (R)
462.5000 [         ] Fairmont (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 2, Group 5) (R)
463.2375 [         ] Fairmont - Housekeeping (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 4) (R)
464.5875 [         ] Fairmont - Banquets (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 2, Group 3) (R)
464.1750 [         ] Hay-Adams - Engineering (DMR - Color Code 3, Slot 1, Group 101)

Market Common Clarendon Using Capacity Plus

Market Common Clarendon, a shopping area in Arlington, is using a single-frequency Capacity Plus system. Only one user has been identified. The license is not coded for a trunked system.

Marriott Marquis Update

The Marriott Marquis Hotel in DC recently switched from conventional DMR to a Capacity Plus system. One of the sites is able to be monitored from multiple points around DC. Recently, another site was found, which is only able to be received in the immediate area of the hotel.

Sibley Hospital Update

Sibley Hospital is using UHF DMR frequencies for communications now, having switched from VHF analog some time ago. Here's the latest line-up:

463.5875 [         ] Security (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1)
464.2000 [         ] Engineering (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1)

Nothing was monitored on the other frequency on the license (461.9500).

Lord & Taylor FCC License

Lord & Taylor was recently licensed for simplex on 467.8500, 467.8750, 467.9000, 467.9250, 462.3625, 467.3625, and 467.2375 at Tysons Corner Center and in Kensington, MD (former White Flint Mall).

Joint Base Andrews Using JNCR System

Joint Base Andrews is now part of the Joint National Capital Region trunked system. The frequencies appear to be roughly the same as were used before. Only one frequency (386.6375) has been seen as a control channel. Andrews has many talkgroups on the system, but only a few have been identified. The system should see heavy use during tomorrow's air show.

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 4:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• The Nation's Football Classic is Friday at 7:30 at RFK Stadium.
• Joint Base Andrews hosts an air show on Saturday.
• Maryland plays Saturday at noon at Byrd Stadium.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7 at RFK Stadium.
• The Redskins play Sunday at 1 at FedEx Field.

Playlist Live Finds

Here's what was found at the Playlist Live conference, held at the Marriott Marquis in DC from September 4-6:

464.5500 [         ] Transportation (DMR - Color Code 5, Slot 1, Group 5)
464.6250 [         ] "VIP entrance movie room" (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1)
464.6250 [         ] (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 2, Group 2)
464.7000 [         ] "programming lights for VIP party" (DMR - Color Code 2, Slot 1, Group 6)
464.7500 [         ] (DMR - Color Code 11, Slot 2, Group 4)

National Book Festival Finds

The National Book Festival was Saturday, September 5 at the Washington Convention Center. As with several previous events at the WCC, organizers of the festival used groups on the convention center's Capacity Plus system.

More FedEx Field Unknown Groups

In addition to the unknown groups on the FedEx Field LTR system previously found, here are a few others found on Sunday:

0-01-107
0-02-115
0-02-118
0-02-119
0-02-123
0-06-157

Washington International School FCC App

The Washington International School in DC has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 463.3500, 464.1500, 464.3375, 468.3500, and 469.1500.

Weekend Events

• The University of Maryland plays Saturday at noon at Byrd Stadium.
• The Nation's Triathlon begins Sunday at 7 AM in DC, and continues until early afternoon.
• The Redskins play Sunday at 1 PM at FedEx Field.

Gables Upper Rock Apartments FCC App

Gables Upper Rock, an apartment complex in Rockville, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for an analog and DMR repeater on 461.3750, and analog and DMR simplex on 457.0125, 457.3375, and 468.3375.

FedEx Field New Talkgroups

While monitoring the FedEx Field LTR system yesterday, I came across a few new talkgroups. Unfortunately, since I was some distance away from the stadium (Gravelly Point) and the system wasn't received too well, I was not able to identify them.

0-02-116
0-02-121
0-02-122

Weekend Events

• The Men's National Soccer Team plays Friday at 7 PM at RFK Stadium.
• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05 PM, Saturday at 7:05 PM, and Sunday at 1:35 PM at Nationals Park.
• The National Book Festival is Saturday from 10 AM to 10 PM at the Washington Convention Center.
• Maryland plays Saturday at noon at Byrd Stadium.

New Frequency Found for AutoTrain Terminal

173.2250 [ 79.7] was recently identified as a frequency for the AutoTrain Terminal in Lorton. 160.3650, 160.8450, and 161.2950 are also licensed to Amtrak at Lorton.

Nationals Park Update

I've identified several groups on the Nationals Park Capacity Plus system in the past few weeks. As far as I can tell, this system appears to have replaced all Nats Park staff communications.

Washington National Cathedral Update

Here is the latest line-up of frequencies for Washington National Cathedral:

461.3000 [         ] Housekeeping?/National Cathedral School? (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 5)
461.6750 [         ] Police (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 6)
462.0250 [         ] Engineering (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 4)

Johns Hopkins University Using DMR

The DC campus of Johns Hopkins University is using DMR on 463.7750 (Color Code 8, Slot 1, Group 61772).

Fairmont Hotel Using DMR

The Fairmont Hotel in DC is using DMR on 462.5000, 463.2375, and 464.5875. I was not able to obtain color code, slot, and group information.

Crowne Plaza Tysons Corner Hotel New License

The Crowne Plaza Tysons Corner Hotel was recently issued a license for simplex on 456.1875, 456.3875, 456.5375, 456.7375, and 457.4125.

Inova Ashburn Healthplex License

Inova Ashburn Healthplex was recently licensed for a DMR repeater on 461.5750.

McLean Bible Church Modifies License

McLean Bible Church recently modified its license. Multiple frequencies and locations were added.

Scanners Prohibited at Andrews Air Show

Scanners are on the list of prohibited items for the Joint Base Andrews Air Show on Saturday, September 19. At previous air shows at Andrews, hobbyists have reported mixed results in bringing scanners onto the base.

Weekend Events

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

Arlington County Encrypted Talkgroup

Yesterday, encrypted talkgroup 71 was monitored on the Arlington County trunked system. This falls near encrypted talkgroups 61 and 70, which have been monitored previously.

Falls Church Schools Change Frequency on License

Falls Church City Schools have changed a frequency on their license. The schools had added an analog/DMR repeater on 152.9900; this frequency has now been changed to 154.4975.

German School Modifies License

The German School, located in Potomac, recently modified its license to add DMR emission designators to its four UHF simplex frequencies.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel New License

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in DC recently licensed frequencies again, after letting its previous license lapse for over a year. The frequencies are about the same as before, except that a repeater on 452.7375 was not relicensed.

AU Adds More Frequencies to Trunked System

American University has added another two frequencies (452.5125 and 452.8875) to its license for its Linked Capacity Plus system. The frequencies have a transmitter location at the Washington College of Law. The university recently licensed another frequency for use at that location.

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 7:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:00 at RFK Stadium.

601 Massachusetts Avenue FCC App

601 Massachusetts Avenue, an office building in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a DMR repeater on 464.3000, and DMR simplex on 451.4125, 451.4875, 451.5375, 456.4875, and 456.5375.

Northrup Grumman Adds Frequency

Northrup Grumman has added a DMR repeater on 463.7000 to its license. The transmitter location is 2340 Dulles Corner Blvd. in Herndon.

Falls Church Schools Adds Frequency

Falls Church City Schools have modified their license to add an analog/DMR repeater on 152.9900. Buses have previously been confirmed using DMR on 152.2700.

American University Adds Site to Capacity Plus System

American University has modified its license to add another site to its Linked Capacity Plus system. The new site will be at the Washington College of Law (separate from the main campus), and will use a single frequency (453.1875).

Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company License

Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company was recently licensed for an analog/DMR repeater on 152.8700 in Prince William County.

GEICO Adds Frequency to License

GEICO, which has an office in Chevy Chase, has added a repeater on 464.0125 to its license.

Hope Village FCC App

Hope Village, a halfway house in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 451.5000, and simplex on 464.9250 and 469.9250.

Hope Village has previously been monitored on 451.9875 [ d431], but the license for that frequency is expired.

Leisure World of Maryland Using DMR

Leisure World of Maryland is using DMR on 496.0375 (Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1). Both security and buses share the group. The license for this frequency does not indicate DMR.

DC Property Management Update

Two recent property management finds for DC:

• L'Enfant Plaza is using DMR on 464.5250 (Color Code 7, Slot 1, All Call and Color Code 7, Slot 2, Group 11). The license for this frequency expired last year.
• 55 M Street SE, an office building near Nationals Park, is using DMR on 462.5250 (Color Code 5, Slot 1, Group 555407). This frequency is licensed.

Marriott Marquis Switches to Capacity Plus

The Marriott Marquis Hotel in DC has at least partially switched to a Capacity Plus system. The three frequencies used for this system are able to be monitored from many points in DC and the surrounding area. The hotel is licensed for several other frequencies, which are only able to be monitored in the vicinity of the hotel. These have previously been confirmed to be DMR conventional, and it's not known if these frequencies were switched to Capacity Plus as well. It's possible the hotel has set up a Linked Capacity Plus system. (The hotel needs multiple frequencies to carry the same traffic because it has several below-ground levels.)

The Capacity Plus system has Restricted Access to System (RAS) enabled, which means a DMR radio cannot be programmed to monitor the system. The system can be monitored with a program such as DSD+, however.

Citi Open Finds

Here's what was monitored at the Citi Open yesterday:

461.0375 1-1004 "credentials"
461.0875 1-1006
461.1125 1-1007 "name pronunciations"
461.1375 1-1008
461.1625 1-1009
461.2375 1-1001 Tournament Officials
461.2625 1-1002 Operations
461.2625 1-1011 Tournament official talking to doctor
466.0375 1-1003 Security (Ch. 3)
466.0875 1-1013 Announcement Rehearsal
466.1125 1-1014

461.2375 1-3001 Parking

166.8500 [127.3] Park Police (S)
461.5500 [  88.5] CES Security (S)
464.3250 [ d532] Design Cuisine (S)
464.5000 [123.0] TV (S)

The tournament was using DMR simplex this year. In 2013 (last year monitored), officials used UHF analog simplex. For the top set of frequencies, the first number is the color code, and the second number is the group.

The tournament continues through Sunday.

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 7:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• The Citi Open continues through Sunday at the Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park.

Nationals Park Switches to Capacity Plus

Nationals Park has switched from conventional DMR to a Capacity Plus system. The ballpark appears to only be using four of the six licensed repeaters, but this yields a capacity of eight talk-paths. During my limited time monitoring, a few groups were identified, but there are several others in use. (The "cash room" was mentioned to use Channel 8.)

The license has not been updated to account for the trunked system.

National Harbor Update

Here are some updates for National Harbor:

462.0875 [         ] Capital Wheel (DMR - Color Code 4, Group 7) (S)
464.8250 [ d351] AC Hotel - Housekeeping (S)
467.9250 [ d351] AC Hotel - Engineering
154.5700 [  67.0] Residence Inn by Marriott

The Capital Wheel has switched from repeater to simplex operation, and is using a different frequency and group. The AC Hotel is using one of the frequencies from its license. The Residence Inn is using the VHF frequency even though the hotel's license for UHF frequencies remains valid. The hotel may also be using 462.5875. The Hampton Inn is using digital (probably DMR) simplex UHF portables. The frequency was not found, and I did not see the brand of radios they were using.

I also updated a couple of groups for the Gaylord National Hotel system.

Unknown Capacity Plus System

I monitored an unknown Capacity Plus system yesterday from National Harbor. It appeared to use a single frequency, 462.0375. The color code was 3. One group was noted: 5. On this group, "kitchen," "third floor," "Springfield Mall area," and "admin office" were monitored.

None of the FCC licenses for the frequency seem to make sense for what I was hearing.

National Harbor Simplex Frequencies

While at National Harbor yesterday, I monitored several DMR simplex frequencies. I suspect these are in use for the construction of the MGM casino, which opens in the second half of 2016. (The first number after the frequency is the color code, the second the slot, and the third the group.)

451.4625 9-1-1
451.4875 10-1-1
451.5625 10-1-1
451.5875 11-1-1
451.6625 11-1-1
451.7625 12-1-1
452.1125 13-1-1
452.5125 15-1-1
452.6875 1-1-1
452.7125 1-1-1

Haymarket Medical Center Using DMR

Haymarket Medical Center security was recently confirmed using DMR on 452.45625 (Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 10). The hospital is actually licensed for NXDN on this frequency.

Stonewall Shops Square Frequencies Found

Here are frequencies found at Stonewall Shops Square in Gainesville, VA:

464.5000 [  67.0] Wegmans
467.8500 [ d532] Michaels
467.8750 [  94.8] Dick's Sporting Goods
467.9000 [225.7] Staples
467.9250 [  67.0] Bed Bath & Beyond

Out-of-Area Frequency Finds

Summer has brought road trips to several cities outside of the DC region. Here are notable pages that have been updated:

Charlottesville
Albemarle County
Richmond
Henrico County
Hanover County
Williamsburg
James City County
York County
Newport News
Hampton

I also have many updates for Hampton Roads (Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach), which will be posted to the website shortly.

Department of Agriculture Confirmed Frequency

Security for the Department of Agriculture headquarters building in DC was recently confirmed using DMR on 451.8125 (Color Code 9, Slot 1, Group 101). This appears to be an unlicensed frequency. A private security company still hold a license for the headquarters building; it's unknown if their frequencies are still in use.

NPR Confirmed Frequency

National Public Radio headquarters in DC was recently confirmed using 462.0250 [ d263] for security.

Trinity University Confirmed Frequency

Trinity University in DC was recently confirmed using 463.5000 [ d311] for security.

Varekai by Cirque du Soleil Finds

Here are frequencies found for the Varekai by Cirque du Soleil show, which was at the EagleBank Arena at George Mason University in late July:

451.8000 [ d032]
464.5500 [ d432]
469.5000 [ d116]

These frequencies are covered under a nationwide license.

George Mason University Update

Spent some time near George Mason University recently, and was able to update several frequencies. Here's the latest list:

855.4875 [107.2] Police Dispatch (Channel 1)
855.7125 [107.2] Police Secondary/Special Events (Channel 2)
451.4375 [ d454] Recreation (S)
451.4875 [ d454] Recreation (S)
460.4625 [114.8] Call Boxes?
464.9750 [ d244] Athletics? (S)
461.5125 [ d152] EagleBank Arena - CSC Event Staff (S)
463.2750 [  88.5] EagleBank Arena - Operations (Ticket issues/talk about national anthem)
463.9250 [  88.5] EagleBank Arena - Security/General Operations (Ticket Takers/Ushers/Housekeeping) (Ch. 1)
464.5750 [  88.5] EagleBank Arena - Guest Services
464.6000 [  88.5] EagleBank Arena - Parking
464.6750 [  88.5] EagleBank Arena - Concessions

The university's LTR system was also updated.

Alexandria Renew Enterprises Using DMR

Alexandria Renew Enterprises, which operates a wastewater reclamation facility, was recently confirmed using DMR on 453.6750 (Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1).

Southern Maryland Hospital New Frequency

Southern Maryland Hospital was recently confirmed using a new frequency: 452.8500 [ d546]. This frequency may replace the legacy 464.3750 [ d546], or simply be an additional frequency.

SMECO Confirmed Using Capacity Plus

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative was recently confirmed using a MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus system. Only one frequency was found for the La Plata site in Charles County. No groups were monitored.

Watergate Hotel FCC App

The Watergate Hotel, which reopens this fall, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for analog/DMR repeaters on 452.0000 and 452.8000, and analog/DMR simplex on 451.7625, 452.1375, 452.6875, 456.7625, and 457.1375.

Quicken Loans National Finds

Here's what I found at the Quicken Loans National today:

451.0625 1-1-123 Food
451.0625 1-2-124
451.1625 1-1-103 Operations
451.1625 1-2-105 Hospitality
451.1875 1-1-112 Security
451.1875 1-2-113 Medical
451.2125 1-2-117 Trash
451.2875 1-1-101 Staff?
451.2875 1-2-104 Vendors
451.6125 1-1-114 Media?
451.6125 1-2-115 "refund for ticket"
452.0125 1-1-125 Food
452.5625 1-1-121 Food
452.5625 1-2-122 Food
452.5875 1-1-118 Marshal talking to staff?
452.5875 1-2-120 "van drivers"
452.6125 1-1-110 "finish my run" "fully stocked" "waters"
452.6125 1-2-111 "volunteers by Lawn with water?" "anybody give spectator ride?"
452.8875 1-1-106 Marshals A
452.8875 1-2-107 Marshals B
456.8375 (DMR)

451.8000 [  97.4] TV - Golf Channel? (R)
451.8125 [  94.8] TV - Golf Channel? (R)
461.2625 [ d072] Parking (S)
461.9500 [ d723] Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (R)
463.2750 [ d025] (S)
466.0375 [ d072]
466.7500 [ d054] "menu on display screen" "coordinates"
468.3750 [ d065] "handheld device"
468.7500 [ d072] "green-side laser"
468.8750 [ d073] "coordinates"
469.5000 [ d114] "PGA Tour production guys"

Prince William Trunked System talkgroup:
1027 Police Special Event 1 (interior)
1029 Police Special Event 2 (exterior)
1031 Police Special Event 3 (communication with dispatcher?)
2031 Fire 51D (medical/first aid)

The first set of frequencies are all DMR, covered under a temporary license. The first number after the frequency is the color code, the second the slot, and the third the group.

I didn't find a frequency for the MetLife blimp, but I didn't do too much searching for it.

The tournament continues through Sunday.

Weekend Events

• The Quicken Loans National continues through Sunday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, VA.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7 PM at RFK Stadium.

Columbia Square Seeks Frequency Change

Columbia Square, an office building in DC, has a modification pending to its license to change its frequency from 495.5625 to 452.5500.

Fairfax Hospital Using DMR

Fairfax Hospital is now using DMR on at least one frequency. 452.5000 (Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 200) is being used for engineering. Security continues to use analog on 464.8250 [ d516]. The hospital is licensed for two other DMR repeaters (451.8625 and 453.0125).

Weekend Event

• DC United plays Sunday at 5 PM at RFK Stadium.

Integrated Wireless Network Inputs

On Monday night, a couple of inputs to the Integrated Wireless Network National Capital Region system were captured with Uniden's Close Call feature in the area of Arlington Blvd. and Gallows Rd. in Fairfax County. The inputs were 163.7750 and 165.8750, both using a NAC of 010. The inputs were probably used with repeaters on either the Tysons Corner site or the Fairfax site of the system.

Goodwin House FCC App

Goodwin House, a retirement community in Alexandria, has an application pending before the FCC for repeaters on 461.4750 and 461.6500, and simplex on 464.4750.

Goodwin House already has a valid license for 461.4750, and the frequency has been monitored with a CTCSS of 179.9.

Spotsylvania P25 Phase II System FCC App

Spotsylvania County, which will be upgrading from an EDACS system to a Project 25 Phase II system, has an application before the FCC. The app calls for four eight-frequency repeater sites. (Two of the frequencies will be returned once the system becomes operational.)

The county seeks to build a ten-site system with six frequencies. Because the Phase II system will use two-slot TDMA, the system should have ten voice paths available at any given time. (One of the frequencies will be used as a control channel, and there are two voice slots on the remaining five frequencies.) The current EDACS system also has ten available voice frequencies.

The county also has an application pending to modify its existing license to add four sites.

Quicken Loans National Temp License

Creative Communications was recently licensed for several UHF DMR frequencies to be used at the Quicken Loans National golf tournament (July 30-August 2 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Course in Gainesville, VA). The frequencies are listed as simplex, but based on past experience, several of the frequencies will probably be used as repeaters.

GSA Headquarters Security License

Frontline Security was recently licensed for a repeater on 461.4500 for use at the GSA Headquarters building at 1800 F St. NW in DC.

1330 Connecticut Ave. Modifies License for DMR

1330 Connecticut Avenue, an office building in DC, recently modified its license to add the emission designator for DMR.

July 4 Finds

Here's what was monitored on July 4:

123.0250 [ CSQ] Helicopters
163.3375 [ $4C5] Park Service (unknown if input/output)
166.7250 [127.3] Park Police (Ch. 1)
166.8500 [127.3] Park Police (Ch. 4)
169.7750 [ $4C5] Park Service (unknown if input/output)
170.5125 [ $4C5] Park Service (R)
408.3500 [ $167] (encrypted/unencrypted)

DC Trunked System talkgroups:
167 Medical; "Division 3"
716 (active early in day)
717 "Capitol branch" "Marine Branch" "HAZMAT"
2099 Aid Stations (some encryption)
2117
2341 Medical ("MEDCOM")
2343 Medical - Transports
2353 Fire?
2355 "Red Hand "TCP"

Arlington Trunked System talkgroups:
6 Helicopter traffic reports
7 Long Bridge Park
8 "Highland" "parade"
9 "Division 3"
11
43
49 DOT units; "posts" (421xxxx units)
57 SWAT units
62
99
235 "Mobile Command" "can change back to Myer dispatch channel"

Metro Trunked System talkgroups:
49264 Navy Yard (Nationals game)
50032 Smithsonian (post-fireworks)
50064
50096 Metro Center (post-fireworks)
50128 L'Enfant Plaza (post-fireworks)
50160
50192 Foggy Bottom (post-fireworks)

Joint National Capital Region Trunked System talkgroups:
305 Eagle unit; "forego flag?"
308
361 Oscar, Sierra units; "Orme Street" "Columbia Pike" "Air Force Memorial personnel" "south gate"
410
496 Romeo unit
25543 Hammer units; radio IDs: 251xxxx; "between 18th and 19th Streets" "Pan-American Union Building"

STARS Trunked System talkgroup:
6149

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 4:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.

PGPD Simulcast on 451.5500

On July 4, Prince George's Police were simulcasting one of their talkgroups on 451.5500 [127.3]. The transmissions included mention of "Potomac Village Shopping Center" and "Fort Washington United Methodist Church."

Paul Spring Retirement Community FCC App

Paul Spring Retirement Community, located in Alexandria, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 461.4125.

Franciscan Monastery Using VHF Portables

Staff at the Franciscan Monastery in Northeast DC are using VHF portables, likely unlicensed.

Radio Testing on Stafford System

Today, there has been radio coverage testing on the Emergency Management 8 talkgroup (4714) on the Stafford County trunked system. At least some of the testing was at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg.

Grand Oaks New License

Grand Oaks, an assisted-living facility in DC, was recently licensed for DMR simplex on 461.6000, 463.2500, 464.2500, 466.6000, and 469.2500.

Fairfax Encrypts Police Ops 1 Talkgroups

Recently, Fairfax County encrypted the Police Ops 1 talkgroups on the P25 system. (The Ops 2 talkgroups were encrypted several months ago.)

Tour Group Frequency

Last Sunday, there appeared to be some kind of tour/academic excursion group using 451.7625 [ d412] in downtown DC. The people on the radios mentioned "scholars" and "cast."

Weekend Events

• The World Police and Fire Games continue through the weekend. The closing ceremony is Sunday at 6:00 PM at Wolf Trap.
• The Smithsonian Folklife Festival continues through the weekend.
• The Nationals play Friday at 6:05 PM, Saturday at 11:05 AM, and Sunday at 8:08 PM at Nationals Park.
• The Foo Fighters play a twentieth anniversary concert beginning Saturday at noon at RFK Stadium.
• The DC fireworks begin Saturday at 9:09 PM on the National Mall.

Nordstrom Distribution Center New License

The Nordstrom Distribution Center at 839 Commerce Dr. in Upper Marlboro was recently licensed for a DMR/analog repeater on 464.5250, and DMR/analog simplex on 464.6125, 464.0875, 464.2625, 463.8375, and 468.4375.

JetBlue Switches to DMR at DCA, Doesn't Inform FCC

JetBlue has switched to DMR on 463.8625 at Reagan National Airport. The license for the frequency has not been updated with the appropriate emission designators. Three groups were found:

463.8625 [         ] (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 2, Group 1)
463.8625 [         ] (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 2)
463.8625 [         ] (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 3)

Folklife Festival Frequency Found

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival was confirmed using 412.9000 (NXDN 4800 - RAN 42, Group 23, Scrambled). Because the frequency is scrambled, it cannot be monitored even with a program like DSD+. This frequency does not appear to be part of the DC Federal SMR.

Folger Shakespeare Library Confirmed Using New Frequency

The Folger Shakespeare Library was recently monitored on 461.8000 [127.3]. Folger was licensed for this frequency in late 2013; it had used an unlicensed frequency previously.

National Capital Barbecue Battle Finds

Here's what was active at the National Capital Barbecue Battle:

152.2775 [ d072] Beverage/Volunteer (Ch. 1)
151.8275 [ d532] Box Office/Gates (Ch. 2)
155.0250 [ d743] Hospitality/Stages (Ch. 3)
150.5125 [ d172] Contest (Ch. 4)
153.8750 [123.0] Production/Electric (Ch. 5)
157.8150 [141.3] Safeway Pavilion (Ch. 6)
154.2250 [ d464] Clean Up (Ch. 7)
159.2100 [ d624] Open/Conversation (Ch. 8)
157.0100 [ d734] First Aid (Ch. 9)
(Some frequencies may be off by 2.5/5.0 kHz.)

DC Trunked System Talkgroup:
2117 Emergency Management Agency

World Police and Fire Games

The World Police and Fire Games continue through Sunday. Most of the events are in Fairfax County. Here are talkgroups monitored this past Sunday:

Fairfax Project 25 Trunked System talkgroups:
1175 Fire 43E
1179 Fire 43G

Fairfax Services Trunked System talkgroups:
24016 Special Event 1
24048 Special Event 2 (Buses)
24080 Special Event 3
24112 Special Event 4
24144 Special Event 5
24176 Special Event 6 (Buses)
24272 Coordination A1
24304 Coordination A2 (Buses)
24336 Coordination A3
24368 Coordination A4
24400 Coordination A5 (Buses)
24432 Coordination A6 (Buses)

This RadioReference thread details other talkgroups found.

Spotsylvania Stars and Stripes Spectacular

The Spotsylvania Stars and Stripes Spectacular was cancelled because of inclement weather this afternoon, but a few talkgroups from the Spotsylvania trunked system were noted in use:

00-087 Disaster Tac (fire/medical)
02-024 Sheriff A Tac (traffic control)
04-121 Parks & Recreation (organizers)

National Capital Barbecue Battle Talkgroup

The DC Emergency Management Agency was using talkgroup 2117 on the DC trunked system today for the National Capital Barbecue Battle. The event concludes tomorrow.

Weekend Events

• The Smithsonian Folklife Festival continues on the National Mall through Sunday, and returns July 1-5.
• The World Police and Fire Games Opening Ceremony is Friday at 6 PM at RFK Stadium.
• The National Capital Barbecue Battle is Saturday and Sunday on Pennsylvania Ave. from 9th to 14th Sts.

Potomac Job Corps FCC App

The Potomac Job Corps Center, located at 1 DC Village Ln. SW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a base/mobile configuration on 463.9250, and simplex on 452.1750 and 452.5375.

Lockheed Martin Adds Frequency in Rockville

Lockheed Martin recently modified its license to add an analog/DMR repeater on 461.9375 at its location at 1 Curie Ct. in Rockville.

Spotsylvania Sheriff Radio IDs

Spotsylvania Sheriff appears to use IDs for mobile radios that contain the vehicle number. For example, vehicle 278 uses a radio ID of 10278. The format appears to be 10xxx, where xxx is the vehicle number. The portable radios are in the format 2xxx, where xxx is the unit ID of the transmitting unit. Therefore, portable radios will always identify the deputy's unit number, but mobile radio IDs will only identify the vehicle (because multiple deputies use the same vehicle at different times).

Virginia Emergency Management Using Some Encryption

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management "Red" talkgroups on STARS are now encrypted full-time.

Weekend Events

• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 4:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• DC United plays Sunday at 5:00 at RFK Stadium.

Stafford Talkgroups Active Saturday

A few rarely-used talkgroups (4512, 4710, 4711) on the Stafford system were active on Saturday. It was difficult to figure what they were used for, but they were possibly used for high school graduations.

CommutAir (IAD) License Modification

CommutAir, which operates as United Express at Dulles Airport, recently modified its license to add a repeater on 464.8000.

Greater Mount Calvary Church FCC App

Greater Mount Calvary Church, located at 610 Rhode Island Ave. NE in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 462.5250, and simplex on 467.3125.

Greens I FCC App

Greens I, an office building at 15049 Conference Center Dr. in Chantilly, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for an analog/DMR repeater on 463.5750, and analog/DMR simplex on 457.6625, 462.3875, 462.4625, 467.3875, and 467.4625.

Herndon Festival Finds (and Vintage Virginia Finds?)

Here's what was found for last weekend's Herndon Festival:

Fairfax Services Trunked System talkgroups:
24048 Special Event 2
24080 Special Event 3
24112 Special Event 4
24176 Special Event 6

Fairfax Project 25 Trunked System talkgroups:
1319 Herndon Police Tac 4
1333 Coordination 5 (Fire/EMS)

Several other analog coordination talkgroups (A2, A3, A4) were active last Saturday; these may have been used for Vintage Virginia. Coordination D7 was also active; it's unknown if this was used for Vintage Virginia, the Herndon Festival, or something else.

College Park Energy FCC App

College Park Energy, which may provide power to the University of Maryland-College Park campus, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for an analog/NXDN repeater on 462.5125.

Weekend Events

• Celebrate Fairfax is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Fairfax County Government Center.
• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 12:05, and Sunday at 4:05 at Nationals Park.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:00 at RFK Stadium.

955 L'Enfant Plaza FCC App

955 L'Enfant Plaza, an office building in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for an analog/DMR repeater on 463.9000.

Weekend Events

• Awesome Con DC is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7 PM at RFK Stadium.

Republic Square FCC App

Republic Square, an office building at 25 Massachusetts Ave. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for an analog/DMR repeater on 452.6250.

George Mason University FCC Apps

George Mason University has two applications pending before the FCC. There is not much information in the apps regarding what the frequencies will be used for.

0006818689

0006818690

Prince William Communications FCC App

Prince William Communications has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for an analog/NEXEDGE trunked system on 462.3250, 463.4500, 463.8250, and 464.7000. The transmitter location is in Fairfax County at Rt. 123 and Rt. 286.

Udvar-Hazy Center Using NXDN

The Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport has migrated to the DC Area Federal NXDN IDAS system. Three frequencies were found, and the site was showing as Site 4. All transmissions appeared to be scrambled.

Dulles Airport Update

Here are new/updated frequencies for Dulles Airport:

451.8500 [         ] Skycaps (Huntleigh) (DMR - Color Code 10, Slot 2, Group 3) (RAS)
464.9000 [         ] Skycaps (Huntleigh) (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 22151) (RAS)
452.2250 [         ] Alaska (DMR - Color Code 2, Slot 1, Group 101)
460.7875 [         ] Avianca/Taca (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1)
460.7875 [         ] Avianca/Taca (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 2)
460.7625 [         ] Southwest (DMR - Color Code 12, Slot 1, Group 101)
460.7625 [         ] Southwest (DMR - Color Code 12, Slot 2, Group 102)
460.8750 [         ] US Airways/American (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1001)
463.3250 [         ] Hertz - Customer Service (DMR - Color Code 9, Slot 1, Group 11)
463.3250 [         ] Hertz - Buses (DMR - Color Code 9, Slot 2, Slot 12)
452.2750 [         ] Swissport (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1) (RAS)
452.2750 [         ] Swissport (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 2, Group 2) (RAS)

Many of the above frequencies were previously analog, and have switched to DMR. The Hertz frequency may actually be for Dollar/Thrifty, since Hertz already has a separate frequency at the airport.

The Aeronautical Radio trunked system was found to have at least one unencrypted group; other groups are using Enhanced Privacy.

The United Airlines trunked system remains Motorola Type II; it was suspected that the system may have been converted to Capacity Plus or Connect Plus, as United seems to be doing with some of their systems at hub airports (such as Chicago) in the United States.

National Memorial Day Parade

Monitored via the DC trunked system software-defined radio, here are a couple of talkgroups active during today's National Memorial Day Parade:

717 DCFD Special Events 2
2117 DC Emergency Management Agency

Tysons Corner Center License Modification

Tysons Corner Center recently modified its license. DMR emissions codes were added to the 464.9375 repeater, and the 464.3750 repeater was added as DMR/analog. 464.9375 has never been used by the mall (the property has used an unlicensed repeater on 461.9875 for security for years). 464.3750 has been used by the mall for housekeeping, but may have been added to this license because the current license for the frequency is expiring next month.

Capitol Crossing FCC App

Balfour Beatty Construction, which is constructing Capitol Crossing at 222 Massachusetts Ave. NW, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 463.2500, and simplex on 463.7250, 464.1750, 466.5000, 468.7250, and 469.1750.

Cyrus Networks FCC App

Cyrus Networks, which runs a data center in Sterling, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a DMR/analog repeater on 462.4250, and DMR/analog simplex on 463.8250, 464.1750, 464.4250, 469.1750, and 469.4250.

Weekend Events

• The Nats play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 4:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• The National Memorial Day Concert is Sunday at 8:00 on the West Lawn of the Capitol.
• The National Memorial Day Parade is Monday at 2:00 on Constitution Ave. from 7th to 17th Sts.

Washington Harbour Using DMR

Washington Harbour has been confirmed using DMR on 452.4375. Here are the two groups found:

452.4375 [         ] Security (DMR - Color Code 4, Slot 1, Group 1)
452.4375 [         ] (DMR - Color Code 4, Slot 2, Group 2)

No activity was monitored on the other frequency Washington Harbour is licensed for (464.3125).

Lt. Kevin McRae Funeral

The funeral and procession for DC firefighter Lt. Kevin McRae was on Friday. Three unencrypted talkgroups were active on the DC trunked system: DCFD Special Events 1 and 2, and the Emergency Management Agency talkgroup. Several other DCFD encrypted talkgroups were active that day; some of these were probably used in support of the funeral. Fire personnel from DC, Montgomery, Prince George's, and Charles were active on the Special Events talkgroups; the Montgomery units had 250xxxx radio IDs.

Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon

The Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon was yesterday morning in Fredericksburg. Here's what was monitored:

147.0150 [  88.5] Amateur Radio - K4TS
154.7250 [131.8] Fredericksburg Police 1 (patched to Spotsylvania talkgroup 02-041 and STARS talkgroup 98)
158.8350 [203.5] Fredericksburg Fire 3 (Medical Branch)
155.7150 [156.7] Fredericksburg Fire 7 (Celebrate Command)
Marines used temporary trunked system (388.5250 control, system ID 355, site 101, WACN BEE0A, NAC 350)

The Fredericksburg Police channel uses voice inversion, but the patched talkgroups allowed one to listen to all units. (The sound quality was poor on the STARS talkgroup.)

The trunked system that the Marines used is probably a mobile, low-power system. A similar system was used for the 2008 race. Due to the weakness of the signal, I was not able to determine if the talkgroups used were clear or encrypted.

851.8375 [141.3] was monitored shortly after the race; this frequency was probably used for car-to-car communications among visiting public safety units.

Hotel Monaco Alexandria License Modification

The Hotel Monaco Alexandria recently modified its license to add DMR simplex on 451.5125, 452.0375, 456.5125, and 457.0375. The hotel is already licensed for several VHF frequencies, so these frequencies may mean the hotel is switching to UHF.

Renaissance Mayflower FCC App

The Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in DC has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for one VHF frequency, and several UHF frequencies. The hotel's previous license expired in February. The new application makes some minor changes to the frequencies requested.

Weekend Events

• Opera in the Outfield is today at 7 PM at Nationals Park.

Arlington Trunked System Finds

A couple of new talkgroups found on the Arlington trunked system:

• 21 School Security
• 143 Wakefield High School

Having one of the high schools on the trunked system is a new development for Arlington (although it is done in some nearby jurisdictions, such as Alexandria). A couple of the other high schools are covered under a VHF license. Washington-Lee High uses 152.4050 [ d411]. Yorktown High is licensed for 152.3750, but has not been monitored. There doesn't appear to be a license for Arlington Mill High. The previously-mentioned license may cover that school as well as several others, as the license is for 300 mobiles.

Nationals Park - American Medical Response

American Medical Response, a company providing first aid services at Nationals Park, is using DMR on 452.2625. Here are the two channels found:

452.2625 [         ] (Ch. 1) (DMR - Color Code 3, Slot 1, Group 100)
452.2625 [         ] (Ch. 2) (DMR - Color Code 3, Slot 2, Group 101)

It's unknown if DC Fire is still using a frequency and/or talkgroup for ops at the stadium. Special Events 1/2 from the DC trunked system did not seem to be active for Friday evening's game.

Arsenal of Democracy Flyover Finds

Here's what I found at Friday's Arsenal of Democracy flyover:

118.9500 [ CSQ] Potomac Departure
134.3500 [ CSQ] DCA Tower - Helicopters (Airboss)
170.5125 [ $4C5] National Park Service - National Capital Parks Central

DC Trunked System talkgroup:
716 DCFD Special Events 1

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Trunked System talkgroups:
1696 Reagan National Operations (emergency landing incident)
2640 Fire 3L Reagan Alert (emergency landing incident)

Alexandria Renew Enterprises FCC App

Alexandria Renew Enterprises, a local government agency which operates a water reclamation facility, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a DMR repeater on 453.6750.

Watkins Security Agency License Modification

The Watkins Security Agency was recently licensed for a repeater on 461.2250 for a location on Seventh St. SW, near the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Constitution Center (the building that was the former headquarters of the Department of Transportation).

Weekend Events

• The Nats play Saturday at 4:05 and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• The Wizards play Saturday at 5:00 PM at Verizon Center.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:00 PM at RFK Stadium.
• The Caps play Sunday at 7:00 PM at Verizon Center.

Market Common Clarendon FCC App

Market Common Clarendon, a shopping area in Arlington, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for DMR simplex on 451.3875, 451.5375, 452.1625, 456.5375, and 457.1625.

Arsenal of Democracy Flyover

The Arsenal of Democracy Flyover is on Friday, beginning at about 12:10 PM. The planes will leave from Culpeper and Manassas Airports, fly down the Potomac River, and then traverse the National Mall from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol.

National Park Service and Park Police frequencies should be active:

170.5125 [ $4C5] National Park Service - Medical/First Aid (R)
172.4750 [ $4C5] National Park Service - National Mall & Memorial Parks (R)
172.7500 [ $4C5] National Park Service - National Mall & Memorial Parks (S)
166.7250 [127.3] Park Police - Special Events (Channel 1)
166.9250 [127.3] Park Police - Dispatch (Channel 2)
167.0750 [127.3] Park Police - Administrative (Channel 3)
166.8500 [127.3] Park Police - Tactical Operations (Channel 4) (S)

Frequencies for Reagan National Airport and surrounding airspace should be active. The AirNav page for DCA has many communications frequencies.

DC 16xx Talkgroups

Today, more radio testing was done on 16xx talkgroups on the DC trunked system. Several of the talkgroups were identified by channel name:

1617 - 0-1
1619 - 0-3
1620 - 0-4
1633 - 1-7
1634 - 1-8
1635 - 1-9
1636 - 2-0
1637 - 2-1
1638 - 2-2
1642 - 2-6

These talkgroups may be used by Metro in the future. Metro is supposed to migrate from its UHF-T system to the DC system. Previous testing on some of these talkgroups was done in January, February, and March.

DSD+ 1.071 Released

DSD+ version 1.071 was released this morning. There is a RadioReference forum post about the release.

The major addition to 1.071 seems to be a built-in frequency tuner/scanner, which eliminates the need for a program like SDR#. It also eliminates the need for a virtual audio cable program, such as VB-Cable or Virtual Audio Cable, to route the audio from SDR# to DSD+.

National Zoo Update

The National Zoo is using the DC Area Fed SMR IDAS system. This system has replaced the PassPort system. The zoo was found to be using at least five frequencies. (Only two were noted in use when the PassPort system was active.) The increased number of frequencies is probably due to all personnel at the zoo using the system. Previously, only police, maintenance, and keepers were using the trunked system. Parking, guest services, concessions, and others were using UHF business frequencies.

Unfortunately, it appears all communications are encrypted.

Virginia Gold Cup Talkgroups Found

Here are talkgroups from the Fauquier County trunked system in use for yesterday's Virginia Gold Cup:

24688 Sheriff Tac 4 (Parking)
26128 Event 2 (Medical)
26160 Event 3 (Medical)
30320 Wrecker Service

24688 appeared to only be used for exterior parking/law enforcement. Interior law enforcement may have been on a simplex channel. 30320 is a never-before-seen talkgroup, and was used to dispatch what sounded like a private wrecker service to disabled vehicles.

Weekend Events

• Dulles Airport conducts an emergency exercise Saturday morning.
• The Virginia Gold Cup is Saturday beginning at 12:30 PM at Great Meadow in The Plains, VA.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:00 PM at RFK Stadium.

Cambria Suites Rockville FCC App

Cambria Suites Rockville, which opens next month, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for DMR simplex on 452.0375, 452.1875, 452.6875, 457.0375, and 457.6875.

Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association License Mod

Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association, which occupies a building at 1900 K St. NW in DC, has a modification pending to its license. The emission designator for DMR has been added to the repeater on 463.2750.

New BCD436HP Firmware Released

Yesterday, Uniden released a major firmware update for the BCD436HP scanner. This is the first firmware release since March of last year, when a minor maintenance release was issued. The firmware adds the "Analyze" feature, displays Close Call hits immediately (without prompt for a key press), speeds up conventional scanning, and provides a workaround for a failing real-time clock battery. Users have also reported that P25 reception has been improved.

The firmware update follows a similar update (released April 10th) for the BCD536HP.

Baltimore Protests

This RadioReference thread has lots of information on talkgroups/frequencies in use for the protests in Baltimore over the past several days.

LinkedIn FCC App

LinkedIn has an application pending before the FCC for use at a data center at 43940 Digital Loudoun Plaza in Loudoun County. The app calls for analog/DMR repeaters on 451.8625 and 463.3375.

General Dynamics License Modification

General Dynamics, located at 2941 Fairview Park Dr. in Falls Church, recently modified its license to add analog and DMR simplex on 466.6500, 468.9000, and 469.7000. The property already was licensed for an analog and DMR repeater on 452.2125.

DOT Headquarters License Modification

JBG Commercial, which manages the Department of Transportation Headquarters building at 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE in DC, recently modified its license to add a DMR repeater on 463.2250. The property was already licensed for a DMR repeater on 461.9375.

Saturday Special Events

Yesterday, there were several special events. Here's what was monitored:

• DC Fire used Special Events 1 (talkgroup 716) from the DC system for the Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival.
• Charles County and Prince George's County (and possibly other counties) used 8 Tac 94 (853.0125) for the funeral procession of James Herbert, Jr.
• Spotsylvania Sheriff used A Tac (talkgroup 02-024) and Incident (talkgroup 02-027) from the Spotsylvania system for the Wounded Warrior Benefit.

DCFD ELO - Channels A13/A14

DC Fire has a mix of clear and encrypted channels on the DC P25 system. The 0 zone is in the clear, and the A/B/C zones are encrypted. Often, medics will call the ELO (EMS Liaison Officer) on channel 013, and are told to switch to A13. This indicates A13 is for the ELO, although the talkgroup number is unknown. (The mix-up also occurs on 014, and medics are told to switch to A14, which is another encrypted ELO talkgroup.)

DC Project 16 System Deprecated

The DC Project 16 trunked system is no longer in use. As such, the system has been deprecated on RadioReference. The Project 25 system is the only system in use now.

Weekend Events

• The Wizards play Friday at 8:00 PM at Verizon Center.
• The White House Correspondents' Dinner is Saturday evening at the Washington Hilton.
• The Wizards play Sunday at 6:30 PM at Verizon Center.

King George High School Adds DMR Repeater

King George High School recently modified its license to add a DMR repeater on 461.2250.

Crystal Gateway Marriott Applies for DMR Repeater

The Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington has a modification to its license pending to add an analog/DMR repeater on 461.6875. The frequency may replace the "local control" frequency of 464.6750, although that frequency remains on the license.

Johns Hopkins University DC Campus FCC App

The DC campus of Johns Hopkins University has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for an analog and DMR repeater on 463.7750, and analog and DMR simplex on 467.3250 and 469.0750.

Carlyle Dupont Hotel FCC App

The Carlyle Dupont Hotel, located at 1731 New Hampshire Ave. NW in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 452.6875, 456.6625, 457.1625, 457.6875, and 462.4875.

Weekend Events

• The Caps play Friday at 7:00 at Verizon Center.
• The Nationals play Friday at 7:05, Saturday at 1:05, and Sunday at 1:35 at Nationals Park.
• The Global Citizen Earth Day rally is Saturday from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM on the National Mall.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:00 at RFK Stadium.

DC FedSMR Update

With the DC FedSMR transitioning from Passport to IDAS, I checked some of the frequencies for activity on Saturday from downtown. 406.5875 had IDAS data bursts on it. 408.5500 still has Passport data bursts every couple of seconds. 409.8500 had IDAS data bursts, as well as what appeared to be voice traffic. The traffic was not decoded by DSD+, so it may be encrypted. 410.3125 had IDAS data bursts, but they didn't seem to be as strong as those on 406.5875 and 409.8500.

Sandy Spring Friends School FCC App

The Sandy Spring Friends School, located in Montgomery County, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for fifteen UHF simplex frequencies.

Sakura Matsuri Finds

Here's what I found at Saturday's Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival:

452.4875 [ d412] (S)
452.8625 [ d412] (S)
DC Fire used talkgroup 717 (Special Events 2).

The two UHF simplex frequencies were also used in 2013, the last year the festival was monitored.

Cherry Blossom Parade Finds

Here's what I found at Saturday's National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade:

461.0375 [         ] Organizers (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 5004) (S)
461.0625 [         ] Organizers (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 5005) (S)
461.2375 [         ] Organizers (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 5001) (S)
461.4375 [ d152] CSC Event Staff (S)
DC Fire used talkgroup 717 (Special Events 2). DC EMA used talkgroup 2117.

CSC Event Staff had MOTOTRBO radios, but were using their frequency in analog mode.

Organizers had several more channels available than the three I found. According to information found about the radio zones, the event used two zones. One was comprised of two "citywide" channels, which were probably repeaters, and may have been leased channels on a DMR trunked system, such as the FleetTalk Partners system. The other zone was comprised of eight (simplex?) channels.

Zone 1:
Event Ops - City Wide
TV - City Wide

Zone 2:
Production
15th Street
Tickets/Ushers
Talent
Assembly
Private
Dispersal
Volunteers

1850 M Street FCC App

1850 M Street, an office building in DC, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for DMR simplex on 466.4750, 466.8500, 468.8250, 469.0500, and 469.7000.

The building is already licensed for two UHF simplex frequencies.

FBI Police Using VHF Radios

The FBI Police, often seen near FBI headquarters in DC, are now using VHF radios. The frequency is unknown, but they may be using the Integrated Wireless Network National Capital Region system.

Previously, the FBI Police used 419.2500 [167.9].

Kiewit Infrastructure License

Kiewit Infrastructure, which may be doing contracting work at the Possum Point Power Station in Prince William, holds a license for DMR/analog repeaters on 452.7250, 463.8125, and 464.2125.

Dulles Aviation Modifies License

Dulles Aviation, a fixed-based operator at Manassas Regional Airport, recently modified its license. 462.4750 and 462.5250 were added. The frequencies will be used in a base/mobile configuration.

Weekend Events

• The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade is Saturday at 10:00 AM on Constitution Ave. from 7th to 17th Sts.
• The Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival is Saturday at 10:30 AM on Pennsylvania Ave. from 9th to 14th Sts.
• The Caps play Saturday at 12:30 PM at Verizon Center.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7:00 PM at RFK Stadium.
• The Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run is Sunday at 7:20 AM on the grounds of the Washington Monument.
• The Wizards play Sunday at 6:00 PM at Verizon Center.

West Lanham Hills VFD & Rescue Squad FCC App

The West Lanham Hills Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue Squad, located in Hyattsville, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for a repeater on 451.2625. This frequency is for non-emergency business communications.

Downtown DC Hotel Updates

Here are new/updated frequencies for three downtown DC hotels:

462.3750 [ d032] Hilton Garden Inn (S)
462.4750 [ d032] Hilton Garden Inn (S)
451.5125 [ d212] St. Regis - Housekeeping (S)
451.6625 [ d212] St. Regis - Engineering (S)
456.6625 [         ] Sofitel (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, All Call)

The Hilton Garden Inn does not have a license for its frequencies. The St. Regis is licensed. The Sofitel holds a license, but it indicates NXDN, not DMR.

Stafford Coordinating Escort

Stafford Sheriff motor units are coordinating an escort with Prince William and Fredericksburg units. They are using Motor Ops (talkgroup 4512), which is one of the few unencrypted sheriff talkgroups on the county's trunked system.

French International School Modifies License

The French International School recently modified its license. A DMR repeater on 152.4275 was added at the Bradley Blvd. campus.

RINS/COG Frequencies Active

In the past few days, a couple of the Regional Intersystem/Council of Governments frequencies have been active. These are 800 MHz frequencies primarily used for interoperability in the DC area. 852.2375 [192.8] was active in Fredericksburg. 852.4875 [ 91.5] was monitored on I-95 near Potomac Mills. The units talking on this frequency may have been from Maryland. The conversations were brief; specific users could not be identified.

Mount Vernon 452.3875 Switched to NXDN?

Mount Vernon's 452.3875 frequency may have switched to NXDN. The digital format was heard near the estate, and no other licenses for the frequency are in proximity. The license has not been modified for digital; it still indicates analog voice.

Holocaust Museum Switches to Capacity Plus

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is now using a MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus system. The museum was previously using the DC Area Federal SMR system. With that system being converted to an IDAS system, it was evidently decided to take a couple of frequencies from it and devote them to the museum.

Omni Shoreham Hotel Using Capacity Plus

The Omni Shoreham Hotel in DC is using a MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus system. In brief monitoring, only one talkgroup was identified, but two others were seen (104, 105).

The license has emissions designators for DMR, but does not indicate a trunked system.

Weekend Events

• The Wizards play Friday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
• The Nationals play an exhibition game Saturday at 1:05 PM at Nationals Park.
• The Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival is Saturday from 1-9 PM. The fireworks begin at 8:30 over the Washington Channel.

Medical Faculty Associates New License

Medical Faculty Associates, a tenant of a building at 2150 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in DC, was recently issued a license for DMR simplex on 452.8375, 457.8375, 457.6625, 451.7625, and 456.7625.

Clyde's Gallery Place FCC App

Clyde's Restaurant at Gallery Place in DC has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for ten UHF simplex frequencies.

The license for The Hamilton (owned by the Clyde's Restaurant Group) also has a pending application for ten UHF simplex frequencies for use at Clyde's Gallery Place. Interestingly, the frequencies are slightly different. The two separate applications may have been submitted in error.

Weekend Events

• The Wizards play Friday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
• The Caps play Saturday at 12:30 PM at Verizon Center.
• Argentina plays El Salvador Saturday at 4 PM at FedEx Field.
• DC United plays Saturday at 7 PM at RFK Stadium.
• The Wizards play Sunday at 12:30 PM at Verizon Center.

Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner FCC App

The Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner, which opens next month, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for DMR and analog repeaters on 461.4375 and 464.1750.

Burke Community Church FCC App

Burke Community Church has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for simplex on 151.4900, 154.5050, 160.1475, and 160.1700. The app also calls for nationwide simplex on 151.5125 and 158.4075.

RFC Wireless FCC License

RFC Wireless, a two-way radio dealer based in Northern California, was recently issued a license for a DMR repeater on 463.5375. The transmitter location is at Jefferson Court, an office building at 1025 Thomas Jefferson St. NW in Georgetown. The license states the frequency will be used for "daily security communication activity."

Jefferson Court was issued a license last year.

More DC Testing in Metro

Recently, there was testing in the Metro on DC talkgroup 1620. Several other 16xx-series talkgroups have been used for Metro testing in the past few weeks. It's unknown if these talkgroups are related to a future Metro migration to the DC system, or are simply being used by DC for testing in the Metro system.

Weekend Events

• The National Shamrock Festival is Saturday on the grounds of RFK Stadium.
• The Cherry Blossom Opening Festival is Saturday from 5:00-6:30 at the Warner Theater. The venue holds a license for five simplex frequencies. The theater also holds another license for four simplex frequencies, which is due to expire early next month.

Stonewall Power Plant FCC License

Bechtel, which is constructing the Stonewall Power Plant near Leesburg, was recently licensed for several VHF and UHF frequencies.

Fairfax Hospital License Modification

Fairfax Hospital recently modified its license to add DMR repeaters on 451.8625, 452.5000, and 453.0125. The hospital was previously only licensed for analog on 464.8250, which was used for security. The new repeaters will probably replace 496.0125 (unlicensed), which had numerous users, each of which used a different CTCSS tone.

Blanchard Communications FCC License

Blanchard Communications, a prominent radio-rental company in the DC area, was recently licensed for numerous UHF simplex frequencies.

American Medical Response FCC App

American Medical Response, which provides EMS services at Nationals Park, has an application pending before the FCC. The app calls for an analog and DMR repeater on 452.2625, and analog and DMR simplex on 456.9375, 457.3000, 466.2750, 467.4000, and 469.8375.

1200 19th St. NW License Modification

1200 19th St. NW, an office building in DC, recently modified its license to add DMR emissions designators.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

DC Fire used Special Events 1 (talkgroup 716) on the P25 trunked system for today's St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Greenspring Village Switches to IDAS System

Greenspring Village, a retirement community in Springfield, has switched from conventional frequencies to a NXDN IDAS system. Only one talkgroup was monitored on the system. The license has not been modified to indicate trunking or NXDN.

Air Canada Using DCA Aeronautical Radio System

Air Canada is using the 800 MHz MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus Aeronautical Radio system at Reagan National Airport. The system is licensed for five frequencies, but only one has been seen in use. The only talkgroup noted was the one for Air Canada. The system was previously a Motorola Type I system that was used by Continental several years ago.

Rock 'n Roll Marathon

The Rock 'n Roll Marathon was yesterday in DC. Here are talkgroups from the P25 system that were active:

717 DCFD Special Events 2
2117 Emergency Management Agency
2157 Department of Transportation

Hay-Adams Hotel New License

The Hay-Adams Hotel in DC was issued a license this week for a DMR repeater on 464.1750, and DMR simplex on 451.5125, 451.6625, 452.1375, 452.1875, and 462.4875.

This is the first time in several years the hotel has been licensed by the FCC.

Weekend Events

• The Caps play Friday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
• The Rock 'n Roll Marathon is Saturday at 7:30 AM, beginning at 14th St. and Constitution Ave. in DC.
• The Wizards play Saturday at 7 PM at Verizon Center.
• The Caps play Sunday at 7:30 PM at Verizon Center.

US Airways (DCA) Update

I spent several hours at Reagan National Airport yesterday, and was able to update the frequencies used for ground operations by US Airways. Here's the latest list:

451.6000 [         ] Express Gates (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1006)
451.6000 [         ] Buses (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 2, Group 1015)
452.3250 [         ] Special Assist Buses (DMR - Color Code, Slot 1, Group 1005)
460.7000 [         ] Mainline Ramp (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1003)
460.7000 [         ] Baggage (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 2, Group 1012)
460.7750 [         ] Express Ramp (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 2, Group 1007)
460.8000 [         ] Mainline Gates (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1002)
460.8000 [         ] Wheelchairs (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 2, Group 1011)
460.8750 [         ] Shuttle (DMR - Color Code 1, Slot 1, Group 1004)

I also saw a group 1013 and group 1014 in use, but the transmissions were brief, and I was not able to determine the frequency or slot those groups were using.

Unencrypted DCFD Talkgroups Not on SDR

The recently unencrypted DC Fire talkgroups are not available on the DC Scanner software-defined radio. Yesterday, I confirmed they were in use by listening to the P25 system with a scanner, but for some reason they are not showing on the SDR.