parnass@ihu1h.UUCP (Bob Parnass, AJ9S) (05/02/85)
x HOW DO YOU FIND THESE FREQUENCIES? PART I - BOOKS, MICROFICHE, RADIO CLUBS Bob Parnass, AJ9S I am often asked, "How do you find these frequencies?" Scanner enthusiasts can obtain frequency information from several sources, including books, government microfiche records, or other listeners. Books The most convenient source of fire and police frequen- cies is the _P_o_l_i_c_e__C_a_l_l__R_a_d_i_o__G_u_i_d_e_, published each year in 9 regional volumes by Hollins Radio Data, and sold at Radio Shack and larger book stores for about $7. _P_o_l_i_c_e__C_a_l_l is basically a computer printout of FCC license information in the fire, police, local government, and conservation services in two lists: by licensee name within state, and by frequency. Later editions have included a few pages of local airport and nonsensitive federal government frequencies. I highly recommend Richard Prelinger's new book, _M_o_n_i_t_o_r__A_m_e_r_i_c_a_, published by SMB Publishing, and available from Grove Enterprises for about $15. This single edition contains 582 pages of police, fire, local government, news media, sports, national park, and commercial broadcast frequencies for all 50 states. The information was compiled mainly from members of the world's largest scanning club, the Radio Communications Monitoring Association (RCMA). _M_o_n_i_t_o_r__A_m_e_r_i_c_a con- tains detailed communications system profiles and pre- cinct maps for major metropolitan areas. Police and fire radio codes and unit identifiers unique to local agencies are listed for several cities. This differs from _P_o_l_i_c_e__C_a_l_l_, which gives a more sterile, but uni- form treatment of licensees, listing even the smallest of towns. The most readily available source of sensitive US government frequencies is still Tom Kneitel's 168 page _T_o_p__S_e_c_r_e_t__R_e_g_i_s_t_r_y__o_f__U_S__G_o_v_e_r_n_m_e_n_t__R_a_d_i_o__F_r_e_q_u_e_n_c_i_e_s_. Published by CRB Research, the 5th edition is available from Galaxy Electronics (Box 1202, 67 Eber Ave., Akron, Ohio) for about $15. Kneitel's book contains frequency listings for NASA, military, FBI, Secret Service, DEA, IRS, Border Patrol, arsenals, ammunition plants, mis- sile sites, and others in the 25 to 470 MHz range. Since the US government no longer offers frequency information for its own stations, and has never pub- lished sensitive frequencies, most of the information in Kneitel's book has been collected from listeners over the years. It is certainly not complete, nor 100% accurate, but is the best book in print for this diffi- cult to obtain information. Magazines Although national in circulation, local frequency information is sometimes available in Grove's _M_o_n_i_t_o_r_i_n_g__T_i_m_e_s and Kneitel's sensationalistic _P_o_p_u_l_a_r__C_o_m_m_u_n_i_c_a_t_i_o_n_s_. Government Records Every year, the US Government sells FCC license infor- mation, in the form of microfiche, to the public through the US Bureau of Commerce National Technical Information Service (NTIS). These lists contain license information for the indus- trial (e.g. Illinois Amored Car, Pinkerton's Security, Joe's Towing, etc.), highway maintenance, commercial broadcast, aviation, common carrier, and maritime ser- vices, as well as for police and fire. Microfiche is not for the casual hobbyist, but rather for the ardent listener, who can easily spend a few hundred dollars for the fiche, not including the price of a microfiche reader. Copies of some of the FCC microfiche files are sold by Grove Enterprises. Buying from Grove is usually cheaper than buying directly from NTIS, although Grove doesn't offer all the files available from the govern- ment. Since federal government radio stations are not licen- sed by the FCC, they are not listed in FCC microfiche. In 1981, a group of 60 radio hobbyists split a $1300 fee, and obtained 80 microfiche cards of 'sanitized' information about federal government radio stations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)1. Only 12 of the 21 information fields for each station were fur- nished. Fields like "Remarks", which indicate the exact usage of a channel (e.g. "Sky Marshall's Net"), and "Bureau", indicating agency subdivision (e.g. TAC within the USAF), were withheld. These 80 pages of microfiche are available from Grove Enterprises for $25. In a step backward, the US Government insists it will no longer release this type of information - it is now 'classified'2. For a reason unknown to this author, the government recently released a 1984 vintage set of frequencies allocated to the FAA. Perhaps this was a mistake, because the information is marked 'unclassified', but all fields are furnished, including some which indicate security related usage. Grove sells this set of 33 microfiche cards for about $13. Radio Clubs One of the best parts of the hobby is sharing it with other radio buffs. Trading information with other hob- byists about frequencies, communication systems, and receiving equipment is more valuable than a pile of magazines. In 20 years of being an amateur radio operator, and belonging to amateur radio clubs, I never realized there were any scanner clubs! In 1983, I joined the world's largest scanner club, the Radio Communications Monitoring Association (RCMA). Founded in 1975, the RCMA is the "first national and international organization of monitor radio listeners." There are several regional chapters which hold regular meetings. Club dues are $16.50 per year, which inclu- des a monthly newsletter of about 95 pages. Although the focus is on VHF and UHF ranges, there is coverage of HF utility stations below 30 MHz. Inquiries about RCMA membership should be sent to: RCMA General Manager P.O. Box 542 Silverado, CA 92676 USA The Scanner Association of North American (SCAN) is a scanner organization headquartered in Chicago. Having no elected officers or meetings, SCAN is not a club in the traditional sense, rather it is run by an adver- tising agency contracted by the manufacturer of Bearcat scanners. The $12 per year membership fee includes _S_C_A_N__M_a_g_a_z_i_n_e_, a thin, albeit glossy, bimonthly. Membership information is available from: Scanner Association of North America 240 Fencl Lane Hillside, Illinois 60162 Do Your Own Sleuthing The real challenge is deriving new spectrum usage information. Sometimes it requires several days of listening, taping, and compiling fragments of informa- tion. Other times, the frequency information is there for the taking - without hassle. More about this in the next installment. __________ 1. See "The Government Giveth, the Government Taketh Away", by Richard Prelinger, in _M_o_n_i_t_o_r_i_n_g__T_i_m_e_s_, July 1982. 2. See "AFIO and the FOIA", by Bob Grove, in _M_o_n_i_t_o_r_i_n_g__T_i_m_e_s_, September 1982. -- =============================================================================== Bob Parnass, Bell Telephone Laboratories - ihnp4!ihu1h!parnass - (312)979-5414