Scanner News: CAL FIRE is switching their transmitters to narrowband

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Scanner News: CAL FIRE is switching their transmitters to narrowband

California Fire News -

Across the state, CAL-FIRE is switching their wide-band radio frequencies to narrow band frequencies now that fire season is winding down across the state. Some areas have already made the move, and and many units to begin the transition next week.

The only really noticeable change will be the audio level, especially if you're using a scanner not designed for narrow-band. The audio of narrow-band signals may be lower than that of "wideband" frequencies and you may want to find a compromise volume setting if you're scanning both narrow- and "wide" band channels (e.g. PDs and CHP).

You may have already experienced that difference with USFS frequencies which have transitioned to narrow-band over the past couple years.

Currently CAL FIRE is narrow-banding the current command and local nets...the tactical nets are pending, to be done in the next programming round in the spring. At the moment, the state is just taking the current channels and changing them to narrowband. Any new channels will follow once the fleet is modified before next fire season.

Eventually CAL-FIRE will be adding new frequencies to their line-up, but that shouldn't be any time soon.

Specific CAL FIRE Unit Notes:
NEU ECC has been heard doing few quick call tone tests for narrow banding and finally changed over a day or two ago.
BTU: Butte (151.400) changed over a day or two ago.
TGU: Tehama Glenn will be switching over the week of 11/15 to 11/18 to
narrowband.
HUU: 151.25. Humboldt Del Norte Unit plans to begin transitioning to narrowband next week. While the cutover is in progress they'll temporarily have both narrow and wide-band repeaters at each mountaintop site, with separate uplink tones for wide or narrow. Same for the Command 1 and 2 sites in the unit.

Updated schedule: CDF NARROWBAND SCHEDULE
OCTOBER 2010
(MMU) Complete
NOVEMBER 2010
(SHU) Complete
(TCU) Complete
(BTU) Complete
(NEU) Complete
(SKU) Complete
(HUU) 3rd Week in Nov - Nov 15th
(TGU) 3rd Week in Nov - Nov 15th
(TUU) 3rd Week in Nov - Nov 15th
(CNR) 4th Week in Nov - Nov 22nd
(LMU) 5th Week in Nov - Nov 29th
DECEMBER 2010
(CZU) 1st Week in Dec - Dec 6th
(SCU) 2nd Week in Dec - Dec 13th
(FKU) TBD

Related article: @ California Fire News http://calfire.blogspot.com/2010/03/chpers-california-highway-patrol.html

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Saturday, November 13, 2010