Ed Stoffel

Homeowners across the country are finding they're unable to operate their garage door remotes anymore. This is because the remote control systems are unlicensed users of frequencies already licensed for military use. In recent years, the military stopped using them much, but since 9/11, many military facilities are reclaiming the frequency spectrum.

Garage door freeze has broken out in other areas near military installations. Just before Christmas, hundreds of people around an Air Force facility in Colorado Springs reported that their remotes died when the 21st Space Wing began testing a frequency that would be used for homeland security emergencies or threats. Two years ago, testing of the system generated a dozen calls to Fort Detrick in Maryland. ...Since the years preceding World War II, the military has held a portion of the radio spectrum in reserve, from 138 to 450 megahertz.

Of course the Washington Post is wrong about the huge frequency range they listed. I suspect they meant that the military has always reserved 174-420 MHz. The entire VHF-FM band is 138 to 174 MHz, which is licensed for a variety of purposes to police, fire, rescue and business purposes. Ham radio uses 144-148 MHz.

A CBS report says the frequency reclaimed for Homeland Security is 390 MHz. Others sources say that garage door openers across the 300 MHz band are affected.

 Continue Reading: Near Quantico, A Click, but Garage Door Doesn't Budge, Washington Post

As more and more police, fire and rescue radios move to trunked systems, they're becoming harder to find. Police and Fire in Warren county Virginia recently moved, and I've been wondering where they went to --- until I found out about Radio Reference. To find what you're looking for there, click on the "database" link. They had all the latest frequencies, and I was back to listening to them the same day. Front Royal Police have moved to 800MHz on a trunked system shared with other users in the county. Most of what they're doing is in the clear. It takes a little getting used to because of the shared use. At first, I thought the police department was sounding awful casual these days... until I realized one of the shared users is a local cab company with a very rude dispatcher. So to know who is who... the ones who sound professional are the police - Front Royal and Warren County Sheriff's Office. Warren County Fire and Rescue has also moved to new frequencies, but not 800MHz for some reason. They just switched to the new channels in January 2006, and sound like they're getting used to the new system.

These are the frequencies I have on file for Virginia Fire and Rescue. Again, I suspect that some of these frequencies have been abandoned as municipalities move toward trunked service on the 800 and 900MHz bands:

Here is a collection of scanner frequencies for Virginia police, though some have probably changed recently. I haven't heard a peep on Front Royal's police frequencies lately, making me suspect they've gone to the 800MHz band like everybody else.

I love the Yaesu FT-7800R, a programmable radio transceiver which lives in my trunk with a remote control head... handy because I use valet parking every day in the city. I've programmed lots of stuff to listen to.

121.5MHz has priority because that's where pilots would call for help unless they just do so on their last frequency. That's also where they try to reach pilots who have strayed into the Washington ADIZ... hoping they can reach them before it's time to shoot them down. If they can't get pilots to divert, they'll have to deal with Guard Dog very shortly.

Flight Service Stations talk with pilots about their flight plans, and Flight Watch is to give pilot's weather updates enroute.

Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington communicates with pilots flying in and out from their control tower frequency, while planes on the ground but off the runway coordinate movement with the ground frequency. Dulles Airport (IAD) in Virginia has the same division of communications, as do most all airport control towers in the U.S.

Unicom channels are used by pilots to communicate with uncontrolled airports... those so small, they do not have a control tower. Pilots also advise other pilots of their location and intention in the airport traffic pattern. There are a limited number of UNICOM frequencies available, so airports share frequencies. When in the air, pilots often hear communications from other airports, as well as their own. Unicom frequencies listed here include Winchester VA (OKV), Warrenton VA (W66), Cumberland MD (CBE), Luray VA (W45), Hagerstown MD (HGR), Leesburg VA (JYO), and Front Royal VA (FRR). Airports broadcasts updated weather and airport information on separate ATIS frequencies.

Pilot planning to land in the Washington area get in touch with Potomac Approach, and those flying through the area communicate with Washington Center.