Scanners
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[edit] Scanner Information
Not really part of ham radio on it's own - but many hams are also Scanner Enthusiasts.
[edit] Casper Frequencies
Here's an old list (late 1990s) of VHF frequencies of interest in the Casper area.
- At the time this list was made, frequencies indicated with an asterisk (*) were known active.
[edit] 2010 update
Here are a few KNOWN semi active frequencies that are sometimes fun to listen in on when the ham bands are quiet. Hopefully this will help make the above list a little less daunting. It should also be noted that MOST of the listed frequencies are taking a back seat to more modern updates. The main replacement for most is the Wyoming linked repeater system called "Wyolink". The system uses digital trunked repeater sites located all over Wyoming to allow all agencies the ability to talk to any other agency, anywhere in the state. This system is an APCO 25 digital system which will require a special radio. Currently, I know of NO ham specific radio which will decode these digital transmissions. APCO 25 is different from the D-Star of Icom and the digital functions of Alinco radios.
At this time, Wyolink is looking like the new kid in town and is here to stay. While the analog frequencies listed below do still see some traffic, I can envision a time when a majority of it transitions onto Wyolink full time. If you interested in listening to the Wyolink system, the most information available in one location seems to be at www.radioreference.com. There you will find everything you need to be able to successfully scan the system.
[edit] Public Safety
- 155.445 - WHP statewide repeater output. This frequency WAS the main Wyoming Highway Patrol repeater output for many years. With the Wyolink project gearing up, most WHP traffic has switched. A majority of the state is now covered by Wyolink and WHP now uses the 155.445 in places where the digital system does not have coverage. You can still hear some traffic around certain regions on this frequency. If you want to continue to hear WHP, you will need a digital, trunk tracking scanner in the 150 to 160mhz range.
- 155.745 - This is the former Natrona county fire dispatch. Since most of the volunteer fire depts. in the county still rely upon this frequency ALL of the 911 calls for the county are dispatched on it. Any other traffic that you hear on the frequency is the county road plows. It is usually a good source of how the roads out in the county are during winter weather. It will occasionally be used for wildland fires where the 800 mhz system does not have decent coverage.
- 155.295 - This is the primary frequency used for Wyoming Lifeflight based in Casper. Often called "local med". They do all of the patient reports and routine position communications here. It is used state wide for both the helicopter and airplane. Very interesting to listen to sometimes. And due to limitations of the Wyolink, the aircraft are not able to use the state system when in flight. Many of the sites use identical repeater pairs. With ground based users, the sites are geographically isolated enough and there is no problem. With an aircraft at altitude, they have the ability to access many sites and can cause complications. I predict that they will be using this analog frequency for some time to come. If you are in a decent area of Natrona county, You may also hear the ambulance communications out of Campbell county as they are on this same frequency.
- 154.875 - Wyoming mutual aid hangs out here. This frequency is used statewide by all law enforcement, EMS, and fire agencies as a way to talk to each other. Communications can be heard all over the state. With Wyolink being used more and more, this frequency has been deemed "backup" by the Wyolink folks. In years past it has been exclusively simplex with dispatch centers around the state monitoring it. Since it is now being used as a backup, many of the dispatch sites are now converted over to a repeater system using mutual aid as the output. You may now hear both simplex vehicle to vehicle traffic, as well as repeated signals from other agencies.
- 155.940 - This is the OLD dispatch frequency for the town of Evansville's fire and ambulance. Like the Natrona county fire frequency, the only traffic that you will hear on this frequency is the actual dispatch of the units but no other related traffic. Recently they switched to the 800MHZ paging system but the calls can still be heard here.
- 155.970 - This was formerly the Natrona county S.O. repeater. The repeater still exists but the majority of communications have been moved to the 800mhz encrypted system. However, the coverage of the 800 system is a little sparse in places of the county so you will occasionally still hear some traffic. This is also the repeater where the county emergency warning sirens are controlled from.
- 155.640 - This is the statewide Game and Fish frequency (Called SALECS). All of the repeaters in the state use this as the output. GandF gets dispatched out of Cheyenne by the WHP. The GandF officers are considered law enforcement and work as part of the WHP. This frequency gets busy around any hunting season. It is kind of fun to listen to GandF make traffic stops and perform poaching stings. *UPDATE 5-23-10. Almost all GandF traffic is now on the Wyolink system. Very little is heard here now. Just like WHP, if you want to continue to listen to regular traffic, you will need a radio capable of receiving digital trunked systems.
- 168.300 - I had a request to put this here as the wildland fire season heats up. This is the Casper Field Office, of the BLM, frequency that is used for firefighting efforts. It is a simplex frequency so many times you cannot hear the mobile units unless you have a decent receive setup. It is also the output of several of the BLM repeaters around the state. From Casper it is possible to receive chatter from all over Natrona, Carbon, and Campbell county. I have noticed that while many modern ham rigs receive this frequency, some are deaf as a stone. *update 7-28-10. This is still he primary frequency for the BLM. This is a federal frequency and I predict they will stay here for awhile. But there is a new twist. A lot of their traffic is being transmitted in either FM narrow mode, OR in APCO 25 simplex. I have also heard some of their routine traffic being passed on the Wyolink system. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to when they use one system over another. If you want to hear 100% of the traffic, you will need a Wyolink capable scanner.
[edit] Other Government
- 155.280 - This is the primary frequency of the school district. It is nothing but school buses talking about frivolous school activities. Sometimes good for a laugh (as in when one of the students throws up on a bus). If you like LOTS of traffic this is the frequency. On a weekday during the school year this frequency is almost NEVER quiet. It is also only simplex which makes it useful for checking antennas in the receive category.
- 155.220 - Another frequency that I had requested to me this winter was the Hogadon ski area. Here it is in all of its glory. Depending on where the patrol is on the slopes, you can hear most of the units from down in Casper. Obviously this is much busier during ski season. They have been attempting to switch to the Natrona County 800MHZ system but they are in the shadow of the repeater and handhelds do not work very well. I foresee them using this VHF frequency for awhile at least.
- 155.415 - Converse county uses this frequency for their Sheriff department. Is is a great system that has excellent coverage into Casper with a moderate antenna (handheld with rubber duckie does not work well). It is also the Sweetwater County Sheriff frequency and is good to have in the scan list when traveling that way.
- 155.520- This is the Carbon County dispatch frequency out of Rawlins. It is used for all of the Sheriff and ambulance communications. It is a 3 repeater system with the outputs all being the same. You will occasionally hear ONLY the dispatch if they are using a distant repeater. All medical calls are dispatched on this same system. You will hear a long audio tone followed by a description of the call. The tone sets off the paramedic's voice pagers. They will then check in route on the same frequency. This can be heard in Casper but will require a substantial antenna.
- 154.430- An interesting frequency INDEED!!! A look on the FCC database will show this frequency belonging to Natrona county. It is officially designated as a tactical channel for wildland fires (called "fire tac"). There is almost NO traffic on it anywhere in Natrona county unless there is a very large fire. It comes into play out of Johnson county. It is the primary dispatch for Johnson medical and fire services and their main communications repeater. This is easily heard in Casper with even a modest external antenna and will allow you to hear the goings on in the county. Really revs up when a winter storm hits.
[edit] Business
- 153.515- Rocky Mountain Power. Not much to listen to until your power is out.
[edit] Aeronautics
- 118.3 - The main approach and control frequency for the airport. Of course it is AM but it is still pretty active from time to time.
- 126.150 - The automated flight control. Just a recording that constantly streams traffic to the pilots. Cannot be in a scan list as it literally never stops transmitting.
[edit] Casper Digital System - scannable?
Many Casper area Public Service departments are now using an 800Mhz digital system. See this article on Project 25 for background. However, Law Enforcement, and others, are also encrypted. Radios/scanners are on the market that will allow you to listen to 800mhz digital systems. But, to date, we know of no way to decrypt transmissions in real time.
NOTE: Attempts to defeat or "break" any 'over the air' encryption could be a violation of the DMCA and subject to prosecution.
[edit] WyoLink
[edit] State web site
You'll find several references on these pages to WyoLink.
The official, state website for Wyolink describes the system and provides good, general information.
From the state site:
WyoLink is a statewide digital trunked VHF P-25 compliant public safety communications system designed to coordinate and integrate communications between state, local, and federal public safety agencies.
[edit] WyoLink Status
The state of Wyoming provides a service that publishes system status information via email. By subscribing to this service, you can receive near real time updates on outages, planned maintenance and other events affecting the WyoLink system.
[edit] Technical info
For some technical information, see the pages here (note: that site is not affiliated with WyoLink or CARC.)
