[FedCom] US Coast Guard "Port Security"

[Steven Rutledge]

381.8 is USCG primary air/ground on UHF.  Helos also use 157.15 when
they are out of range of their air station and the 381.8
transmitter/receiver.  All of the Coast Guard Groups have a VHF network
that allows wide area monitoring on several of their freqs.  

ken windyka wrote:
> 
> "Nightly News" on PBS recently had a segment on the US Coast Guard and it's
> increased role in Homeland Security as it applies to Port Security.
> 
> Apparently port security prior to "9/11" was a very small aspect of the
> USCG mission.  However, it now was a very large portion of their mission
> and had resulted in the scale back of drug related interdiction missions.
> The program mentioned that in the US there was 360 ports, and over 95,000
> ship arrivals occur each year.  USCG had instituted a "Sea Marshal Program"
> (which TV video showed inspectors with what appeared to be high VHF band
> portable radios) where certain ships, such as cruiser liner passenger ships
> are boarded and inspected prior to arrival in port.  Also the US Coast
> Guard Auxilary appeared to be playing a very large role in this expanded
> mission which was new to that organizations mission.
> 
> USCG has in the past used Marine channels such as Channel 16 (156.8), 22
> (157.10), as well as 156.3, 156.6, 156.65, 156.70, 157.05, 157.075, 157.10,
> 157.15, 157.70, etc.  Aero radio traffic may potentially use 381.7, 381.8,
> 383.9.  At one open house I noted that the Otis USCGAS helos also had some
> civilian FD, Med, & PD freqs programmed into the radios.    Also Grove's
> "Federal Frequency Directory" 2001 edition (on CD ROM) list approximately
> 184 scanner related potential other USCG frequencies to monitor (40: 30-50
> mhz.  22: 138-150 mhz. 72: 162-174 mhz.  50: 406-420 mhz.).  Grove's
> "Military Frequency Directory" 2001 edition (on CD-ROM) list approximately
> 79 major/minor Coast Guard Facilities located in 24 states.
> 
> Monitoring Coast Guard Operations for those next to major water ways &
> ports should prove interesting.  I'm located inland so basically at times
> pickup some HU25 doing approach training at Westover ARB.  Also apparently
> USCG Group Long Island has a remote transmitter site (156.80 mhz) somewhere
> on Conneticut River Area (probably in northern CT based upon signal
> strength) since I've heard some calls to mariners transmissions.
> 
> Ken Windyka
> Springfield MA Monitoring Area
> 
> _______________________________________________
> FedCom mailing list
> FedCom@mailman.qth.net
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/fedcom