In Reply to: WA DNR Northwest Area Repeaters. posted by Kerwin on August 11, 2000 at 19:53:33:
: When did DNR switch NW area to 159.435 mhz? Guess this explains the
: lack of comms on 159.240.
: Kerwin
In a memo dated May 2000, the NW Region notified it's personnel of the coming switch to"narrow-band" repeaters. Where as they had been using 159.240 exclusively with (5) different "area" mountain-top repeaters, they now have switched to multiple "area" (zone) freqs (with different inputs and different outputs).
They use a varitey of mobile / portable radios: Astros, Spectras, Bendix Kings. Their freq list for the various "groups" or "banks" of freqs in the radios include about 170 different combinations of freqs including BLM, FS, NP, some local FDchannels, OSCCR, RED NET, SAR, DNR simplex TACs, AIR OPS, etc., etc., so that they can travel anywhere in the state, or in Oregon and communicate effectively. The radios are programed to scan at all times with a "home" channel to revert to.
The NW Region is the first to move to the "narrow-band" and they are still working some bugs out of the switch over. The new freqs for the NW DNR are: 159.435(area A), 166.5625(area B), 159.375(area C), 159.240(areas D & E), and 159.285(area G). In addition, they also have the "State" areas repeater freqs programed: 159.420 which is currently used by WILDLIFE and some STATE PARKS. Don't confuse them with the local DNR areas however because they will refer to them as AREA A, B, C, E also.