453/458.475 and 453/458.925 were licensed years ago for extender use. There are a number of PL and PP licenses on these freqs. These were designated in 1993 as: F21 453.475 Extender (simplex) F22 453.925 MDT (simplex) F23 458.475 F24 458.925 I was told that there are about 14 mobile extenders currently in use in the more rural areas and I believe from what I have heard, the MDT's, which are only in the metro areas, are duplex. It also seems that 453.475 is also used for MDT's, alternating geographically with 453.925.
If I were designing the system I'd forget about extenders except in some of the nasty rural areas and instead put in simulcast repeaters with better coverage in each area. Most of the state is rather flat and this would work well. But then they aren't asking me.
I consider extenders to be a band-aid approach although it's hard to argue that CHP's low-band/extender system is not the optimum way to go considering California's mountainous terrain. With the advent of the 39MHz repeaters my major complaint - not being able to hear the mobiles - has been resolved. I use to run a separate scanner with a 42MHz antenna and sure miss not having that arrangement now when I go to Calif. It will be interesting to see how California shapes up when the new 700 MHz licenses become available. Don Root says that those freqs may only be used in the valleys and a high-band trunked system in the mountains. But that would use CDF's freqs for the VHF trunked system and the last I heard CDF wants no part of trying to trunk their channels. With CDF's talkaround use and reuse of frequencies as simplex tac channels, I vote for conventional repeaters and simplex operation for CDF. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I'm getting off topic!
WADOT uses a 800MHz LTR system. I don't know how well it works, but from what I see there would be insufficient coverage in the canyon areas. To WADOT's benefit is that DOT units primarily use mobiles and seldom use handhelds except for flaggers and projects. WSP has some radios on the WADOT system and unless plans change, had no intent of migrating to the WADOT 800 system.
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Washington Department of Natural Resources (WA DNR)
Detailed Info on WA DNR Forest Fire Ops from Joel M or try here
DNR Type A1S Engine Users Guide
Letter Codes for DNR Vehicle Types
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Here is a listing of radio freqs for the airports in Washington -
COM-NAV Frequencies Guide (in PDF format) is here: PDF Format
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King County
County 800T Website - soon
King County 800T FCC License Info
Intercept NW - Seattle Area Scanner Info and Message Board
Seattle FD - Real Time Incident Info at http://www2.cityofseattle.net/fire/GetDatePubTab.asp
The NW Intercept website has radio freqs and fire station locations - there is a fire buff / fire photo website with fire station locations and companies also
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Okanagon County
Radio Systems Info 2002 from FCC records
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Spokane County
www.wsffa.org - has links page with WA FDs - approx 6 Spokane Co FPDs there - 25Nov00 (link seen at scanner page www.members.home.net/wbatten24...(see above)
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Updated - 25Nov00 - Spokane Co + www.members.home.com scanner site - 07Jan01 - Seattle FD real time onfo - April 2002 - Okanagan Co Radio