Use of FG Channels

Use of Fireground channels in Boston Mass area Mon, Jan 21, 2013

Use of fireground radio channels in Boston Mass area

(FG = discrete channel for firescene ops)

(direct = operating on output side of the main repeater channel)

Arlington - stay on Ch 1 - 460.60R - rarely use direct anymore

Belmont - stay on Ch 1 - 482.775R

Boston - go to Ch 2 483.1875R, Ch 3 483.2125R, or Ch 4 483.2375R for FG - also rarely use direct

Braintree - ? use Norfolk County FG channels

Brookline - stay on Ch 1 483.4375R - also seem to use direct of Ch 1 - (confirmed via scanner 1/24/2013)

Burlington - ? stay on Ch 1 483.3625R

Cambridge - use Ch 16 854.4875R or Ch 14 855.5625R for FG

Chelsea - go to Metro Central FG channel

Dedham - stay on Ch 1? 453.6875R

Everett - go to Metro Central FG channel

Lexington - stay on Ch 1 482.0875R

Lincoln - stay on Ch 1? 470.85R

Lynn - use Ch 2 (482.1625R) for FG

Newton - stay on Ch1 483.4625R for FG - have 482.9625R also available

Malden - go to Metro North FG channel

MassPort / Hanscom - Metro North FG per 2014 Run Cards

MassPort / Logan - stay on FG channel - which they use as their main channel essentially - (listed as Metro Central FG in 2014 Run Cards)

Medford - go to Metro North FG or stay on Ch 1 - discretion of IC apparently

Melrose - go to Metro North FG channel

Milton - use Norfolk County FG channels

Needham - stay on Ch 1? 453.075R

Quincy - go to Ch2 for FG as of 2014 - [stay on Ch 1 483.5375R (but they have Ch2 484.80R? and Ch3 451.55R available)]

Randolph - use Norfolk Co FG channels or Metro South FG

Reading - stay on Ch 1? 483.4125R or use direct ?

Revere - stay on Ch 1 470.0625R (1/25/2013) for most incidents - [ go to FG North for major incidents (per Radio Ref forums Jan 2013) ] - [2014 Run Cards says Metro Central FG]

Saugus - stay on Ch 1? - [Metro North FG per 2014 Run Card]

Somerville - use Ch 2 483.2625R

Stoneham - stay on Ch 1? 460.625R or use direct or have own FG channel maybe (458.175M)

Wakefield - stay on Ch 1 483.4375R and use direct also?

Waltham - stay on Ch 1 470.1125R - also have 482 Mhz repeater available

Watertown - stay on Ch 1 483.7125R - use direct also

Weston - stay on Ch 1? ?470.1625R - (are also licensed for 472.20R)

Weymouth - ? use Norfolk County FG channels

Winthrop - stay on Ch 1 483.6375R - [Metro Central FG]

Woburn - stay on Ch 1 483.6125R

One factor that does not appear here are the co channel and adjacent channel users of the various channels. For instance - both Wakefield

and Brookline use 483.4375 as their main channel and as their FG channel. And they are not very far apart. Newton FD and Salem FD both

use 483.4625R. Both Winthrop FD and Salem FD use 483.6375R. Both Reading FD and Wayland FD use 483.4125R. Both Quincy FD and Concord FD

use 483.5375R. Both Watertown FD, Tewksbury FD, and possibly Concord FD uses 483.7125R. Etc.

Feb 6 2015 - added Metro FG channels from 2014 Run Cards