MONITORING THE NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE AVIATION ACTIVITY ON YOUR SCANNER RADIO
By Bob Bell VK2BEK, with assistance from Garry Luxton (Mt Hutton NSW)
Note: We also recommend you monitor NSW National Parks & Wildlife frequency 78.775 MHz (NFM) as this channel carries a multitude of bushfire related and aviation transmissions from the Park Air helicopter crews.
If you have a scanner radio capable of being keyboard programmed, like the Uniden UBC T9 covering frequencies in the VHF mid band, UHF band, and VHF aviation band, you will be able to enter these frequencies in NSW Australia in your local area to monitor NSW Rural Fire Service activity when the fires break out and aircraft respond. The Rural Fire Service is heard on the NSW Government Radio Network, the VHF aviation band, and it's own set of frequencies, known as PMR channels, which work independently of the GRN system.
The frequencies listed as PMR on this page are mostly part of a two-frequency semi-duplex repeater pair. Some are "simplex", with both input and output the same single frequency. With no repeater involved. The point is that the frequency we are nominating is the one to listen on to hear both base and mobile units. In the incidence of repeaters, the unlisted channels are repeater inputs, which you would have to be physically close to to hear with any real efficiency. So we don't bother with them here.
AVIATION BAND VHF FREQUENCIES
Primary statewide frequency 132.550
Statewide 132.75, 122.8, 128.7, 119.1,120.8 (on ground airbase user)
Cross border with Queensland 132.350
NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE FIREGROUND FREQUENCIES
Fireground 1 161.150
Fireground 2 161.0625
Fireground 3 161.075
Fireground 4 161.1125
Fireground 5 161.0875
Fireground 6 161.0375
Fireground 7 161.0125
Fireground 8 161.050
Fireground 9 161.1875
Fireground 10 161.2125
Fireground 11 161.2250
Fireground 12 161.2375
Fireground 13 161.250
Fireground 14 161.3375
Fireground 15 161.3625
Fireground 16 161.375
Fireground 17 161.3875
Fireground 18 161.4125
Fireground 19 161.450
Fireground 20 161.4625
Two additional Fireground Frequencies (old frequencies retained for special use) 172.8, 172.950
PMR FREQUENCIES
Ballina 415.025, 418.650
Balranald 413.250, 413.3375, 415.050
Barraba 419.0625
Baulkham Hills 462.5875, 462.775, 465.400
Bega Valley 413.100, 413.1125, 413.125, 413.1875
Bellingen 413.1375, 413.200, 418.375, 413.350
Bingara 413.9375
Blacktown 467.425
Bland 413.200, 413.325, 413.375
Blayney 414.850
Blue Mountains 462.900
Bogan 413.1625, 413.250, 413.275, 413.3125
Bombala 413.150, 415.0375, 415.050
Booroowa 419.250, 419.9625
Bourke 413.1125, 413.1375, 413.150, 413.175, 413.200, 413.250, 413.2625, 413.275
Bewarrina 413.1125, 413.125, 413.250, 413.2625
Byron 413.2875, 413.100
Cabonne 412.750, 418.350, 419.1375
Camden 466.775 (Macarthur)
Campbelltown 462.025 (Macarthur)
Carrathool 412.800, 413.150, 413.1625, 413.3125, 413.425
Central Darling 413.175, 413.325, 413.3625, 413.3875
Cessnock 413.050, 413.075, 418.675
Cobar 412.625, 413.1125, 413.175, 413.2625, 413.3125, 413.3625, 418.8125
Coffs Harbour 418.350, 418.9625, 419.025, 419.0375
Conargo 412.625
Coolah 413.1375, 415.0875, 415.100
Coolamon 415.075, 419.250
Cooma Mona 412.850, 413.400, 418.350
Coonabarabran 413.275, 415.025, 415.0375, 415.1125, 418.350
Coonamble 413.200, 413.250, 413.2875
Cootamundra 419.025
Copmanhurst 412.475, 413.350
Corowa 418.650
Cowra 419.925, 418.375, 419.700
Crookwell 412.750, 418.225, 418.350
Culcairn 418.6625
Deniliquin 413.125
Dubbo 412.800, 412.900, 415.050
Dumeresq 415.025, 418.35
Dungog 412.475, 412.700, 412.725
Eurobodalla 412.900, 413.050, 413.175, 413.275, 418.9625
Evans 412.550, 412.575, 413.075
Forbes 415.0375
Gilgandra 413.1625, 413.1875
Gloucester 419.025, 419.075
Gosford 462.525, 462.700, 462.825, 462.9625, 465.950
Great Lakes 412.575, 412.900, 412.925
Greater Lithgow 412.650, 412.700, 412.850, 412.875
Greater Taree 412.500, 413.050, 413.425
Griffith 413.250, 413.2625
Gundagai 418.650, 418.675
Gunnedah 413.3625
Gunning 412.550, 412.750
Guyra 413.300, 413.3625
Harden 419.075, 419.1375
Hastings 412.800, 413.375, 415.0375
Hawkesbury 412.500, 412.900, 412.925
Hay 413.175, 413.350, 413.400
Holbrook 413.300, 418.350
Hornsby 465.600
Hume 413.2875, 418.375
Inverell 413.425, 419.950
Jerilderie 413.1875, 413.300
Junee 419.225
Kempsey 413.100, 418.8125
Kiama 462.825
Kyogle 419.0375, 419.1375
Lachlan 413.1625, 413.350
Lake Macquarie 412.750, 414.825, 414.850
Leeton 413.3625, 415.025
Lismore 415.0375
Liverpool 467.800
Lockhart 413.375, 415.0375
Maclean 413.125
Maitland 418.975
Manilla 412.625
Merriwa 413.300, 418.9625
Moree 413.275, 415.1125, 419.250, 419.400, 419.700
Mudgee 412.500, 412.750, 412.925, 412.950, 418.375, 419.0375
Mulwaree 419.650, 412.725
Murray 418.8125, 412.800, 413.100, 413.1375, 413.250
Murrumbidgee 413.200, 413.3375
Murrurundi 414.850
Muswellbrook 418.225
Nambucca 413.3125, 419.150
Narrabri 413.150, 413.200, 413.2875, 413.300, 418.650
Narrandera 415.100
Narromine 413.125
Nundle 413.175, 413.200
Nymboida 413.375, 418.675
Oberon 412.475, 412.725, 412.900, 412.950
Orange 413.425
Parkes 413.300, 418.225
Parry 413.125, 413.1875, 414.6875
Penrith 463.650
Port Stephens 412.875, 418.6625
Quirindi 413.250, 413.3125
Richmond River 413.300, 415.050
Rylstone 412.575, 419.400, 419.950
Scone 418.8125, 419.1375, 419.250, 419.9375
Severn 413.150, 413.2875, 413.3375
Shoalhaven 412.725, 412.750, 412.850, 413.075, 414.6875, 418.225, 418.6625, 418.825, 419.1375, 419.150
Singleton 412.550, 419.025, 419.225
Snowy River 413.075, 413.350, 413.3875, 418.975
Sutherland 462.7625
Tallaganda 412.700, 412.950, 419.0375
Tamworth 413.150, 418.225, 413.150
Temora 413.2625
Tenterfield 412.800, 413.1125, 418.6625
Tumbarumba 413.2875, 418.225, 419.075
Tumut 412.650, 415.0625, 418.9625
Tweed Heads 412.1375, 413.3125, 419.400
Ulmarra 413.1625, 418.8125, 418.825
Unic Area 418.825, 413.250, 413.3125, 413.325, 413.3875
Uralla 413.350, 415.1125, 413.175
Wagga Wagga 418.8125, 418.825, 418.975
Wakool 413.1125, 413.2625, 415.075
Walcha 413.1625, 413.3875, 418.9625, 418.975
Walgett 413.175, 413.275, 413.3375
Warren 413.1375
Warringah 462.2875
Weddin Mountains 414.825
Wellington 412.600, 413.050
Wentworth 413.3125, 414.6875, 415.075, 418.375
Windouran 413.3125, 413.075, 415.050
Wingecarribee 462.5125, 462.775, 465.400
Wollondilly 462.4875, 465.4125
Wollongong 462.450, 462.650, 465.425
Wyong 412.600, 413.425
Yallaroi 413.300, 413.325, 419.225
Yarralumla (ACT) 412.600, 414.850
Yass 412.500, 418.6625
Young 419.0375, 418.8125
STATEWIDE REPEATER OUTPUT FREQUENCIES
462.0625, 462.2875, 462.425, 462.525, 462.5375, 462.900, 462.9625, 462.9875
RURAL FIRE SERVICE CAR-TO-CAR SIMPLEX FREQUENCIES
411.0125, 411.0375, 411.0625, 411.0875, 412.275, 412.325, 412.35, 412.400, 412.450
SPECIAL NOTE: Feel free to email us with great RFS frequencies you personally monitor in your local area that we MAY NOT have listed here.
HelicopterUtes@optusnet.com.au
Now, with appetite whetted, If you would like to know much more, why not get the full story on RFS communications from Garry Luxton's pages on this link below.