new from NIFC for 2023

new from NIRSC actually - which is located at NIFC in Boise

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info from the 2023 National Incident Radio Support Cache guide

new for 2023

PL 110.9 on all UHF channels - links / camp nets / etc

BK5000 HTs will be the primary radio shipped to fires - (apparently
that is what they are saying - reading between the lines a little) -
they have 16 channel knobs - emergency button does not work - have
'scan'' and 'priority scan' and 'channel lockout' - have high and low
power settings - might have 'busy channel transmit block' also - are
field programmable

VHF C6 got a new freq pair - maybe that was in 2022

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NIRSC radios are only used to support "incidents where federal
assistance is required"

its seems that each starter kit has 6 command channels installed -
they might vary around the country - prepositioned starter kits might
have regional command channel pairs - up to 4 starter kits are
allocated to each GACC - minimum delivery times are 12 hours for GACC
kits and 24 hours for Bosie kits

maybe we stated the delivery times wrong - maybe GACC starter kits can
be expected in 1 to 12 hours - because if the fire is near where the
GACC starter kit is prepositioned, why would it take 12 hours to get
it delivered to an incident? its not like you have to wait for the
tubes to warm up or anything

note - max power on National Interagency Air Tactics channels is 10
watts - maximum power on National Interagency Fire (ground) Tactical
channels is 30 watts

note - Ch 16 on all fires with a comm plan should be 168.625 - or -
any radios shipped from Boise to a fire will have 168.625 in the Ch16
slot of all banks/zones

no radio kits will be shipped until all frequencies have been ordered
and confirmed

do they ever set up UHF repeaters on tall mtns and use them as chiefs
nets? they would just have to get 20 or 30 UHF portables into the
hands of field commanders