Former President Bill Clinton will be in Asheville, NC to campaign for Congressman Heath Shuler, and if I had been thinking, I would have made it a point to attend, or park close by just so i could monitor the communications of the Secret Service detail protecting the former President.
Well, all is not lost. If you are in the area, you can still do this...but only if you have a scanner and a list of frequency assignments.
If you don't have a scanner, you can listen online to law enforcement and other public service agencies at
Radio Reference. You won't be able to hear the Secret Service, but you'll be able to monitor law enforcement as they assist the Secret Service in keeping order and protecting the former President during his visit. There is also a good page for
local frequencies for Asheville and Buncombe County.
Here are a few frequencies I've found posted online to help you out in regards to Secret Service Frequencies:
Secret Service VHF radios are set up as follows:
Channel | Designation |
1 | BAKER |
2 | CHARLIE |
3 | MIKE |
4 | TANGO |
5 | OSCAR |
6 | PAPA |
7 | BAKER REPEATER (165.7875/164.4000) |
8 | CHARLIE REPEATER (165.3750/166.4000) |
Frequencies A through Z
Alpha | 32.2300 | WHCA-Transportation (vans) (possible DC base) |
Baker | 165.7875 | USSS-Field Offices, President/VP/VIP security |
Charlie | 165.3750 | USSS-Field Offices/Protection, command post coordination (Nationwide Primary) |
Delta | 169.9250 | WHCA-Marine Security Detachment, vans |
Echo | 407.8500 | WHCA-SAM Uplink (Air Force 1 phone patch ground uplink) |
Foxtrot | 415.7000 | WHCA-SAM Downlink (Air Force 1 phone patch aircraft downlink) |
Golf | 166.4000 | USSS-Field Offices |
| 165.7625 | Input to 165.3750 repeaters |
Hotel | 167.9000 | WHCA-V.P. Staff/White House Garage |
| 165.6875 | |
| 166.2125 | President/VP Security |
India | 407.9250 | USSS-Headquarters (Treasury Security Force) |
| 166.2000 | |
Juliet | 170.0000 | USSS-Paging/Camp David |
Kilo | 167.8250 | Duplex Phone-Pres Res/LBJ, WHCA |
Lima | 168.7875 | Duplex Phone-Pres Res/LBJ, WHCA (voice scramblers) |
Lavender | 418.1250 | WHCA-Transportation |
Mike | 165.2125 | USSS-Dignitary/Former Pres Protection, Counterfeit Division |
November | 166.7000 | WHCA-White House Staff |
Oscar | 164.8875 | USSS-Presidential Protection Division (PPD), WHCA |
Papa | 164.4000 | USSS-Field Offices/Protection, input to 165.2125 repeaters |
Quebec | --- | |
Romeo | 166.4000 | Input to 165.7875 repeaters |
| 164.4000 | USSS-Repeater Outputs |
Sierra | 166.5125 | WHCA-White House Staff |
Tango | 164.6500 | USSS-Field Offices/Protection, Presidential/VP Security |
Uniform | 361.6000 | AF-1 Communications |
| 165.0875 | |
Victor | 164.1000 | WHCA, Presidential/VP Protection |
Whiskey | 167.0250 | WHCA-Paging |
X-ray | ******** | SEE BELOW |
Yankee | 162.6875 | WHCA-Presidential phone uplink or downlink |
Zulu | 171.2875 | WHCA-Presidential phone downlink or uplink |
The Treasury Common frequency is 166.4625.
X-ray is the reserve frequency pool and is not Treasury Common. Frequencies here are used whenever a new frequency is needed.
X-ray frequencies
164.7500
164.8000
165.2625
165.3375
165.4125
165.5125
165.6500
165.6875
165.8500
165.9000
166.0500
166.2000
166.5625
166.5875
166.6375
166.8000
167.9000
The most active frequencies used before and during a presidential or vice presidential visit are Baker, Charlie, Mike, and Tango, as well as any channel designated for use by the WHCA. The frequency used most as a nationwide primary repeater channel is Charlie, followed by Baker. Former presidents' security use Mike. Oscar is used for presidential protection nationwide and Papa is used for White House perimeter patrols.
Pres Nighthawk Aircraft Fleet (HMX)
Transport | 46.7500 |
Transport | 375.0000 |
VIP Transport Net | 34.3500 |
Command Post | 142.7500 |
Squadron Common | 265.8000 |
USMC helicopters | 46.7000, 46.7500, 46.8000, 122.8500, 375.0000 |
Other Phone Patches
Nationwide-2 | 407.4750 | uplink |
Nationwide-2 | 415.8000 | downlink |
Limousines (Local/DC) | 407.4500 | duplex |
Limousines (Local/DC) | 408.2000 | duplex |
USSS Uniform Division (All repeaters use PL 103.5 Hz)
Gray | 418.3500/407.7500 | White House |
Orange | 418.7750/414.9500 | White House |
Brown | 414.8500/418.8000 | Foreign Missions |
Red | 415.9750/419.7250 | Foreign Missions |
Silver | 415.6500/419.1000 | Foreign Missions |
Yellow | 414.6750/418.1500, 415.9500 WHCA ("Boardwalk") | Foreign Missions Patrol Primary |
Training Division: Beltsville, MD
Green | 415.7500/407.8750 |
Black | 415.1000/418.3250 |
Blue | 414.8000 |
Violet | 415.8000 |
Communications Division: |
Gold | 415.6750/419.0750 |
Other: |
Lavender | 418.1250 | WHCA Transportation |
White | 407.6750 |
Technical Security Division (Special Use)
F-1 | 408.0000 |
F-2 | 411.0000 |
F-3 | 408.5000 |
F-4 | 408.9750 |
NOTES: Frequencies in 407 Mhz band are used for agents' body radios with "wristwatch" microphones.
WHCA stands for White House Communications Agency.
The PL used by the Secret Service is 103.5 Hz.
The above info was gathered from several sources. Not all sources agreed on the same frequencies.
More good lists can be found at
Radio Reference and
MT FedFiles.