155.160 is THE SAR radio frequency in the United States. It is on everybody’s ICS-217, and it is often associated with the MRA. In fact, it may even be labeled “MRA” in your radio. Allocating limited radio spectrum is a complicated issue that begins with licensing. The FCC grants licenses according to frequency, use, and locality in an effort to reduce interference, and make sure that commerce and public safety can operate smoothly. Outside of unlicensed portions of the spectrum (e.g. WiFi, ISM, MURS, FRS) every radio user must possess a license for the frequencies that they use. So, what about 155.160 MHz? Yes, you need a license to use this frequency.
The FCC has allocated several portions of each part of the radio spectrum for interoperability. This allows public safety agencies to cooperate with other agencies on the radio outside of their day-to-day radio channels. You can find out all about these frequencies in the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG). These frequencies are available for use, but they must be coordinated with a state agency. This allows them to be used without interference. In California, there is an online form to make the request. In fact, each state has a statewide interoperability coordinator (SWIC) to help figure out this puzzle. Most of these frequencies are licensed to public safety with a blanket authorization. However, 155.160 is not part of this authorization.
155.160 requires a license to use. There are many licensed users in the US on 155.160, and not all of them are public safety. Legal use of 155.160 requires a license, and it can be held by your team or agency. In some jurisdictions, such as California, unlicensed public safety users can be covered by the state’s public safety license if they coordinate use with the California Office of Emergency Services. Does your team/agency have a license?
The MRA has a solution to all of the licensing issues for member teams. The MRA is a nationwide license holder for 155.160. Member teams can be part of this license by participating in the Frequency Authorization Letter that recently came out of the MRA Communications Committee. This will allow your team to use 155.160 legally. Check it out.
155.160 is often labeled “MRA” or some variation in many radios. For mutual aid, at least one channel should be labeled, “VSAR16” and should have a PL of 127.3 Hz on transmit and receive. Labeling indicated in the NIFOG, should be followed, as your cooperating agencies will likely have this channel programmed accordingly. Now, this does not mean that you can’t have a channel labeled “MRA” or anything else for that frequency, but it should be clear that it is a local channel, and not one for interoperability. For example, you may have a local license for a repeater that uses a different PL. This is a resource in your area, and not one that would be typically used by outside agencies.
