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McDowell County Police Frequencies

McDowell County in North Carolina has 5 countywide conventional frequencies and 2 countywide talkgroups in our database. Use the list of 8 cities and communities below for local police departments.

About McDowell County Police Frequencies

  • 5 conventional channels are analog FM, so any scanner can receive them. Enter the frequency and set the tone shown in the table.
  • Trunked radio systems that carry law-enforcement traffic here: North Carolina VIPER: 2 talkgroups. A trunking scanner is required, and it must support the system type shown.
  • To follow a trunked system, program a control channel first. For McDowell County, start with the Dobson Knob site of North Carolina VIPER. Its control channels: 859.0125, 859.8125 MHz.

McDowell County conventional frequencies

Dispatch

AgencyDescriptionFrequency (MHz)ToneModeFCC
McDowell County SheriffSheriffs Office Dispatch155.0100
In 155.9700
167.9 PLFMNKIH662

Tactical

AgencyDescriptionFrequency (MHz)ToneModeFCC
McDowell County SheriffSheriffs Office154.8750FMNKIH662
McDowell County SheriffSheriffs Office155.1900FMNKIH662
McDowell County SheriffSheriffs Office155.4750167.9 PLFMNKIH662

Talk-around & Car-to-Car

AgencyDescriptionFrequency (MHz)ToneModeFCC
McDowell County SheriffState Law155.4750FMN—

McDowell County trunked talkgroups

North Carolina VIPER

AgencyDescriptionTalkgroupHexMode
McDowell County SheriffMcDowell County Law285046f58D
McDowell County SheriffMcDowell Sheriff D1285076f5bD

Radio system sites in McDowell County

Program the control channel first; your scanner finds the voice channels from it.

Dobson Knob · North Carolina VIPER
RFSS 2 · Site 32 (hex 20) · NAC 1F0
Control 859.0125, 859.8125
Voice 851.95, 852.275, 852.675, 853.25, 853.8625, 855.2875
Grants Mtn · North Carolina VIPER
RFSS 2 · Site 42 (hex 2A) · NAC 1F0
Control 771.16875, 772.91875
Voice 769.59375, 770.31875, 770.56875, 851.1875, 852.6375, 854.3625, 857.2625
What do these numbers mean?
Control channel
The frequency your scanner listens to first. It tells the scanner where each voice call is happening, so program it before anything else.
Voice
The other frequencies the site uses for calls. A trunking scanner follows them automatically once it has the control channel.
Site
One tower location of the system. Scanners show the number in decimal or hex, so both are listed.
RFSS (Radio Frequency Sub-System)
A group of sites run by the same controller. Large Project 25 systems can have several.
NAC (Network Access Code)
A hex code the site transmits. Your scanner can use it to ignore other systems on the same frequency.
Talkgroup
A virtual channel on a trunked system, such as one agency’s dispatch. Programming uses the decimal or hex number, depending on your scanner.

Cities & communities in McDowell County

Common questions

What frequency do the police use in McDowell County?

Dispatch channels listed for McDowell County: McDowell County Sheriff 155.0100 MHz (167.9 PL).

Are McDowell County police talkgroups encrypted?

None of the 2 talkgroups listed for McDowell County are marked encrypted.