Saturday, September 01, 2007

NEADS is No More - Now it is Official!

[Click on map to enlarge]

It has taken nearly 10 months of research and searching since I initially reported on this blog that the old Southeast Air Defense Sector (SEADS) had folded, but I can now confirm that NEADS is no more.

On an April 3, 2007, post to this blog I reported that it looked like the change had been made from the then Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS) nomenclature to the new name of Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS). And as of this morning (1 September) I finally found the hard proof and boundary map (above) that I had been looking for.

NORAD's Continental Region (CONR) now has only two Air Defense Sectors (ADS) - West, located at McChord AFB, WA - callsign Bigfoot, and East, located at Rome, NY - callsign Huntress. The map above reflects the new ADS boundaries and also has the various JSS sites around the continental US.

I am working on a feature with a completely updated frequency list on all of this for a future issue of Monitoring Times.

In the meantime here is a bit on the JSS Sites shown on the map above.

The Joint Surveillance Site (JSS). The JSS is a network of ground-base, fixed long range surveillance radars, primarily operated and maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but providing communication and radar data to both FAA and USAF control centers. The newest long range search radar in the Joint Surveillance System (JSS) that has recently been fielded is the Air Route Surveillance Radar
Model 4 (ARSR-4). Providing air defense and air traffic control for the continental United States, Guam, and Hawaii, forty joint radar sites were installed during the 1992-1995 period. The ARSR-4 was fielded through a $1 billion Congressionally mandated joint FAA and Air Force program, and each station costs over $12 million.

JSS Site Locations. JSS sites are located along the perimeter of the US looking outward.

AJO AZ, Bootlegger Ridge MT, Bucks Harbor ME, Canton MI, Caribou ME, Citronelle AL, Cross City FL, Dansville NY, Deming NM, Eagle Peak TX, Empire MI, Finley ND, Ft. Fisher NC, Ft. Green FL, Gibsboro NJ, Jetburg SC, Keno OR, Key West FL, King Mountain TX, King Mountain, Lake Charles, Lake Charles LA, Lakeside MT, Makah WA, Melbourne FL, Mica Peak WA, Mill Valley CA, Morales TX, Mount Laguna CA, Nashwauk MN, North Truro MA, Oceana VA, Oilton TX, Paso Robles CA, Plains VA, Rainbow Ridge CA, Riverhead NY, Rock Springs TX, Salem OR, San Clemente CA, Slidell LA, Tamiami FL, Tyndall FL, Utica NY, Watford City ND, and Whitehouse FL.

If you live near one of the sites above, be sure to keep 364.200 MHz (NORAD AICC), 121.5 MHz and 243.000 MHz plugged into your scanner. These JSS sites are the RCAG sites for the CONR WADS and EADS control centers.