Jon in Florida discovered last weekend a new CAP National Command ALE Net frequency:- 29.894 MHz. The frequency was also confirmed by Monitoring Times magazine Utility World columnist Hugh Stegman out in California.
The nationwide set of CAP ALE freqs for the "National CAP Command Net" are as follows:
2011.0 3204.0 4477.0 4585.0 5006.0 5447.0 6773.0 6806.0 7602.0 7665.0 8012.0 9047.0 10162.0 11402.0 12081.0 13415.0 14357.0 15602.0 17412.0 19814.0 29894.0 kHz (all USB/ALE)
Here is some background information I have on the current state of the CAP HF network(s). Any additional information on frequencies is sincerely appreciate and you can contact me offlist via the email address published in the header of my blogs" http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/ or http://monitor-post.blogspot.com/.
The National Command Net operates in the Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) mode. It is composed of stations specifically approved by the NTC using equipment provided for this purpose. Most of these stations are “message center” stations which relay message traffic between the national and region levels of the CAP net structure.
The National Command level of the HF-ALE system, the "top level" of the CAP radio system, uses Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) radios to which a "suite" of frequencies is assigned, each with different radio propagation characteristics, and the radios automatically monitor which frequency is best to communicate with each other station in the net. Each region operates two ALE radios, serving as "message center" stations (see below), plus additional radios for Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Alaska. The ALE stations at the National Technology Center (NTC) and the National Operations Center (NOC) serve as the net control stations for the National Command level of the HF-ALE system. There are no scheduled formal National Command net meetings. Rather, ALE station operators are expected to attend their radios regularly and be ready for messages, as they may be received.
The mission of the National Command level of the HF-ALE system is to provide a survivable, commercial infrastructure-independent command and control communication (C3) link among regions and between regions and higher headquarters.
The specific functions of National Command level stations are:
• Provide a strategic communications tier of the communications network available for adaptive communications during high-level missions.
• Provide decentralized contact points to relay traffic between incident command posts and the NOC or other national CAP office.
• Conduct and report regular confidence checks, in accordance with the current CAP Communications Alert Level, and no less than once per week.
• Be available, as needed, for training.
Pending activation of region ALE frequency suites (see below) the following guidance applies to all stations operating on the National Command frequency suite (ALE Net #1):
1. Other than the two region stations and nationally designated stations, any CAP station may monitor the ALE suite, but should not sound in routine operations.
2. Pending release of region ALE channels, wings may use the national ALE suite (ALE NET #1) for actual missions and specific training events with the understanding that this use and active sounding will be for relatively limited periods of time. For ALE use during a training exercise, place a request several days in advance, but for actual missions, coordinate with the NOC.
3. Only NTIA compliant equipment with Joint Interoperability Test Center (JITC) certification may transmit on National and Region ALE suites of frequencies.
4. The NTC and National Headquarters determines and standardizes all ALE parameter settings, such as sounding interval.
To Jon and Hugh, nice job. Now if we can find the missing freqs I belive are there around 18 MHz and from 20 to 28 MHz.
