Fort Gordon/Fort Jackson Trunk Radio System

Our featured base this week is Fort Gordon/Fort Jackson. We had an opportunity to monitor these bases up close and personal last summer and here is are notes of what we caught. It is by no means complete and we would appreciate any updates.

Fort Gordon (Augusta GA)/Fort Jackson (Columbia SC) TRS
Motorola 9600 baud ASTRO Project 25 Standard
System ID: 01C
Base Frequency: 406.100, Spacing: 12.5 kHz, Offset: 380

Frequencies:
Fort Gordon 101 406.1125c 406.5000 406.7625 407.0750 407.5000 407.7625 407.8875 408.0500 408.3625 409.7000c
Fort Gordon 102 406.1625c 407.9625c 408.1250c
Fort Gordon 103 407.8125c 410.5500c 410.7625c
Fort Gorfon 104 407.5500 408.8875 410.5625
Fort Gordon 105 408.0875c 409.3625c 410.9000c
Fort Jackson 106 406.3625c 406.7625c 407.7625c 408.1625 408.3625c 409.3625 410.1625 410.5625
Fort Jackson 107 $406.5625 407.1625c 407.3625c 410.7625c

Talkgroups:
2 Fort Gordon Military Police
11 Fort Gordon Fire Department
15 Fort Gordon Fire Ground 3
27 Fort Gordon Range Control
53 Fort Gordon EMS
152 Unknown user/usage (encrypted)
404 Fort Jackson Military Police (106/107)
410 Fort Jackson Unknown usage
411 Fort Jackson Unknown usage
415 Fort Jackson FD/EMS Dispatch
416 Fort Jackson FD Fire Ground 1
427 Fort Jackson Unknown usage
440 Fort Jackson Unknown usage
450 Fort Jackson Unknown usage
461 Fort Jackson Unknown usage
466 Fort Jackson Unknown usage
469 Fort Jackson Unknown usage
491 Fort Jackson Range Control (106)
501 Fort Jackson Unknown usage
536 Fort Jackson Maintenance
537 Fort Jackson Unknown usage

Milair Nationwide Frequencies Part 3

This is part 3 of our exclusive nationwide milair assignment list.

Previous parts and the dates they appeared on this blog:
Part 1 Monday May 29, 2006
Part 2 Tuesday, June 06, 2006

240.000 Russian Cosmos 3rd generation photo recon satellites (300 kHz wide FM telemetry)
240.100 USAF Drop Zone training
240.600 USCG Search and Rescue
241.150 UHF Wideband, paired with 356.150
241.250 UHF Wideband, paired with 376.750
242.800 Guard
242.825 Guard
242.850 Guard
242.875 Guard
242.900 Guard
242.925 Guard
242.950 Guard
242.975 Guard
243.000 Military International Distress, Calling and Guard
243.025 Guard
243.050 Guard
243.075 Guard
243.100 Guard
243.125 Guard
243.150 Guard
243.175 Guard
243.200 Guard
243.450 Red Arrows Flight Demonstration Team
243.600 ICE Air Pursuit/Air-to-Air/Air-to-Ground
246.050 Aerial Refueling Coronet East
246.150 JStars
246.950 UHF Wideband-GEP, paired with 345.500
249.625 Blue Angels solo aircraft
249.800 Flight International "Invader Jack" aircraft

More soon.

Article on 789CS and the HF-GCS network

There is a nice article on the 789th Communications Squadron, the operators of the HF-GCS network in the The Capitol Flyer. The Capitol Flyer is the base paper at Andrews AFB.

First Minot AFB TRS Frequency Reported

Jim Lawrence, on vacation during the Memorial Day weekend, made a nice catch. He has monitored and has sent along to us a control channel for the base trunk radio system. No frequencies for this base TRS had been previously reported and the only internet frequency lists for Minot has infomation dating back to prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Minot AFB is home to two major Air Force units: the 5th Bomb Wing and the 91st Space Wing. The 5th Bomb Wing is an Air Combat Command unit and host wing. Its primary mission is to maintain and operate B-52H Stratofortress bombers. The 91st Space Wing, one of the Air Force’s three operational missile units and a component of Air Force Space Command, is responsible for maintaining the Minuteman III nuclear missiles located in three main fields across North Dakota. Minot AFB is located 13 miles north of Minot N.D

Jim caught a control channel from the Minot TRS on 407.250 MHz. Information in our personal government trunk system files indicate that this should be a 10-channel Motorola system. No more frequency or talkgroup information is known about the Minot system, and any field reports would be appreciated. Thanks Jim for being the first to report on this trunk radio system.

MT July Milcom Column

The July issue of Monitoring Times will soon be available to MT Express/paper subscribers and on newstands. In this issue the Milcom column will cover the following stories:

NAS/JRB Fort Worth, Texas Base Communications Profile
Frequency Changes for 23 DoD bases in CONUS and Alaska/Hawaii
Atlanta Hartsfield's Fith Runway Opens and a frequency profile
EAM Broadcast in the Radio Basement

Don't miss this issue of Milcom or you will miss alot.

*Flash* Keflavik HF-GCS to Close

According to a DoD NOTAM notice, Global Station Keflavik, Iceland, will close 1 Jul 2006. The NOTAM reads in part, "Expect to have coverage gaps along the northern transatlantic and polar regions. Aircrews should rely on general Mainsail calls, with Andrews and Croughton-specified contact being secondary. HF support will continue to be supported by other HFGCS stations. In addition, aircrews should reference the flight information handbook for appropriate stations and frequencies."

And this from the U.S. Naval Station Keflavik website -- NAS KEF Transition Background:
The President of the United States (POTUS) in March 2006 made the decision that Naval Air Station, Keflavik will begin a transition to a reduced "footprint" which will be completed by 30 September 2006. The Commanding Officer, U.S. Naval Air Station, Keflavik is the overall authority for issues concerning the base. The U.S. Ambassador to Iceland is the single spokesperson for the United States Government in Iceland. The information on this web page applies to Naval Air Station, Keflavik and all its tenants as well as supporting activities.

Another victim of this closure is the base Armed Forces Network (AFN) station, colloquially known as "Yankee Radio." It is unknown at presstime if the AFN shortwave outlet at Keflavik has left the air, but one unofficial source indicates it has. If you are a Utility DXer and have not logged Iceland yet, your best chance to do so is about to leave the air.

KSC Spectrum Update

We have an extensive file of NASA monitoring information on the MT website (see links to the right of this post). The space shuttle will resume operation with a launch sometime next month. We are in the process of updating our NASA information page, the best and most accurate list you will find on the internet.

In this regard, here is the latest raw info from the area around the Cape. It has not been screened for inclusion on our list.

Please note the following update on setup for trunking the KSC system in your scanner:

Base Frequency: Base Frequency: 406.100 MHz, Spacing: 12.5-kHz; Offset: 380

KSC/CCAFS/Patrick AFB TRS talkgroups
TG 1296 Net-117 KSC Medical
TG 1760 CCAFS Safety
TG 1936 KSC SECURITY-103
TG 1952 CCAFS Security
TG 5392 EH Base (Radiation Control Center)
TG 6736 Photo Control (launch countdown updates,camera ops)
TG 11536 KSC SLF
TG 11600 KSC SLF/NASA Tower
TG 12176 Unknown user/usage "NASA BASE" calling "SECURITY BASE"
TG 13776 KSC TV Ops
TG 14256 Utilities "EAGLE CONTROL"
TG 18272 CCAFS PC BASE
TG 19232 Unknown user/usage
TG 20208 CCAFS Utilities "READY BASE"

Miscellaneous Conventional Frequencies
118.625 CCAFS Skid Strip Tower
118.900 Spacecoast Regional Tower (KTIX)
119.825 Miami Center - Melbourne
123.475 Air Scan Inc "Bat Cave"
126.650 NASA Tower/Shuttle Training Aircraft/NASA Range Weather
128.550 NASA Tower
132.650 Daytona Approach
133.750 Patrick AFB Tower
133.800 CCAFS Cape Control
134.000 Jax ARTCC - Daytona Beach
138.300 Patrick AFB CP "MAYAPP"
141.300 CCAFS Variety Net
152.345 Delaware North (Spaceport USA) security repeater
154.515 Spaceport USA Tour bus control
156.800 Marine calling/distress
157.075 Range Control
157.100 Launch Danger Area broadcasts
157.150 Station Port Canaveral Secure (secure comms have not been heard here in a long time)
163.150 US Fish & Wildlife Tac 1 (Merritt Island Refuge) Car-car at Titusville fire.
164.275 DOE P25 encrypted (possible input to 173.000)
164.325 DOE P25 encrypted (possible input to 171.950)
167.2125 FBI
171.950 DOE P25 encrypted; patched to KSC TG 5392
172.700 P25 encrypted
173.000 DOE P25 encrypted; patched to KSC TG 5408
168.350 US Fish & Wildlife Tac 2 (Merritt Island Refuge) Helicopter 106 working hot spots from Titusville fire.
229.000 CCAFS Projects
229.225 WAVE GROUND/WAVE 1 (NASA WB-57)
235.400 NASA air-air
239.050 CCAFS Cape Tower (KXMR)
239.275 Daytona Beach Approach
251.900 Patrick AFB SAR
254.250 Miami ARTCC
255.500 Patrick AFB 301st RQS "RESCUE OPS" (LARS ALPHA)
257.800 Daytona Tower
259.000 Patrick AFB 920th RQW
259.700 Shuttle A-G - NASA 946 working MILA/Goddard SFC test counts with MILA
264.800 CAPE CONTROL
269.300 Miami ARTCC-Melbourne
269.375 Patrick Tower
273.550 Jax ARTCC-Daytona Beach
277.800 Fleet Common
281.425 Daytona Approach
282.800 SAR Common
284.000 NASA Tower
293.550 Miami ARTCC-Vero Beach
294.600 CCAFS Variety Net
296.800 Shuttle A-G 2 - Goddard SFC test counts with MILA
319.000 Miami ARTCC - Vero Beach
321.000 Patrick AFB "KING OPS"
348.700 Miami ARTCC - Melbourne
372.200 Patrick AFB PTD
383.000 Patrick AFB Command Post "MAYAAP"
385.500 Daytona App/Dep
387.000 Daytona App/Dep

Milair Nationwide Frequencies Part 2

Part 2 of our exclusive nationwide milair assignment list. Part one appeared in this blog on Monday May 29, 2006.

230.650 UHF Wideband, paired with 305.550
230.900 UHF Wideband, paired with 300.400
231.750 JStars
232.450 UHF Wideband, paired with 358.300
232.700 UHF Wideband, paired with 357.700
232.750 UHF Wideband, paired with 357.700
233.525 F-15 Airshow Flight Demo Team (East)
235.050 Have Quick
235.100 Aerial Refueling Established Tracks
235.150 USAF ACC Exercise
235.175 JStars
235.250 Thunderbirds
235.325 JStars
235.400 NASA Interplane
235.550 Navy Secure (Secondary)
236.000 Survival Rescue Training
236.150 USAF ACC Exercise/JStars
236.350 Navy Squadron Common
236.550 USAF ACC Exercise
236.600 USAF Towers
236.650 USAF ACC Exercise
236.750 Aerial Refueling Coronet CONUS
237.150 AWACS Voice Coordination/JStars Interplane
237.800 Blue Angels/X-country air-air
237.900 Coast Guard Air Operations (Secondary)
238.350 USAF ACC Exercise/JStars
238.650 Aerial Refueling Spare CONUS
238.825 F-15 Airshow Flight Demo Team (East)
238.900 Aerial refueling Established Tracks
239.650 Air Drop Training (East Coast only)
239.950 Have Quick

Post's handheld radios expand range with new system

Fort Detrick Standard 20 Jan 2005

Post's handheld radios expand range with new system
Detrick linked to metro system; can speak to Pentagon, Meade in crisis
by Staff Reports

It will soon be possible for Fort Detrick personnel to talk to someone at the Pentagon or Fort George Meade, Md., over handheld radios.

The new Land Mobile Radio Communications system links Fort Detrick and 10 other Army installations in the National Capitol Region area through a wide-area network communications system where personnel can communicate on voice quality handheld radios, said Mike Batt, manager of the new radio system.

The system also features an interoperability gateway, giving Fort Detrick and the other Army posts access to talk to Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., public safety and law enforcement officials on the same frequency.

The National Capitol Region is the first Department of Defense agency to install the linked trunk radio system, although other local and state agencies across the country either have or are planning to purchase the system, said Batt, senior voice telecommunications engineer and frequency manager with the U.S. Army Garrison Directorate of Information Management.

It is financed by U.S. Army's project manager for Defense Communications and Army Transmissions Systems, assistant project manager for Base Radio Systems who awarded the $11 to $16 million contract to M/A-Com, part of Tyco Electronics and a leading manufacture of Internet protocol-based public safety communication systems. The contract includes site preparation, training and life-cycle maintenance.

New tower

To support the system, a 150-foot tower and shelter were installed in November behind the 302nd Signal Brigade's Headquarters Building along Porter Street.

The latest technology P-25 radios deliver digital voice quality conversations compatible with the federal government's secure communications policy.

"It's part of a Homeland Security initiative to have emergency responders communicating on the same frequencies," said Batt, citing the breakdown of communications during the World Trade Center's collapse on Sept. 11, 2001, when many firefighters, police and other emergency personnel were unable to communicate with each other on their diverse radio systems.

Better than current system

Fort Detrick currently uses a system installed about 12 years ago that limits the range of communications to the post or within just a mile or so away, said Capt. Dan Shereika, chief of the Fort Detrick Police Department.

"The new system will give us much more flexibility and options during emergency situations and the capability to communicate with local emergency personnel. It also has secure channels when we have a special operations incident," said Shereika.

Batt can operate the system from servers installed at the Telecommunications Office in Bldg. 810.

"I can program each radio or the entire system on the fly to meet the user's requirements for any situation," he said.

The project was originally an extra duty for Batt who came to Fort Detrick about three years ago from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

"Now, it's taken over my job," he said.

He gets help from his assistant, Xiomara Nichols, to oversee the installation of the system and get it up and running.

"It's going to revolutionize the way our emergency personnel can communicate," Batt said.

New radio system jams some local door openers

Fort Detrick Standard 3 Feb 2005

New radio system jams some local door openers
by Staff Reports

A newly installed land mobile radio system at Fort Detrick is causing some frustration with local neighbors who are experiencing problems with their garage door openers, said Chris Devine, chief of the U.S. Army Garrison Public Affairs Office.

"Since the new Land Mobile Radio System works on the same frequency as the garage door openers, we have been getting some calls in the Public Affairs Office from neighbors along the Opposumtown Pike area to help solve the problem," he said.

The new system links Fort Detrick with 10 other Army installations in the National Capitol Region through a wide-area network communications system using voice quality handheld radios.

Fort Detrick's system complies with a 1992 Congressional Law and 2001 Department of Defense policy that requires DoD land mobile radio systems to operate more efficiently. Fort Detrick's system is part of the military's transition to the 380-399.9 Megahertz band, a military-owned frequency since the mid-1930s.

"This is often the same frequency range used on some unlicensed "Part-15" consumer devices such as the garage door openers," said Devine.

Emergency services and telecommunications personnel start training on the new system in March. After this start-up step, the channels and frequency will be used for only short time periods which may cause intermittent problems to remote garage door openers, said Devine.

"Interference problems with Part 15-devices won't necessarily go away, but they are less likely to occur once military installations move from the testing phase to the operational phase," he explained.

Devine recommends that people experiencing problems with their door openers get in touch with the manufacturers or commercial vendors to discuss alternatives or seek compensation.

Radio upgrades benefit Bolling first responders

The Beam, Bolling AFB 24 March 2006

Radio upgrades benefit Bolling first responders
by 2nd Lt. Landon Derentz
BEAM Staff, 11th Wing Public Affairs

The 11th Medical Group and 11th Communications Squadron upgraded two ambulances with new radio systems March 10 and 13 at the Naval District of Washington Fire Station on base.

The new communication systems are an addition to the digital narrowband land mobile radio system that came online at Bolling in early January, 2006.

The upgraded radios provide the ability of 11th MDG personnel in ambulances to link directly with other first responders around the base, such as the base clinic and the 11th Security Forces Squadron, as well as several hand-held LMR units. According to the 11th CS, when fully operational, the LMR system allows Bolling to communicate with 25 military installations around the greater Washington area.

"First responders need reliable communication equipment for contingencies and the new equipment provides that," said 2nd Lt. David Hare, the officer in charge of the base LMR system.

According to federal law, all government agencies, including the Department of Defense, are required to adopt the new LMR system because it requires less bandwidth than traditional communication methods. Bandwidth dictates the amount of data that can be passed through communication channels within a certain time frame.

"The new radio system is technology and emergency medical services merging for the future," said Tech. Sgt. Stephen Carr, the noncommissioned officer in charge of ambulance services for the 11th Medical Operations Squadron.

Base radio communications may interfere with some devices

From The Beam, Bolling AFB 27 Jan 2006

Base radio communications may interfere with some devices
by Senior Airman Alex Saltekoff
BEAM staff, 11th Wing Public Affairs

Bolling began testing a new land mobile radio system Jan. 3 to meet homeland defense needs and comply with government regulations.

The new system will operate on a different, narrower bandwidth and allow Bolling first responders to communicate with each other across the base. The new digital transmissions will also be encrypted.

When fully operational, the LMR system will allow Bolling to communicate with 25 military installations in the area, from Fort A.P. Hill, Va., to Fort Meade, Md., said Staff Sgt. Brian Taubel, 11th Communications Squadron LMR manager. Later, Bolling will have the ability to communicate with local fire, police and several government agencies using the same LMR system.

The Federal Communication Commission licensed the frequency of 225-400 MHz to the Department of Defense for communications. A law passed by Congress in 1992, a National Communications and Information Administration mandate in 1993, and a DOD policy in 2001 all required LMR systems to operate more efficiently by 2007.

The new policy asks DOD agencies to use a narrower bandwidth of 380-399.9 MHz. The LMR systems operating in this new frequency range will have priority over nonlicensed consumer radio devices that operate on the same frequencies, such as some garage door openers and keyless entry devices for cars. Consumer devices are allowed to operate on the 390 MHz band, as long as they do not interfere with licensed products and carry a warning label that states the device will accept any interference from the lawful users of the bandwidth.

During the initial installation of the LMR towers, a constant signal is broadcast for 30 days to test the new system, which affects a six-mile radius. While this signal is being broadcasted, some garage doors that operate on the 390 MHz frequency, as well as other devices that use that frequency within the radius, might fail to open because of the interference from the radio signal.

After this testing period, day-to-day operations and occasional tests of the system will be broadcast for short time periods, causing brief interference with 390 MHz radio devices.

Users of these unlicensed devices who experience significant levels of interference, or who desire to completely avoid potential interference, should contact their garage door manufacturer about a small kit that may be available that will change the frequency of their garage door.

M/A-COM Awarded $4.75 Mil Radio Communications Contract For US Navy

8 Nov 2005 Press Release from Tyco Electronics:

M/A-COM, a business unit of Tyco Electronics and a worldwide leader of critical radio communication systems, today announced that the company was awarded a $4.75 million contract by the US Army’s APM LMR office to provide a fully interoperable radio network for the United States Navy, with future potential for training, options and maintenance. The contract for the Joint National Capital Region (J-NCR) Land Mobile Radio (LMR) Phase II system will provide the Naval District Washington (NDW) with a new state-of-the-art LMR communications network solution. Using M/A-COM’s P25IP Trunked Internet Protocol (IP) Communications System, in combination with the NetworkFirst Interoperability solution, this system is one of the first Department of Defense LMR deployments in the United States to simultaneously serve the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force.

The contract is Phase II of a “turnkey,” completely integrated LMR system. Phase I, which also featured M/A-COM’s P25IP system and NetworkFirst solution, linked the critical communications systems of approximately 3,000 Army base personnel in 11 separate Army installations in the J-NCR region. The combination of the J-NCR Phases I & II will link nearly 30 Department of Defense installations (17 Navy installations, 11 Army bases and Bolling Air Force Base), interoperating with more than 100 entities across the region. The system will provide base radio communications for many thousands of DoD users while facilitating interoperable communications with civilian public safety agencies located in four states (Maryland, Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania). These agencies are currently communicating on different frequencies and have disparate radio systems throughout the J-NCR and NDW region.

“M/A-COM is proud to continue our successful eight-year partnership with the Navy to provide NDW and J-NCR with a powerful multi-service solution that is fully compliant with P25 trunking standards,” said Kevin Fleming, director, Federal Sales, M/A-COM. “Our P25IP trunking system, in combination with our NetworkFirst technology, will leverage Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) equipment to supply J-NCR with the most cost-effective solution available, while providing full interoperability with all existing State, Federal and metro Washington, DC first responders.”

The digital system supports P25 trunking standard voice and data features including AES encryption. This system will operate using Department of Defense UHF spectrum in the 380–399.9 MHz frequency range. Additionally, the system is JF12 certified and meets the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) 12.5 kHz Narrowband mandate and the guidelines set forth in the Deputy Secretary of Defense’s Policy Letter for LMR Systems.

“We are pleased to provide the Department of Defense with a wide-area LMR system that offers the significant benefits of an IP system including scalability, interoperability, flexibility as well as seamless roaming, that meets and surpasses current Homeland Security, Federal and military LMR standards and specifications,” said Jay Herther, Federal market director, M/A-COM. “Through the unique technical capabilities of M/A-COM’s NetworkFirst and P25IP technology, the J-NCR system is the blueprint for the present and future of federal radio communication. This system has virtually identical mission critical communication requirements as the upcoming Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) program, a collaborative effort by the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and the Treasury to provide a consolidated, nationwide federal wireless communications service for public safety first-responders throughout the country.”

Arnold AFB Trunk Radio System

Here is the last info I have on this rarely reported trunk system. If anyone has any updated information including talkgroups, please drop me some email. I would like to know if this systm is still in use and get a valid system report.

Arnold AFB, Tennessee
System: Motorola Type II ASTRO (APCO-25 Compliant)
Motorola System ID: 4912
Frequencies: 406.7500 407.5500 408.3500 409.1500 409.9500

ACARS Traffic Going Secure Due to Radio Hobbyist

The post 9/11 paranoia continues and the latest victum will probably be the ACARS radio system. The excerpts below are from a Jun 1, 2006 article written by Charlotte Adams online at Avionics magazine --

"Listening in on messages passed over ACARS, the venerable air transport data link, is a pastime for hobbyists trying to track flights on PC screens at home. It isn't easy--they often get it wrong. But in the post-9/11 environment, the airlines are establishing a security standard which would prevent such activity. The U.S. Air Force, which is equipping with ACARS to maintain access to airspace, is likely to be a major beneficiary."

And the Air Force rings in:

"The Air Force is less than happy with current ACARS security provisions. "If you do a Google search on ACARS, Web sites pop up where you can see hobbyists that intercept messages and post them to the Internet," says Capt. William Cobb, program manager for airborne networking with the U.S. Air Force Research Lab (AFRL). Hobbyists are a fairly benign group, but others with a scanner, a personal computer, ACARS decoding software and Internet access may not be. The military no doubt faces more sophisticated and determined threats.

"It's essentially an open link, Cobb says. "If you know what you're looking for, it's easily interceptable." He points to Web sites such as http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/acarsonline, devoted to posting intercepted ACARS traffic. Others offer free ACARS decoders, real-time message feeds and explanations of decoded messages.

"AMC doesn't pass any classified data over the link. Nor would it use ACARS for sensitive-but-unclassified information relating to cargo or passengers until stronger security is in place. "It's an operations security issue," Kassander says. The service doesn't want to telegraph intent. "If you throw in information that may be available on ACARS, AOC-type messages [relating to cargo and origin/destination], you can start to put together a picture of what types of operations may be going on." Although AMC wanted a security solution yesterday, it puts a high priority on interoperability, on getting a standard that all vendors can build to."

You can read the whole article online at: Securing ACARS: Data Link in the Post-9/11 Environment

So, if they secure ACARS can the HFDL system not be far behind?

Thanks to Glenn Blum and the UDXF list for this heads up.

Also there is a companion article in this edition of Avionics you should also check out at Military ATM: Meeting Civil Standards by David C. Walsh.

Emergency Action Message Broadcaster

I really like some of the crazy DoD daily tactical callsigns that are used primarily by USStratcom Command and Control assets. But last night (0210 UTC on 11175 kHz) Doug Snow caught one of the better tac calls used in awhile --"Napkin Holder."

**All stations this net, this is Napkin Holder with EAM traffic.**

You know the aircrew that picked that one out of the callbook had to been chuckling all the way to the plane. In my mind that one just doesn't measure up with the seriousness of the traffic being passed.

So you don't know what an EAM is? Want to know a little more about what you are hearing? Look to your right at my links for the answer on the Monitoring Times homepage.


Thanks to Doug Snow and the UDXF newsgroup for "Napkin Holder."

Where do I tune for military comms?

This is a very common question I hear from Monitoring Times readers. The old pros know were to search for milcom transmissions, but newcomers to the radio hobby usually struggle to hear their first military communications. The frequency ranges below will give the radio hobbyist the general areas in the radio spectrum to look for military communications.

In the shortwave spectrum, military communications can be heard just about anywhere, but the aeronautical off-route bands offer concentrated areas to search for military communications activity. Most voice high frequency (HF) military communications utilize the upper sideband (USB) mode. The listener will occasionally hear a smattering of lower sideband (LSB) voice communications. When you tune the HF military bands listed below in USB, you will catch the majority of the voice military traffic that can be heard.

If you don't live close to a military base, HF offers one of the few ways to hear a high volume of military communications. There are literally thousands of HF frequencies in use by military organizations all over the world. Protecting one's nation is a 24-hour a day operation, so there is never a shortage of military communications on HF.


Major Military Communications Bands

Shortwave
Note: For transmission mode information, see above text
3026.0-3152.0, 4700.0-4745.0, 5684.0-5726.0, 6685-6760.0, 8965.0-9037.0 11175.0-11271.0, 13200.0-13257.0, 15010.0-15097.0, 17970.0-18027.0, and 23200.0-23250.0 kHz

VHF/UHF Military Action Bands
Note: This is a US only bandplan. Outside the CONUS, your mileage will vary.

30.000-30.550 MHz (FM/AM-10 kHz spacing)
32.000-32.990 MHz (FM/AM-10 kHz spacing)
34.000-34.990 MHz (FM/AM-10 kHz spacing)
36.000-36.990 MHz (FM/AM-10 kHz spacing)
38.000-38.990 MHz (FM/AM-10 kHz spacing)
40.000-41.990 MHz (FM/AM-10 kHz spacing)
46.600-47.000 MHz (FM/AM-10 kHz spacing)
49.610-49.990 MHz (FM/AM-10 kHz spacing)
118.0000-138.0000 MHz (AM-25 kHz spacing/8.33 kHz spacing in Europe)[Note: Mostly civilian aircraft]
138.0000-144.0000 MHz (FM/AM-12.5 kHz spacing)
148.0000-150.8000 MHz (FM/AM-12.5 kHz spacing)
162.0125-173.9875 MHz (FM-12.5 kHz spacing)
225.0000-379.9750 MHz (AM/FM-25 kHz spacing) [Note: FM used by milsats and wideband systems]
380.0000-399.9875 MHz (FM/AM-12.5 kHz spacing) [Note: Mix of land mobile and aero frequencies with the bulk of the band supporting LMR transmissions]
406.0125-419.9875 MHz (FM-12.5 kHz spacing)

More beginner and frequency material coming soon.

Hurricane Frequency List Now Available

In case you haven't checked out my personal blog I have posted and updating a frequency list you can use to monitor hurricane emergency events throughout the tropical storm season.

It is the same sort of thing I do with the airshow list. So if you have an interest along those lines, jump over to The Btown Monitor Post and look for the N5FPW Hurricane Emergency Monitoring List updates.

73 and good hunting.
Larry

Milair Aerial Refueling Video Online

Ever wonder what it is like to refuel military aircraft inflight. Flight level 350.com has a new video of a Barksdale B-52 being refueled by a Grank Forks KC-135. The video has commentary by the boom operator and is very interesting. You can view the piece at http://www.flightlevel350.com/aviation_vd.php?id=6303

Enjoy,
Larry

Possible New Milsat Downlink Freq Discovered

Yesterday (5-31) Tate on the NEmilair list posted the following:

"I'm hearing some activity that sounds like flight testing of some sort of equipment at 1340 local. On 252.95 there is discussions about antenna circular polarity and angles for different runs. I had this freq as Pease GCA from a list long ago. At one point vectors to Concord were mentioned (not sure if MA or NH). Anyone have any ideas?"

252.950 MHz for a long time was on my milair spectrum hole list. Recently, while digging through one of my file cabinets in my office I uncovered an intercept that indicated that this frequency was possibly a previous undocumented military satellite downlink frequency and that is how I have it marked in my UHF milair db. This might be a good one to put in a spare scanner bank marked unknown to see what can be heard.

If you monitor anything on that frequency I would appreciate an email at the address in the masthead. Maybe we can pin down what milsat this downlink is coming from.

Larry