Expensive new U.S. spy satellite USA193/NROL-21 not working: sources

Author Note: So much for the theory by some that these US government satellites get their USA ### designation when they become operational. This mission a subsequent failure would indicate that theory is not correct. I originally reported on this satellite in this blog on December 16, 2006.

This satellite was USA-193/NROL-21 launched on December 13, 2006, at 2100 UTC (1600 EST) from the Western Test Range, Vandenberg AFB, California (Launch complex/pad: SLC2W) It carries an International Designator: 2006-057A (SSC #: 29651).

Many thanks to Ted Molczan and the SEESAT-L newsgroup for this heads up.

Here is an excerpt from the Reuters news article that broke this story.

By Andrea Shalal-Esa - Exclusive

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials are unable to communicate with an expensive experimental U.S. spy satellite launched last year by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), a defense official and another source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

Efforts are continuing to reestablish communication with the classified satellite, which cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but "the prognosis is not great at this point," said the defense official, who asked not to be identified.

"They have not yet declared it a total loss. There are still some additional steps that can be taken to restore communication," the official added, noting some satellites had been recovered in similar situations in the past.

The official said the problems were substantial and involved multiple systems, adding that U.S. officials were working to reestablish contact with the satellite because of the importance of the new technology it was meant to test and demonstrate.

The other source said the satellite had been described to him as "a comprehensive failure."

Russian Military Navsat Status Report

In the October 2006 issue of my Monitoring Times Milcom magazine column, I covered a lot of the easy satellites there are to hear in the radio spectrum. One of those is the Russian "Cosmos" military navsats that transmit in the 150 and 400 MHz portions of the spectrum. You can get a reprint of that article from the folks at Monitoring Times. It will also be available soon on CD-ROM on the 2006 MT Anthology.

In the article I covered modulation and decoding information on these military navsats.

But as an exclusive for my blog readers, here is my latest Russian Navsat constellation status report based on monitoring from my Btown Monitoring Post:

Russian Parus Military Navasat Constellation Status
Freq (MHz) Int Desig (SSC #) Name

149.910/399.760 2003-023A (27818) Cosmos 2398, Orbital Plane 2

149.940/399.840 2001-023A (26818) Cosmos 2378, Orbital Plane 6
149.970/399.920 2004-028A (28380) Cosmos 2407, Orbital Plane 1
149.970/399.920 2005-002A (28521) Cosmos 2414, Orbital Plane 4
150.030//400.080 1998-076A (25590) Cosmos 2361, Orbital Plane 5

US Army Golden Knights 2007 Schedule

Photo courtesy of the US Army Black Knights.

You will notice in the schedule we have provided below that the GK Team may be appearing in more than one location during a given weekend. This is because they have two teams (Gold/Black). The pre-public release schedule we received from the team does not show which team is going to which location. We hope to have that very soon.

In the meantime, don't forget our eighth annual Air Show Guide that will appear in the March 2007 issue of Monitoring Times magazine. It will be loaded with the latest frequencies (for US and foreign teams), combined schedules, and radio equipment recommendations to make your air show experience an enjoyable and pleasurable one.

The web version of our March guide won't be posted to the MT website until mid to late April. This is done as a courtesy to our subscribers and readers who pay the freight. So get your copy of the March issue before it sells out when it is released in the last week of February. Better yet, get a subscription and don't miss a single exciting issue of Monitoring Times magazine.

Golden Knights 2007 Performance Schedule

March

17-18 Davis-Monthan AFB AZ/Titusville FL

24-25 Punta Gorda FL/Luke AFB AZ

April

14-15 Eglin AFB FL

21-22 Charleston AFB SC/Wilmington NC

May

05-06 Ft. Lauderdale FL/Offutt AFB NE

12 Seymour-Johnson AFB NC
12-13 McGuire AFB NJ

18-20 Andrews AFB MD

19-20 Ft. Jackson SC

26-27 Jones Beach NY

27 Charlotte NC

June

02-03 Rockford IL

09-10 Travis AFB CA

16-17 Muncie IN

29-30 Binghamton NY

30 Evansville IN

July

01 Evansville IN

04 Ft. Bragg NC

07-08 Camp Grayling MI

14-15 McConnell ARB KS/Gary IN

21-22 Peoria IL

25 Ionia MI

25-28 Sioux City IA

28-29 Dayton OH

August

04-05 Janesville WI

11-12 Altoona PA/Hillsboro OR

15 Atlantic City NJ

18-19 Eau Claire WI/Chicago IL

25-26 Kansas City MO/Otis ANGB MA

September

01-03 Cleveland OH

08-09 Window Rock AZ

15-16 NAS Brunswick ME

22-23 El Paso TX/Millington TN

October

06-07 Pope AFB NC

13-14 MCAS Miramar CA/MCAS Kaneohe HI

20-21 Ft. Worth (Alliance Airport) TX/Richmond VA

27-28 Muskogee OK

November

03-04 Cape Canaveral FL

CTF 150 Maintains Presence Off East Coast of Africa

This is the Task Force that is hunting down Al-Qaida in Somalia.

From U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- Coalition ships from the British-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 continue to maintain a presence off the east coast of Africa in response to the recent events in Somalia.

CTF 150 includes USS Ramage (DDG 61) and USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) and other coalition ships. These warships are conducting maritime security operations (MSO) to ensure continued security and stability of international waters surrounding the Horn of Africa.

Coalition naval forces are performing boardings on a number of vessels to deter individuals with links to al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations the use of the sea as a potential escape route.
The coalition ships of CTF 150 maintain a maritime presence in the international waters of the Gulf of Oman, North Arabian Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea.
Recent events in Somalia are a cause of concern because of the potential for an increased risk of piracy and illegal activities that historically has followed the instability in that country.

Royal Navy Commodore Bruce Williams, Commander, Task Force 150, based in Bahrain, said, “In response to international will, CTF 150 provides an enduring coalition maritime presence in the region to promote a safe and secure maritime environment, and most importantly, support our regional friends in their drive for peaceful use of the high seas and territorial waters. Coalition Forces will continue routine operations in this unstable area as long as the need exists for our presence.”

MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. These operations deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material.

CTF 150 is one of three coalition maritime task forces that conduct MSO under the direction of U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Patrick Walsh, Combined Forces Maritime Component Commander, based in Bahrain. Walsh also commands CTF 158 in the North Arabian Gulf and CTF 152, which is responsible for patrolling the Central and Southern Arabian Gulf.

HSL 43 Det. 4 Returns from Counter Narco-Terrorism Deployment

By Lt. Ryan Atwood, Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 43 Public Affairs

NORTH ISLAND, Calif. (NNS) -- The “Rat Pak” of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 43, Detachment (Det.) 4, returned to San Diego Dec. 15 from a six-month counter narcotics deployment aboard USS Thach (FFG 43).

The detachment conducted operations in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The primary mission of the deployment was detection and monitoring of suspected drug smuggling vessels using Airborne Use of Force (AUF), the Navy’s newest tactic in the war on narco terrorism. AUF combines Navy helicopters with U.S. Coast Guard airborne controllers and gunners to use warning shots and disabling fire to stop drug trafficking speed boats. The speed boats previously out-ran slower Navy ships and outlasted fuel limited helicopters.

Squadron personnel integrated with Thach and U.S. Coast Guard Sailors to locate, identify and query vessels for boarding and search by the Coast Guard law enforcement team.
During the deployment, counter narcotic operations resulted in four successful drug busts. A combined total of nearly 23 tons of cocaine, with a street value estimated at $600 million, was seized and 34 drug-traffickers were detained.

In one instance Det. 4, used AUF by firing two rounds to disable the engines of a high-speed drug-trafficking vessel known as a “go fast” boat. After the boat was stopped, Det. 4 seized 1,000 lbs. of cocaine and captured four drug traffickers. Over the course of the deployment, Det. 4 flew over 500 mishap-free flight hours. While deployed, the detachment visited Panama, Peru, and the Bahamas.

U.S. icebreaking ship arrives in McMurdo

1/8/2007 - MCMURDO, Antarctica (AFNEWS) -- The Coast Guard became part of the Air Force-led Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica Jan. 1 with the arrival of the Cutter Polar Sea at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

Home ported in Seattle, the Polar Sea arrived after a month-long voyage including stops in Honolulu and Sydney, Australia.

The Polar Sea joined the Swedish icebreaker Oden, which began breaking ice Dec. 26.
For the past 50 years, Coast Guard icebreakers have deployed to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze, where ships have broken through as much as 84 nautical miles of ice to produce a navigable shipping channel into McMurdo Station. This year's channel will be approximately 23 nautical miles long -- 13 of which is first year ice at an average thickness of 3 to 5 feet and 10 of which is multi-year ice at an average thickness of 5 to 11 feet.

This vital shipping channel allows supply ships to deliver more than 6 million gallons of fuel and 4,000 metric tons of cargo, enabling McMurdo Station and South Pole Station to remain manned and operational throughout the harsh winter months. The Polar Sea also acts as a floating research platform for scientists that travel onboard.

Ice breaking operations will continue until the departure of the cargo ship in mid-February when the Polar Sea will return home.

The Polar Sea, a 399-foot polar class icebreaker with a 140-person crew, is recently out of a two-year overhaul. The Polar Sea conducted sea trials in the Arctic this summer to test all the ship's equipment and train the crew prior to transiting to Antarctica to re-supply the McMurdo station for the National Science Foundation.

The Polar Sea was specifically designed for solo icebreaking in remote Polar Regions. The cutter's red reinforced hull is made of 1.75 inches of steel that covers a specially contoured icebreaking bow. The cutter can call on 75,000 shaft horsepower enabling it to break up to 21 feet of ice. The Polar Sea has deployed 17 times in support of Operation Deep Freeze.

(Courtesy of 13th Air Force Public Affairs)

HF and VHF frequencies used in Antarctica
Source: Field Manual for the US Antarctica Program

HF Comms
Primary HF transmission mode is USB. Communications between Antarctica field parties and fixed-wing aircraft normally occur on 9032 kHz. If a fixed-wing aircraft cannot be reached on that frequency, they use 4770 kHz or 11553 kHz to contact MAC Ops at McMurdo. Helo secondary frequency is 9032 kHz. The primary frequencies for passing weather observations is:

• 11553 kHz for remote-site field parties.
• 4770 kHz for Dry Valley and surrounding areas field parties.

McMurdo Station
Frequency Channel Description
4770 kHz Ross Island and Dry Valley Field Parties
5100 kHz Air-to-Ground
5400 kHz Scott Base Field Parties
7995 kHz Remote/South Pole
9032 kHz Air-to-Ground
11553 kHz Remote Field Parties

Palmer Station
Frequency Channel Description
4125 kHz Secondary USAP Field Parties
11553 kHz Primary USAP Field Parties

VHF Comms
McMurdo Frequency Plan (For vehicle and handheld radios in the McMurdo vicinity):
Transmit Receive CH Net Name freq. (MHz) freq. (MHz)
1* I-Net (T-Site ) 143.000 143.000
2* Crash Net (T-Site) 139.600 139.600
3* NZ Portable 142.800 138.800
4* NZ Crater Hill 139.300 143.800
5 Public Works (T-Site) 139.000 142.600
6 Airfield Ops 139.200 139.200
7 Science Net 139.500 139.500
8 Field Party Ops 138.600 143.225 (Aurora repeater)
9 Fuels Net (T-Site) 143.600 143.600
10 Movement Control Center 139.800 143.725 ( U.S. Crater Hill repeater)
11 Helo Ops 143.400 143.400
12 Penguin Ops/ANG 143.200 143.200

Further Field Party Frequency Plan (For portable and handheld VHF radios issued to science groups and support personnel deploying to the Dry Valleys, sea ice camps, and Ross Island camps):
Transmit ReceiveCH Net Name freq. (MHz) freq. (MHz)
1* I-Net (T-Site ) 143.000 143.000
2* Crash Net (T-Site) 139.600 139.600
3 Science Net 139.500 139.500
4 Helo Ops 143.400 143.400
5* NZ Crater Hill 139.300 143.800
6 Helo Flight Following 138.500 143.975
7 Field Party Ops 138.600 143.225 (Taylor repeater)
8 Field Party Ops 138.600 143.225 (Wright repeater)
9 Field Party Ops 138.600 143.225 (Terror repeater)
10 Field Party Ops 138.600 143.225 (Aurora repeater)
11 Field Party Ops 138.600 143.225 (Brooke repeater)
12 Blank

Callsigns
Mac Ops -- Field Operation Communications Center, second floor of Bldg 165 at McMurdo. Air National Guard LC-130 aircraft are identified by the call sign “Skier,” followed by a specific aircraft number.Helicopters are identified by the last three digits on the helicopter tail. The digits are always two numbers and a letter.

Second Carrier to Deploy to the Persian Gulf

The Reuters news agency is reporting that the USS John C. Stennis will soon join the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Persian Gulf. According to anonymous sources this is at the request of US Central Command and is designed as a show of force to Iran and Syria.

You can read the complete story at:

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-01-03T214012Z_01_N03190103_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-GULF-NAVY.xml&src=rss

Thanks to Chris Corley via the Milcom newsgroup for this heads up. And remember if you have something to share with the blog and our readers, please send it along to larryvanhorn @ monitoringtimes.com.

US Navy Photo: VFA-146 F/A-18 side number 307 flies over the USS John C. Stennis.

USAF not being stealthy about upgrading B-2 fleet

1/2/2007 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- The Air Force isn't being stealthy about plans to upgrade its B-2 Spirit fleet; officials say the bomber will need numerous upgrades over its life span.

Some upgrades are already complete, but others are planned years, even decades ahead, said Lt. Col. Brian Zembraski, 509th Bomb Wing director of staff at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.

"We need to look to the future to the ways to keep up with the changes in technology, improve upon the aircraft, implement those things in any future platforms that the Air Force may move towards," Colonel Zembraski said.

The colonel said the B-2 has already been fitted with improved bomb racks that have increased the number of 500-pound guided bombs these aircraft can carry from 16 to 80, a 500-percent expansion. More important upgrades are coming, he said.

In addition, Colonel Zembraski said improvements have been made to the Spirit's coating, which has reduced maintenance actions from days to minutes.

Next in line for the B-2 is "Link-16," a radio that will feed targeting information directly to individual bombs. Other future upgrades include radar updates, which will enable the B-2's weaponry to reach targets further underground.

"With the capabilities of satellite communications, our ability to get e-mail into the cockpit, direct communications into the cockpit, pictures of the battlefield with Link 16, (it) is absolutely essential to the battlefield of today," the colonel said.

Photo: A B-2 Spirit bomber from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., takes off for a mission during a recent air and space expeditionary force deployment to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Air Force officials are planning numerous upgrades for the B-2 Spirit fleet over its life span. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Val Gempis)

AWACS - A Team Effort

There is an interesting feature story on the key members of an USAF AWACS crew at the link below. The story is built around the deployment of the 964th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron to the Manta Forward Operating Location in Ecuador in support of counter narco operations. You can read the story at http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123035975

Photo: Tech. Sgt. Erich Ross runs through operational checklists during an E-3 Sentry mission Dec. 21 over Ecuador. Sergeant Ross is a flight engineer with the 964th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/2nd Lt. Amber Balken)

New Cleary HF Counter Narco Net List Posted

I have added the latest Mark Cleary U.S. Counter-Drug/Law Enforcement/Homeland Security HF ALE List to my Btown Monitor Post blogspot. If you are interested in the ALE addresses and frequency information for the COTHEN Net, TISCOM Net, FBI ALE Net, US Army/DEA PANTHER Net, and US Army South Flight Following Service (SKYWATCH) Net, jump over to my other blog and take a peak.

More Washington, DC Frequency Coverage

I have posted additional material on Washington DC government frequencies and area major airport frequencies on my other blogspot, the Btown Monitoring Post.

Andrews AFB Aeronautical Frequencies

Since there is going to be a lot of traffic in and out of Andrews AFB over the next few days, here is my latest list of aero freqs for the base.

Potomac Approach 119.300 335.500
Potomac Departure 125.650 348.725
Andy Tower 118.400 349.000
Andy Ground Control 121.800 275.800
ATIS 113.100 251.050
Clearance Delivery 127.550 285.475
Pilot-to-Dispatcher 139.300 USN/USAF/372.200 USAF/386.800 USN
PMSV Metro 344.600

Base/Unit Command Post
141.550/378.100 89AW Command Post
141.700/292.200 89AW/1HS Operations Mussel Control/Ops
143.800/351.200 459AW/756AS Command Post/Operations
251.900 89AW/1HS UH-1 Mussel c/s
266.500 113FW Safety of Flight (SOF)
314.250 113 Wing/201AS Operations Boxer Ops
328.400 VR-53 Squadron Common
351.800 113 Wing/121FS Command Post/Supervisor of Flight

129.525 89AW SAM Aircraft Interplane
136.725 89AW SAM Aircraft Interplane
225.600 89AW SAM Aircraft Interplane
283.875 357AW/457AS Aircraft Interplane
297.500 89AW/1HS Aircraft Interplane
320.400 HMX-1 Com 3

DoD Switchboard 268.000 287.500 293.500

Guard Dog Washington Area NORAD CAP Profile

Washington D.C. Combat Air Patrol - GUARD DOG (DC and Camp David Airspace)
Since there will be a lot of VIPs in the Washongton, D.C. area over the next few days, here is a small profile on NORAD CAP frequencies and callsign that will surely be up 24/7.

121.500 International Civilian Calling/Emergency
135.525/350.250 Washington ARTCC Guard Dog Coordination Frequencies (UHF new ex-288.350 MHz)
134.150/327.000 Washington ARTCC
228.900 NORAD Discrete "Huntress"
243.000 International Military Calling/Emergency
255.400 FAA Flight Service Station Leesburg, Virginia
260.900 NORAD Discrete "Huntress"
320.600 CAP Aerial refueling Boom Freq
324.000 CAP Aerial refueling Boom Freq
364.200 NORAD AICC369.150 Occasional CAP unit air-air

Callsigns:
Arrow ## 33FW/60FS (Eglin AFB) 338.750/369.150 MHz
Brave ## 113 Wing/121FS (DC ANG) 139.700 MHz A-A
Cosmic ## 177FW/119FS (NJ ANG) 138.200 MHz A-A
Harass ## 1FW/27FS (Langley AFB)
Pittman ## 20FW/79FS (Shaw AFB) 142.125 143.800 MHz A-A
Spider ## 119FW (ND ANG) 138.000 MHz A-A
Tanker ## Aerial refueling aircraft

Huntress NEADS/SEADS NORAD Air Defense Control Center

Military TRS Freqs to Monitor During Prez Ford Funeral Events

The following military trunk systems should be monitored for support of the President Ford funeral events in the Washington, DC area. Reports, updates, additions and corrections would be most appreciated. Send your stuff to larryvanhorn @ monitoringtimes.com.

380-400 MHz Trunk Radio Systems

MCB/MCAS Quantico, VA
Site 1 385.6750/395.6750c
Site 2 385.6250/395.6250c 386.4375/396.4375 386.9125/396.9125 387.9500/397.9500
Site 3 380.4875/390.4875c 381.2000/391.2000 381.3375/391.3375 381.6875/391.6875 381.83750/391.8375

Washington, D.C. – Joint National Capitol Region System
Site 1 386.1875/396.1875 386.9875/396.9875 387.0625/397.0625 388.1125/398.1125 388.1375/398.1375 388.1625/398.1625 388.1875/398.1875 388.2125/398.2125 388.2625/398.2625 388.3125/398.3125 388.3375/398.3375

Ft. Detrick, Maryland
Site 1 385.7000/395.7000c 385.8000/395.8000c 385.9500/395.9500 387.2375/397.2375 387.5375/397.5375 387.6375/397.6375

Ft. A. P. Hill, Virginia System 00a
System ID: 00a P25 WACN: 580A0
Site 1 385.7875/395.7875c 387.2250/397.2250c 387.5250/397.5250 387.8250/397.8250 389.1250/399.1250 389.3000/399.3000

Washington, D.C. System 00c
System ID: 00c P25 WACN: 580A0
Site 1 385.7125/395.7125c

Tyson's Corner, Virginia System 00d
System ID: 000d P25 WACN: 580A0
Site 1 380.1250/390.1250c 380.4250/390.4250c 380.4875/390.4875

Ft. Belvoir, Virginia System 1
System ID: 001 P25 WACN: 580A0
Site 1 381.6750/391.6750c 381.8250/391.8250c 381.9750/391.9750 385.0125/395.0125 385.2125/395.2125 385.8875/395.8875 386.3375/396.3375

Ft. Meyer, Virginia System 2
System ID: 002 P25 WACN: 580A0
Site 1 380.0625/390.0625 380.3250/390.3250 380.3750/390.3750 380.6250/390.625 380.6750/390.6750 380.8250/390.8250 380.9750/390.9750 381.0875/391.0875 381.2375/391.2375c 381.2875/391.2875 381.6250/391.6250 381.7750/391.7750 381.9250/391.9250Site 2 380.5250/390.5250c

Fort Meade, Maryland System 7
System ID: 007 P25 WACN: 580a0
Site 1 380.3875/390.3875c 380.5500/390.5500c 380.8375/390.8375c 380.9875/390.9875c 381.3250/391.3250 381.7875/391.7875Site 2 380.5750/390.5750 386.5625/396.5625

Washington, D.C. System 8
System ID: 008 P25 WACN: 580A0
Site 1 380.0750/390.0750c 380.4250/390.4250c 380.7250/390.7250

Washington, D.C. System 9
System ID: 009 P25 WACN: 580A0
Site 1 380.2750/390.2750c 380.5750/390.5750c 380.8750/390.5750

Washington, D.C. – Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)
System ID: 032 P25 WACN: BEE0A
Site 1 385.7125/395.7125c 385.9125/395.9125c 386.2125/396.2125c 386.5625/395.5625c

Andrews AFB, Maryland
System ID: 017a P25 WACN: BEE00
Site 1 385.2125/395.2125c 385.3125/395.3125c 385.9000/395.9000 385.9125/395.9125 386.0375/396.0375 386.2000/396.2000 386.3375/396.3375 386.5000/396.5000 386.6375/396.6375 386.8000/396.8000

US Department of Defense System
Fort Meade, Maryland and other areas
System ID: 001 P25 WACN: 1b5c8
Site 202 380.1750/390.1750 380.4125/390.4125 380.6875/390.6875 380.7375/390.7375 381.1125/391.1125 381.1625/391.1625c 381.4250/391.4250 381.5625/391.5625 381.7500/391.7500c 381.8750/391.8750c

Site 303 385.0625/395.0625 385.9250/395.9250 386.9625/396.9625c 388.2625/398.2625 388.8875/398.8875 389.1625/399.1625 389.2375/399.2375 389.4875/399.4875 389.8375/399.8375

Site 404 380.4375/390.4375 380.8625/390.8625Site 505 380.4625/390.4625 380.9125/390.9125

Site 707 380.6625/390.6625 385.7125/395.7125c

Site 808 380.7125/390.7125

Site 909 385.7750/395.7750 386.3125/396.3125c 387.3375/397.3375c 387.6750/397.6750c

Site 1010 380.8875/390.8875

Site-1616 380.8875/390.8875c

VHF Trunk Systems

Washington Naval District, D.C.
System: EDACS Regular
Site 1 Washington Naval Shipyard: 138.775 (LCN1) 140.125 (LCN2) 140.625 (LCN3) 138.650 (LCN4) 140.275 (LCN5) 140.225 (LCN6) 140.550 (LCN7) 139.525 (LCN8) 139.475 (LCN9) 140.300 (LCN10) 150.150 (LCN11) According to reports only the first four channels are being used. Not sure the status of LCN 5-11.
Site 2: Bethesda Naval Hospital: No frequencies available, need reports from the area.
Site 3 Annapolis Naval Academy: 138.125 (LCN1) 142.100 (LCN2) 142.600 (LCN3) 143.700 (LCN4)
System wide frequencies: 138.575 (Security talk around) 138.550 (Fire talk around) 143.550 (Non-public safety talk around). Unconfirmed reports indicate that 138.775 could have replaced 138.175 in this system.

Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia
System: Motorola Type II SmartNet (Analog)
141.2000c 142.4750c 142.9250c 143.3250c 143.4000

UHF Trunk Systems

Andrews AFB, Maryland
System: Motorola Type II Smartzone 3600 baud (Mixed Mode)
406.3500c 406.9500c 407.1500c 407.4250c 408.0250 408.2000 408.7500 408.9500 409.3500 409.7250

Fort Detrick, Maryland
System: Motorola Type II Smartnet
406.3500 407.0750 408.5500 409.1500 409.7500

Fort Meade, Maryland
System: Motorola Type II Smartnet
406.3250 407.4000 407.5750 409.4500

Fairfax County, Virginia – Department of Defense FED-SMR
System: Motorola Type II SmartNet
406.2000 406.3000 406.5250 406.7750 407.0250 407.9500 408.8500 409.2500 410.2750 411.2000

Fort Belvoir Area, Virginia – Unknown Federal System
System: Motorola
System 1 406.1125 406.3625 406.5250 406.7750 406.9250 407.0875 407.2375 407.4125 407.5625 407.7125 407.8875 408.0875 408.2625 408.4250 408.5750 408.7375 408.9125 409.1125 409.2750 409.4750 409.6375 409.9125 410.7625

System 2 409.9125 410.5625 410.7625

Will have additional information on area government systems and frequencies on my Btown Monitoring Post Blog.

Military tradition to be evident in Ford funeral events

by John J. Kruzel American Forces Press Service

12/28/2006 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Military tradition will be evident throughout the events associated with the Dec. 26 death of former President Gerald R. Ford, as the services join the nation in bidding farewell to their former commander in chief.

Ford's three-stage state funeral will begin Dec. 29 with the former president's remains lying in repose at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, Calif. He then will be honored in the nation's capital, and finally in his home state of Michigan, where he will be buried.

President Ford's casket will arrive at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Dec. 30. A motorcade will travel through Alexandria, Va., where he resided while serving as a congressman and vice president. After a pause at the World War II Memorial -- the former president served in the Navy during the war -- the motorcade will proceed to the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state.

President Ford's coffin will be draped in a U.S. flag, with the blue field over his left shoulder. The custom began in the Napoleonic Wars of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when flags were used to cover the dead as they were taken from the battlefield on a caisson.

Graveside military honors in Michigan will include the firing of three volleys each by seven servicemembers. This commonly is confused with an entirely separate honor, the 21-gun salute. But the number of individual gun firings in both honors evolved the same way.

The three volleys came from an old battlefield custom. The two warring sides would cease hostilities to clear their dead from the battlefield, and the firing of three volleys meant that the dead had been cared for properly and the side was ready to resume the battle.

The 21-gun salute traces its roots to the Anglo-Saxon empire, when seven guns constituted a recognized naval salute, as most naval vessels had seven guns. Because gunpowder in those days could be more easily stored on land than at sea, guns on land could fire three rounds for every one that could be fired by a ship at sea.

Later, as gunpowder and storage methods improved, salutes at sea also began using 21 guns. The United States at first used one round for each state, attaining the 21-gun salute by 1818. The nation reduced its salute to 21 guns in 1841 and formally adopted the 21-gun salute at the suggestion of the British in 1875.

An "order of arms" protocol determines the number of guns to be used in a salute. A president, ex-president or foreign head of state is saluted with 21 guns. A vice president, prime minister, secretary of defense or secretary of the Army receives a 19-gun salute. Flag officers receive salutes of 11 to 17 guns, depending on their rank. The rounds are fired one at a time.

A U.S. presidential death also involves other ceremonial gun salutes and military traditions. On the day after the death of the president, a former president or president-elect -- unless this day falls on a Sunday or holiday, in which case the honor will rendered the following day -- the commanders of Army installations with the necessary personnel and material traditionally order that one gun be fired every half hour, beginning at reveille and ending at retreat.

On the day of burial, a 21-minute gun salute traditionally is fired starting at noon at all military installations with the necessary personnel and material. Guns will be fired at one-minute intervals. Also on the day of burial, those installations will fire a 50-gun salute -- one round for each state -- at five-second intervals immediately following lowering of the flag.

The playing of "Ruffles and Flourishes" announces the arrival of a flag officer or other dignitary of honor. Drums play the ruffles, and bugles play the flourishes - one flourish for each star of the flag officer's rank or as appropriate for the honoree's position or title. Four flourishes is the highest honor.

When played for a president, "Ruffles and Flourishes" is followed by "Hail to the Chief," which is believed to have been written in England in 1810 or 1811 by James Sanderson for a play by Sir Walter Scott called "The Lady of the Lake." The play began to be performed in the United States in 1812, the song became popular, and it became a favorite of bands at festive events. It evolved to be used as a greeting for important visitors, and eventually for the president, though no record exists of when it was first put to that use.

The bugle call "Taps" originated in the Civil War with the Army of the Potomac. Union Army Brig. Gen. Daniel Butterfield didn't like the bugle call that signaled soldiers in the camp to put out the lights and go to sleep, and worked out the melody of "Taps" with his brigade bugler, Pvt. Oliver Wilcox Norton. The call later came into another use as a figurative call to the sleep of death for soldiers.

Ford will be buried with full military honors at his presidential museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 3.

(John D. Banusiewicz of American Forces Press Service contributed to this article. Information from Web pages of the Military District of Washington and Arlington National Cemetery was used in this article.)

Photo Credit: Military tradition will be evident throughout the events associated with the Dec. 26 death of former President Gerald R. Ford, as the services join the nation in bidding farewell to their former commander in chief. (DOD photo/Cherie A. Thurlby)

Nearly 4,000 servicemembers to support Ford's funeral

by Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service

12/28/2006 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Almost 4,000 Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Coast Guard members are gearing up to support the national farewell to former President Gerald R. Ford that will span a seven-day period with events in California, Maryland, the nation's capital and Michigan.

"This is DOD's way of showing respect and honor to a former commander in chief and president, so it's very important to us," said Army Col. Jim Yonts, public affairs officer for the Military District of Washington.

The military's experience in planning, attention to detail and execution makes it ideally suited to conducting state funerals honoring former presidents, Colonel Yonts said.

"It ensures the synchronization of many, many moving parts, with ground assets, air assets, intelligence assets and all kinds of other assets coming together to ensure a safe and secure state funeral that properly honors a former commander in chief and president," he said.

The MDW, operating as the Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region, will serve as the Defense Department's command and control headquarters for the funeral activities. Military support ranges from color guards and honorary pallbearers to airlift and other transportation to logistics, Colonel Yonts said.

About 100 members of a joint-service honor guard from throughout the National Capital Region arrived Dec. 27 in Palm Desert, Calif., where Ford will lie in repose Dec. 29 and 30, he said.

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., will coordinate events in California, and the Michigan National Guard will coordinate events in Michigan, he said.

The U.S. Marine Corps Twentynine Palms Band will play a military arrival ceremony and private family prayer service at 4 p.m. Dec. 29 at Palm Desert's St. Margaret's Episcopal Church.

After the service, Ford's remains will lie in repose through early Dec. 30. Members of the Washington-based 3rd U.S. Army Infantry Regiment, "the Old Guard"; the U.S. Marine Corps Ceremonial and Guard Company; the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard; the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard will attend the casket, Yonts said.

A military honor guard will accompany Ford's remains as they are flown to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Dec. 30.

There, a joint-service honor cordon and color guard will meet them for a 5:30 p.m. arrival ceremony. The U.S. Air Force Band will provide music, and The Old Guard's Presidential Salute Battery will render a 21-gun salute, Colonel Yonts said.

Joint-service pallbearers will carry the casket to a hearse, which will lead a motorcade through Washington, D.C., en route to the U.S. Capitol. The motorcade will pause in front of the World War II Memorial, a tribute to Ford's service in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Once at the east side of the Capitol, the pallbearers will carry Ford's casket into the House chambers, where he will lie in state to commemorate his many years as a U.S. congressman. From there, the pallbearers will carry the casket to the rotunda to lie in state, before moving it again to the Senate chambers to honor Ford's time as vice president, and therefore, president of the Senate.

On Jan. 2, the pallbearers will carry the casket down the Senate steps to the awaiting hearse. His motorcade will proceed to a 10:30 a.m. state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral, where President Bush will speak.

Following the state funeral, Ford's body will be flown to Grand Rapids, Mich., for burial on the grounds of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in the former president's hometown.
There, he will lie in repose before being moved at 1 p.m. Jan. 3 for a private funeral service at Grace Episcopal Church, Colonel Yonts said. Following the ceremony, the casket will be returned to the presidential museum for burial.

Throughout the funeral events, every branch of the armed forces and the U.S. Coast Guard will provide personnel, support and ceremonial units to the Joint Task Force National Capital Region, Colonel Yonts said. These ceremonial units have participated in state funerals for Presidents Eisenhower, Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Reagan.

Photo Credit: President Ronald Reagan was the last former president to receive a state funeral, in June 2004. The bugle call "Taps" originated in the Civil War with the Army of the Potomac to signal the end of the day. The call later came into another use at funerals as a figurative call to the sleep of death for soldiers. (U.S. Air Force file photo)

What is in the January MT Milcom Column?

We have some really neat stuff in our January 2006 Monitoring Times Milcom column.

Titled, The FLTSATCOM System - we cover indepth the FLTSATCOM UHF milsat birds, including their entire frequency bandplan (downlink/uplinks) and current operational status. This is the most comprehensive coverage of this satellite system since I first wrote up this system in my old book, Communications Satellites. And yes, we still have two of these satellites on station and in operation. So as I have said before, "miss one issue of MT and you miss a lot."

Monitoring Times - Helping You to Master the World of Radio.

No More Marine 121.5/243.0 MHz EPIRBs

From my original post on my Btown Monitoring Post Blog last week.

U.S. Coast Guard - Press Release
Date: Dec. 8, 2006

BOATERS MUST NOT OPERATE 121.5/243 MHZ EPIRBs AFTER 31 DECEMBER 2006

WASHINGTON - The Coast Guard reminds all boaters that beginning January 1, 2007, both 121.5 and 243 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) are prohibited from use in both commercial and recreational watercraft. Boaters wishing to have an emergency rescue beacon aboard their vessel must have a digital 406 MHz model.

The January 1, 2007, date to stop using 121.5 MHz EPIRBs is in preparation for February 1, 2009, when satellite processing of distress signals from all 121.5/243 MHz beacons will terminate. Following this termination date, only the 406 MHz beacons will be detected by the International Cospas-Sarsat Satellite System which provides distress alert and location data for search and rescue operations around the world.

The regulation applies to all Class A, B, and S 121.5/243 MHz EPIRBs. It does not affect 121.5/243 MHz man overboard devices which are designed to work directly with a base alerting unit only and not with the satellite system.

This change, in large part, was brought about by the unreliability of the 121.5/243 MHz beacons in an emergency situation. Data reveals that with a 121.5 MHz beacon, only one alert out of every 50 is a genuine distress situation. This has a significant effect on expending the limited resources of search and rescue personnel and platforms. With 406 MHz beacons, false alerts have been reduced significantly, and, when properly registered, can usually be resolved with a telephone call to the beacon owner. Consequently, real alerts can receive the attention they deserve.

When a 406 MHz beacon signal is received, search and rescue personnel can retrieve information from a registration database. This includes the beacon owner's contact information, emergency contact information, and vessel/aircraft identifying characteristics. Having this information allows the Coast Guard, or other rescue personnel, to respond appropriately.

In the U.S., users are required by law to directly register their beacon in the U.S. 406 MHz Beacon Registration Database at: http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov/ or by calling 1-888-212-SAVE. Other users can register their beacon in their country's national beacon
registration database or, if no national database is available, in the International Beacon Registration Database at https://www.406registration.com/.

The United States Coast Guard is the lead agency for coordinating national maritime search and rescue policy and is responsible for providing search and rescue services on, under and over assigned international waters and waters subject to United States jurisdiction.

Thanks to Leo Salas and the DFW Scan gang for passing along this press release. And remember if you have something to share with the blog and our readers, please send it along to larryvanhorn @ monitoringtimes.com.

Last Chance for this Special Offer

The good folks at Monitoring Times magazine are offering a special, limited time, discounted rate of US$14.95 on a one year MT Express subscription if you mention the BLOG page (Editor’s Page, Fed Files, Milcom, Monitoring Post, Shortwave, and Ute World) you are viewing right now. This is a great price on a great magazine and you get MT delivered electronically every month well before the print edition hits the streets.

This special offer is for first-time subscribers and renewals. This offer is available for a limited time only (must be used by the close of business December 31, 2006) and can only be used one time per customer.

And MT Express makes a great holiday gift at US$14.95 for a one year subscription.

What is Monitoring Times magazine?
MT is a full-spectrum monthly magazine for the radio listener, Monitoring Times covers scanning, shortwave, military and federal comms, and other radio topics from below 500 kHz to 900 MHz and above. Presented in an easy-to-understand style by an experienced writing staff, MT helps you get the most out of your time and your equipment with practical listening tips and frequencies.

What is MT Express?
MT Express is the same magazine as our printed version, but it is presented in Adobe Acrobat portable document file (pdf) format, including full color photography and active links to URLs and email addresses. It is the fastest and easiest way to get the information and frequencies you need on the radio hobby. You can see what is in current issue of MT on the MT website, including sample MT Express issue.

So if you like what we do here on the MT Blog pages and you want even more, then pick up that telephone and call the MT order desk toll free at 1-800-438-8155 (Mon-Fri 9a-5p EDT/1400-2100 UTC) and get US$5.00 off the regular price of MT Express. And remember you have to mention the BLOG page you are viewing right now in order to get the MT Express Bloggers discount.

Profile: MacDill AFB, Florida, Trunk Radio System

My old friend and former MT columnist Robert Wyman has made a couple of trips to MacDill AFB, Florida, area and did some VHF/UHF monitoring. During those sessions Robert intercepted the base trunk system and he has passed along the following profile of the TRS at that base. Thanks Robert.

MacDill AFB, Florida
System: Motorola Type II Smartzone (APCO-25 Exclusive)
Motorola System ID: b112
Base Frequency: 406.5625; Spacing: 12.5-kHz; Offset: 380
Frequencies: 406.5625c 406.7625c 406.9625 407.3625 407.5625 407.7625c 407.9625c 408.1625 408.3625 408.5625

Talkgroups:
16 Unknown user/usage
64 Unknown user/usage
1600 Unknown user/usage
1616 Unknown user/usage
1632 Unknown user/usage
1648 Unknown user/usage
4800 MacDill Control
4816 Unknown user/usage
4832 Unknown user/usage
4848 Security
4864 Security
4880 Unknown user/usage
8000 Unknown user/usage
9600 Unknown user/usage
11200 Unknown user/usage
12800 Unknown user/usage
14400 Unknown user/usage
16000 Unknown user/usage
19200 Unknown user/usage
19600 Alpha
20800 Unknown user/usage
20864 Unknown user/usage
24900 Tiger
25600 Unknown user/usage
25616 Unknown user/usage
25632 Unknown user/usage
25648 Unknown user/usage
27200 Unknown user/usage
30400 Unknown user/usage
35216 Unknown user/usage
35248 Unknown user/usage