Anyone ever catch Military lowband skip?

[eorange]

I've always disregarded the 30-50 MHz military lowband freqs because there are no bases near NE Ohio. Now I'm wondering if I can catch these via skip from who-knows-where.

Anyone ever catch mil lowband via skip?

 

[Thunderbolt]

Anyone ever catch mil lowband via skip?

Many years ago, I was able to hear a training exercise using tanks in the 34 MHz band. After doing some research, I concluded they were out in California based on the fact one of the guys was talking about his hot date the next day in Barstow. From what I could gather, they must have been at the Fort Irwin Military Reservation.

Another time, I was listening to some air-to-air comms on the 41 MHz band. These were ANG pilots from the Washington State area, doing aerial photography of the area around Yakima. They were mention that a car was on fire off State Route 24. At first, I thought they were helicopters from the U.S. Park Service, but when one pilot mention that its hard to see things very long when your flying a Phantom.

So its very possible to capture almost anything on VHF-Low band, especially when skip is rolling in. I heard of people receiving transmissions during the first Gulf War on this band. However, with all of the newer communications technology that has emerged over the past decade, this band doesn't seem have the activity it once had.

73's

Ron

 

[eorange]

Wow, that's good stuff - thanks for sharing the stories! I am still going to check out that range anyway - both for regular skip, and hopefully for an occasional mil catch.

 

[mancow]

A couple of weeks ago when it was rolling in good I caugh a group of artillery guys doing what sounded like live fire training. I don't know what they were using but it sounded as if they were tanks or paladins. They were referring to the two radios and were talking about what frequencies they should be on and a cable of some sort.

 

[LarrySC]

Plan now to locate and install a low-band antenna. The #22 sunspot cycle is about coming to an end and winter long skip is what you will enjoy. Lots of stuff between 30 and 43 mHz. Good Luck

 

[n2ops]

Low Band Skip Sites

Low Band Military
http://www.siscom.net/~mmeece/military.html#TOP

Low Band Skip Frequencies
http://www.geocities.com/yogi540/log.htm

Lots of Low Band Skip Information
http://www.geocities.com/yogi540/lowvhfdx.html

Great List of Low Band Skip Links
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vhfskip/message/2123

Low Band Early Warning Frequencies
http://www.geocities.com/toddemslie/50MHz_Early_Warning_Database.htm

Monitoring Low Band from Across the Pond
http://www.uksmg.org/monitor.htm

CHP
http://www.bncantenna.com/chipsby.htm

CHP
http://www.freqofnature.com/frequencies/ca/chp.html

European Low Band Plans
http://www.grove-ent.com/mteuro.html

Sunspot Prediction
http://www.physorg.com/news11434.html

National Parks (includes some low band frequencies)
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/9952/nps.htm

Low Band Skip Frequencies
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vhfskip/database?method=reportRows&tbl=1

 

[illini52]

I've heard some lowband Mil stuff over the years, mostly 4 and 5 years ago. Ft. Hood range control on 30.45 used to come in daily here. Also have heard lots of misc traffic all over the lowband spectrum including 51.0 MHz.

 

[blantonl]

I was also going to mention Fort Hood Range control on 30.45 - it was a staple of listening when I lived in Virginia Beach back in 1990-1992.

 

[brandon]

In 2002 I logged/recorded these from my apartment in San Diego

36.750 151.4 WARWOLF-33 calling BOOEY-33.
38.900 151.4 Fort Knox Range Control wkg Blair Range.

I've also heard more but never bothered to write them down.

 

[jeff]

30.45 used to come in regularly in NJ, haven't heard it in a while. Back in the early '80s, the agency I work for used 38.71, we used to talk to White Sands Missle Range. The military is making less use of low band these days.

 

[kma371]

I've heard some lowband Mil stuff over the years, mostly 4 and 5 years ago. Ft. Hood range control on 30.45 used to come in daily here. Also have heard lots of misc traffic all over the lowband spectrum including 51.0 MHz.

Ft. Hood was one of the first instances of skip I experienced. This was a few years ago as well, very frequently during the summer months from my home in California.

 

[n2ops]

PL is 150.0

Military comms use the PL of 150.0. For some reason it is left out of scanners.

150.0 is the PL of many talking railroad detectors for trouble while the PL otherwise is 100.0.