DCNR Air East Activity

[captclint]

A lot of testing on 151.385 241.8 PL yesterday and today. Hearing 800 base, 800 portable, and a recon plane testing at different locations. They are identifying this as Air East. I have noted previously that 225.7 PL and CSQ were also used.

One of the more interesting tests was a base identifying as "DCNR Swiftwater" 103.5 PL. From what I can see, there is no DCNR location identified as Swiftwater. What this sounded like was PSP Swiftwater on this DCNR freq. The RSSI also suggested that this was coming from as base about the same distance as Swiftwater is from my location.

As for the location of the 151.385 241.8 PL traffic, the RSSI was very strong, suggesting it was coming from
WQLW323 , but I could not confirm 159.255 as the input. This station is identified in the DCNR Narrowband list as "Luzerne Co - Wilkes-Barre (licensed but not in use?)", which is close to me. Perhaps, now we know it is getting ready to be used.

Edit:
Also, another unrelated observation. There is a tanker base in Luzerne county at Hazleton airport. In the past, the tankers would always reload there. This season, they seem to calling upon local fire company tankers to reload planes at Avoca and Forty Fort airports. This makes good sense, but I would guess they only do that when they don't need fire retardant.

 

[GTR8000]

"Swiftwater" is the Region 19 district office in Monroe County. They've used that ID for years on the District 19 repeaters in Monroe, Northampton and Pike counties.

151.385 (103.5 PL) was/is the old District 19 wideband primary repeater.

 

[HM1529]

Interesting. This was a repeater, then? I wonder if this is the WQLW323 site linked into STARNET specifically for aerial ops in the NE corner of the state.

I was on the road in Schuylkill and Berks Counties today and did not hear anything on the old 151.385, but I think that still has a 103.5 PL in my Kenwood radio. Time to break out the programming cable.

I may be heading up toward Slatington tomorrow. Maybe they'll still be working with it then.

 

[HM1529]

Also, forgot to mention that the Swiftwater forestry office is just down the road from the PSP barracks of the same name. DCNR shares the building with DEP (the DEP Pocono District Office).

 

[popnokick]

Activity continued today, but on a different frequency: 151.3625 CTCSS 179.9
Aircraft "Delaware Recon" working "Swiftwater" via High Knob (repeater). Sounded very much like fire recon all day. At about 4pm Delaware Recon called Swiftwater to report they were on the ground at Mt. Pocono airport. Swiftwater acknowledged via High Knob.
This is same frequency and CTCSS tone as used by Promised Land State Park.

 

[GTR8000]

Activity continued today, but on a different frequency: 151.3625 CTCSS 179.9
Aircraft "Delaware Recon" working "Swiftwater" via High Knob (repeater). Sounded very much like fire recon all day. At about 4pm Delaware Recon called Swiftwater to report they were on the ground at Mt. Pocono airport. Swiftwater acknowledged via High Knob.
This is same frequency and CTCSS tone as used by Promised Land State Park.

High Knob 151.3625 (179.9 PL) is one of the primary DCNR repeaters for District 19. It replaced 151.385 (103.5 PL) up at High Knob during the narrowband transition. Promised Land State Park uses the repeater, but they are not the primary user of the repeater.

The air recon has been going on all week. The other day the aircraft were communicating with Swiftwater as well as spotters in the High Knob fire tower.

 

[captclint]

151.385 241.8 PL used today by a tanker from Monroe communicating status to Hazleton Tanker base in Luzerne.FD11 Since the tanker was not from FD11 (which has it's own Air Freq 151.4525), this supports the idea it is a more universal Air Freq in the east.