Milair 2026
- Thread starter evilbrad
- Start date
ACC Command Post Secondary up on 321.0 AM. Nice signal.
Thank you Brad. This will be my first time hunting the Wisconsin air activity on my new SDS-150 scanner. No more messing with filters. Outside antenna. Thank you very much for the info. The Sony radio you use as a picture is the best FM radio receiver I have ever used. I hit FM radio stations from the Southern UP of Michigan every day from my location on the southern boarder of Manitowoc County Wisconsin. Mine is a Sony XDR-S10 HdIP. With a outdoor FM-VHF cut antenna. I love that FM radio.
Could you please post your results using your new SDS150? I have held off considering buying any of the SDS radios as so many people complained about their poor performance on civil air and milair. Thank you!
evilbrad
My head makes a bad antenna
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2004
- Messages
- 743
- Reaction score
- 183
Mostly I am listening to mil air on a bc9000 that I have in my garage as im in the Rib Mtn or whatever the path is called it gets loud on good weather days. I have a 2mtr 440 dual band extended magmount works fine . I didn't listen to af2 or towers. But during the local potus notam quite a few mil planes were up. Slightly off thread topic I only found fed 165.7875 and 165.375 enc being used in short time i had to listen
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 CDT
Feel free to correct/critique my detail, I'm looking to learn.
UPSET KC-135R 128th ARG, WI ANG Milwaukee, WI
BUCKY F-16C/D 176th FS WI ANG Truax Fld WI
JUDGE F-16C/D 176th FS WI ANG Truax Fld WI
SIJAN F-16 115th FW WI ANG Madison WI.
possibly HUNTER A-10C 122nd FW/163rd FS IN ANG Ft Wayne IN
6:55pm CDT 346.525 UPSET 32 checking in, announcing entry into Rib Mtn ETA 0008
7:17pm CDT 291.900 BUCKY 21 "40 miles south of y'all"
7:34pm CDT 141.700 AF Operations tfc begins, heard traffic throughout the training exercises
7:36pm CDT 291.900 BUCKY 3 announcing. "BUCKY 21 and BUCKY 22 clearing off to the east"
7:43pm CDT 291.900 possibly BUCKY 11 tfc with UPSET 32, BUCKY "2 miles out"
7:47pm CDT 346.525 <UNID> Confirm that we have Sheboygan East?
8:01pm CDT 346.525 <unintelligible> startin' to work our way up. Hey purple(?), check in HUNTER Oshkosh.
8:17pm CDT 141.700 three set for set 2. JUDGE out front. BADGER in the middle and SIJAN in trail.
8:43pm CDT 141.700 last push. BADGER up north in the trail, and SIJAN in the south. Copied BADGER acknowledge. Copied SIJAN acknowledge.
8:46pm CDT 141.700 set 4. BADGER in the one's, SIJAN and JUDGE in the two's.
8:53pm CDT 346.525 Copied JUDGE checkout
8:54pm CDT 346.525 Copied BUCKY checkout
9:00pm CDT 238.200 BUCKY 1 code 1 BUCKY 2 code 2 BUCKY 3 code 2 ? (slow/snow/smoke), BUCKY 4 code 1.
Are the BADGER codewords separate aircraft from the BUCKY aircraft or do they use interchangeably? Certain traffic made it seem as if they were separate? Maybe BADGER are F-35 and BUCKY are F-16? Maybe my callword reference list is outdated too.
All monitored on Uniden SDS200 with VHF-Hi/UHF discone indoors 2nd floor attic space. East Central WI.
Dan
Feel free to correct/critique my detail, I'm looking to learn.
UPSET KC-135R 128th ARG, WI ANG Milwaukee, WI
BUCKY F-16C/D 176th FS WI ANG Truax Fld WI
JUDGE F-16C/D 176th FS WI ANG Truax Fld WI
SIJAN F-16 115th FW WI ANG Madison WI.
possibly HUNTER A-10C 122nd FW/163rd FS IN ANG Ft Wayne IN
6:55pm CDT 346.525 UPSET 32 checking in, announcing entry into Rib Mtn ETA 0008
7:17pm CDT 291.900 BUCKY 21 "40 miles south of y'all"
7:34pm CDT 141.700 AF Operations tfc begins, heard traffic throughout the training exercises
7:36pm CDT 291.900 BUCKY 3 announcing. "BUCKY 21 and BUCKY 22 clearing off to the east"
7:43pm CDT 291.900 possibly BUCKY 11 tfc with UPSET 32, BUCKY "2 miles out"
7:47pm CDT 346.525 <UNID> Confirm that we have Sheboygan East?
8:01pm CDT 346.525 <unintelligible> startin' to work our way up. Hey purple(?), check in HUNTER Oshkosh.
8:17pm CDT 141.700 three set for set 2. JUDGE out front. BADGER in the middle and SIJAN in trail.
8:43pm CDT 141.700 last push. BADGER up north in the trail, and SIJAN in the south. Copied BADGER acknowledge. Copied SIJAN acknowledge.
8:46pm CDT 141.700 set 4. BADGER in the one's, SIJAN and JUDGE in the two's.
8:53pm CDT 346.525 Copied JUDGE checkout
8:54pm CDT 346.525 Copied BUCKY checkout
9:00pm CDT 238.200 BUCKY 1 code 1 BUCKY 2 code 2 BUCKY 3 code 2 ? (slow/snow/smoke), BUCKY 4 code 1.
Are the BADGER codewords separate aircraft from the BUCKY aircraft or do they use interchangeably? Certain traffic made it seem as if they were separate? Maybe BADGER are F-35 and BUCKY are F-16? Maybe my callword reference list is outdated too.
All monitored on Uniden SDS200 with VHF-Hi/UHF discone indoors 2nd floor attic space. East Central WI.
Dan
Yes, this is AI, but it confirms what I thought. The F-16s at Truax Field in Madison have all been replaced by F-35's.
No, there are no F-16 Fighting Falcons currently based at Truax Field in Madison, Wisconsin. The 115th Fighter Wing officially ended its 30-year F-16 mission on October 5, 2022, and has transitioned to the F-35A Lightning II, which began arriving in the spring of 2023
No, there are no F-16 Fighting Falcons currently based at Truax Field in Madison, Wisconsin. The 115th Fighter Wing officially ended its 30-year F-16 mission on October 5, 2022, and has transitioned to the F-35A Lightning II, which began arriving in the spring of 2023
Apparently some flight training, possibly fighter training, occurring somewhere. Copied BUCKY 1 on 141.700 at approx. 11:05am CDT 3/23. Also may have heard callword BULLSEYE mentioned, maybe CANFORCE Winnepeg?
Or instead of a callsign, BULLSEYE could be a "brevity code" meaning:
"An established reference point from which the position of an object can be referenced by bearing (magnetic) and range (nautical miles) from this point."
Info on brevity codes here:
Multi-service tactical brevity code - Wikipedia
https://www.alssa.mil/Portals/9/Documents/mttps/sd_brevity_2025.pdf?ver=n4_AmEM1NW5oJwXYnxCwnQ%3D%3D
Link to Military Callsign list is in this Radio Ref post:
Military Callsign list
The latest edition of Ron's Military Callsign list is here, in PDF format (via the UDXF server) https://udxf.nl/MCL.pdf Mike
Great info, thanks! I intend to review a recording to see if I can get more complete context. When I heard the comms yesterday I was still reviewing recorded non-milair stuff from the blizzard. I decided to report it in case someone else wanted to try catching the comms.
3/25 3:08pm CDT For several minutes now, hearing traffic on 358.8 Hardwood Range channel. I haven't been able to identify any of the aircraft yet.
Had a chance to review the "bullseye" context and it didn't sound like a callword/callsign. The best I could make out was something like "P3 bullseye...straight for traffic".
I have a few more logs from several days back:
March 20, 2026
2:22pm CDT 321.000 REACH 200 calling Milwaukee Ops, asking to have info passed to command post Forbes Field KS (190th Air Refueling Wing?).
March 23, 2026
10:32am - 11:22am CDT 141.700 I copied quite a bit of traffic, much of it weak and unintelligible. Believe I heard JUDGE followed by "Red copy". One of the clearer exchanges was a call to (what sounded like) "Red Air" from BUCKY 1 mentioning "next fight" and a "touch and go at Volk after the fight". Note: It was during this series of exchanges that I heard "bullseye" used.
12:30pm - 12:36pm CDT (and various times late morning to early afternoon) 143.250 mostly weak and unreadable by me but I may have copied "WOLF 2" (148th FW MN ANG Duluth MN possibly???). As I said, signals were very weak but this possible callsign seemed accentuated during the transmission. Appreciate any clarification/confirmation if someone happened to be listening around the same time.
March 24, 2026
2:29pm CDT 238.200 BADGER 3 calling "Badger Operations" with instruction to pass to "BADGER 2 on the ground".
2:42pm CDT 346.525 believe also BADGER 3 with "??? one five four two for BADGER 2"
3:27pm CDT 346.525 BADGER 3 in for RTB, ???
3:29pm CDT 238.200 "out two by code one"
3:33pm CDT 238.200 weak and fading, unintelligible
I have a few more logs from several days back:
March 20, 2026
2:22pm CDT 321.000 REACH 200 calling Milwaukee Ops, asking to have info passed to command post Forbes Field KS (190th Air Refueling Wing?).
March 23, 2026
10:32am - 11:22am CDT 141.700 I copied quite a bit of traffic, much of it weak and unintelligible. Believe I heard JUDGE followed by "Red copy". One of the clearer exchanges was a call to (what sounded like) "Red Air" from BUCKY 1 mentioning "next fight" and a "touch and go at Volk after the fight". Note: It was during this series of exchanges that I heard "bullseye" used.
12:30pm - 12:36pm CDT (and various times late morning to early afternoon) 143.250 mostly weak and unreadable by me but I may have copied "WOLF 2" (148th FW MN ANG Duluth MN possibly???). As I said, signals were very weak but this possible callsign seemed accentuated during the transmission. Appreciate any clarification/confirmation if someone happened to be listening around the same time.
March 24, 2026
2:29pm CDT 238.200 BADGER 3 calling "Badger Operations" with instruction to pass to "BADGER 2 on the ground".
2:42pm CDT 346.525 believe also BADGER 3 with "??? one five four two for BADGER 2"
3:27pm CDT 346.525 BADGER 3 in for RTB, ???
3:29pm CDT 238.200 "out two by code one"
3:33pm CDT 238.200 weak and fading, unintelligible
March 25, 2026
3:03pm - 3:18pm CDT 358.800 copied unid telling BUCKY 1 "have you loud and clear". Near end of exchange copied callsign BUCKY 2-1. I think there were at least three participants but I couldn't get IDs on any others.
March 25, 2026
3:36pm CDT 346.525 Believe this was "One One" checkout.
3:40pm CDT 238.200 Copied "two for a radar fail" then signal faded.
3:42pm CDT 238.200 Copied callsign BUCKY 3, rest of message fading/unintelligible.
March 26, 2026
4:47am - 4:53am CDT 311.000 ACC Command Post Primary very weak tfc, mostly unintelligible, copied something like "he had a test with a rep", then faded. Sounded like a possible tropospheric ducting disturbance with phrases rising briefly above the noise level.
4:47am - 4:53am CDT 311.000 ACC Command Post Primary very weak tfc, mostly unintelligible, copied something like "he had a test with a rep", then faded. Sounded like a possible tropospheric ducting disturbance with phrases rising briefly above the noise level.
253.9750 - Madison A/A active
319.025 Active (BADGER, BUCKY, WOLF, MAGNUM) callsigns heard. Most appear to be up high at FL30 and above. A10's are also in town, took off from KMSN to Volk complex. Hearing some mention of activity in Harwood Range.
nodak1crdet3
Member
WOLF is a common call sign for the 148th FW at Duluth.
From a post of mine from 03-17-22 Minnesota Milair listening to liveatc.net Duluth. I heard the call signs LAKER, GUNDOG, WOLF, ZIPGUN, & possibly OMEGA? (Liveatc.net isn't working for me right now).
I was at Duluth September of 2000 & heard call signs DINO, SPAD, LAKER.
FROSTY 26 (Travel call sign) was getting clearance to Tyndall AFB.
Chuck in Detroit / NODAK 1
