Military air freqs

[aristotle73]

Why are the Radio Shack scanners eliminating the military air frequencies? Fort Detrick is only a mile away from and I would like to hear some of the communications if possible. However, my scanner skips the frequencies between 224MHz and 406MHz. Is there anyway I can still listen?

 

[ka3jjz]

Why are the Radio Shack scanners eliminating the military air frequencies? Fort Detrick is only a mile away from and I would like to hear some of the communications if possible. However, my scanner skips the frequencies between 224MHz and 406MHz. Is there anyway I can still listen?

The reason, from someone - I don't remember who - has to do with a fault in the design of the GRE radios; it would allow cell images to get into the milair band. And with today's regulations, such radios would not pass the FCC certification.

There is no way to 'fix' a GRE/RS scanner to hear this band well. The much-ballyhooed plug you can use with the Win9x software is iffy at best; some PRO96s perform OK, others don't. And forget about the other PRO9x models; the chart on Don Starr's site shows why.

Bottom line; if you want milair, get a Uniden

73s Mike

 

[aristotle73]

I can pick up the Fort Detrick transmissions between 406.3500MHz to 409.1500MHz. However, I tried programming it into the Pro-95 as a trunked frequency but I had troubles trying to get it to work :/

 

[ka3jjz]

I can pick up the Fort Detrick transmissions between 406.3500MHz to 409.1500MHz. However, I tried programming it into the Pro-95 as a trunked frequency but I had troubles trying to get it to work :/

There's some info missing here; did you use Win95 to program it? Did you look at the RRDB and make sure you put in the base/offset?

If you don't get many answers here, jump on over to the Radio Shack forum on this board. There's also one or two Yahoo groups devoted to the PRO95.

73s and GL Mike

 

[aristotle73]

I didn't use Win95. If you check the RRDB, there is no offset information given. Only the stepping is given (and I can't even change the stepping or set the offset to 0).

 

[ka3jjz]

I didn't use Win95. If you check the RRDB, there is no offset information given. Only the stepping is given (and I can't even change the stepping or set the offset to 0).

At least in some cases, when the offset isn't given, 380 is what to use. But maybe not now....there is a Scan Hagerstown Yahoo group if no one knows the answer here.
Most folks I know that have the PRO95 use Win95 for programming. It's a free program; the only thing you would need is the cable, RS 20-289.

73s Mike

 

[aristotle73]

There is no way to 'fix' a GRE/RS scanner to hear this band well. The much-ballyhooed plug you can use with the Win9x software is iffy at best; some PRO96s perform OK, others don't. And forget about the other PRO9x models; the chart on Don Starr's site shows why.

Are you talking about the software hack that uploads frequencies into the scanner forcefully? I thought that hack didn't work?

 

[ka3jjz]

There is no way to 'fix' a GRE/RS scanner to hear this band well. The much-ballyhooed plug you can use with the Win9x software is iffy at best; some PRO96s perform OK, others don't. And forget about the other PRO9x models; the chart on Don Starr's site shows why.

Are you talking about the software hack that uploads frequencies into the scanner forcefully? I thought that hack didn't work?

It works....sorta. The problem is that the RF stages aren't tuned for this range, so the sensitivity is very poor, even if the scanner will lock on the frequency. In addition, since the scanners were never really designed to receive this range, there's no QC and subsequent corrections if they didn't perform well. One radio might perform OK, the next maybe not.

The bottom line is what I mentioned earlier; if you want milair (in a digital portable), get a Uniden.

73s Mike

 

[Waldo325mvfd]

THE NEW PRO 97 INCLUDES THIS! YEA 8)

 

[poltergeisty]

I own a bc296d and recently noticed I was getting cell calls in the 130 MHz area. The road I was travailing down did not have any cell towers or any on roofs that I know of. However there is a place near by that might. I have to look into the -FCC- database and see if there is a record.

What I am saying is I wonder if the scanner dose not have good rejection either. I have not found any specs. yet on my radio anyone know where?

Nothing in the manual nothing at the web site. Could they be hiding something?

 

[Waldo325mvfd]

could be phone patches

 

[poltergeisty]

No I can tell if it was or not and that is what I thought before. You can hear the background noise of a cell call and the sound it makes when it hangs up. This produced the same. Had to be a harmonic.

 

[TinEar]

MilAir active tonight (Sunday)...An aircraft called Smoky2 is testing at Aberdeen's range on freq 248.40. His first pass he counted down and then announced, "Fire 1." Second pass was, "Fire 2." Third pass coming up he says is going to be a dry run but he'll be firing flares. Not sure what type aircraft this is and find it a bit unusual for this activity to be taking place on a Sunday night. All the MilAir freqs have been unusually active this past week or so.

This third pass he counted down the seconds and his annoucement of the firing of the flares was simply, "Dispense." He's going to make a fourth run and do the same thing.

And on and on it goes. He's making pass after pass, either reporting, "Fire1" or "Fire 2" at the end of each countdown. There is a Smoky1 and a Smoky2. Smoky2 is doing the firing and Smoky1 seems to be a flight test control of some type.

 

[Mark]

Rgr Tin hearing them hear weak but readable in Cecil county..
according to another post on other board they were working yesterday on SAM missile tests,

he says the following..

According to various web sites Smokey Sams are mock missiles fired at fighter aircraft on exercise.

The aircraft (callsign Flight Test) involved in this testing is working with
and ground controls (Smokey 1 & 2)

Sounds like APG doing some Army ground to air testing of missile sensor or radar system but who knows..

I'll try and monitor aircraft egress and see if I can ID.

Mark

 

[Mark]

OK Tin that SMOKY exercise aircraft was BOLAR 83 (common Dover C-5 trainer callsign) C-5 from Dover doing those tests with Aberdeen.

He checked out with Hunter AAF Tower on 126.1500 and rtb Dover with Dover appch 132.4250 landing runway 19.

He must have been at altitude as sure would make a racket at low level however didn't hear on Wash Ctr 127.700 so must have been below 10k feet.

Mark

 

[TinEar]

Good copying Mark. Isn't that unusual training for a C-5 aircraft? I understand a C-5 firing flares as a missile countermeasure but I wonder what he was firing before he did the flares. They've been really busy at Aberdeen and Edgewood recently...So have the A-10s from the MD-ANG and from the NJ-ANG...As have the F-16s from DC-ANG and those from the ND-ANG that deploy to Langley for training here in the real world. I don't have enough experience with these guys to know if this is something unusual or whether it's just the change in the weather that has brought them out in force.

 

[Mark]

Yes the local Mil aircraft have been busy lately.Those MD ANG A-10s and PA ANG A-10's NJ F-16's etc are up almost daily.
A combination of good weather plus DOD money for various ANG and active units for this fiscal year has rolled in so they take advantage.
Aberdeen always is busier during warmer months.
They give local A-10's chance to hit fresh building,mobile targets along with occasional heavy Army artillery.
Wish they had live web video of the action... Would be cool!

Mark

 

[aristotle73]

Those videos were cool. Look at those terrorists run--and then subsequently move in several directions/pieces at once :lol:

 

[poltergeisty]

Why are the Radio Shack scanners eliminating the military air frequencies? Fort Detrick is only a mile away from and I would like to hear some of the communications if possible. However, my scanner skips the frequencies between 224MHz and 406MHz. Is there anyway I can still listen?

You might find this interesting.Click me

 

[TinEar]

Interesting MilAir comms on 138.425 at the moment. It's the New Jersey Air National Guard (119th Fighter Squadron) doing some practice atop Smith Island in their F-16s. Their callsign is SMASH.

Also have a flight working the Aberdeen range on 248.4. Callsign UGLY from the PA-ANG. A-10s. They are also working 143.25.

And have an air-to-air refueling activity taking place on 295.4.