Newbie from KY with some Q's about mil monitoring

[Fox1]

Hi gang! Nice forum here! I was steered over here by a friend on another forum and I am still in a state of shock at the vast amount of info provided here. It'll take me at least a year to check each individual section here. LOL.

That said, I suppose since my main listening interests involve the Kentucky area, this is the place to ask my questions. So here goes. Feel free to move this to another section if this is not the proper place to post this.

1. My main interest is listening to mil frequencies. Right now I only have a scanner capable of picking up air channels in the 118.xxx to 130.xxx ranges and mil channels in the 140.xxx range. I have all the area frequencies I'm aware of from the Indianapolis KZID ARTCC that covers this region programmed into my scanner. These 13 or so frequencies I monitor give me nearly constant chatter. I am amazed how far away I can hear some stuff, considering I'm only using the antenna my scanner came equipped with. That said, I want to add more stuff and be able to monitor the widest range of frequencies possible, while keeping costs on a new scanner at a sane level. This would include 200.xxx and 300.xxx channels or any other stuff I can find (such as HF). If it's US Air Force, US Army, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Coast Guard, Air National Guard, National Guard, whatever, I'm interested. With that in mind, what scanner/s would you folks recommend?

2. If I could get a scanner capable of handling the Kentucky State Police digital system, that would also be a major plus. I haven't been able to monitor them since they went away from their analog stuff a number of years ago.

3. I realize to get the most possible out of whatever scanner I buy, I'll need a good external antenna. Any recommendations here? I bought one from Scanner World once that was horrible. I couldn't hear anything on it. In fact, the antenna that plugged into the back was far more efficient than that piece of junk. I'd rather not go there again. LOL.

4. What are some active mil frequencies in this state worth monitoring? Any favorites?

BTW, I am located in Booneville (Owsley County), which sits between Richmond and Hazard. It's about as much in the middle of nowhere as you one could possibly get. LOL. I'm probably too far away from Western Kentucky to hear the cool stuff from Fort Campbell. I am also a pretty good distance from most major airports, though I can hear some stuff from Bluegrass Field from time to time. I am also not very close to any military bases. But I do see tons of vapor trails passing overhead on a daily basis and hear the roar of jet engines at high altitude, so hopefully I can pick up some in-flight radio comms. And hopefully I can pick up some of the ACM stuff that goes on from time to time with the Ohio ANG units many here seem to listen in on. I also live directly underneath one of the refueling routes (the one that runs from about Memphis, TN to Charleston, WV). There's another that's just a little south of here and one to the north. I think I'd likely be within range of all three. Too bad the old military low level training route (MTR 075, aka "oil burner route") used by B-52's, F-111's and B-1B's hasn't been used since the radar bomb site near Richmond was closed in 1994. I lived right underneath it as well and saw tons of bombers at 400 feet altitude. God, I miss those.

And as far as the state police thing, I'm located in Post 7's area of responsibilty. I believe they even have a tower in my own county, so receiving that stuff should be easy provided I can get a system capable of monitoring them.

Again, I don't want to go crazy with spending here, but I'm willing to shell out $400 to $500 without too much bellyaching, plus the cost of the antenna. I just want something that sounds good, is reliable and is as easy and uncomplicated as possible to program. Having more than 100 programmable channels would also be nice. My only experience thus far has been with 3 models of Uniden scanners: The BC700A, the BC178XLT and the SC150. So one with features and easy programming like those, yet with more capability would be great.

Shew! I probably have a ton more questions I'd like to ask, but I'm gonna stop here. I don't wanna overwhelm you folks. LOL. Any recommendations or answers you can provide to any of the above questions will be much appreciated.

I would like to also take the time to say this has been one of the best online forums I've ever seen. Not only is there a terrific amount of info provided here based on the threads I have reviewed thus far, but the users are very friendly and professional. It's nice to see a forum so well run, with intelligent, friendly members and none of the foolishness so common on many other forums today. I am sure I will be spending many mucho hours here in the future. What a resource! If there was a heaven for scanner enthusiasts, I'm sure it would look much like this site. Hehe.

Take care and thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide!

 

[davidp124]

Hello Fox1:
Ah yes, I do remember the days of IR075 and "Richmond Bomb Plot". The frequency, I believe, was 354.3. Even from Bowling Green I could monitor the B52s and the F111s running the route but the farther they got to the east I lost them. I do monitor, when possible, the ACMs going on from southern OH, MO, IN. Ft Campbell is off and on. Lots of AR routes in the area. You are probably in the vicinity of AR455 and AR315. AR111 and 203 cross the western and central part of the state.

Latch on to a Uniden/GRE/or Shack scanner and take a listen.

David

 

[scannerfreak]

Hey fox1, Welcome to the site! Our info is only as good as our users

 

[Fox1]

http://radioshack.com/product/index...productId=2476543&support=support&tab=summary

That looks like a very good deal for a scanner with those capabilities. As per the tech specs, it says it's capable of following trunked APCO 25 systems. That should make it good to go for the KSP system should it not?

It also lists the frequency coverage as:

25-27.995, 28-53.98, 54-71.95, 72-75.995, 76-107.9, 108-136.975, 137-173.9875, 174-215.95, 216-224.98, 225-379.975, 380-512, 764-954, 1240-1300 MHz

That would get me nearly all of the mil/air frequencies that I want.

I didn't think you could find a scanner that does all that for this sort of money, despite it being on sale. The only negative may be it's not simple to program. But that is only one reviewer, so who knows. They may just not be very technically inclined.

This look like a good one to consider? It seems to have basically the same features as another model they have priced at $545.

 

[unitcharlie]

Hi Fox1.... welcome to rr.com! I can remember the first time I saw a BUFF up close... flying over a hill top in Pike County lining up on a coal tipple in the valley below..... will never forget the sound of those eight turbines.....

You should be able to monitor a lot of stuff from your post. I'd recommend getting a digital capable radio as well as one that has programming software.... digital because some Kentucky public safety agencies are going that route with their upgrades, you will be able to monitor the Blue Grass Army Depot trunked system (usually just routine stuff, seems all the good stuff is encrypted) when you get closer, KSP and others... the programming software will make programming your radio easier (my fingers still hurt from the first marathon programming session with my PRO 95)--plus you'll be able to save files and sort things so you can monitor as you travel.... a bonus is that, if you have problems or questions, you can post your particular file on rr.com and someone will help you sort it out...

I use an old Rat Shack Discone (but I am in a frequency polluted area) externally... but you might need something with a little more "pull"... I am not very familiar with any of the good air band antennas....

welcome to rr.com....

 

[benjaminfs733]

As far as a new scanner is concerned I would check out this site, http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Category:Radio_Models ,in the wiki page on RR. You can look at each model of scanner, read descriptions and download manuals. I never buy a scanner until I have read the manual to make sure it is what I want. Definitely do your home work on what you need, then look at what you can afford and you should find what your looking for.

 

[RadioRelay]

BTW, I am located in Booneville (Owsley County), which sits between Richmond and Hazard. It's about as much in the middle of nowhere as you one could possibly get. LOL. I'm probably too far away from Western Kentucky to hear the cool stuff from Fort Campbell. I am also a pretty good distance from most major airports, though I can hear some stuff from Bluegrass Field from time to time. I am also not very close to any military bases. But I do see tons of vapor trails passing overhead on a daily basis and hear the roar of jet engines at high altitude, so hopefully I can pick up some in-flight radio comms. And hopefully I can pick up some of the ACM stuff that goes on from time to time with the Ohio ANG units many here seem to listen in on. I also live directly underneath one of the refueling routes (the one that runs from about Memphis, TN to Charleston, WV). There's another that's just a little south of here and one to the north. I think I'd likely be within range of all three. Too bad the old military low level training route (MTR 075, aka "oil burner route") used by B-52's, F-111's and B-1B's hasn't been used since the radar bomb site near Richmond was closed in 1994. I lived right underneath it as well and saw tons of bombers at 400 feet altitude. God, I miss those.
---
Welcome Fox1. David, in his reply above covered most of what you can hear from a military aviation standpoint. We're still pretty lucky with the number of AR routes over & near us & they stay active quite often. The air combat in southern Ohio is pretty easy to hear, too, as long as they stay at a decent altitude. When Summer rolls around, plug 119.625 (AM mode) into your scanner/s. It's very active with Naftional Guard & "other" assets during the "growing" season, if you catch my drift. We don't post much on those operations since they are in effect, on-going law enforcement activities, but they can make for interesting listening.

I think I got physically sick when Richmond Bomb Plot closed. I lived directly under the exit point/racetrack re-entry point of the route & saw everything from B-58 Hustlers, B-52s, FB-111s, B-1Bs & when SAC went away in 1992, AC-130s from the Air Combat Command, up until final closure in 1994. One odd note about the route closure. The last flight was a October 1994 midnight run by a B-1B whose crew kept calling for Richmond Bomb Plot on 354.3, but the RBS site had been closed for several months.....I guess they hadn't got the word! Now, there are only four RBS sites left in the US, Snyder & Pecos, Texas, Bell Fourche, SD & Granite Peak, UT, compared to dozens of sites years ago.....things change you know.

RadioRelay

 

[lil_jimmy_norton]

As someone who moved to ky in '94 I had no idea there used to be a bombing range close by. Where exactly was it located?

 

[unitcharlie]

There were different targets in Central and Eastern Kentucky controlled from a radar facility at Blue Grass Army Depot... while it was active there were frequent reports of UFOs and other close encounters and some of the home video actually made it into the local media.... the radar unit disbanded about the time the Berlin Wall came tumbing down since the World suddenly became a safer place.

 

[tbharper]

i would check with these before buying one they would be cheaper www.scannersunlimited.com http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/scanners/0115.html http://www.scannermaster.com/Uniden_Bearcat_BCT15_BearTracker_Scanner_p/10-501061.htm

 

[tbharper]

didnt notice the date you probally already have

 

[RadioRelay]

There were different targets in Central and Eastern Kentucky controlled from a radar facility at Blue Grass Army Depot... while it was active there were frequent reports of UFOs and other close encounters and some of the home video actually made it into the local media.... the radar unit disbanded about the time the Berlin Wall came tumbing down since the World suddenly became a safer place.

---
Some odds & ends from years of monitoring the operations. My location was only about 15 miles as the crow flies from the RBS (Radar Bomb Scoring) Site which aircrews referred to as Richmond Bomb Plot. The site was operational from at least the early 60s, since I visually watched numerous B-52s & a few B-58s in that time frame heading east toward the site. I lived at that time in Lancaster. I'd be curious as to when the site actually opened, maybe in the late 50s, but I'm not sure about that.

Like a lot of military aviation fans, my first UHF capable scanner was a Radio Shack Pro-2004, which became available in the mid 80s. The operating frequency for the site was 354.3 (AM mode) & at my location I could easily hear them. Bombers, of course were even easier due to their altitude. Tankers also used the ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) capability of the site by making high altitude "Proud Shield" runs. Proud Shield was apparently a SAC (Strategic Air Command) scoring competition, since the tanker crews would often request "Proud Shield Scoring".

A few other notes:

Aircrews would sometimes report forest fires in the Daniel Boone National Forest to the RBS site & the site would then contact the appropriate authorities.

A B-58 Hustler crashed at McKinney, KY in Lincoln County during a low-level run in December 1966. All of the aircrew (3) died in the crash.

The Kentucky Air National Guard flew RF-4 Phantoms during the 70s, I believe. They would sometimes use the route for photo-recon runs & would enter at an alternate entry point.

B-52s would often fly in "cell" formations of 3 aircraft usually only a mile or so in trail. They were very impressive visually.

There was a 200 mile rectangular course referred to as the "racetrack" that aircraft would sometimes fly 3 times. It took 20 or 30 minutes to complete one racetrack, if I recall correctly.

I personally witnessed a cell formation of 3 B-52s abort the course near Stanford, KY after a near miss with a small aircraft. The aircrews were very upset with the air traffic controller after the incident.

I also saw a FB-111 (a very hot aircraft) go nearly inverted in a hard left turn during a high speed pass near Stanford, KY.

The route changed over the years both in name, from OB (Oil Burner) routes to IR (Instrument Rules) routes, and also in location. At one time, bombers flew north of Lancaster, but in later years they flew south.

When SAC went away in 1992, the site became a ACC (Air Combat Command) operation. AC-130 Gunships & MC-130s began to use the route then, also.

The site officially closed 1n May 1994, but the route (IR-075) remained open until October 1994. After October 1994, IR-075 vanished from FAA charts, unfortunately, for good.

RadioRelay

 

[lil_jimmy_norton]

Anyone know a a place to get old FAA maps that would show IR-075?

 

[davidp124]

---

The Kentucky Air National Guard flew RF-4 Phantoms during the 70s, I believe. They would sometimes use the route for photo-recon runs & would enter at an alternate entry point.

B-52s would often fly in "cell" formations of 3 aircraft usually only a mile or so in trail. They were very impressive visually.

There was a 200 mile rectangular course referred to as the "racetrack" that aircraft would sometimes fly 3 times. It took 20 or 30 minutes to complete one racetrack, if I recall correctly.

I personally witnessed a cell formation of 3 B-52s abort the course near Stanford, KY after a near miss with a small aircraft. The aircrews were very upset with the air traffic controller after the incident.

RadioRelay

Hey Radio Relay:

Yeah, I recall the days of the 123rd Recon with the F4s(still used DERBY c/s). They also ran a low-level (VR route) through western Kentucky. I had the experience of an encounter with a pair of fast moving RF4s during one of my many cross-country flights in a C172 from Bowling Green to Owensboro in 1979-80. I was at 4500msl and they were what seemed a few feet under me. I saw them out my left and they went under me towards Louisville. They probably had a laugh targeting me. I had found out from flight service that they had been at a higher altitude than what they were supposed to be, according to the pre-flight notams that I had got. Scared the ???? out of me. My first milair equipment was a 2004 followed by a Pro 43. I had a blast listening to Richmond Bomb Plot on 354.3. The FSS in BG provided me with the old charts of the military routes. Of course I could only hear the a/c due to line of sight but still it was a blast. I believe all the B52s were out of Barksdale AFB in LA.

David

 

[RadioRelay]

Anyone know a a place to get old FAA maps that would show IR-075?

---
I've got a GIF image file of the route & I'm going to try & attach it here. I pulled this off of an older Kentucky based scanner site.....I think.

RadioRelay