Possible Or Not?

[dparana]

I know that this is highly unlikely but was wondering if it would be possible for me to tune into the action at the Bollen Range (R-5802A) in Pennsylvania? Using my GPS I determined that it is about 143 Miles to the Southeast of my location (125 Degree Bearing To Be Exact). Although my location in PA is at an elevation of about 1,960 Ft, there are some hills between here and the range that go up to about 3,000 Ft. Being the geek I am, I determined that if the aircraft at the range were at 8,000 Ft and above, these hills would not be in my way (adding 200 feet to the 3,000 feet elevation for trees).

Anyway, assuming a clean line of sight between me and an aircraft at the range, what could I do, if anything, to listen in on the action. Is it just too far?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Hoofy]

It's a long way but probably could be done with a high gain yagi or quad antenna pointed in the correct direction.
Have you tried any different types of antenna to see if you can hear them now ?

You could probably build a 3 element Quad and give it a try.

You might check around and see if there is a remote repeater site for that airport somewhere closer. I'm several hundred miles from the Minneapolis airport but they have a remote repeater base just a few miles from me so I hear the air traffic controller from Minneapolis very easily. Also I hear a lot of the aircraft on other direct frequencies.

What frequencies are they on??

 

[dparana]

They typically work the range on 237.20 mHz. The only antennas I have are both from Radio Shack. They are the Model 20-176 outdoor antenna and Model 20-006 centerloaded telescoping whip antenna. I've never had the outdoor antenna up high enough to clear a field east of my house, that will require about a 40 foot tower. That being said, I haven't been able to pick anything up from the range.

Dave

 

[TinEar]

Dave, I don't think you can do it. Hearing aircraft from 143 miles away is certainly possible (about the range from my location to the Langley traffic I hear every day). However, aircraft altitude is the key. Since you want Bollen, the aircraft are generally operating at very low altitudes - from a few thousand feet down to a few hundred during their attacks on ground targets at the range. It sure would be nice if you could follow them from the Duke MOA down to Bollen but I honestly think it's outside the realm of feasibility.

Alan

 

[dparana]

TinEar,

That's about what I expected. Although the range of altitude listed for the Bollen Range is 0 to 17,000 feet the nature of the work they do there keeps them at low altitude. I guess that I'll just keep reporting the action from the Duke MOA

Dave