Sticky Thread For Mid-Atlantic MilAir 2020

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Mark

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2130 local SLAM 90 C-17 05-5144 452nd AMW inbound McGuire from California with 9 pax,req fuel and 1 hour quick turn.
Lets see if these ANG Med Pax C-17 transports continue to use 0 for suffix on these flights to McGuire.
 

Mark

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0700 local A BLUE 42 KC-135 60-0366 from McGuire moving North with some unknown A/A 293.000.
0725 local BLUE 41 KC-10 is up..
The Jersey DEVIL's have been getting ready for a deployment soon.
 
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mdmonitor

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mdmonitor

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Guys,

Have a couple of Army acft in our area:

1025- Army 338 (Dash-8 # 15-00338 AE5C8F) depart Manassas VA.

1225- Army 30282 (C-12J # 13-00282 AE5622) depart Martinsburg and doing hexagonal pattern at FL210 just west of Hagerstown.
 

mdmonitor

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Guys,

Sorry to be such a pain. but I'm a newbie when it comes to the WBFM mux stuff.

1. What does it sound like when it's active?

2. Is there a fixed list of freqs or is it randomly generated?

3. Is any of the signal readable with normal scanners?

I might add that I'm "technically challenged" and never did get into demods, sidebands analyzers, etc.
 

freqhopping

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TerryPavlick

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The actual frequency is most likely 338.950 FM MUX RF Channel. The fact that you pick it up on close call is the same reason garage doors open when an aircraft is transmitting nearby.

Usually related to E6 TACAMO aircraft.

Terry
 

TerryPavlick

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Guys,

Sorry to be such a pain. but I'm a newbie when it comes to the WBFM mux stuff.

1. What does it sound like when it's active?

2. Is there a fixed list of freqs or is it randomly generated?

3. Is any of the signal readable with normal scanners?

I might add that I'm "technically challenged" and never did get into demods, sidebands analyzers, etc.

Ron

here is one link


Terry

and another one with a very good explanation of the system.

 

TerryPavlick

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Guys,

Sorry to be such a pain. but I'm a newbie when it comes to the WBFM mux stuff.

1. What does it sound like when it's active?

2. Is there a fixed list of freqs or is it randomly generated?

3. Is any of the signal readable with normal scanners?

I might add that I'm "technically challenged" and never did get into demods, sidebands analyzers, etc.

Answers to your questions

1 - open carrier if you have the frequency programed as FM
2 - there is a large list of RF channels (uplink and downlinks) - I have it on one of my computers - just need to find it.
3 - if they are talking on the main downlink of the channel that is active (basically we can call it the center channel) then if you switch your radio to WFM you can hear them better. Basically the center channel is used to communicate with the ground station (sort of like telephone operator to operator) while the actual phone calls and other activity take place on the sidebands. With patience and a long phone call - you can fine tune carefully on either side of the center channel in Lower Side band or Upper Side band and hear the conversations.

Somewhere here on the internet there was someone who was able to feed the UHF frequency from the radio into a HF radio and tune the conversations.

Unfortunately, I am probably going to have to wait until a few yuears from now when my day job does not interfere with the hobby. Gives me something to look forward to.

I am not technically inclined either - I just experiment when I can and if it does not work out - I just go back to knitting blankets...I mean listening to the regular stuff.

Terry
 

TerryPavlick

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For you NJ guys,

Have any of you plotted the VHF ARTCC freq sequence for WRI tankers leaving KWRI?

Was curious about the route to the south toward DE/MD and for those heading west over Philly out to Harrisburg area.

Ron

From this morning TEAM 11 flight off McGuire for AR777 (over the Atlantic). I know not South or West but I have to start somewhere.

1330Z 86-0028 85-0027 KC10s

126.475 McGuire radar
128.300 New York Center
133.500 New York Center (Oceanic)

the one aircraft had issues on the UHF radio so while they tried to use 268.025 Interplane - they decided to stay with 139.875 VHF Interplane.
Even after going to AR777 primary 315.900 - they decided to stick with the VHF channel.

Terry
 

Mark

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Answers to your questions

1 - open carrier if you have the frequency programed as FM

Somewhere here on the internet there was someone who was able to feed the UHF frequency from the radio into a HF radio and tune the conversations.
Unfortunately, I am probably going to have to wait until a few years from now when my day job does not interfere with the hobby. Gives me something to look forward to.
I am not technically inclined either - I just experiment when I can and if it does not work out - I just go back to knitting blankets...I mean listening to the regular stuff.
Terry

Yeah Terry used to have link to website on that old WBFM Air/Ground coms system. Your right there was a Ham with
good waterfall radio and narrow freq filters who could discern some voice coms on the sidebands. Most times there is no actual
voice coms, Just something they turn on at times when up and about. Today with Satcoms etc they almost really don't need or use this often.
Used to hear AF-1 departing for overseas on this system but think they have given that up.. BTW this is older Stateside Air/Ground system only. Overseas there is no such thing. Euro guys never heard it back in the day over there.
That 272.325 I had the other day from that E-4B was very wide band broadcast.. Could actually see signal from 272.100-272.450 on meter.
May have actually been 272.350 as center freq.. This old system with 12 Nationwide towers or so was early Wideband Cell phone link system :)
 
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Mark

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Speaking of air phones whatever happened to phone patches on the various CP freqs around here.
Been some years since aircraft like a C-130 on way home to Arkansas would ask McGuire or Dover for PP
to their own landline Home CP.
They would give them phone number,connect them,then eta estimate and req certain things and a heads up etc then over and out..
Guess gone out with the rotary phones :)
 
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mdmonitor

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Ron

From this morning TEAM 11 flight off McGuire for AR777 (over the Atlantic). I know not South or West but I have to start somewhere.

1330Z 86-0028 85-0027 KC10s

126.475 McGuire radar
128.300 New York Center
133.500 New York Center (Oceanic)

the one aircraft had issues on the UHF radio so while they tried to use 268.025 Interplane - they decided to stay with 139.875 VHF Interplane.
Even after going to AR777 primary 315.900 - they decided to stick with the VHF channel.

Terry
Teryy,

I'll put 128.3 & 133.5 in my
Speaking of air phones whatever happened to phone patches on the various CP freqs around here.
Been some years since aircraft like a C-130 on way home to Arkansas would ask McGuire or Dover for PP
to their own landline Home CP.
They would give them a eta estimate and req certain things and a heads up etc then over and out..
Guess gone out with the rotary phones :)


Mark,

Your right. It's been a long time since I heard a VHF/UHF phone patch. Used to hear them all the time.

Same thing with the weather freqs. Used to hear McGuire & Dover wx all the time. Haven't heard them in a long time. I guess they get their wx from computers now?
 

mdmonitor

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Ron

From this morning TEAM 11 flight off McGuire for AR777 (over the Atlantic). I know not South or West but I have to start somewhere.

1330Z 86-0028 85-0027 KC10s

126.475 McGuire radar
128.300 New York Center
133.500 New York Center (Oceanic)

the one aircraft had issues on the UHF radio so while they tried to use 268.025 Interplane - they decided to stay with 139.875 VHF Interplane.
Even after going to AR777 primary 315.900 - they decided to stick with the VHF channel.

Terry

Terry,

My first reply got screwed up.

I'll put 128.3 & 133.5 in my scanner but I'm probably too far away to hear them.
 

Mark

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Terry,

Mark,
Your right. It's been a long time since I heard a VHF/UHF phone patch. Used to hear them all the time.
Same thing with the weather freqs. Used to hear McGuire & Dover wx all the time. Haven't heard them in a long time. I guess they get their wx from computers now?

Yes still have McGuire Metro 239.800 programmed but last guys I heard use that was
a year or two ago as the Brit C-17's would call them up all the time for various divert base wx but also gone silent :(
 

TerryPavlick

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Yeah Terry used to have link to website on that old WBFM Air/Ground coms system. Your right there was a Ham with
good waterfall radio and narrow freq filters who could discern some voice coms on the sidebands. Most times there is no actual
voice coms, Just something they turn on at times when up and about. Today with Satcoms etc they almost really don't need or use this often.
Used to hear AF-1 departing for overseas on this system but think they have given that up.. BTW this is older Stateside Air/Ground system only. Overseas there is no such thing. Euro guys never heard it back in the day over there.
That 272.325 I had the other day from that E-4B was very wide band broadcast.. Could actually see signal from 272.100-272.450 on meter.
May have actually been 272.350 as center freq.. This old system with 12 Nationwide towers or so was early Wideband Cell phone link system :)

Try this link too....... replies 69 and 70 give more background for monitoring

 

TerryPavlick

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Terry,

My first reply got screwed up.

I'll put 128.3 & 133.5 in my scanner but I'm probably too far away to hear them.

I would not put 128.300 in the scan. During normal times it is too busy with non-military traffic. 133.500 is a good one however. At home in PA - it was very monitorable and when conditions were good I could even hear the ground site. That would be approximately 60 air miles to the ground site.

Terry
 
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