Sticky Thread for MilAir II

[BMT]

TIN EAR's Rebuild

Just when you think everything is perfect, you see a flaw. ;-))

That's the same as saying I have my scannner's programmed and WILL Never have to reprogram!!!

BMT

 

[CitationJet]

05.30.2007 pm

Hi,

Just now getting the time to type up yesterday afternoon's logs...

05.30.2007 pm

1812Z 139.150 121st FS DC ANG - CAPITOL 91/92 - targeting practice work.
1814Z 141.550 GRIFFIN CP Andrews - JOSA 337 (C-21A JOSAC) - t/off time ADW 1805Z.
1815Z 263.100 ZDC-Azalea - ROMAN 45 (F-18 VFA-106 NAS Oceana) - checking in @ FL200.
1828Z 126.300 Davison AAF TWR - PAT 7104 (UC-35A 97-0104 Davison) - 8 nms. south for rwy 14.
1846Z 126.300 Davison AAF TWR - ANVIS 20 (UV-18A-DH 76-22565 NVESD Davison) - 4 nm. right base for rwy 14.
1858Z 228.900 HUNTRESS - WIZARD ALPHA (E-3 back end SENTRY 21) - re: comms check.

1915Z 378.100 GRIFFIN CP Andrews - REACH 01 - t/off time ADW 1909Z.
1916Z 228.900 HUNTRESS - WIZARD ALPHA (E-3 back end SENTRY 21) - has a strong ELT on UHF guard for the last 15 mins. Position 3742N 07823W.
1916Z 351.750 Willow Grove AFRC Ops - UNID flt here mentioning doing a mission with the Schenectady guys - "whoops, disregard."
1931Z 228.900 HUNTRESS - WIZARD ALPHA (E-3 back end SENTRY 21) - WIZARD ASO will QSY 260.900 in 1 min. Nothing further heard on that freq.
1931Z 281.400 ZDC-Calvert - NAVY SD 321 - checking in @ FL240.

2105Z 118.950 Potomac DEP - PAT 1268 (C-12T Davison) - deps DAA to 12000' dir LDN QSY 118.675.
2136Z 118.675 Potomac DEP - LOBO 367 (UC-35 Cherry Point) - 16000' for 15000' X ELDEE @ 8000'. Was also up on GRIFFIN CP Andrews freq 141.550 clg X 4 no joy.
2139Z 118.675 Potomac DEP - SAM 1470 - X ELDEE @ 8000' req. 19L @ ADW. QSY 119.85>119.300.
2152Z 118.950 Potomac DEP - PAT 1268 (C-12T Davison) - back again for Davison @ 6000'
2157Z 119.300 Potomac APP - SAM 1441 - localizer rwy 19L.

2203Z 282.200 ZDC-Casanova - ROMAN 85 (F-18 VFA-106 NAS Oceana) - checking in.
2226Z 283.750 JOSA Common - PACER 82 (C-21A 457th AS Andrews) - operational chat w/UNID JOSA.
2231Z 378.100 LIBERATOR CP - DC 32 (KC-135R 459th ARW AFRC) - off the deck @ 25 past the hour.
2234Z 118.675 Potomac DEP - PACER 82 (C-21A 457th AS Andrews) - 16000' to 14000' dir JASEN X ELDEE @ 8000' QSY 119.850.
2239Z 241.000 BLUEGRASS TWR Mt. Weather - NIGHTHAWK 14 (CH-53E HMX-1, MCAF Quantico) - cleared to land then requests to do a teardrop, reverse course, then one more app.
2241Z 118.675 Potomac DEP - NAVY 400 - dir LDN @ 17000' QSY ZDC-Linden 120.650.
2243Z 118.675 Potomac DEP - Kalitta 88 (LJ35 KFS) - enroute RAP-ADW on the BUCKO7 arrival X ELDEE @ 8000'.

 

[TinEar]

1800Z SAM 1493 [AE11F8 "S1493] C-40 02-0042 left Travis for Hawaii
2115Z HEDGE 90 [ADFEB6 "SIMMS78"] E-4B 75-0125 headed to PHIK

I think both were on the east coast this morning.

OSY 33T flew by here today, too.

They were indeed on the right coast early in the day. With that view of yours Jordan, you could probably follow the SAM flight visually halfway to Honolulu.

Just when you think everything is perfect, you see a flaw. ;-))

That's the same as saying I have my scannner's programmed and WILL Never have to reprogram!!!

BMT

Exactly Jack! The ability to reprogram more quickly was the main motivation for doing this rebuild. With the scanners installed in those racks I had, I couldn't get at the back of them with the programming cable. The new setup allows me to slide the radio cabinet open and have access to the backs of the radios at any time. It's just a good thing the radios hide the flaws in my woodworking skills which are pitiful. I'll try to get a picture up when I'm done.

 

[CitationJet]

05.31.2007 am

Heard on the way in this morning...

05.31.2007 am

1052Z 139.400 Davison AAF Ops - PAT 1202 (C-12T 85-1267 VA RFC Davison) - fuel on request for tail #267 10 mins. out for landing.
1055Z 118.950 Potomac DEP - PAT 1202 (C-12T 85-1267 VA RFC Davison) - 6000' for 2000' req. visual app rwy 32 at Davison.
1059Z 126.300 Davison AAF TWR - PAT 1202 (C-12T 85-1267 VA RFC Davison) - on an extended L base for rwy 32 full stop.

1106Z 126.300 Davison AAF TWR - BLACKJACK 1 (HH-65 CGAS Washington) - req. proceed inbound local pattern shooting apps to rwy 32.

 

[TinEar]

Around 1130, BAF 614 (Belgian Air Force A-310, tail CA-01, 21st Squadron) zipped out of the area heading northeast - maybe on his way home....various ZDC freqs.

I've had radios on and off this morning testing various configurations and have run into a lot of traffic - fighters doing ground support and sounding like they were at Pax, transports going every which way and tankers heading off to meet receivers. Seems like it's a busy day up there.

(Note to self: Never ever paint anything black again. Every last imperfection in the wood and every brush stroke is magnified and stares back at you. Perhaps that says more about my woodworking and painting skills than about the color.)

 

[jmhayes]

Perhaps that says more about my woodworking and painting skills ...

Hey, did I ever show you guys this?
http://infothecary.org/jordan/proj/cabinet

 

[DPD1]

(Note to self: Never ever paint anything black again. Every last imperfection in the wood and every brush stroke is magnified and stares back at you. Perhaps that says more about my woodworking and painting skills than about the color.)

You'll love the dust too.

Dave
http://www.dpdproductions.com
- Custom Scanner, Aviation, MURS, GMRS, Marine & Ham Antennas -

 

[BM82557]

Activity 05312007

1221 - 1223 -- U/I ac active with "down to Saint Thomas, level at 9000', pretty good buildups down here, we're going to fight our way through them" - 295.8 Thought I heard STEEL which would be our friends in Pittsburgh but am not 100% positive, S2 signal

1229 -- ongoing, S1

 

[TinEar]

1221 - 1223 -- U/I ac active with "down to Saint Thomas, level at 9000', pretty good buildups down here, we're going to fight our way through them" - 295.8 Thought I heard STEEL which would be our friends in Pittsburgh but am not 100% positive, S2 signal

1229 -- ongoing, S1

Put 295.8 up but am not hearing anything Brian. I might have been too late. There is a STEEL tanker up (58-0112) and a couple from the 108th at McGuire (62-3527 and 58-0078) along with a bunch of KC-10s from McGuire but my refueling freqs are all quiet at the moment. Oops...there they are...252.8 - a HOSER - one of the Jersey KC-135s.

You'll love the dust too.

Yeah...the desk everything sits on is glossy black oak. I can tell you all about dust.
I'm currently trying to come up with a tray inside the cabinet to hold all the wall warts (9 of them) and clean up that portion of the wiring mess. The tray will hold the warts and all the extra wiring to them from the radios can be tied off and made neat. (I empathize with your cat problem Jordon.) I have a bunch of 12 inch extenders that go from the wall warts to the power strip mounted on the back of the cabinet which works out very well because they allow me to use all the recepticles which the wall warts by themselves don't allow because of their size. Next is finding space to mount the 8-port and 4-port Stridsberg multicouplers (I love Velcro) to clean up the coax runs to each radio. Easy enough - just time consuming.

 

[jmhayes]

I'm currently trying to come up with a tray inside the cabinet to hold all the wall warts (9 of them)

Forget wall warts, use a real power supply and run all your radios off that. Use PowerPole connectors to something like this: http://www.westmountainradio.com/RIGrunner.htm. Wall warts just add heat and extra wires!

 

[TinEar]

Forget wall warts, use a real power supply and run all your radios off that. Use PowerPole connectors to something like this: http://www.westmountainradio.com/RIGrunner.htm. Wall warts just add heat and extra wires!

That's a classy solution Jordan but I didn't leave room in the main cabinet to mount something like that. It's something to consider for the next time though.

At 1346 I ran across a BOBCAT 21 flight (F-22A Langley) calling Giant Killer to enter W-72 1C-3E for the next hour on mission V-3109...233.7

 

[EricCottrell]

Forget wall warts, use a real power supply and run all your radios off that. Use PowerPole connectors to something like this: http://www.westmountainradio.com/RIGrunner.htm. Wall warts just add heat and extra wires!

Hello,

I second that. Several years ago I cut some AC adapter cables and DC power cables in two and put on Andersen PowerPole connectors. The primary purpose was for mobile and on-the-road use. I now use it more at the home station to cut down on the wall warts. I use the saratoga 4 and 6 power panels as they work well mobile.
http://www.saratogaham.com/powerpanel/
I have several DC supplies that I can use depending on the power requirements.

I am also thinking of getting a 50 watt or so DC-DC converter so I can run 6 volt devices (hh scanners and xm) in the car. I will use green and white for colors.

I would have gone with wood grain vinyl instead of black paint. Hides mistakes better.
http://www.quarterarcade.com/Game.aspx/1983

73 Eric

 

[TinEar]

I finally figured out the BOXER (201st AS DC-ANG) numbering system. A real "duh" moment. I had been puzzling over their use of 2- and 3-digit suffixes and wondering if it was tied to the airframe types - C38 or C40. I believe all their suffixes are 3-digit but some start with zero, e.g., 041. When that happens they simply read it as a 2-digit suffix and omit the zero giving the appearance of a 2-digit suffix.

1500: Three ship National Guard helo flight around the Baltimore area...246.8 (A few minutes after 1500 they landed because one needed fuel. They'll be back up shortly.)
1539: Someone requesting a phone patch on Wheelhouse....says he's at 6000 feet in a UH-60 right over Dover. Says they're teaching him how to use the Wheelhouse system....he makes just a quick call explaining what he's doing and then hangs up....287.6
1541: Pair of MD-ANG A-10s reports 10 minutes out to Raven Ops...1 is Code 2 for targeting pod and 2 is Code 1...347.2

I would have gone with wood grain vinyl instead of black paint. Hides mistakes better.
http://www.quarterarcade.com/Game.aspx/1983

Tres chic...in 1955. It's a Baltimore diner classic. Sorry Eric, that wood grain vinyl is hideous - in my own most humble opinion, of course. I can imagine it sitting on top of the glossy black oak desk. Ugh! (I admit it might still look better than my paint job though.)

 

[trainman111]

Here's one from last night:

2229: MOVER 35 (KC-10A 2nd/32nd ARS McGuire AFB) and ?PALM? 53 complete with Aerial Refueling. MOVER 53 would like direct to the Sea Isle arrival and ?PALM? 53 would like direct Charleston. <133.825>

 

[CitationJet]

05.31.2007 pm

Hi,

Some catches so far this afternoon...

05.31.2007 pm

1648Z 118.950 Potomac DEP - MARINE 306 - QSY 118.675.
1653Z 118.950 Potomac DEP - ARMY 01053 - deps ADW 1500' for 3000'.
1658Z 118.125 GIANT KILLER - U/I up for A/R block FL250-260, also two UNID McGuire tankers A/R up on 143.825 @ 1715. Too weak to pull IDs out.

1703Z 141.750 UNID st. here with "Spot Hotel is open for you." ID?
1708Z 377.100 ZDC-Dominion - FIRST 71 - gets direct Langley.
1715Z 249.800 GIANT KILLER - MEXICO 51 - requesting RTB at this time.
1718Z 125.650 Potomac DEP - SAM 1496 - deps ADW to 17000'.
1723Z 378.100 LIBERATOR clg DC 42 no joy.
1736Z 118.950 Potomac DEP - BOXR 475 - deps ADW to 17000' dir LDN QSY 118.675.
1737Z 354.800 BayWatch - WATERBUG 290 - req. wk Hannibal? area for about an hour.

1814Z 119.300 Potomac APP - DC 42 - in the IFR pattern, ILS 19L.
1817Z 257.200 Potomac DEP - MACE 11 - a/b off ADW to FL210 standard formation. QSY ZDC-Montebello 284.700.
1837Z 141.550 GRIFFIN CP Andrews - JOSA 336 - one A5 and three Space A's, req. 4000K fuel, can take four outbounds, parking 3 Row have outbound pax meet us at 1930Z.
1853Z 119.300 Potomac APP - VENUS 44 - heading outbound to hold at RATTA @ 3000'.

1916Z 241.000 BLUEGRASS - MUSSEL 06 - 10 nms. out for landing H4. BLUEGRASS was just booming in this afternoon.
1917Z 118.675 Potomac DEP - PAT 607 - to 17000' QSY ZDC-Azalea 135.400.
1925Z 241.000 BLUEGRASS - transmits current wx to MUSSEL 06.

 

[TinEar]

Here's one from last night:

2229: MOVER 35 (KC-10A 2nd/32nd ARS McGuire AFB) and ?PALM? 53 complete with Aerial Refueling. MOVER 53 would like direct to the Sea Isle arrival and ?PALM? 53 would like direct Charleston. <133.825>

Can't help you with the PALM 53 ID Nick. Nothing in my notes that fits. MOVER 35 was 87-0121 from McGuire as you noted.

1703Z 141.750 UNID st. here with "Spot Hotel is open for you." ID?

The only thing I've got for 141.75 Tony is Langley Dispatch. You did mention propagation was good today, at least in regard to BLUEGRASS.

1637: ROYAL 01 calling McGuire CP...319.4 (No ID for this callsign - at least not one that's possible. It's not a Canadian CC-150 nor is it an A-10 which are the ones listed in my database for this callsign. There's a possibility it's a C-17A from the 60th AMW Travis. He's still trying to make contact with McGuire so maybe more will be forthcoming.)
1642: ROYAL 01 confirmed as C-17A, 60th AMW...gave his tail as 06-6165 three times once he made contact...ETA McGuire 2110Z, A-1 and needs parking and crew transportation...319.4 (Adding callsign/unit to database.)
1650-52: ROYAL 01 calling McGuire CP several times, no joy (no doubt wants his parking spot)...319.4

Jordan, does the 60th use that callsign regularly out there at Travis?

1705: REACH 509 (C-17A, 02-1108, 62nd AW McChord AFB WA) climbing out from Andrews w/TRACON...125.65
1714-18: VENUS 44 (C-37A, 99-0404, 99th AS Andrews) calling Griffin Command, x6, no joy...378.1
(He's tried different radios but no reply)
1718: He finally does it...VENUS 44 to Griffin with ETA at 30 past the hour, A-1, needs parking and crew trans for four...378.1 (He's also with Approach on 119.3 at the same time)
1720: JOSA 386 calling RAYMOND 16 (Langley)...311.0

 

[BM82557]

F-22 tail numbers

Here's two I meant to post the other day -

0600 - 1000 shift on 5/26 -- RAPTOR 41 was 04-4075, 42 was 04-4071

 

[trainman111]

Can't help you with the PALM 53 ID Nick. Nothing in my notes that fits. MOVER 35 was 87-0121 from McGuire as you noted.

Thanks Tin. I didn't catch the tail of the KC-10A since it was the end of the refuleing op. The unknown a/c sounded like PALM to me but there is a possibility it was something else that sounded like that. I'm going to go through my c/s list and see what callsigns the C-17's at Charleston like to use since this guy was direct CHS so he might have been a C-17.

 

[jmhayes]

1642: ROYAL 01 confirmed as C-17A, 60th AMW...gave his tail as 06-6165 three times once he made contact...ETA McGuire 2110Z, A-1 and needs parking and crew transportation...319.4 (Adding callsign/unit to database.)

Jordan, does the 60th use that callsign regularly out there at Travis?

Never heard them use that before. The local callsigns are BEE LINER [BLINR] and COVERT [COVRT]. The "01" makes me wonder if there wasn't someone special on board. I don't have 06-6165 in my BaseStation database, so I guess I've never even logged him.

 

[pogbobo]

I have a quick question ... I live in Radford, VA and there are always jets flyin over us, is there anyway I can hear them on the scanner? The closest AFB i can think of is Langley ... any ideas on the freqs? thanks!