Sticky Thread for MilAir II

[JackTV]

Just dropping a note here to say hello. Just moved into the area and am kind of still unpacking and setting up the shack but I had to hurry and get something temporary setup to get back into the hobby before I messed around and shelved it.

Been poking around looking for some freq lists for the area and stumbled in this thread somehow. Nice resource and thanks to all who have been keeping up with things. Should make my getting started that much easier.

Will probably take me several days to get the discone up and unpack the rest of the computers and radios. Bt at least I did think ahead and packed up a couple separately from the rest of the mess so I could get something up and running fast LOL.

I spent the day yesterday making up several scan lists for the area, most of the info came from this thread. Thanks all. Don't be surprised if I am able to add to it over time. Kinda into this mess.

And FWIW, TEAM 45 currently working GiantKiller 238.9.

Oh and BTW,, Just out of curiousity. Would anyone happen to have any pre made scan files already made up for Spectrum SentryNet??? Would save me allot of work if I had something to start with. Thanks

2044: Hoist up on 319.4, Inbound with Writeups and such. Forget the # but the recorder should have it. I'll check that later.

And while I am thinking about it. Are there any good COAX shops in the MD/VA? I just came back in from outside and I am having serious doubts that my current COAX lengths are gonna cut it. Guessing I am gonna be short by about 10'.

As far as coax try the RF Connection in Crofton Maryland

 

[SquelchKnob]

I see the IFR supp does not list the UHF freqs for WASH CTR. Anyone know of a good accurate list for the area??

 

[SquelchKnob]

As far as coax try the RF Connection in Crofton Maryland

Not real familiar with the area. Is it this one?? Says Gaithersburg.

http://www.therfc.com/

These folks look like they will do the trick though. Will have to wait till after X-Mas

 

[ka3jjz]

Yep, that's it. Well known and highly regarded.

As far as the Washington ARTCC goes, they're in our database. Don't use the FAA listings; scroll past them and use what's there...

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=2247

I don't know of any other changes, tho Tin and a few others might....73s Mike

 

[SquelchKnob]

Yep, that's it. Well known and highly regarded.

As far as the Washington ARTCC goes, they're in our database. Don't use the FAA listings; scroll past them and use what's there...

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=2247

I don't know of any other changes, tho Tin and a few others might....73s Mike

Thanks. I have been looking around in here for about 2 days and surprised I did not stumble accross that already. Not used to using RR as a source for Aviation stuff so it's gonna take some getting used to. I should be able to spend some more time this weekend getting familiar with it.

 

[TinEar]

Just dropping a note here to say hello. Just moved into the area and am kind of still unpacking and setting up the shack but I had to hurry and get something temporary setup to get back into the hobby before I messed around and shelved it.

Been poking around looking for some freq lists for the area and stumbled in this thread somehow. Nice resource and thanks to all who have been keeping up with things. Should make my getting started that much easier.

Will probably take me several days to get the discone up and unpack the rest of the computers and radios. Bt at least I did think ahead and packed up a couple separately from the rest of the mess so I could get something up and running fast LOL.

I spent the day yesterday making up several scan lists for the area, most of the info came from this thread. Thanks all. Don't be surprised if I am able to add to it over time. Kinda into this mess.

And FWIW, TEAM 45 currently working GiantKiller 238.9.

Oh and BTW,, Just out of curiousity. Would anyone happen to have any pre made scan files already made up for Spectrum SentryNet??? Would save me allot of work if I had something to start with. Thanks

2044: Hoist up on 319.4, Inbound with Writeups and such. Forget the # but the recorder should have it. I'll check that later.

And while I am thinking about it. Are there any good COAX shops in the MD/VA? I just came back in from outside and I am having serious doubts that my current COAX lengths are gonna cut it. Guessing I am gonna be short by about 10'.

Welcome to the area and the thread SK. I'll look forward to whatever info you hear and can post here. It's good to have another MilAir listening nut with us (that's a compliment, not a negative.)

I don't know if you stumbled upon it but I posted my freq list within the first 50 messages on this thread. Perhaps it can give you a jump start if you don't have most of what's available. New freqs are generally just added as we go along within the forum.

Coax: The RF Connection in Gaithersburg is a great company. It's where I've been buying all my coax. They'll make it to whatever length you want and install the connectors professionally should you care to have them do it. I generally just order via the net and have them ship it to me. URL is here:
http://www.therfc.com/

That HOIST aircraft you heard should have been 94 (KC-10A, 83-0081, 305th AMW McGuire). He was on 319.4 with Command Post and also on 124.6 with Atlantic City Approach. I didn't write down the time so it also could have been HOIST 93 which came in about 10 minutes later.

Edit: Ooops...a couple of people beat me to the RF Connection listing while I was slowly typing I guess.
And, Mike, the ZDC listing in our database is up-to-date and correct last time I looked at it. It's one of the few Center lists that's complete and accurate.
****************************************************

2132: REACH 9745 to Andrews CP with arrival message ...offloading pallets, no pax, needs 25K fuel and Customs/AG to meet the plane...378.1 (He was logged in the UK at 1632Z)
Strange construction of his REACH mission number. He's C-17A, 97-0045, 437th AW Charleston, which should make his number 7045 rather than 9745 - unless AMC has suddenly come up with a new method of numbering these missions.
2152: REAXH 9745 with Potomac TRACON inbound Andrews...128.35
2152: SAM 2049 (C-32A, 98-0001, 1st AS Andrews) also inbound...119.85/119.3

 

[Mark]

REACH 9745 inbound Andrews C-17 #97-0045 0240z with ZDC 127.700>Pot appch 124.55 and Andrews CP 378.100
Req customs/ag so coming from overseas.

Rgr Squelch you picked a good area for Milcoms.
Depending on your part of the State,some Coms will be better than others.
Hint: What area of Maryland are you in if I may ask?

Mark
Northeastern Maryland

 

[SquelchKnob]

Welcome to the area and the thread SK. I'll look forward to whatever info you hear and can post here. It's good to have another MilAir listening nut with us (that's a compliment, not a negative.)

I don't know if you stumbled upon it but I posted my freq list within the first 50 messages on this thread. Perhaps it can give you a jump start if you don't have most of what's available. New freqs are generally just added as we go along within the forum.

Coax: The RF Connection in Gaithersburg is a great company. It's where I've been buying all my coax. They'll make it to whatever length you want and install the connectors professionally should you care to have them do it. I generally just order via the net and have them ship it to me. URL is here:
http://www.therfc.com/

That HOIST aircraft you heard should have been 94 (KC-10A, 83-0081, 305th AMW McGuire). He was on 319.4 with Command Post and also on 124.6 with Atlantic City Approach. I didn't write down the time so it also could have been HOIST 93 which came in about 10 minutes later.

Thanks. It will take me most likely most of the winter to get everthing all set up to a point where I have confidence in everything. Did a rough guess on any new gear needed and off the top of my head the COAX is my only weakness. That is as long as the Antennas survived the trip with no damage. When I packed it all up I went over board. Was probably one of the most organized pack ups of radio gear in history. I was scared to death I was gonna loose some important doo dad or what not and handicap my wholeinstallation until it was found.

I hope to have at least one antenna up by the weekend and likely 8 or more radios, As long as I can find the Box the Mulitcouplers are in.

I saw your posts at the start of this thread and the other thread as well. Was hesitant on just grabbing all the info on it as I figured it might be dated. I am sure 99% is still dead on even if it is a bit dated. I may bite the bullet this weekend and start the cut & paste routine and make up some more scan files. Just got a couple the the IFR & VFR supps yesterday and have been using those to make some starter files for the scanners.

I am in in St. Mary's and seem to be picking up the Trunked System from Patuxent River NAS pretty well and was able to catch their ATIS a few hours ago so am optomitistic on having some decent reception from there. A rooftop should do that for me though.

Plan on sepending the next three days setting up PCs and radios and tweaking things in. Should make some decent progress. May have to make a trip to RS for some cheap COAX connectors as I suspect I am gioing to have to patch a few pices of COAX together to get me to the top of the mast for now. That will have to work until I can get some new runs in from the RF Connection. Might even go and upgrade from the current LMR-400 to LMR 600 if they can do the connectors up nicely. What the heck.

While at work today I was fiddling with an old PRO-26 I was hoping to keep sitting on my desk. Caught a few Callsigns from PAX "SAIL" "TRACKER HACKER" "SHADETREE". Heard many more but these are the only ones I can't seem to find much histroy on anywhere. They all appeared to be ground stations with different aircraft testing wwith them.. Anybody familliar with these callsigns?

I left the Pro-26 autostoring freqs and will likely set it up for that to run 24/7. Should tag me quite a bit of stuff from PAX.

 

[SquelchKnob]

REACH 9745 inbound Andrews C-17 #97-0045 0240z with ZDC 127.700>Pot appch 124.55 and Andrews CP 378.100
Req customs/ag so coming from overseas.

Rgr Squelch you picked a good area for Milcoms.
Depending on your part of the State,some Coms will be better than others.
Hint: What area of Maryland are you in if I may ask?

Mark
Northeastern Maryland

Southern MD., St. Mary's County.

 

[Mark]

Southern MD., St. Mary's County.

Cool! You should do well with Offshore areas like you said already and
the Pax River areas like some of the the Northern Virginia area members here.
Pax is busy area and great stuff down there..Wish I lived down there sometimes
Welcome aboard.

Mark

0315z RMAF 226 (Royal Malaysian Air Force?) switch Dover appch 132.425 to ZDC Sea Isle 127.700 .

 

[BM82557]

Southern MD., St. Mary's County.

Welcome to the area! The only stuff from PAX I can copy is when they're at altitude. Have you found http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=1316

Brian
West Virginia

 

[TinEar]

Southern MD., St. Mary's County.

JR, you'll do well with the Patuxent traffic - much better than any of the rest of us. Although I get fairly good reception down to the Langley area, I have a sort of dead spot right around Pax and to a point about 20 miles south of there. So hearing low flying stuff there is out of the question for me. Wish I could since I've been trying to follow all the E-6B flights out of there recently. They operate on 310.15 (SHADOW Maintenance) and usually just use the last three numbers of their BuNo when talking to Pax and then switch to a callsign once turned over to ATC. I've been trying to find the first ATC freq they use upon departure but without being able to hear the ground station, I've never been able to catch it. Perhaps you can put that on your list for the future.
*************************************************

The Laser Gunship is born aboard a C-130H (for now):
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/003897.html
Interesting comments after the story too.

 

[JohnFB]

another PIT tail number

14-12-07
Fri

0050Z : ETHYL 30 wkg RCH 247 305.500 AR20NE

ETHYL - 58-0054 171ARW KPIT [got that one, Tin?]

 

[SquelchKnob]

Cool! You should do well with Offshore areas like you said already and
the Pax River areas like some of the the Northern Virginia area members here.
Pax is busy area and great stuff down there..Wish I lived down there sometimes
Welcome aboard.
Mark

I hope to do Ok with it. Looks like I am around 5 miles away from it. Maps don't show anything elevation wise I am sweating. I am thinking a rooftop at about 20' off the deck should get me respectable reception of the ground based stuff. I'll go higher if needed but wanna try to avoid it for lightening reasons as I doubt I'll be putting in a decent ground system till the spring.

Welcome to the area! The only stuff from PAX I can copy is when they're at altitude. Have you found http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=1316
Brian
West Virginia

Thanks, I saw that as well as the WIKI on PAX. A guy I met at work pointed me to that as well as this thread.

JR, you'll do well with the Patuxent traffic - much better than any of the rest of us. Although I get fairly good reception down to the Langley area, I have a sort of dead spot right around Pax and to a point about 20 miles south of there. So hearing low flying stuff there is out of the question for me. Wish I could since I've been trying to follow all the E-6B flights out of there recently. They operate on 310.15 (SHADOW Maintenance) and usually just use the last three numbers of their BuNo when talking to Pax and then switch to a callsign once turned over to ATC. I've been trying to find the first ATC freq they use upon departure but without being able to hear the ground station, I've never been able to catch it. Perhaps you can put that on your list for the future.

I should be able to find the Departure Freq for you before the weekend is out. I'll try to remember to watch it tomorrow as I am off and plan to spend the day playing. I have not played with the C/D freq yet but I should be able to catch the switch from that one.

 

[JohnFB]

Here come the Spartans!!

Defense bill good for Air Guard

WASHINGTON - A sweeping $696 billion defense authorization bill approved by the House yesterday included some good news for Connecticut's Air National Guard.

Proposed language that threatened to delay for two years or more the state's Air National Guard from taking up its new cargo-plane mission was dropped from the measure. Freshman Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., led the effort by Connecticut lawmakers on Capitol Hill to block the proposal.

Read more at: http://www.masslive.com/republican/stories/index.ssf?/base/scratch-38/1197534201145440.xml&coll=1


Note: it does seem to be taking a very long time for the USAF to decide on the Spartan as the JCA ..... from what I read, there are many pros & cons.

 

[CitationJet]

Re: 91

Hi Tin,

Most likely CAPITOL 91 returning home from out West.

Best regards,

Tony

1801: Just caught the tail end of a transmission with Andrews Tower 349.0 freq. Only heard the suffix given - 91 - reporting gear down.

 

[CitationJet]

Re: REACH 9745

Hi Tin,

Callsign is constructed that way to avoid conflict with C-5 87-0045.

Best regards,

Tony

2132: REACH 9745 to Andrews CP with arrival message ...offloading pallets, no pax, needs 25K fuel and Customs/AG to meet the plane...378.1 (He was logged in the UK at 1632Z)
Strange construction of his REACH mission number. He's C-17A, 97-0045, 437th AW Charleston, which should make his number 7045 rather than 9745 - unless AMC has suddenly come up with a new method of numbering these missions.

 

[CitationJet]

12.13.2007 pm

12.13.2007 pm

2012Z 119.850 PT APP - TITUS 52 (C-130T VR-53 NAF Washington) - dir SHAKI after AML 8000' for 6000'.
2024Z 118.950 PT DEP - SAM 2308 - cleared to FL230.
2025Z 118.400 Andrews AFB TWR - TITUS 52 (C-130T VR-53 NAF Washington) - 5 nm. final on the ILS rwy 1R.
2039Z 118.950 PT DEP - SPAR 125 - QSY PT APP 118.675 14000'-17000' QSY ZDC-Linden 133.550.
2053Z 119.850 PT APP - CANFORCE 3011 - checking in @ 6000'.

2100Z 118.950 PT DEP - JOSA 765 - QSY PT APP 118.675 then directly over to ZDC-Linden 133.550 cleared to FL270.
2104Z 133.550 ZDC-Linden - TAZZ 79 (KC-135R 121st ARW OH ANG) - AML @ 17000' then cleared to FL270.
2113Z 128.350 PT APP - SAM 2088
2146Z 118.675 PT APP - EVAC 2526 - req. ILS 1R @ ADW, XZ ELDEE @ 8000'.

2201Z 119.300 PT APP - FREEDOM 08 (UH-72A 07-2008) - 3700' for 4000' dir DAILY.

 

[ka3jjz]

Squelchknob, we also have a db listing for Langley - and since we hear 1st FW a-a stuff from time to time, I'm willing to bet you will too. Unfortunately our wiki extensions server is kaput at the moment, so our Wiki article isn't very useful - but this is (even though some of these freqs look rather dated...)

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=2182

If you get yourself a premium subscription (as documented in the wiki) and use one of the packages that support this, you might be able to save yourself some copy/paste or typing by using the download features which can pull data directly from the database into the program. Certainly that would save you some time with the ARTCC freqs as well as at least some of the PAX stuff.

73s Mike

 

[TinEar]

14-12-07
Fri

0050Z : ETHYL 30 wkg RCH 247 305.500 AR20NE

ETHYL - 58-0054 171ARW KPIT [got that one, Tin?]

And that one completes my list. Thanks John.
********************************************

Callsign is constructed that way to avoid conflict with C-5 87-0045.

Quite probably. However, they don't seem to do that for many other potential conflicts that can be made when you use the full list of transports/tankers to construct those last four digits. I've noted many erroneous reports on various forums equating REACH aircraft to specific airframes that were wrong when compared to...uhhh...flight plans. But thanks Tony for pointing that one out....and for the CAPITOL 91 ID. Don't you just hate it when you stumble onto a frequency and only hear the last part of a callsign that's never repeated? Of all the things you don't want to hear when trying to ID an aircraft is "gear down."

Edit: I just looked back at my records and that REACH 9745 (97-0045) flew as REACH 7045 on September 15th on a trip to the west coast and back on July 20th I logged him at 1920 that evening as 7045. I also have him with 3-digit suffixes most of the time and a couple of times with the 1819 suffix but I know those 18xx suffixes are mission numbers and not tied to the tail number. He's a very active aircraft that's heard several times a week with frequent trips to Europe.
*********************************************************

1124: MD-ANG A-10s are up on interflight freq...140.0
1126: AXEMAN flight of two A-10s from MTN up with Martin State Tower doing an approach and then full stop landing...297.2 (This does not seem to be the same pair operating on 140.0 interflight)
1132: AXEMAN flight finally plops down onto runway 33 at MTN...297.2 (AXEMAN must have been using low band for interflight - nothing in 138-144 for them)
1138: Langley F-22A flight using interflight freq...233.525
1140: RAVEN 1 flight of MD-ANG A-10s now preparing to land back home at MTN...w/MTN Tower...297.2 (This is the 140.0 pair)
1140: JEDI 11 flight (F-22A Langley) working w/Giant Killer for W-386...249.8
1141: CARMEN 8 (C-130H, 84-0213, 142nd AS DE-ANG) reporting departure from New Castle County airport to Ops...343.0
1142: RAVEN 1 is going to do a single engine approach and then come around to land...RAVEN 2 will do a normal full stop landing...297.2
1147: RAVEN 1 flight on the runway at MTN...297.2
1150: CRAB 51 (C-130J, 97-1351, 135th AS MD-ANG) with CRAB Ops for arrival message...384.1
1153: CRAB 51 working Potomac TRACON in Dulles area as he works his way home...123.825
1158: ARRIS 01 (C-5A, 68-0211, 167th AS WV-ANG Martinsburg) to CASINO ROYALE (KCEF Westover ARB MA) with arrival message....30 minutes out, A-2 for a lot of minor writeups and requests to be put in an engine runup spot...252.1

1202: (C-21A, 84-0094, 457th AS Andrews) reports departure from Andrewa at 1659Z...378.1 (Never hrd c/s..just giving ID as 40094 and the time)
1203-07: ARMY 01053 (UC-35A, 00-1053) calling Andrews CP...no joy several calls...141.55
1204-08: WORLD 9073 calling Dover Base Ops several times, no joy...134.1
1206: WYATT 01 (A-10, 172nd FS, MI-ANG) w/Potomac TRACON on approach for Andrews...322.3
1208-12: WYATT 01 being vectored for approach to runway 1R at Andrews...322.3
1213: WYATT 01 handed to another TRACON freq where he reports passing 4000 for 3000...cleared to 2000 feet at 1215...335.5
1217: WYATT 01 reports maintaining 2000 until established on the ILS for runway 1R...handed to Tower...335.5
1218: WYATT 01 to ADW Tower reporting on the ILS for full stop on runway 1R...349.0 (Appears to be a single ship flight)
1220: WYATT 01 reports 6 mile final for 1R, full stop...349.0 (And he's done)
1224: DC-ANG F-16 flight on interflight freq...chat about which route to use through Richmond back to Andrews...139.15 (SCARY)
1224: SCARY 1 flight [female - she's actually SCARY 2 within the flight] (F-16 DC-ANG) with Norfolk TRACON...370.925 (Guess the flight must have gone to Dare County Range or somewhere down that area earlier today)
1227: SCARY 1 flight begins descent down to 13,000 feet...370.925
1231: SCARY flight lead giving instrux to the flight about best altitudes and methods of getting back to Andrews so they don't get stuck above departing traffic...says altitude 10,500 feet is good for that...so SCARY 2 promptly takes 11,500 from Norfolk over on 370.925...139.15
1233: ANGRY flight (F-16 DC-ANG) also on the way home...call SENATE SOF with in-flight report...two ship flight...mentions work out in W-72...139.9
1234: SCARY flight with ZDC-Calvert...281.4
1235: ANGRY flight also with ZDC-Calvert...281.4 (Guess these guys don't talk to each other...no interflight heard for them)
1238: Found them...ANGRY flight using interflight freq for ATIS report repeat...143.6
1239: SCARY flight with SENATE SOF...139.9
1240: CRAB 55 (C-130J, 98-1355, 135th AS MD-ANG) with CRAB Ops descending for arrival...384.1
1241: SCARY flight with Potomac TRACON for approach to ADW...270.275
1241: Now there's a WILD flight (F-16 DC-ANG) also on the way home with ZDC-Calvert...281.4
1242: WILD flight to SENATE SOF for in-flight report...69 miles out, both Code 1, report for mission in W-72...139.9 (two ship flight)
1243: ANGRY flight over to Potomac TRACON...270.275
1243: SCARY flight handed to ADW Tower and check in for initial to runway 1R...349.0
1244: JOSA 028 (C-21A, 84-0077, 457th AS Andrews) reports takeoff time at 1743Z...378.1
1246: SCARY flight reporting, "base, gear, stop, right" as they land on 1R...349.0 (and they're done)
There are C-17s (one is EVAC 91192 - 89-1192, 437th AW) and C-5s all over the place...a couple of KC-10As from McGuire (84-0192 and 86-0030) and a KC-135R (DC 51 57-1487) from Andrews all heard in the past few minutes across several freqs that I'm not logging only because I couldn't follow them all, copy all the freqs and log their messages.
1248: WILD flight to TRACON...270.275
1250: ANGRY flight w/ADW Tower for landing 1R...349.0
These Andrews F-16 flights must have refueled while down in W-72 because they've been gone much too long to have done it without the AR.
1251: WILD flight to ADW Tower to report 5 mile initial...349.0
1257: WILD flight did an approach, went around and are finally touching down with WILD 2 in the lead...349.0 (And we're done with the DC-ANG for now)

1308: DC 51 (KC-135R, 57-1487, 756th AS AFRC Andrews) to LIBERATOR to report he's working the pattern, will land in about 15 minutes with 18K on the fuel...378.1

Suddenly quiet after the lunch hour. It must be Friday and early quitting time. I heard one of the newer Dover 436th AW C-17s (06-6168) flying as RIDER 75 in the first part of the 1300 hour but was in another room and didn't get a chance to note the freq. There was also a BOXER C-40C (02-0202) from the 201st AS at Andrews in the area a few minutes later.