Sticky Thread for MilAir II

[trainman111]

1828: E-6B, 164410, VQ-4 with Maintenance...he's calling him "88, this is 410"....mentions something about a deer sweep (however he just took off, he's not landing so I don't understand the reference)...310.15
[At 1833, he's about 25-30 miles to the northeast of Richmond]

Haven't heard him yet. I'll keep listening. How long does it usually take before they return?

1844: Two a/c talking on 310.15. One asked the other how he was doing. The other said good. The reply was "Cool, cool. I like to hear it. Lots of back and forth chit-chat.

Ref 2 above: I didn't hear him at all with Irons. All I heard was Execjet 251. I haven't heard a peep out of Azalea. I heard both E-6's talking to each other so I know they are in my range.

 

[SquelchKnob]

1852: Sounds like the same aircraft but he changed his callword (didn't get it)..."calling AROMATIC on 311"

BOXFEET?????
1906: OPEC up ZDC Gordonsville

 

[TinEar]

BOXFEET or BEE STING or something...

That period from 1825-1845 might be the best example we're ever going to have to recover the freqs on the E-6s - both going and coming at the same time. We know the outgoing guy 164410 used ZDC-Gordonsville at one point and that 164388 used ZDC-Irons just before switching to Pax Approach. Both seem logical for what I thought they'd use since 410 was high enough for a high sector freq such as Gordonsville and 388 was low enough for a low sector freq such as Irons. Somewhere in that period and that was out of my listening range had to be all the ground traffic and approach/departure traffic for the two of them.

Nick, if 388 used a Potomac freq after Irons and before Pax Approach, it would have been for less than two minutes which is the empty period I had between the two. The outgoing 410 was dead for me until he reached Gordonsville so I have no idea what came before it.

 

[SquelchKnob]

BOXFEET or BEE STING or something...

That period from 1825-1845 might be the best example we're ever going to have to recover the freqs on the E-6s - both going and coming at the same time. We know the outgoing guy 164410 used ZDC-Gordonsville at one point and that 164388 used ZDC-Irons just before switching to Pax Approach. Both seem logical for what I thought they'd use since 410 was high enough for a high sector freq such as Gordonsville and 388 was low enough for a low sector freq such as Irons. Somewhere in that period and that was out of my listening range had to be all the ground traffic and approach/departure traffic for the two of them.

Yep, I agree. Unfortunately I am still not up to par here on my setup. Should be well on my way by the 1st toward having some sort of finalized configuration squared away. I may have more on the VQ-4 birds on the recorded audio. I 'think" I had just gotten it up and running at about the time you heard them.

This is definately proving to be a worthwhile task for me. Made me rethink my whole strategy here. Just gonna take me a few days to backtrack and reorganize. LOL. My problem is I keep paying attention to this thread and getting sidetracked. LOL

 

[SquelchKnob]

And to confirm.. I assume this is the best list we have for POTOMAC? http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Potomac_Consolidated_Terminal_Radar_Approach_Control

Anything it's missing? Guess I better rethink making my PCT file as that came from the IFR as well.

 

[TinEar]

And to confirm.. I assume this is the best list we have for POTOMAC? http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Potomac_Consolidated_Terminal_Radar_Approach_Control

Anything it's missing? Guess I better rethink making my PCT file as that came from the IFR as well.

A most excellent source at the link you quote. The only thing I can't confirm on that page is the freq at the very bottom for Norfolk midnight configuration (or something like that). Otherwise, it's golden.

Yes, if you took yours from the IFR Supp, I'd recheck them. If the IFR supp still has a (can't remember it suddenly - a 390 mHz or so freq for ADW) that has been replaced by the 348.725 freq, it's lousy stuff.

 

[trainman111]

Alright, so what Potomac frequencies should I be listening to? I'm going to monitor the RIC freqs since I know they strech up that way, but are there any others I should be looking for?

 

[TinEar]

Alright, so what Potomac frequencies should I be listening to? I'm going to monitor the RIC freqs since I know they strech up that way, but are there any others I should be looking for?

I would think if they're coming into Pax from the southwest - or outbound in that direction, they'd be with James River Potomac freqs. When they come down from New Jersey and the northeast, they might just be with the Mount Vernon Potomac freqs. Again though, I honestly have no knowledge if they use Potomac TRACON at all but really want to learn if they do.

 

[Mark]

KC-135 EVACs.
I always wondered at Andrews you get the oddball KC-135 /C-17 /C-130 EVAC mission
into Andrews with just one or two patients.
USAF has article about some of them anyhow..Kadena is long way from DC.
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123080551

"Within 36 hours we can have patients moved to Walter Reed Army Medical
Center in Washington, D.C." Colonel Reusch said.

Mark

 

[SquelchKnob]

OK, I didn't get too much from the audio but did catch a piece Tin:
12/26/07 18:41:31
132.95 " --cut off-- thousand two niner niner niner... 'WAVY 54' "

had a couple more short blurbs from them but not really anything I can pull anything concrete out of. Still have not reviewed the PCT audio as yet. Might have something on there from them as well. But at least we have a C/S

 

[TinEar]

OK, I didn't get too much from the audio but did catch a piece Tin:
12/26/07 18:41:31
132.95 " --cut off-- thousand two niner niner niner... "WAVY 54' "

had a couple more short blurbs from them but not really anything I can pull anything concrete out of. Still have not reviewed the PCT audio as yet. Might have something on there from them as well. But at least we have a C/S

Great! That recovers the callsign they were using today - WAVY. The 2999 is no doubt the altimeter at Pax as he arrived and he probably gave his altitude just before it. One of the problems from up here is that the E-6s just don't seem to have the strongest transmitters around. In fact, they are very low on the modulation strength so it just doesn't punch through the noise. So...we've got a start. We know on arrival WAVY 54 was 164388 and used 120.05 and then 132.95. We're part of the way home. Good job.

And now I'm going to crash and burn for the night.

 

[SquelchKnob]

Great! That recovers the callsign they were using today - WAVY. The 2999 is no doubt the altimeter at Pax as he arrived and he probably gave his altitude just before it. One of the problems from up here is that the E-6s just don't seem to have the strongest transmitters around. In fact, they are very low on the modulation strength so it just doesn't punch through the noise. So...we've got a start. We know on arrival WAVY 54 was 164388 and used 120.05 and then 132.95. We're part of the way home. Good job.

And now I'm going to crash and burn for the night.

Next on my agenda is #3 PC controlling two more scanners and recording all. One UBC780XLT set up for GiantKiller and a BC785D setup for all the Misc Fighter squadrons in the area as well as NORAD, AR and CAP freqs.

After that will come another PC working a BC780XLT and recording all of PAX. That leaves me with 4 PCR-1000s and the R-8500 to put small numbers of freqs in to focus on these specific tasks. They will also be hooked up to my best antenna/COAX arrangement. So I expect better results the further into the project I get. The plan/theory is good. Now if I can just keep my head out of this thread and make it happen..........

 

[JohnFB]

Holiday log

just a few of interest ....

23-12-07
SUN

0256Z : GIANT 8339 wkg DOVER 134.100 inbnd w/2 HRs ETA 0330Z

0340Z : RCH 289 [North American N767NA] wkg NY RADIO 129.900 looking for oceanic frqs, selcal chk KQHJ on their way to Kuwait.

1613Z : VADER 07 [C-130 OH ANG] wkg WESTOVER OPS 372.200 25min inbnd w/11 AeroMeds - FLW ME to base hngr
1616Z : VADER 07 wkg WESTOVER WX 274.750 rqst current WX & forecast for rtn flt.

1640Z : SAM 2040 wkg RCH ?2098? 319.400 'someone lft a jacket on your plane, do you still have it? have your comm team call us @ 321-752-29XX.

24-12-07
MON

0013Z : SNOOP 58 [RC-135] wkg ZBW ATC Uniform heading W for OFFUTT discussing new control tower.

26-12-07
WED

1605Z : RAMA 21 [B-1] wkg FSS 255.400 NW of Boston w/rqst .... but never heard rqst.
1605Z : RAMA 21 wkg ZBW ATC Uniform heading W thru Utica sector

1821Z : KING 74 [C-130] doing transitions @ WESTOVER

1850Z : GC 26152 [UH-60] doing transitions @ WESTFIELD/BARNES

1904Z : YANKEE 31 [C-21] wkg SHARK OPS 349.700 10min inbnd

27-12-07
THU

0216Z : RIDER 85 [C-17] wkg TEAM 36 [KC-10] AR204 324.600 & 282.700 2ndry

 

[SquelchKnob]

TIN,
1737: 311.O CLAXON CLAXON CLAXON
"Execute GIANTSHOT"
In other words VQ-4 doing a practice alert launch. I am still handicapped here but will do as best I can. I have been redoing radios all afternoon and trying out some new ways of doing things and I have not been able to tweak them yet so I dunno if I am going to be able to get anything from this or not. 'BUT' the main thing I just learned is, at least for these practice launches they are announced ahead of time on 311.0. It BOOOMED in here
1752: 310.15 388 Calling Maintenance. "Thanks for your help, we are on our way"

1827: LOBO 81 up 360.6 PCT. Inbound RWY 26

I dunno what in the world I have done here. But somehow I tweaked something and have cleaned up my audio better than I ever heard it before. I did put a temp ground system in place for the radios. Never realized it would do this.

 

[TinEar]

TIN,
1737: 311.O CLAXON CLAXON CLAXON
"Execute GIANTSHOT"
In other words VQ-4 doing a practice alert launch. I am still handicapped here but will do as best I can. I have been redoing radios all afternoon and trying out some new ways of doing things and I have not been able to tweak them yet so I dunno if I am going to be able to get anything from this or not. 'BUT' the main thing I just learned is, at least for these practice launches they are announced ahead of time on 311.0. It BOOOMED in here
1752: 310.15 388 Calling Maintenance. "Thanks for your help, we are on our way"

1827: LOBO 81 up 360.6 PCT. Inbound RWY 26

I dunno what in the world I have done here. But somehow I tweaked something and have cleaned up my audio better than I ever heard it before. I did put a temp ground system in place for the radios. Never realized it would do this.

Well, that's surprising. I had no idea they used 311.0 at Patuxent. You're sure it was from Pax, right? (I was thinking last night the BIRDSONG that called AROMATIC on 311.0 might have been the 164410 E-6 but didn't want to say it out loud since I had nothing to support it.)
By the way, that 360.6 is not PCT. It's Norfolk TRACON (West). That one and 370.925 Norfolk TRACON (East) are fairly busy with Langley/Oceana/Chambers aircraft.
Edit: Just learned that LOBO 81 you heard was an F-16 from the 175th Fighter Squadron, SD-ANG Sioux Falls that was on his way to Langley.
***********************************************************************

Beginning around 1830, two KC-10As departed McGuire and headed south. They were TEAM 48 (87-0121) and TEAM 45 (83-0081). They did quite a bit of work with each other, while chatting on their primary interplane 139.875. They swapped flight leads, did an auto-pilot-off refueling among the training exercises. They were mainly with ZDC-Salisbury 120.975, ZDC-Norfolk 133.825 and ZDC-Sampson 124.025. They flew down to Wilmington NC. While on the way down, someone out in AR-636 called TEAM 48 on 238.9 and asked him to come in and give him some fuel. 48 told him he was doing another refueling and would come back when he was done. He eventually did that and is there now (1918) but I didn't hear the callsign of the aircraft he's refueling.

1911: CRAB 56 (C-130J, 98-1356, 135th AS MD-ANG) to Martin State Tower for landing runway 33...121.3
1920: ROYAL 50 (C-17A, 07-7169, 436th AW Dover) calling Dover Command Post...349.4 (Still calling at 1926, no joy)
1922: JEDI 51 (C-17A, 04-4129, 514th AMW AFRC McGuire) climbing out from McGuire....ZDC VHF (JEDI is an AFRC callsign)
1935: EVAC 80113 (KC-135R, 58-0113, 97th AMW Altus) calling Andrews on VHF CP freq...141.55 (He's got a bad sounding transmitter)
1937: EVAC 80113 w/TRACON on approach to Andrews....119.85 (Sounded fine here - must be a different radio)

2010: MUSSEL 1 (UH-1, 1st Helo Squadron Andrews) to Andrews Tower reporting at Greenbelt, Route 3 southbound...118.4

 

[SquelchKnob]

Well, that's surprising. I had no idea they used 311.0 at Patuxent. You're sure it was from Pax, right? (I was thinking last night the BIRDSONG that called AROMATIC on 311.0 might have been the 164410 E-6 but didn't want to say it out loud since I had nothing to support it.)
By the way, that 360.6 is not PCT. It's Norfolk TRACON (West). That one and 370.925 Norfolk TRACON (East) are fairly busy with Langley/Oceana/Chambers aircraft.
Edit: Just learned that LOBO 81 you heard was an F-16 from the 175th FS SD-ANG Sioux Falls that was on his way to Langley.

Re 311.0 I have to review the audio later for the confirmation. Will say I am 'confidence high' on this. Signal strength was BOOMING in and while monitoring PAX that was the only bird on the airfield. But the recording should bring back further. It caught me off guard as I did not have 311.0 in a Pax Scanner. But I can say that whoever it was, was sitting on ground. Know anybody else at PAX that would do this???

Thanks for the TRACON Correction. Was tired last night while doing the cut & paste thing out of the wiki and did not catch that.

For the LOBO 81 I also had 'someone' reporting inbound on 138.0. Likely the same.

And for the unknown C/S you mentioned I think it was NAOMI I don't remember the number but the recording should have it.

2013: 118.125 NAOMI 58 up with GK

 

[TinEar]

Re 311.0 I have to review the audio later for the confirmation. Will say I am 'confidence high' on this. Signal strength was BOOMING in and while monitoring PAX that was the only bird on the airfield. But the recording should bring back further. It caught me off guard as I did not have 311.0 in a Pax Scanner. But I can say that whoever it was, was sitting on ground. Know anybody else at PAX that would do this???

Thanks for the TRACON Correction. Was tired last night while doing the cut & paste thing out of the wiki and did not catch that.

For the LOBO 81 I also had 'someone' reporting inbound on 138.0. Likely the same.

And for the unknown C/S you mentioned I think it was NAOMI I don't remember the number but the recording should have it.

2013: 118.125 NAOMI 58 up with GK

Yes on the 138.0 freq which is Ops at the VT-ANG Langley Detachment so an F-16 coming in would likely use that freq. Good catch.

I believe you're right on with the NAOMI 58 for my U/I w/TEAM 48. I thought I heard the 58 part when TEAM 48 was talking to him on 238.9 but he was so weak I wasn't sure of it. And then I heard NAOMI weakly on the Norfolk ZDC freq but didn't put it with the 58. I listened to see if I heard it correctly but he never came back. However, I have nothing in my database for that callsign so it could be a one-time call. About 20 minutes prior to that, there was an E-6 in the area (164388) but I've never heard one of those guys hanging around AR-636 begging for fuel from passing tankers. It's certainly possible though....but do they even have refueling capabilities?

2027: ROYAL 50 still up and calling Dover CP again...ready to land, looking for a parking spot and reports A-1 status...(must have been doing pattern work - I've had him up for over an hour in the local area)...349.4
2032L REACH 287 (Military contract aircraft from Omni Aircraft Leasing Corp of Tulsa OK) (DC-10, N630AX) overhead Richmond heading to the northeast on a 45 degree course at FL 310...he's scooting right along at 570 knots...ZDC VHF (Nothing on FlightAware for this guy so they must be blocked just like the military transports)
2035: I've got very weak activity on one of the Coronet East refueling freqs...391.0 (Maybe someone else can copy him - too weak here)
2039: ROYAL 50 with Dover Tower doing a visual to runway 19...reporting left base, gear down, full stop...126.35

Don't remember if I've ever mentioned it but the Howard County PD helicopter is registration N407HC. He's currently flying around the area - and has been the last half hour or so.

 

[SquelchKnob]

Yes on the 138.0 freq which is Ops at the VT-ANG Langley Detachment so an F-16 coming in would likely use that freq. Good catch.

I believe you're right on with the NAOMI 58. I thought I heard the 58 part when TEAM 48 was talking to him on 238.9 but he was so weak I wasn't sure of it. And then I heard NAOMI weakly on the Norfolk ZDC freq but didn't put it with the 58. I listened to see if I heard it correctly but he never came back. However, I have nothing in my database for that callsign so it could be a one-time call. About 20 minutes prior to that, there was an E-6 in the area (164388) but I've never heard one of those guys hanging around AR-636 begging for fuel from passing tankers. It's certainly possible though....but do they even have refueling capabilities?

No idea about VQ-4 refueling ability. Umm. I did not want to say this but I was STRONGLY suspecting NAOMI was VQ-4. They magically appeared just after the GIANTSHOT Launch I mentioned ealier

 

[Mark]

Yes on the 138.0 freq which is Ops at the VT-ANG Langley Detachment so an F-16 coming in would likely use that freq. Good catch.

Log from another board from Michigan just posted this...


LOBO 81 (South Dakota ang F-16) on unid atc's and calling unid
metro for current and 1 hour WX at Langley

Maybe they are helping out Langley detachment since a shortage of F-16's
while F-15's are down.AP Article yesterday says Vermont F-16's now covering entire
Northeast seaboard as well since F-15's are grounded.

Mark

 

[freqhopping]

About 20 minutes prior to that, there was an E-6 in the area (164388) but I've never heard one of those guys hanging around AR-636 begging for fuel from passing tankers. It's certainly possible though....but do they even have refueling capabilities?

I would figure they do since they must remain airborne for long periods. This site says they do. http://www.navy.mil/navydata/policy/vision/vis98/vis-p08.html