What are they?

[ki5gf]

I keep seeing quite a few 288XX aircraft being tracked NW of San Antonio and N of Houston.
Examples:

2887EA
288549
288ODC
288DAF
288389

All are low and slow -- 100 to 4000 ft and 40 to 120kts
Pretty frequent position, alt and speed hits.
Can't find any data on these 288XX numbers.

Are they sail planes? And if so, where can I find regis data on them.
Just wondering.

 

[ki5gf]

More up now

At least 9 or more up now.
All near same place

288d73 at 29.4 98.7, 6600ft, 74kts
288322 at 29.3 98.4, 1200ft, 102kts
288b5c at 29.7 98.2, 6100ft, 81kts
2882b8 at 29.3 98.4, 900 ft, 93kts
288849 at 29.6 . 98.2, 900ft, 0kts
288ce5 at 29.5 98.4, 900ft, 1.4kts
28898c at 29.5 98.4, 900ft, 1.4kts
288078 etc etc
2882d3 etc etc

Hot air balloons??? Who knows. The area is near Kerrville, TX. They have
big adverts for "Sailplane rides" there.
Sailplanes with full ADS-B transponders aboard??

 

[BM82557]

See - http://www.mantma.co.uk/icao_country_codes.html

 

[ki5gf]

Who (or what) is "SAM"

See - http://www.mantma.co.uk/icao_country_codes.html

Sooo -- 28000 to 2FFFF is "reserved for SAM"

Thanks for the link but that it still didn't tell me much about
who those 288XX birds belong to or what they're doing all in
a bunch just north of SAT at the busiest flying time of the day.

And who IS "SAM" ??

 

[SteveEJ]

What are you tracking them with? ADS-B? If so they are probably 24 bit ICAO codes.

 

[ki5gf]

Yes

What are you tracking them with? ADS-B? If so they are probably 24 bit ICAO codes.

Yes -- ADS-B received with a R820T2, decoded by RTL1090 and plotted by Planeplotter.
The RTL1090 lists those 288XXX as ICAO codes. And if you check references for 28xxxx allocations you find that 280000 to 2FFFF is "Reserved for SAM". Since I've been involved with ADS-B now for almost a
whole month, I still have LOTs to learn. So I guess I need to learn who this "SAM" guy is, I'm pretty sure it
isn't my "Uncle Sam" but you never know.

 

[buddrousa]

New Drone testing might be a good guess.

 

[SteveEJ]

SAM is "Special Air Mission" in ATC lingo. Not sure what SAM stands for in the ICAO table linked. I will see what I can find out. May have to do with the Jade Helm. Just guessing though.

 

[ki5gf]

Drones

New Drone testing might be a good guess.

Maybe so but 9 or more at once? Prolly not unless they've got a whole squad of drone pilots all flying at
the same time. Nine or more of these 288XXX birds (?) were all flying at the same time and all in a kinda
small area. I've seen these same 288xxx type ICAO numbers airborne (?) at least 3 different times.
Once in evening rush hours north of Houston (IAH) and early this morning here (airplane rush hour) in San Antonio. Then again this evening just before dark same place, same bunch of ICAO numbers same "rush
hour" airport traffic. I don't have even enough experience in this ADS-B game to even hazard any more guesses.

 

[kb5udf]

Helos?

Based upon the altitudes and speeds, perhaps you are tracking helicopters.

JB

 

[ki5gf]

Thanks

SAM is "Special Air Mission" in ATC lingo. Not sure what SAM stands for in the ICAO table linked. I will see what I can find out. May have to do with the Jade Helm. Just guessing though.

Thanks, Steve (Nice name BTW) I guess it could be choppers involved in Jade Helm. Didn't think of that before. But -- military choppers with ADS-B ??? I guess they could do that. I see civ choppers (Air Life, Air Evac, etc) every day on ADS-B here in San Antonio. And -- the position reports on these 288XXX birds
today kinda matches with the Army's giant Camp Bullis military exercise/training area just north west of the city. You might be on to something, Ollie. Will be looking for them tomorrow morning again.

 

[DaveNF2G]

Maybe gliders?

 

[ki5gf]

They're back. At least 11 of them have been plotted this morning since 1149Z.

2883CD
288AA7
288353
288BC7
288E15
288087
288C96
288D37
28859D
288F7F
28822E

Plots show them scattered around San Antonio this morning. Some near Kelly some further north.
Alts range from 700 to 8000ft. Speeds range from zero to 448kts.
They are still active as I type this.

 

[BM82557]

They're back. At least 11 of them have been plotted this morning since 1149Z.

2883CD
288AA7
288353
288BC7
288E15
288087
288C96
288D37
28859D
288F7F
28822E

Plots show them scattered around San Antonio this morning. Some near Kelly some further north.
Alts range from 700 to 8000ft. Speeds range from zero to 448kts.
They are still active as I type this.

Maybe someone in the area can get a visual on them.

 

[DaveNF2G]

448 kts is a bit fast for a glider. I retract my suggestion.

 

[prcguy]

And way too fast for any helicopter.
prcguy

448 kts is a bit fast for a glider. I retract my suggestion.

 

[kma371]

correct answer is they are ads-b positions of aircraft without ads-b capability. they are transmitted by ground stations to the aircraft.

Google TIS-B

 

[JPSan]

U F O 's - I'm telling ya.

A super secret special order by the FAA to all alien craft that are operating in U.S.
airspace that they must have and use transponders or be heavily fined or have there craft impounded at Area 51.

Just remember if it can't be identified it's definitely U F O's.

 

[SteveEJ]

correct answer is they are ads-b positions of aircraft without ads-b capability. they are transmitted by ground stations to the aircraft.

Google TIS-B

That would be done on 978 MHz (UAT) band, also known as ADS-R. I know of no ADS-B software for a home user that can receive and decode that data packets on that band. I would love to have a link to one if available! There are some 'ADS-B IN' receivers available for airborne use, that would have TIS-B, but they are pricey and the software does not work with SDR type radios that home users and Hobby listeners use.

1090 Mode S has 24 bit identifiers but does not send position information. Only 1090 Mode ES and 978 (UAT) ADS-B systems send position information.

 

[ki5gf]

correct answer is they are ads-b positions of aircraft without ads-b capability. they are transmitted by ground stations to the aircraft.

Google TIS-B

Hey, thanks for the tip on TIS-B. I'd read about TIS-B while looking for something else but never even
thought it would show up on my system like it did.

So let me see if I have this right:
The TIS-B system in my area is broadcasting data, including locational data, on aircraft flying near me that
don't have ADS-B equipment on board.
My R820T2 receiver hears that data
The data is passed to my RTL1090 decoder
The RTL1090 passes it to PlanePlotter
PlanePlotter plots it for me
PlanePlotter then shares the data with FlightAware and all the other individual sites that I normally share
data with.
And, as a result, everybody in Texas gets to see a lot of non ADS-B and low level, low speed aircraft tracking that they wouldn't otherwise get to see. Including (probably) some military stuff.

So who ever said life wasn't complicated and that you couldn't teach old, old dogs new tricks!!

I guess the only question I have left is why does the TIS-B system assign those 288XX ICAO numbers
to their broadcasted flight data and why haven't I seen it before the last few days?

Again, thanks for the help and the education.