Morse Code and Live Earth

No, this is not a post in support of Morse Code or is it a political post about Live Earth or Al Gore's "Save Our Selves" campaign. It is a simple observation.

Over the last couple of years, I've become a fan of John Mayer's guitar playing and songwriting (for those not familiar I strongly suggest checking out the CD "Try" by the John Mayer Trio and the song "In Repair" from the CD "Continuum"). This morning I decided to download a song he played during the recent series of Live Earth concerts. Up until this morning, I really hadn't paid all that much attention to the Live Earth campaign, but I noticed something radio related in the album cover art that came with the song I downloaded. There was Morse Code in the logo. The Morse Code can also be seen in the "Save Our Selves" logo. If you look right below the stylized S.O.S., the S.O.S. is repeated in Morse Code. I wonder how many folks who see the logo realize what they are looking at?

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT

kf4lmt@comcast.net

Harris Neck NWR Monitoring Trip, 11 July 2007

This morning I took a trip down to the Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge area in an attempt to identify some repeater sites for the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Complex linked repeater system. Unfortunately, I did not hear the system in use the entire three hours I was in the area! Just my kind of luck. Some monitoring from last week led to some web research that has led me to tentatively ID one of the repeater sites: 169.825 is most likely in the area of Harris Neck. The only other repeater in the group I've been able to determine a location on is 172.450, which correlates to the Skidaway location that users have mentioned.

The trip itself, however, was not a total loss. Harris Neck NWR is not all that from Townsend Range. I was able to get excellent signals on activity from F/A-18Ds from VMFA(AW)-533 and from F-16CJs from the 169th Fighter Wing.

228.400 and 252.900 - Townsend Range Control
HAWK 81/82 (F/A-18D, VMFA-533) using 348.825 Tac 3 worked a simulated JTAC callsign METRO and also acted as FAC-A for HAWK 83/84 flight (F/A-18D, VMFA-533) using 299.300 Tac 2.

VIPER 21/22 (F-16CJ, 169 FW) using 140.125 V17 and VIPER 23/24 (F-16CJ, 169 FW) using 138.025 air-to-air did air-to-ground and air-to-air combat training with support from an AWACS using the callsign BANDSAW.

Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex Digital Repeater System

I have another update on the Savannah Coastal Refuges radio system. Apparently the repeaters can be used linked together or independently, allowing them to keep local conversations from tying up the repeaters at other refuges or sites. An example from yesterday: I heard 169.825 in use, but none of the other repeaters in the system were retransmitting the conversation.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

USS Harry S. Truman, CVN-75 and CVW-3 Carrier Strike Group

The USS Truman Carrier Strike Group is currently working off of the coast of Florida, using SEALORD's airspace, Avon Park Range, and Pinecastle Range. Most of the radio traffic has been well out of range for me, but I have been able to hear some traffic from the higher aircraft like the E-2s. The E-2Cs have been using BICEP for the front end callsign and CLOSEOUT for their back-end callsign.

120.950 - Sealord North Primary
267.500 - Sealord South Primary
227.250 - Tower or LSO?
289.650 - Marshal
235.550 - Strike
271.900 - Red Crown
273.350 - HOTEL ZULU
283.650 - HOTEL PAPA (Button 7)
367.625 - CLOSEOUT Tac

3.167 USB has been reported active as an HF frequency, but I have been unable to hear it due to noise around 3.172 USB.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Military Monitoring Recap; 1 June - 6 July 2007

Due to my work schedule and other unforseen events over the last month, I've been unable to keep up with posting my MilCom frequency and callsign recaps. This recap covers the blank period from June through 6 July 2007. I will try to keep with weekly posts better in the future.

Frequencies

Savannah TRACON
120.400 - Savannah Approach/Departure
380.025 - Savannah Approach/Departure
125.300 - Savannah Approach/Departure
387.100 - Savannah Approach/Departure
118.400 - Savannah Approach/Departure
307.225 - Savannah Approach/Departure

Hunter AAF
133.550 - Hunter AAF Tower
279.575 - Hunter AAF Tower
126.200 - Hunter AAF Base Ops
51.050 - Common, Test Areas
32.350 - 3-3 AVN "SHARK OPS"
51.500 - 3-3 AVN air-to-air
82.100 - 224 MI Bn "SUNNY OPS"
123.475 - 224 MI Bn air-to-air
38.150 - B-169 AVN "HURRICANE OPS"
139.400 - B-169 AVN "HURRICANE OPS"
345.000 - USCG Air Station Savannah Ops

Savannah IAP/CRTC
119.100 - Savannah IAP Tower
257.800 - Savannah IAP Tower
225.570 - 165th AW Command Post
225.050 - 165th AW
165.0125 - 165th AW Ground Net
165.1125 - 165th AW Ground Net
237.000 - Savannah CRTC Ops
141.6375 - Savanna CRTC Ground Net
123.100 - Chatham County aircraft air-to-air

Fort Stewart/Wright AAF
127.350 - Marne Radio
279.625 - Marne Radio
126.250 - Wright AAF Tower
269.275 - Wright AAF Tower

MCAS Beaufort
118.450 - MCAS Beaufort Approach/Departure
301.200 - MCAS Beaufort Approach/Departure
251.700 - MCAS Beaufort Approach/Departure
119.050 - MCAS Beaufort Tower
340.200 - MCAS Beaufort Tower
281.800 - MCAS Beaufort Base Ops
264.500 - MCAS Beaufort PMSV (weather)
269.700 - MCAS Beaufort Tac
253.100 - VMFA-122 Base
283.400 - VMFA-122 Tac 1
354.325 - VMFA-122 Tac 2
313.800 - VMFA-251 Base
290.000 - VMFA-251 Tac 1
327.475 - VMFA-251 Tac 2
228.200 - VMFA-312 Base
301.950 - VMFA-312 Tac 1
320.300 - VMFA-312 Tac 2
310.200 - VMFA(AW)-533 Base
289.275 - VMFA(AW)-533 Tac 1
299.300 - VMFA(AW)-533 Tac 2
348.825 - VMFA(AW)-533 Tac 3
354.400 - VFA-86 Base
308.925 - VFA-86 Tac 1
363.825 - VFA-86 Tac 2

Shaw AFB
138.950 - 20th FW Supervisor of Flying
252.100 - 20th FW Supervisor of Flying
311.200 - 55th FS "SHOOTER OPS"
141.900 - 55th FS V8
138.300 - 55th FS V9
139.750 - 55th FS V10
143.425 - 55th FS V11
139.900 - 55th FS air-to-air
123.450 - 55th FS air-to-air
273.700 - 77th FS "GAMBLER OPS"
143.800 - 77th FS V8
141.750 - 77th FS V9
140.375 - 77th FS V10
141.675 - 77th FS V11
138.475 - 77th FS air-to-air
320.525 - 79th FS "SNAKE OPS"
138.150 - 79th FS V8
141.775 - 79th FS V10
142.125 - 779th FS V11
138.200 - 79th FS air-to-air

McEntire ANGB
298.300 - 169th FW "SWAMP FOX OPS"
140.125 - 169th FW V17
141.925 - 169th FW V18
141.825 - 169th FW V19
138.025 - 169th FW air-to-air

Jacksonville IAP
251.250 - 125th FW Maintenance/Ops
234.800 - 125th FW Aux 6
253.700 - 125th FW Aux 7
314.200 - 125th FW Aux 8
343.000 - 125th FW Aux 9

Ranges/MOAs
228.400 - Townsend Range Control
252.900 - Townsend Range Control
343.750 - Bulldog MOA
269.000 - Gamecock MOA Discrete
264.700 - Poinsett Range Control

SEALORD
120.950 - SEALORD North Primary
284.500 - SEALORD North Primary
313.700 - SEALORD North Secondary
267.500 - SEALORD South Primary
349.800 - W-157 Discrete
376.900 - W-157 Discrete
385.300 - W-157 Discrete
301.000 - S. TACTS Range Discrete
350.000 - S. TACTS Range Discrete

DOUBLESHOT
127.725 - DOUBLESHOT Primary (W-161/177)
279.725 - DOUBLESHOT Primary (W-161/177)
381.350 - DOUBLESHOT Discrete

Miscellaneous
148.150 - Civil Air Patrol
228.225 - ANGEL OPS, 23rd Wing, Moody AFB
228.900 - NORAD Discrete
320.600 - NORAD/AWACS Discrete
335.950 - NORAD AWACS Discrete
285.000 - USN Tactical Support Center Jacksonville "FIDDLE"
300.500 - VAW-121 air-to-air
310.200 - NAS Jacksonville Base Ops
311.000 - LIGHTHOUSE OPS, 906th ARW, Seymour-Johnson AFB
311.000 - Robins AFB CP "BLACK KNIGHT CONTROL"
344.600 - Charleston AFB PMSV (Weather)
344.600 - COAST GUARD 6561/French Navy Helicopter air-to-air
349.400 - Charleston AFB CP "PALMETT OPS"

Coast Guard
156.800 - Marine VHF Ch. 16
157.050 - Marine VHF Ch. 21
157.100 - Marine VHF Ch. 22
157.057 - Marine VHF Ch. 81

ARTCC
269.550 - Jax Center Columbia Low
277.400 - Jax Center Brunswick Low
282.200 - Jax Center Jekyll Low
285.650 - Jax Center Statesboro High
290.400 - Jax Center Waycross Low
322.500 - Jax Center Savannah Low
363.200 - Jax Center Allendale Low
379.100 - Jax Center Charleston Low
323.000 - Atlanta Center Macon
335.650 - Atlanta Center
255.400 - FSS


CALLSIGNS

Hunter AAF
ARMY 65024 - AH-64D, 3-3 AVN
ARMY 65010 - AH-64D, 3-3 AVN
ARMY 65017 - AH-64D, 3-3 AVN
ARMY 95134 - AH-64D, 3-3 AVN
ARMY 05184 - AH-64D, 3-3 AVN
ARMY 05222 - AH-64D, 3-3 AVN
ARMY 15277 - AH-64D, 3-3 AVN
ARMY 15279 - AH-64D, 3-3 AVN
ARMY 15281 - AH-64D, 3-3 AVN
ARMY 26189 - MH-60L, 3-160 SOAR
ARMY 26350 - MH-60L, 3-160 SOAR
ARMY 26408 - MH-60L, 3-160 SOAR
ARMY 26410 - MH-60L, 3-160 SOAR
ARMY 26417 - MH-60L, 3-160 SOAR
ARMY 03747 - MH-47G, 3-160 SOAR
SUNNY - RC-12N, 224 MI Bn
GUARD 296 - CH-47D, B-169 AVN
HURRICANE 03 - CH-47D, B-169 AVN
TESTHOOK - CH-47, OLR
COAST GUARD 6533 - HH-65C, Savannah
COAST GUARD 6542 - HH-65C, Savannah
COAST GUARD 6553 - HH-65C, Savannah
COAST GUARD 6561 - HH-65C, Savannah
COAST GUARD 6575 - HH-65C, Savannah
COAST GUARD 6561/French Navy Helo flight
ARMY 26018 - UH-60L
ARMY 26065 - UH-60L
ARMY 26339 - UH-60L
ARMY 30016
AIREVAC 19141
AIREVAC 60411 (C-130, 758 AS)
REACH 8056
REACH 994/5001 - C-5
REACH 9058 - C-17

Savannah IAP/CRTC
DAWG - C-130H, 165 AW
GUARD 26330 - UH-60L (TDY at CRTC)
GUARD 26658 - UH-60L (TDY at CRTC)
CHATHAM 1 - Air Tractor, Chatham County
CHATHAM 2
EAGLE 1 - 369E, Chatham Co.
EAGLE 2 - 369E, Chatham Co.
GULF TEST - Gulfstream Test Flight
REACH 258T
RULER 70 - C-17, 172nd AW (at CRTC)
TAZZ 84 - KC-135, 121st ARW (at CRTC)

MCAS Beaufort
NIKEL - F/A-18C, VMFA-122
TBOLT - F/A-18C, VMFA-251
CHECK - F/A-18A+, VMFA-312
HAWK - F/A-18D, VMFA(AW)-533
WINDER - F/A-18C, VFA-86
FOX 117 (transient)
PLAYER## - F/A-18 for MISSELEX
SHOOTER ## - F/A-18 for MISSELEX
SAFETY ## - F/A-18 for MISSELEX
TALD ## - F/A-18 For MISSELEX
GRIFFIN - E-2, VAW-121 for MISSELEX
BLUETAIL -E-2, VAW-121 for MISSELEX
SUNNY 739 - C-12

Shaw AFB
PITMAN - F-16CJ, 20th FW
COBRA - F-16CJ, 55th FS
CUSTER - F-16CJ, 55th FS
DICE - F-16CJ, 55th FS
FLEX - F-16CJ, 55th FS
MOJO - F-16CJ, 55th FS
STING - F-16CJ, 55th FS
BLUTO - F-16CJ, 77th FS
JACKPOT - F-16CJ, 77th FS
LIMEY - F-16CJ, 77th FS
LOAD - F-16CJ, 77th FS
ROYAL - F-16CJ, 77th FS
VEGAS - F-16CJ, 77th FS
BEAST - F-16CJ, 79th FS
DEADLY - F-16CJ, 79th FS
FANG - F-16CJ, 79th FS
HUNTER - F-16CJ, 79th FS
SCAR - F-16CJ, 79th FS
SPITFIRE - F-16CJ, 79th FS
TOPCAT - F-16CJ, 79th FS

McEntire ANGB
MACE - F-16CJ, 169th FW
VIPER - F-16CJ, 169th FW
DEMON - F-16CJ, 169th FW

Jacksonville IAP
FANG - F-15A, 125 FW
SNAKE - F-15A, 125 FW

Miscellaneous
BACKY ## - KC-135, 916th ARW
BANDSAW - E-3, 964 ACCS back-end
BASCO - C-17, Charleston
BOLT ## - KC-135, 6th ARW
DARKSTAR - E-3, 966 ACCS back-end
FURY ## - B-2A, 509th BW
HOOK 44 - C-20
MAD FOX ## - P-3C, VP-5
MAULER - S-3B, VS-32
MOON 14 - T-1, 14 FTW
NAVY HK 4## (SH-60, HSL-40)
NAVY LL ## (P-3C, VP-30)
NAVY LT ### (P-3C, VP-62)
OTIS 02 - KC-130J, VMGR-252
PEACH 2# - E-8C, 12 ACCS
RAM - F/A-18C, VFA-83
REACH 809C - C-17
SENTRY 41 - E-3, 964 ACCS front-end
SENTRY 60 - E-3, 966 ACCS front-end
SKULL - B-52, Barksdale AFB
VOLT - C-17


Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Scanner Review: Uniden BCD396T

This article was originally written for and appears in the July 2007 issue of Key Klix, the official newsletter of the Amateur Radio Club of Savannah.

This month, I’m reviewing what has become one of my favorite scanners: the Uniden BCD396T (or BC396 for short). It is a compact yet powerful radio that is not only the best, but also the most versatile handheld scanner I’ve ever used. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it is a revolution in scanning, but it requires a change in thought to understand the radio and use it effectively. It is P25 digital capable and will track Motorola 3600 and 9600 baud control channel systems in the VHF, UHF, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, and 900 MHz bands as well as EDACS and LTR trunking systems.

Those who are familiar with many of the newer amateur radio handheld transceivers probably wouldn’t have any trouble with the operating functions of the 396. Just like many of the newer amateur radio HT’s, it is primarily menu driven. It also makes use of a Function key to assign multiple uses to a single key or knob. As I mentioned, this is a small radio, especially when compared to previous Uniden handheld scanners. It measures 2.40 inches wide by 1.22 inches deep by 5.35 inches high, making it shorter and thinner than previous scanners. The front of the radio features a four-line LCD display at the top and a speaker at the bottom, with a sixteen-button keypad between (the usual 0-9 keys along with Hold, Scan, Lockout, and On/Off button). The backlight for the keypad and display is blue and can be set to an infinite time setting or a variety of time delays. A single knob acts the volume knob, channel/VFO knob, and squelch knob through the use of the side mounted function button. A side mounted menu button accesses the menus used to adjust many of the radio’s settings. Both the function and menu buttons are found where you would expect the PTT button to be if the radio was a transceiver.

As I mentioned above, using the BC396 requires a change in thought. You have to forget about the concept of banks and think in terms of systems and groups. The easiest way to explain the system and group concept is that a BC396 system is a flexible bank in which you can program either a trunking system or a conventional system. A BC396 group is a subset of a system. In the case of a trunking system, the groups are where you store talkgroup IDs. In the case of a conventional system, the groups allow you to break the frequencies down into subsets. Just as you could turn off banks in an older scanner, you can turn systems in the BC396 on and off. In the BC396’s case, you assign “quick keys” to the systems that you use to turn them on and off. You can also turn the groups within a BC396 system on and off. The memory capacity of the 396 is incredible. Depending upon how you have programmed the radio, you can have 3000-6000 channels and up to 400 systems. After programming everything I had in my BC250 plus more into my BC396, I am only using 25% of the BC396’s memory!

You can program the BC396 by hand, but it would be a very lengthy, and to be perfectly honest, a somewhat confusing process. Due to the number of possible channels, plus alphanumeric tags for frequencies and trunking talkgroups, it isn’t hard to imagine how long it would take. This is a radio that is most easily programmed by computer. There are several software packages available, but my favorite is the ARC 396 software by Butel. In addition to simplifying the programming process, you can also use ARC 396 to program the radio by connecting to Radioreference.com’s database.

The most important question, though, pertains to how well the radio performs. It performs extremely well. It covers 25-956 MHz with a few gaps as well as 1240-1300 MHz. I have not experimented the 900 MHz or 1240-1300 MHz reception, but I have been unable to find an area of poor performance with the exception of the lower 25-88 Mhz range (although this is probably more a product of using a portable antenna and not the receiver itself). The BC396 makes for a wonderful general public safety scanner using the stock antenna. Most stock portable scanner antennas are poor performers, but the 396’s does quite well. It is worth noting here that the BC396 antenna uses an SMA connector, probably not surprising to those who have been following the antenna connector trend in amateur radio HTs (it also comes with an SMA to BNC adapter). Using a Diamond SRH77CA antenna, I have found the BC396 to be a terrific airband and military UHF airband scanner.

The BC396 has several features that make it attractive. First, it automatically adjusts P25 digital levels on most systems to provide the best performance. On previous Uniden P25 scanners, you had to manually set P25 digital levels to get the best audio performance. In a similar vein, the BC396 has AGC (Automatic Gain Control) for both analog and digital signals. The BC396 also has the newer frequency steps such as 6.25 kHz, 7.5 kHz, and 8.33 kHz in addition the usual 5 kHz, 10 kHZ, 12.5 kHz, 15 kHz, 25 kHz, 50 kHz, and 100 kHz settings. These new step settings will allow the programming of new narrowband channels. Uniden has also looked forward to the re-banding of 800 MHz trunking systems; once rebanding begins, the radio will be able to be “re-flashed” to accommodate and scan rebanded systems. For an explanation of rebanding, I would suggest reading “Whatever Happened to Rebanding?” by Dan Veeneman in the July 2007 issue of Monitoring Times, on newsstands now.

Another useful feature of the BC396 is “Close Call.” When activated, the Close Call feature allows the scanner to function somewhat like a frequency counter. It can detect transmissions within a close distance of the radio (depending upon antenna height and the power of the transmitter), then display the frequency and tune the scanner to that frequency. This is very useful for event scanning, such as races, airshows, festivals, etc. It came in quite handy at Field Day this year. If you recall the old Midland radio that was on the “For Sale” table, we were able to use Close Call to identify what frequencies it transmitted on and therefore what type of radio it was. After connecting the Midland to a battery and antenna, each channel was keyed and the transmit frequency was found by the BC396 (they happened to be 155.265 and 154.190).

Links:
Butel Software: www.butel.nl

Radio Reference: www.radioreference.com

Uniden: www.uniden.com


Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Amateur Radio Club of Savannah Yahoo Group

I've been too busy with work to get anything posted lately; I'm in the middle of working 9 days in a row. Hopefully this weekend I will be able to get a frequency/callsign recap posted to catch things up.

In the meantime, those interested in amateur radio in the Savannah area may want to check out the Amateur Radio Club of Savannah's new Yahoo Group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ARCS_hams/. As it states in the group description, it is not just for ARCS members:

"This is a place on the web where members and friends of the Amateur Radio Club of Savannah can post announcements, pictures of recent events, or information of interest to ham radio amateurs in the Savannah and the southeast region of Georgia, USA"

In the meantime, I'll try to get out some short post if I have anything interesting. I'll also post my monthly Key Klix article after it is published; this month's article will be a user's review of the BC-396 scanner.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net