Woods Apartments Fire

Last night just before midnight, one of the buildings at the Woods Apartments on Hodgson Memorial Blvd. caught fire:

http://www.wtoc.com/Global/story.asp?S=9901073&nav=menu89_2
http://www.wtoc.com/Global/story.asp?S=9902442&nav=menu89_2

Savannah Fire and Emergency Services, Southside EMS, MedStar EMS, and the Savannah Chatham Municipal PD responded to the scene. ENGINEs 1, 2, 7, and 11; TRUCKs 1 and 2, RESCUE 2, BATTALION 2, COMMAND AID, and a Safety Officer from Savannah Fire responded. EMS units from Southside EMS and from MedStar responded, with some staging at the BB&T bank on Hodgson Memorial Blvd. SCMPD responded to the scene as well (for awhile there was a stuck mic on one SCMPD TG and you could hear an officer banging on doors looking for residents).

On arrival, there was smoke and flames visible from the second floor. The fire eventually moved to the third floor as well and flames broke through the roof. Residents were rescued from the above ground level floors via ladder.

Talkgroups in use:

36880 - Savannah Fire Dispatch
36976 - Savannah Fire Fireground 1

2352 - Metro EMS Dispatch
4112 - Southside EMS Medic 1
4144 - Southside EMS Medic 2
7920 - MedStar Dispatch

53408 - SCMPD A4
53424 - SCMPD B4

Just before I finally turned in last night, LifeStar was getting a mission on 462.975 for a patient transfer from Memorial to the Augusta Burn Center that may have been related to the fire.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

New Computer Speakers

Today, I bought a new set of computer speakers in my quest to find some that would both sound good and be RFI resistant. I've found some that sound good, but RFI from transmissions on the ham gear (particularly 2 Meters and 6 Meters) gets into them. I've also had a pair of speakers that didn't suffer from RFI as much but the audio quality was left a lot to be desired. My health insurance company sent me a Best Buy gift card for taking part in a survey, so I used it toward a pair of Bose Companion 2 speakers.

These speakers sound amazing! It's hard to believe the quality of audio that comes out of these small speakers. I played the Allman Brothers' "Soulshine" and Eric Clapton's "Superman Inside" and was really impressed with how clear and full they sounded. Another positive to the Bose speakers is their lack of those silly LED indicator lights (I don't need a LED to tell me my speakers are on...) that most computer speakers have now.

These speakers are also hefty, which would seem to indicate that they are well shielded. The audio and power cables also appear to be well shielded. So far I have made test transmissions on both 2 meters and 6 meters and have noticed no RFI problems. The next time I'm on HF, I'll find out if I have any problems there. I hope not, because as I describe next, they are now the speakers for the FT-897D as well.

The Companion 2's have two sets of RCA audio input jacks, so you can use them with your computer and with another audio device simultaneously. I had a spare 1/8'' to RCA cable in the shack, so I used it to connect the FT-897D's audio output to the speakers. I hope that the speakers don't have RFI problems when I transmit on HF because I really like the way this setup sounds.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Military Monitoring Recap; 01-15 February 2009

Hunter AAF
124.975 - Tower
279.575 - Tower
285.425 - Tower
121.800 - Ground
291.675 - Ground
126.200 - Base Ops
309.000 - PMSV
406.1625 - Tower/Base Ops
406.7625 - POL
415.1625 - Trans Alert
51.050 - Helicopter Common
44.475 - FARP/Hot Refuel
70.575 - 1-3 AVN "VIPER OPS"
43.625 - 1-3 AVN
229.200 - 1-3 AVN air-to-air
54.600 - 2-3 AVN "KNIGHTHAKW OPS"
54.375 - B/2-3 AVN
51.375 - 3-17 CAV Internal
51.500 - 3-17 CAV air-to-air
245.175 - 3-17 CAV air-to-air
49.700 - 4-3 AVN "ASSAULT OPS"
38.925 - 4-3 AVN air-to-air
77.725 - 224 MI Bn "SUNNY OPS"
38.150 - B-169 AVN "HURRICANE OPS"
345.000 - USCG Air Station Savanah Ops
157.175 - Marine VHF Ch. 83, Savannah Air MX Control
323.125 - Hunter AAF ATIS
127.525 - Hunter AAF ATIS

ARMY 25287 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 25289 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 25291 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 25293 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 25295 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 25296 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 25330 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 25306 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 35354 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 35359 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 35360 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 35364 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 35370 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 35377 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 35391 (AH-64D, 1-3 AVN)
ARMY 26478 (UH-60L, A/2-3 AVN)
ARMY 26594 (UH-60L, A/2-3 AVN)
ARMY 70081 (CH-47D, B/2-3 AVN)
ARMY 70082 (CH-47D, B/2-3 AVN)
RIVER ## (CH-47D, B/2-3 AVN)
ARMY 24427 (UH-60A, C/2-3 AVN)
ARMY 24456 (UH-60A, C/2-3 AVN)
ARMY 24618 (UH-60A, C/2-3 AVN)
ARMY 24636 (UH-60A, C/2-3 AVN)
ARMY 00371 (OH-58D, 3-17 CAV)
ARMY 30958 (OH-58D, 3-17 CAV)
ARMY 40185 (OH-58D, 3-17 CAV)
ARMY 50015 (OH-58D, 3-17 CAV)
ARMY 50016 (OH-58D, 3-17 CAV)
ARMY 50074 (OH-58D, 3-17 CAV)
ARMY ??181 (OH-58D, 3-17 CAV)
ARMY 26501 (UH-60L, 4-3 AVN)
ARMY 26503 (UH-60L, 4-3 AVN)
ARMY 26510 (UH-60L, 4-3 AVN)
ARMY 26512 (UH-60L, 4-3 AVN)
ARMY 26521 (UH-60L, 4-3 AVN)
ARMY 26546 (UH-60L, 4-3 AVN)
ARMY 26629 (UH-60L, 4-3 AVN)
ARMY 26633 (UH-60L, 4-3 AVN)
ARMY 26795 (UH-60L, 4-3 AVN)
ARMY 27040 (UH-60L, 4-3 AVN)
ARMY 27065 (UH-60L, 4-3 AVN)
ARMY 27075 (UH-60L, 4-3 AVN)
ARMY 26286 (MH-60L, 3-160 SOAR)
ARMY 26490 (MH-60L, 3-160 SOAR)
ARMY 03747 (MH-47G, 3-160 SOAR)
ARMY 03748 (MH-47G, 3-160 SOAR)
ARMY 03752 (MH-47G, 3-160 SOAR)
ARMY 03755 (MH-47G, 3-160 SOAR)
ARMY 03756 (MH-47G, 3-160 SOAR)
ARMY 03757 (MH-47G, 3-160 SOAR)
ARMY 03761 (MH-47G, 3-160 SOAR)
SUNNY ## (RC-12N, 224 MI Bn)
HURRICANE ## (CH-47D, B-169 AVN)
TESTHAWK ## (H-60, OLR)
COAST GUARD 6510 (MH-65C, Savannah)
COAST GUARD 6542 (HH-65C, Savannah)
COAST GUARD 6545 (HH-65C, Savannah)
ARMY 1863 (C-37)
COAST GUARD 6604 (H-65)
KING 15 (HC-130, 71 RQS)
KING 74 (HC-130)
NAVY JV 832 (C-40, VR-58)
NAVY LL ## (P-3C, VP-30)
PELICAN ## (P-3C, VP-45)


Savannah IAP/CRTC
119.100 - Tower
257.800 - Tower
121.900 - Ground
348.600 - Ground
120.400 - Approach/Departure
353.775 - Approach/Departure
125.300 - Approach/Departure
371.875 - Approach/Departure
118.400 - Approach/Departure
307.225 - Approach/Departure
225.750 - 165th AW CP
225.050 - 165th AW
128.925 - Gulfstream Service Center

DAWG ## (C-130H, 165 AW)
GULF TEST ## (Gulfstream Test Flights)
NAVY HQ 476 (SH-60, HSL-46)
VENUS 42


Fort Stewart/Wright AAF
127.350 - Marne Radio
279.626 - Marne Radio
126.250 - Wright AAF Tower
269.275 - Wright AAF Tower
51.050 - Helicopter Common


MCAS Beaufort
328.425 - Approach/Departure
292.125 - Approach/Departure
281.800 - Base Ops
264.500 - PMSV
313.800 - VMFA(AW)-251 Base
290.000 - VMFA-251 Tac 1
327.475 - VMFA-251 Tac 2
228.200 - VMFA-312 Base
354.400 - VFA-86 Base
308.925 - VFA-86 Tac 1
363.825 - VFA-86 Tac 2

TBOLT 5# (F/A-18C, VMFA-251)
CHECK 6# (F/A-18C, VMFA-312)
WINDER ## (F/A-18C, VFA-86)
GYPSY 61 (F/A-18F, VFA-32)


Charleston AFB
349.400 - Charleston AFB "PALMETTO OPS"
134.100 - Charleston AFB "PALMETTO OPS"
118.150 - North Field CCT
235.775 - North Field CCT

GRITS ## (C-17, 437th/315th AW)


Shaw AFB
273.700 - 77th FS "GAMBLER OPS"
139.975 - 77th FS air-to-air
140.375 - 77th FS air-to-air
143.800 - 77th FS air-to-air
320.525 - 79th FS OPS
138.150 - 79th FS air-to-air
141.700 - 79th FS air-to-air
142.400 - 79th FS air-to-air

BOOKIE ## (F-16CM, 77th FS)
DIAMOND ## F-16CM, 77th FS)
FLUSH ## (F-16CM, 77th FS)
SLOT ## (F-16CM, 77th FS)
VENOM ## (F-16CM, 77th FS)
CLAW ## (F-16CM, 79th FS)
STORMY ## (F-16CM, 79th FS)
TOPCAT ## (F-16CM, 79th FS)


McIntire JNGB
298.300 - 169th FW "SWAMP FOX OPS"
141.825 - 169th FW V14
143.625 - 169th FW V15
143.250 - 169th FW V16
140.125 - 169th FW V19

MACE ## (F-16CM, 169th FW)
VIPER ## (F-16CM, 169th FW)
DEMON ## (F-16CM, 169th FW)
STALK ## (F-16CM, 169th FW)


125th Fighter Wing, Jacksonville IAP
351.800 - Jacksonville App/Dep
251.250 - 125th FW Maintenance/Ops
273.900 - 125th FW SOF
234.800 - 125th FW Aux 6
253.700 - 125th FW Aux 7
314.200 - 125th FW Aux 8
343.000 - 125th FW Aux 9

FANG (F-15C, 125th FW)
SNAKE (F-15C, 125th FW)
COIL (F-15C, 125th FW)
RATTLER (F-15C, 125th FW)
VENOM (F-15C, 125th FW)
MAGIC 52 (E-3, NATO)


Robins AFB/JSTARS
293.525 - 116th ACW "PEACHTREE OPS"
349.850 - Robins PMSV
225.725 - JSTARS Discrete
276.075 - JSTARS Discrete
328.025 - JSTARS Discrete
355.250 - JSTARS Discrete
372.150 - JSTARS Discrete
381.000 - JSTARS Discrete
395.150 - JSTARS Discrete

PEACH 3# (E-8C, 330th CTS)
STARGATE (E-8C backend, 330th CTS)
PEACH 6# (E-8C, 16th ACCS)
STRIKESTAR (E-8C, 16th ACCS)


Ranges/Military Operating Areas
119.225 - Townsend Range
228.400 - Townsend Range
343.750 - Bulldog MOA
354.300 - BEEFEATER ECM Range
236.075 - Grand Bay Range (Moody AFB)


SEALORD (USN FACSFAC Jax)
120.950 - North Primary
284.500 - North Primary
267.500 - South Primary
133.950 - South Primary
313.700 - North Secondary
385.300 - W-157 Discrete
301.000 - South TACTS Range
350.000 - South TACTS Range
311.500 - BRISTOL Discrete
320.500 - BRISTOL Discrete


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


Miscellaneous
DARLKSTAR (E-3, 965th ACCS)
GOLIATH (E-3, 960 ACCS)
GRUMMAN 87 (E-2, Grumman Test)
HUNTRESS (NORAD EADS)
KING 16 (HC-130, 71 RQS)
LIGHTNING 1# (MV-22?, USMC?)
MAGIC 52 (E-3, NATO)
NATO 02 (E-3, NATO, MAGIC 52's front end)
OPEC 76 (KC-10, McGuire)
OTIS ## (KC-130, VMGR-252)
PELICAN ## (P-3C, VP-45)
RAGIN ## (F/A-18, VFA-37)
SPARTA 0# (A-10, 23 FG)

364.200 - NORAD AICC
270.200 - NORAD Discrete
316.300 - NORAD Discrete
341.200 - MAGIC Discrete
255.450 - 71st RQS)
285.000 - USN TSC Jacksonville "FIDDLE"
275.500 - VFA-37 air-to-air
275.200 - Grumman St. Augustine
364.000 - Grumman Test


ARTCC
256.900 - Jax Center
269.550 - Jax Center Columbia Low
277.400 - Jax Center Brunswick Low
281.550 - Jax Center Columbia Low
282.200 - Jax Center Jekyll Low
282.300 - Jax Center Alma High
285.650 - Jax Center Statesboro High
290.400 - Jax Center Waycross Low
319.200 - Jax Center Aiken High
322.500 - Jax Center Savannah Low
346.250 - Jax Center St. Augustine
351.700 - Jax Center Summerville High
363.200 - Jax Center Allendale Low
370.950 - Jax Center Georgetown High
379.100 - Jax Center Charleston Low

323.000 - Atlanta Center Macon


Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Is it Time to Change How Amateur Radio Operators Handle Traffic?

John Kasupski, KC2HMZ wrote an interesting column in the March 2009 issue of Popular Communications. In "NIMS and EmComm Message Handling" (pg. 54) he takes a look at Amateur Radio traffic handling in regards to the National Incident Management System. I strongly suggest taking a look at John's thought provoking column, as he brings up some good points.

Prime among John's suggestions is that we as Hams switch from using the ARRL Radiogram to the standard NIMS ICS-213 form.

I do not claim to be an expert on the National Traffic System nor do I claim to be an expert on amateur radio message handling. To be honest, I am far from it. On the other hand, I do work in emergency communications. In my opinion this is something we as Hams need to look at and perhaps reconsider how we do things so that we better fit into the broader framework of emergency communications.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

MilCom Recap

I hope to have a MilCom recap up within the next couple of days. It's been a pretty busy work week (I'm on day 6 in a row today) and I just haven't had the chance to get things together.

Mac
KF4LMT

Hunter AAF Changes and Discoveries

Over the last week or so, there have been some frequency and callsign changes at Hunter AAF:

• 1-3 AVN has changed their Ops frequency from 54.500 to 70.575. Along with the frequency change comes a shift to almost entirely encrypted traffic.
• B/2-3 AVN's CH-47Ds have changed their callsign from HOOKER to RIVER

There have also been some new frequency discoveries:

• 3-17 CAV's OH-58Ds have begun using some of the old 3-3 AVN (the unit they replaced) frequencies. They have been using 238.375 and 245.175 as air-to-air frequencies.
• 3-17 CAV has also been using 51.500 for air-to-air; it seems that almost everyone at Hunter AAF has used this frequency at some point!

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Brush Fires

The Coastal Georgia area has a moderate to high fire danger rating as shown in Georgia Forestry's Fire Danger Rating Map. It is therefore no surprise that I've heard a good bit of brush fire activity on our area's Fire Department talkgroups. This week I've heard fires in the Pooler, Bloomingdale, and Effingham County areas.

Chatham County Fire Tac 1 (TG 3632) has been used for fires in Bloomingdale and Pooler, with units from Bloomingdale, Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Southside Fire, and Georgia Forestry invovled.

Effingham Incident Channels have been used for fires in various parts of the county with units from Effingham County Fire-Rescue, Rincon FD, Guyton FD, and Georgia Forestry involved.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net