Visitors at Savannah CRTC

Aircraft from two visiting units are at the Savannah CRTC this week. F-16s from the 64th AGRS Agressor Squadron and A-10s from the 47th Fighter Squadron at Barksdale are working out of the CRTC.

The 64th AGRS F-16s are using the callsigns MIG and IVAN. 142.600 and 142.700 have been used for the air-to-air frequencies. 142.700 is one of the air-to-air frequencies used by units visiting the CRTC but I don't know about 142.600. They've been working with AWACS and NORAD for intercepts against the FL ANG F-15s out of Jacksonville in the offshore warning areas on 293.600, 316.300 and 139.700.

The 47th FS A-10s are using the callsigns SWINE 71/72 and SWINE 73/74. Their air-to-air frequencies have been 140.500 and 141.150 and they've used 237.000 to report into the their Ops. 140.500 and 141.150 are frequencies used by units visiting the CRTC and 237.000 is the CRTC CP frequency, regularly used by visiting units for their squadron ops. They've been working with JTACs using the callsign ADVANCE at Townsend Range on 228.400 and 252.900.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

DC Air National Guard at Savannah IAP

District of Columbia Air National Guard F-16s, 113th Fighter Wing/121st Fighter Squadron are working out of Savannah IAP this evening. CAPITAL 91-94 (F-16C, 121st FS) worked with HUNTRESS (NORAD EADS) and SNAKE 4# (F-15, 125th FW) in W-157.

After working in W-157, the CAPITALs RTB'd to Savannah IAP. When using UHF air traffic control frequencies, they used 143.600 for air-to-air, which they referenced as V7. When using VHF air traffic control, they used 234.800 for air-to-air, which they referenced as U1.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

178th Fighter Wing at the Savannah CRTC

F-16s from the 162nd Fighter Squadron/178th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard arrived at the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center today. I caught SABRE 2# flight and SABRE 3# flight closely followed by STEEL 81 (KC-135, 171 ARW) in support.

Due to the ongoing Exercise Southern Fury, I missed any air-to-air frequencies for the F-16s, but I did catch STEEL 81 check in with SABRE OPS on 237.000 (one of the CRTC Ops freqs).

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT

kf4lmt@comcast.net

113th Fighter Squadron at Savannah CRTC

F-16s from the 113th Fighter Squadron, IN ANG are currently working out of the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center. They have been using the callsign RACER and have been using 140.500 (AM) for air-to-air and 138.625 (AM) and 237.000 (both are CRTC Ops/CP) for communications with their Ops. I'm not sure if 140.500 is a unit frequency or a CRTC frequency; it was also used by the 118th FS during one of their visits here. Activity has been air-to-air combat training off of the GA coast with F/A-18s from MAG-31 at MCAS Beaufort, generally one early morning sortie and one late morning sortie.

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.