Loggerhead Turtle Research Communications

Most nights lately, the Savannah NWR Complex Skidaway Repeater on 172.450 (P25 Digital) has been active with loggerhead turtle researchers working on Wassaw Island at the Wassaw Island NWR. You can hear them passing turtle counts, turtle movements, and information about nests.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Loggerhead Turtle Nesting

On the way home from work tonight, I heard activity on the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Complex repeater system from personnel tracking Loggerhead Turtle Nesting. Apparently they had sighted 7 turtles nesting and were going out to the nesting area (possibly on Wassaw Island, the location was never mentioned). The traffic was multicast on the Onslow Repeater (172.650 P25) and the Skidaway Repeater (172.450 P25).

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex Digital Repeater System Update

This afternoon, I was able to identify which NWR 172.650 is associated with. 172.650 was extremely strong in the Port Wentworth area this afternoon, so it is undoubtably the repeater is associated with the Savannah NWR. Monitoring the system over the last few days of firefighting operations has also indicated that the system is capable of operations in analog and digital mode. The repeater outputs are also apparently used for simplex operation as well.

This information brings the known info on the system to be (PL tones are listed where known for analog mode):

169.825 - PL 118.8
171.650
171.750
172.450 - PL 167.9 - Skidaway
172.650 - PL 110.9 - Savannah NWR

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Wassaw Island Fire

Savannah NWR Complex personnel are fighting a fire on Wassaw Island. Wassaw Dispatch, Savannah Dispatch, Helicopter 19HX, and personnel are using the Savannah NWR Complex Radio System in analog mode. Operations have been multicast on 172.450, 169.825, 171.750, and 172.650.

Most of the operations this morning have consisted of shuttling personnel, equipment and supplies between the Savannah Shop and Delegal Creek Marina to and from Wassaw Island and using the helicopter for water drops on hot spots. They are currently getting ready for burnout operations.

It sounds like this system could provide good listening throughout the day, it has been very active throughout the morning.

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

Savannah NWR Complex Radio System Update

On Thursday I found another frequency for the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Savannah NWR Complex Radio System. While 172.450, 169.825, 171.650, and 172.650 were active, 171.750 was also active. Due to the very weak signal strength, I have to think that is probably one of the more southern transmitters, probably in the area of Blackbeard Island or Wolf Island (near the Darien area).

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex Digital Repeater System

Back on April 27, 2007 I posted about a VHF digital repeater system that I heard the US Fish and Wildlife service using in the coastal Georgia area. After doing some research and listening to the system more, I'm convinced that it is used by the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex. This complex of NWRs is spread out over a large area and the linked repeater system enables them to have better communications both within and between the individual NWRs within the complex. It is comprised of seven National Wildlife Refuges that stretch from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina to Darien, GA including Pinckney Island NWR, Savannah NWR, Tybee NWR, Wassaw NWR, Harris Neck NWR, Blackbeard Island NWR, and Wolf Island NWR. Headquarters for the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex are located in Savannah, GA.

So far I've heard four sites for the system, although there could very well be more. At this point, I've only been able to identify one of the sites, the one at Skidaway which is closest to Savannah.

169.825

171.650

172.450 - Skidaway Site

172.650

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT

kf4lmt@comcast.net