Savannah CRTC Ramp Back Open and Full of F-15s

Over the weekend while in Brunswick, I heard the F-15s from the 125th Fighter Wing at Jacksonville IAP fly to Savannah, so I assumed the ramp maintenance at the Combat Readiness Training Center as finished. This morning I heard the 125th FW F-15s working offshore with some other F-15s from an as yet unknown unit. This afternoon, I rode out to the airport to take a look and discovered that the other F-15s are from the 1st Fighter Wing's 71st Fighter Squadron. The CRTC ramp is just packed full of F-15s, probably 20 or more. The ramp is definitely back open and in use. The F-15s have been going off shore into the W-areas and working intercepts against each other with NORAD control. I've also seen some posts on the MilRadioComms email group that they worked with an AWACS yesterday. Below are the callsigns and the frequencies that the two units have been using:

125th Fighter Wing: FANG, SNAKE, RATTLER, VENOM
234.800 - Aux 6
253.700 - Aux 7
314.200 - Aux 8
343.000 - Aux 9

71st Fighter Squadron: IRON, STEEL, KNIGHT
293.300 - CRTC frequency
363.900 - CRTC frequency
379.800 - CRTC frequency

In addition, both units have been calling in their in-flight reports to EAGLE OPS on the CRTC Ops/CP frequency 237.000. Maintenance ops for the 125th FW are on 140.2125 and maintenance ops for the 71st FS are on 149.4875 (both FM) but you will have to be fairly close to the airport to hear those because most of the traffic is from handheld radios.

Other frequencies to keep an ear on to catch the F-15s are:

257.800 - Savannah IAP Tower
353.775 - Savannah Approach/Departure
371.875 - Savannah Approach/Departure
282.200 - Jax Center Jekyll Low
363.200 - Jax Center Allendale Low
284.500 - SEALORD North Primary
293.600 - NORAD Discrete
316.300 - NORAD Discrete

It's good to hear the CRTC back active again. Good Listening!

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT

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

Update on Savannah Approach/Departure UHF Frequencies

This morning I was out in the Pooler area, so I took a side trip by Savannah IAP and listened in on the ground side of the Approach frequencies. Based on my monitoring, here is what the new pairings are:

120.400/353.775
125.300/371.875
118.400/307.225

It seems that 125.300/371.875 and 118.400/307.225 are patched together to the same controller and 120.400/353.775 goes to another controller.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Savannah Approach/Departure UHF Changes

Over the last few weeks, I've noticed that the UHF approach and departure frequencies for Savannah have changed. The NOTAMs for Savannah IAP list the following:

353.775 vice 380.025
307.225 vice 371.875
387.100 OTS use 371.875

Monitoring experience seems to indicate that 353.775 has replaced 380.025 and 371.875 has replaced 387.100. 307.225 may still be in use, but I haven't had the chance to check it for multicast activity on the ground side. 307.225 never was used frequently in the first place, so it may not be heard on the air side immediately if it is still being used.

I'll post updates as I figure out the changes more completely.


Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

New Savannah Approach/Departure UHF Frequency?

Over the last two days, I've heard a new UHF frequency in use by Savannah Approach/Departure Control. 244.875 has been heard in use by aircraft coming back to Savannah and Beaufort area from the offshore training areas, Townsend Range, and the Coastal MOA.

It seems to have replaced 380.025. For instance, where aircraft going from Beaufort to Townsend would go from 387.100 to 380.025 to 228.400, they now use 387.100 to 244.875 to 228.400. Fighters coming toward Savannah from the offshore warning areas, go from 284.500 to 244.875 instead of 284.500 to 380.025.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

P25 at 165th Airlift Wing

This afternoon while traveling past the Savannah International Airport, I heard unencrypted P25 voice on 165.0125, the 165th Airlift Wing aircraft maintenance net. I'll be listening to see if other 165th AW land mobile frequencies go P25 as well.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

60th Fighter Squadron at the Savannah CRTC

F-15s of the 60th Fighter Squadron from Eglin AFB arrived at the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center at the Savannah International Airport this afternoon.

Arriving in two and four ship flights, they were using the callsigns ANGRY 5# and CROW 6#. Each flight checked in with CROW OPS on 253.200 (one of the CRTC Ops frequencies) just prior to arrival. A squadron maintenance net was also noted on 149.4875 NFM. Two of the flights were using CRTC discrete frequencies for air-to-air communications: CROW 61/62 were using 293.300 and CROW 63-66 were using 363.900.

Note: The VFC-12 F/A-18s are still at the CRTC as of Saturday afternoon.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

VFC-12 "Fighting Omars" at Savannah IAP

F/A-18s from the US Navy Reserve fighter squadron VFC-12, the "Fighting Omars" are at Savannah International Airport this week. Using the callsign AMBUSH, they have been flying missions in the SEALORD controlled Special Use Areas (SUAs) in W-157/158 off of the Georgia Coast. They have been using 374.300 and 234.500 for air-to-air communications. You can also catch the AMBUSH flights on Savannah IAP, Jacksonville ARTCC, and SEALORD frequencies:


257.800 - Savannah IAP Tower
380.025 - Savannah Approach/Departure
387.100 - Savannah Approach/Departure

282.200 - Jacksonville ARTCC Jekyll Low
363.200 - Jacksonville ARTCC Allendale Low

284.500 - SEALORD North Primary
313.700 - SEALORD North Secondary
385.300 - W-157 Discrete
376.900 - W-157 Discrete


Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Runway Maintenance at MCAS Beaufort, Some Squadrons Train out of Savannah

There is runway maintenance on the runway intersection at MCAS Beaufort which prevents the base's F/A-18 Hornets from flying out of the airfield until repairs are completed. As a result, some of the squadrons are temporarily operating out of Savannah IAP.

Aircraft from VMFA-122 (NIKELs), VMFA-251 (TBOLTs), and VMFA-312 (CHECKs) are at Savannah IAP this week. On Sunday, I heard TBOLTs checking in with their Base on 237.000, the Savannah CRTC Ops frequency.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net