Ohio Area Milcom

DoD Plans Affect Area Units and Bases

2012-02-04T20:26:00.009-05:00

With the Department of Defense making big cuts to Air Force infrastructure, many milair monitors in and around Ohio may experience a big decrease in local activity.

At this point all plans are 'Unofficial' but it appears that the DoD seeks to make heavy cuts involving over 100 A-10 aircraft including squadrons. Two squadrons are neighbors to Ohio, the 163rd FS 'Blacksnakes' from the Indiana Air National Guard at Fort Wayne and the 107th FS based at Selfridge Air Base for the Michigan ANG. Both units recently converted to the A-10 from the F-16.

The A-10 'Warthog' began flying operations in the 70s with its mission to providing
close air support for ground troops. Other squadrons that maybe affected are the 184th Arkansas ANG at Fort Smith, the USAFE's 81st FS at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany and the AFRC's 47th FS at Barksdale AFB.

Possible good news for the 163rd FS and Fort Wayne, is that the unit could pick up the mission of the MC-12 flying nine to eleven aircraft beginning in October 2013. The MC-12 is a turboprop plane that provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information for ground forces. It just entered operational flying status in 2009.

Ohio Bases To Lose Aircraft

2012-02-04T11:57:00.004-05:00

The Air Force recently announced that many cuts were coming to the service in an effort to reduce costs and size of forces. These cuts will appear to hit several bases in the Buckeye State hard. In particularly, Mansfield. Cuts call for the 179th AW to lose all four of its C-27J Spartans to retirement, two of which are currently deployed to Afghanistan. The 179th AW just received and started flying the C-27J last summer. Within the next year, some 3,900 active duty, 5,100 Air Guard and 900 Air Force reserves will be cut overall.

Ohio lawmakers, including Senator Rob Portman (R) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D) are working hard to minimize the impact on Ohio.

The Ohio National Guard's 121st ARW based at Rickenbacker International is slated to lose six of its KC-135 Supertankers.

SPARTANS HEAD OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME

2011-08-03T17:13:00.007-04:00

The 179th AW airmen have headed to Afghanistan for the first-ever deployment of the Air National Guard's new C-27J transport aircraft. The 179th will join up with units from Georgia and Oklahoma to work with the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Using the new C-27J Spartans for airlifts and airdrops to provide direct support to U.S. Army ground units. The 179th AW was the first air national guard unit to receive the new Joint Cargo Aircraft as reported here on the Ohio Area Milcom Blog in August 2010. Their deployment overseas will last nine months.

Springfield-Beckley Could Become a C-17 Assault Strip

2011-07-24T11:05:00.006-04:00

With a September 30th date fast approaching for the handover of the former Air National Guard Base to the City of Springfield. Plans are being formulated to turn the airport into possible use as an assault strip for the C-17s from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Currently the 445th AW have been flying to Washington state and South Carolina to practice take-offs and landings. Turning KSGH into an assault strip for those training purposes would save in fuel and costs. Not to mention giving us Milcom monitors more to listen to.

2011 Vectren Dayton Air Show Frequencies

2011-07-23T09:11:00.007-04:00

Ohio Milcom frequency spotters report the following frequencies in use at this year's Dayton Air Show now getting underway at Cox-Dayton International Airport (KDAY).

Fixed:

123.150                 Show Discrete
123.225                 Daffy Control (Ramp)
124.900                 Air Boss
282.325                 Air Boss
379.700                 Daffy Control
                    (ground side kept mistakenly transmitting FM)
451.500/456.500 743 DCS Air Show Ops

Tactical:

122.475               A-10 East Hog Demo
122.775               OSP Plane
123.325               MetLife blimp
123.450               Red Bull
123.475               Team Oracle
133.000               Sean D. Tucker
139.625               180th FW Aux 06
141.075               Thunderbirds V01
141.575 127.3 PL      CAP CC 1
234.500               Army Aviation Heritage Foundation
235.250               Thunderbirds U01
275.500               VFA-37
322.950               Thunderbirds U02
341.750               9th BW
397.475               ISR 6
413.275 431 DCS       Thunderbirds ground support


WPAFB TRS:

976      Fuels
1552     Military FSS/RSU

2011 AFMC Freedom's Call Tattoo

2011-06-19T10:09:00.007-04:00

This years Freedom's Call Tattoo is scheduled for this coming Friday June 24 at the National Museum of The United States Air Force adjacent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Aircraft expected to perform are:

C-17A
C-21A
C-130H
KC-135R T-6 (the warbird, not the modern one)

The schedule for Friday is:

1100-1200:     AF band rehearsal
1200:          All video screens complete and connected
1200-1630:     Guest band setup and sound check           
               NLT 1300: aircraft arrivals
1600:          FAA waiver briefing on flightline
1600:          Gates open
1630:          Displays open
1700:          Opening band takes stage
1830:          Preshow begins
1959-Twilight: Aircraft flights
2000:          Ceremony begins
2100:          Guest band takes stage
2200:          Fireworks display
2230:          Show ends

All aircraft are expected to arrive at KFFO prior to 1 PM on Friday for the mandatory 4 PM briefing. This is by far your best chance to see them (especially if you are taking photos, since the show is at dusk!). If this is the case....

First, check the ATIS (124.475/269.900) for the runway in use.
If 23R/L: Watch from Fairfield Park (39 50 00/-084 01 28).
If 05L/R: Watch from Wright Brothers Hill (39 47 42/-084 05 21).

If you plan to watch the show instead, your best bet is to find someplace east of the museum runway to see the aircraft inbound for passes. Huffman Dam will have traffic overhead, but at higher altitudes to avoid terrain. Eastwood Park may be a good alternative, though I've never tried it. There will also be many people set up along Col. Glenn near Exit 15, but you'll need to plan parking in advance - base security will be shooing you away if you try to get a spot in a private lot.

High-performance aircraft hold at CLACK (south of KSGH) until they are called into the pattern. From there, they proceed overhead FFO and begin a downwind leg to 09. This inbound turn is VFR - as shown by the B-52 last year: they made an extended base leg and got scolded by the controller for nearly overflying the crowd. All closed patterns at the museum field are flown normally.  The initial flyover also stages from CLACK, but uses a point south of the museum (probably a fix off the TACAN) to time their inbound run.

FREQUENCIES TO MONITOR:

AIR:

121.800 Ground
121.950 WPAC Ops
122.850 Dispatch
123.225 Air Boss
123.550 WPAC Tac 3
123.575 WPAC Tac 4
123.650 WPAC Tac 1
123.675 WPAC Tac 2
126.500 Columbus Departure
126.900 Tower
251.075 Tower B/U
281.450 Tower
289.400 Air Boss
327.125 Columbus Departure
335.800 Ground
344.600 Metro
349.400 Buckeye Control
372.200 Dispatch

GROUND:

Civil Air Patrol (providing support for SF):
139.8750 TAC 1
141.0000 CC 2
141.5750 CC 1
149.2750 AIR 1
150.2250 GUARD 1
150.5625 AIR 2
148.1250/143.5500 Primary
148.1500/143.7000 Secondary
148.1375/143.6250 Tactical 

CAP ISR radios:

396.8750 1
397.1250 2
397.1750 3
397.3750 4
397.4250 5
397.4750 6
397.5500 7
397.9500 8
398.0500 9
399.4250 10
399.4750 11
399.7250 12
399.9250 13
399.9750 14 

Media (should be using remote pickups around 450 mHz):

1290 WHIO-AM - live @ 5 PM
95.7 WHIO-FM - live @ 5 PM
99.1 WHKO-FM - live @ 6 PM, fireworks simulcast

Wright-Patterson TRS

Thanks to Jared Soergel for the above information. If anyone catches anything not listed above please post in the comments.

OPENING DAY IN CINCINNATI

2011-03-31T09:50:00.002-04:00

It's officially a holiday in Cincinnati! The Reds play the Brewers with the first pitch at 2:05 PM for the start of the 2011 Major League Baseball season.

Member Jared Soergel has the details for the pre-game flyover:

VFA-131 will be performing a flyover for Opening Day 2011. The standard procedure for flyovers at GABP is to orbit overhead of Lunken Field (KLUK), then depart on a 270-degree heading directly to the stadium. Most often, aircraft will stage from Lunken itself.

The lead aircraft will be communicating timing with the ground controller (probably on UHF discrete), and making the inbound call with CVG Approach. In some cases, another aircraft in the flight will monitor Lunken Tower for traffic advisories.

Freqs to listen for:
CVG Class B: 121.000/254.250
RCO's: 124.900 (Clermont Co., Blue Ash, Lunken), 126.250 (Butler Co.)
KLUK Tower: 118.700/257.800
KLUK Ground: 121.900
VFA-131: 235.400, 239.875, 264.350, 285.500, 285.800, 339.400, 357.800
Flyover common: 123.450, 282.800

Push For Unmanned Airspace in SW Ohio Edges Closer

2011-02-17T11:52:00.005-05:00

Ohio legislators continue to push to have the FAA re-designate airspace in SW Ohio for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). That inched closer to reality on Wednesday February 15 when the house approved aviation bill that included a measure for tests ranges throughout the United States, while SW Ohio has not yet been selected, it certainly puts both Wright Patterson AFB and Springfield ANBG as front-runners for their intensive work with UAVs. The airspace re-designation would be critical for the continued development and testing.

445th AW Gets Another C-17

2011-02-17T11:29:00.004-05:00

On Friday February 11th, the 445th AW at Wright-Patterson AFB accepted delivery of their second C-17A (93-0603). It worked the pattern before landing using the callsign RHINO 92.
There will eventually be a fleet of eight C-17 aircraft for the 445th AW. The photo is of 97-0044 which was the first C-17A taken delivery of. Photo courtesy of Michelle Gigante

Mansfield Goes Spartan!

2010-08-15T10:53:00.009-04:00

Some people may find Friday the 13th to be an unlucky date. For the people of Mansfield, Ohio, it could be their luckiest one. It was on Friday August 13th that the 179th Airlift Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard accepted the first of four new C-27J Spartan aircraft that the unit is transitioning to from the C-130 Hercules aircraft they have been flying since 1976. This move is a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005. The Alenia built C-27J Spartan is a medium sized military transport aircraft ordered as the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) for use by all United States military.

The C-27J is an advanced version of Alenia Aeronautica's G.222, using the engines and systems from the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. An estimated crowd of around 800 friends, family, local legislative and high ranking air guard officials attended the ceremony. The ceremony closed with the christening of the first plane as "The Spirit of Mansfield". By February 2011, unit commander Colonel Gary McCue states the 179th should have four of the C-27J Spartans on base. U.S. Senator from Ohio Sherrod Brown promises to relentlessly pursue having Mansfield designated as a national training base for the new aircraft. This promises to provide Ohio Area Milcom listeners more monitoring opportunities in the years to come.

2010 Vectren Dayton Air Show Frequencies

2010-07-18T10:22:00.006-04:00

Ohio Milcom Blog Reporters Darryl Furguson, Tony Stewart and Rod Villari are checking in with frequencies monitored for this year's Dayton Airshow.


AERONAUTICAL OPERATIONS:

123.150                 Air Show Discrete
123.475                 Sean Tucker
124.900                 Air Boss
139.8125 NFM  67.0 PL   Blue Angels Maintenance
142.6125 NFM  67.0 PL   Blue Angels Tower Spotter
237.800                 Blue Angels Solos
275.350                 Blue Angels Diamond
284.250                 Blue Angels Show Box
305.900                 Fat Albert
346.500                 Blue Angels Check List
384.550                 Unknown Use


SUPPORT FREQUENCIES:

451.500        Airshow operations?  (repeater)
451.800        Shuttle Buses
456.800        Gate Ops
460.4625       Parking (narrow band ?, low modulation)
469.500        Vendors
469.550        Vendors

First A-10 Thunderbolt IIs Arrive at Fort Wayne

2010-07-18T10:10:00.004-04:00

The first four of what is expected to be a compliment of twenty A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter planes arrived at Fort Wayne IAP on June 30th. The A-10s are replacing the Block 30 F-16s that the 122nd FW has been flying the past few years. The aging F-16s are being retired and the Indiana Air National Guard will transition to the larger fighters. Hanger space is being expanded to house the bigger aircraft.

Bad News For Springfield - The Dutch Move to Tucson

2010-05-03T11:22:00.006-04:00

The Dutch Daily News is reporting this morning that the Royal Netherlands Air Force will return to Tucson International Airport for pilot training with the 162nd Fighter Wing. For the past five years the Dutch have been training with the Ohio National Guard's 178th FW at Springfield-Beckley ANGB. The OHANG has been in long term negotiations with the RNLAF, but the Dutch have decided to return to Tucson instead. They will base 14 of their F-16 aircraft there at Tucson beginning in January 2011 just as they have at Springfield since 2005.

This is bad news for milcom monitors here in southwest Ohio who are used to hearing daily action in the local Military Operations Areas that are nearby. The 178th FW has been slated to disband in accordance to the 2005 BRAC. Area officials have been trying to negotiate a new contact to keep the Dutch at Springfield into the future,. a future which is now up in the air...so to speak.

178th Heads to Hungary

2010-04-22T11:47:00.003-04:00

For the first time since 2001 around 100 members of the 178th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard based at Springfield will fly overseas to Kecskemet, Hungary. The 178th will participate with the Hungarian Joint Force command as part of a two-week training exercise. Most of the members will fly separately, with the fighter jets to follow. Originally the jets were to have left on Thursday April 22nd, but the flight lane disruptions from the erupting Iceland Volcano have delayed that. Look for the jets to take-off in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday morning the 25th. The 178th normally use the callsign "BUCKEYE" for transit outside of Ohio.

OPENING DAY FLYOVER

2010-04-03T12:46:00.012-04:00

Four F-16s from the Ohio National Guard's 178th FW based at Springfield-Beckley MAP will conduct a pre-game fly over of Great American Ballpark. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:10 PM so expect the fly over few minutes before then. Keep an ear on CVG frequencies and Indy ARTCC as well as air to air in the 138-143 MHz range.

Try these for activity:



118.300     CVG Tower
118.850     DAY pproach/Departure
120.700     SGH Tower
123.875     CVG Approach
123.925     ZID ARTCC Merwyn RCAG
126.650     CVG Approach
128.700     CVG Approach
254.250     CVG Approach
281.400     ZID ARTCC Merwyn RCAG
290.500     ZID ARTCC Merwyn RCAG
363.150     CVG Approach
383.100     SGH Tower

Photo courtesy of Blues Skies Aerial Photography

Wright-Patterson's 445th AW to fly the C-17 Globemaster III

2010-03-20T12:04:00.006-04:00

On March 12th, the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff approved the replacement of the C-5As flown by the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with the C-17 Globemaster III. The first four of eight C-17s are expected to arrive in fiscal year 2011 after five C-5As are retired from service.

Delivery of the four newer aircraft are expected in FY 2012 when the rest of the C-5 fleet is retired. The Air Force Reserve Command unit has been flying the C-5As since the retirement of the C-141 Starlifter in May 2006. The last C-141C (serial 66-0177) known as the "Hanoi Taxi" is now housed at the National Museum of The United States Air Force adjacent to WPAFB.

While the C-17 is smaller and carries a lighter payload, it has the ability for rapid deployment, less maintenance and can land on shorter airfields. The C-17 first went into service in the early 90s. The C-5 Galaxy has been flying for over 40 years and is now less cost effective to maintain.
The 445th Airlift wing will become the Air Force Reserve Command's 4th C-17 Unit and the second to fly its own Globemaster III aircraft.

SPRINGFIELD NOT GETTING SINGAPORE JOBS

2010-01-07T13:26:00.006-05:00

Springfield ANGB was hoping to land a contract training pilots of the Singapore Air Force. Instead those jobs will be going to the 162nd Fighter Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard based at Tucson. The reason for this, is that it costs between $900,000 and $1.2 million less to train per pilot.

Springfield has been hosting the Royal Netherlands Air Force since 2007 and that contract expires this fall, it is currently being negotiated to extend the RNLAF training. When that 10 year Base Realignment And Closure mission as a training base ends, 150 full time jobs and the base itself are at risk of being lost. Everyone from local politicians to the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff are committing themselves to keep the base open and operational. One of the cost factors involved with Singapore not coming to Springfield is that they would have to lease the jets to fly. The 178th FW is slated to lose all of it's F-16 aircraft in accordance to the BRAC directives.
In the meantime daily training sorties continue to provide local milair enthusiasts some interesting monitoring.

Recent Area Loggings

2009-12-30T09:57:00.004-05:00

Here are some recent intercepts from area monitors:


From Randy True, W4RTT


240.350    Blue Ash Control
291.725    Cleveland Center
139.625    Stings 11 & 12, Yoder 22 & 32,
139.975    Gutter or Cutter 32, Delta 2120
141.825    No Call signs, but they definately sounded Scotch,
           One was dead on Sean Connery.
           SNAKES and ATOMICS in R-5503 at 9:25 to 9:45 local
           time. ATOMICS switched to 269.275.

138.275     These sounded like flights just passing through.
139.900




----

Alex K. N8UCN


344.600    SENTRY 61 (Tinker, AFB, OK) W/ WPAFB Metro Requesting WX
           for Tinker AFB. Later, Sentry 61 gave Pirep. 1750z
240.350    178th SABER FLT checking in after takeoff. 1805z
288.700    AWACS aft call of DRAGNET VICTOR making comm checks on
           frequency.1820z
254.700    DRAGNET VICTOR comm with ATC, with intentions on making the
           Red Hill MOA, 1823z
287.450    Repeated electronic chirps heard form DRAGNET VICTOR.
           Obviously a Data link freq, 1325z
289.300    MACE CONTROL and DRAGNET VICTOR coordinating exercise for
           COLT Flt. 1330z
260.900    DRAGNET VICTOR Calling HUNTRESS w/ comm checks for
           exercises at 1340z
228.900    DRAGNET UNIFORM Tried to establish comms with Huntress with
           no joy. Multiple calls go on for 10 mins. Finally contact is
           made with 180th FW, STING FLT out of Toledo Express APT.
           DRAGNET UNIFORM gave a ground brief and Core checks.
360.775    DRAGNET VICTOR calling INDY ATC with intent of working
           COLT 41-44 in the Red Hills MOA.


238.800    MANIAC calling "Maniac Control" for en-route information and WX
           at 1900z.

----

autobag@fuse.net


336.100    (AR-455) traffic tonight between 7:30 and 9:15 PM local.
           Callsign "5044" told he had four in trail, heading down to
           block. Flt. level 20, and had contact.

343.250    (AR-633) Unidentified traffic. Same period of time. Don't
           know if this was related to the other mission.

           Bengals Game (12/6) Flyby Catch. Heard this traffic starting at
           12:35 to 13:02 local. Couldn't make-out the two syllable
           prefix before the 41 call sign. Had visual over Southern
           Campbell County, KY. They looked like two F-18 Super Hornets.

254.250,    "xx xx41" "flt. level one zero proceeding to the southwest"
254.250,    "xx xx41" "request overhead flyover"
254.250,    "xx xx41" "roger clear for 18 left"


----

John Denny


252.100   MASH 83 airborne out of Grissom ANG.  He asked if they could
          relay to his receivers that he was an hour early and if they
          could be there early that would be great. There were at least
          4 in the BUCKEYE at that time using BLADE & ATOMIC callsigns
          at 2300z.

===
Thanks to all, keep them coming!

Dayton Air Show this weekend highlights one of its own

2009-07-12T09:26:00.011-04:00

This coming weekend July 18-19 is the annual Vectren Dayton Airshow held at James M. Cox-Dayton International Airport. In addition to the headlining U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, one of Wright-Patterson AFB 445th Airlift Wing's aircraft will be featured. A C-5 Galaxy from the 445th AW has been added to the schedule. Not only will it be doing a flyover. You will be able to get up close and personal to it as it will also be on ground display. Also recently added to the schedule is a vintage P-51 Mustang known as "Glamorous Gal". Complete show information can attained by clicking on the link in our headline.


  118.450   Dayton A/D
  118.850   Dayton A/D
  121.800   Ground
  126.500   Dayton Departure
  126.900   WPAFB Tower
  127.225   Dayton A/D
  127.650   Dayton A/D
  239.800   AF WX 
  255.400   FLIGHT SERVICE COMMON
  269.275   Dayton Approach
  281.450   WPAFB  Tower
  291.000   Dayton Departure
  294.500   Dayton A/D (000-090)
  295.400   Dayton A/D
  316.700   Dayton A/D  (181-359)
  324.500   Dayton A/D
  327.100   Dayton A/D
  327.125   Dayton A/D 
  335.800   Ground
  344.600   WPAFB METRO
  349.400   445th ALW CP "Buckeye Control"
  352.050   Dayton A/D
  370.875   Dayton A/D
  372.200   WPAFB  Pilot to Dispatch
  389.800   GCA APPROACH
 

  DAYTON TRS TALKGROUPS:

  47984     DOA POLICE
  47472     DOA LEADS
  46992     DOA MAINT
  47024     DOA FIRE
  48994     DOA SHUTTLES
  37264     OPS 56
  37328     OPS 57


  MONTGOMERY COUNTY TRS TALKGROUPS:

  2640      Butler Township Special Events
  7312      Vandalia Police TAC 1
  12688     I-OP 2


  U.S. AIR FORCE THUNDERBIRDS
  (for a complete list of frequencies check out the 
  2009 MT Airshow Guide )

  139.800   Victor 1
  140.400   T-BIRD OPS Air to Air
  140.700   Reported in Canada and Northern U.S.
  141.075   Reported at Prairie Air Show 7-10-09
  141.825   Alt Diamond Victor 2
  143.250   Pre-engine start
  143.700   Diamond/Delta Formations Victor 1 (paired w/150.150)
  148.125   Victor 1
  148.850   Alt Diamond Victor 2 paired w/139.800
  150.150   Alt Diamond Victor 2 paired w/143.700
  225.175   Uniform 1
  235.200   Thunderbird Control
  235.250   Pre-Engine/Solo Aircraft on/off show center
  322.950   Engine Starts/Solo Aircraft Air to Air Uniform 2

  Maintenance/Ground Crew (NBFM)

  216.725   PA Announcer/Show Feed
  216.975   Team Air Show Frequency Feeds (Air to Air simulcast)
  413.275   Ground Maintenance (431 DCS)
  413.325   Ground Maintenance (503 DCS)


  BRAZILIAN SMOKE SQUADRON:

  133.450


  Also don't forget to monitor the Intrasquad Radio (ISR).
  They have been reported in use at past Dayton Air Shows
  by U.S. Air Force Cadets:

  ISR FREQUENCIES:

  01  396.8750    08   397.9500
  02  397.1250    09   398.0500
  03  397.2750    10   399.4250
  04  397.3750    11   399.4750
  05  397.4250    12   399.7250
  06  397.4750    13   399.9250
  07  397.5500    14   399.9750


If you attend the airshow please use the comment section below 
to update frequencies and any other information you may have 
for all to use. Also please let us know if you may be using 
Twitter to provide updates.


Live non-aeronautical scanner audio feed of the area 
can be found HERE.

NASA Research Plane to fly the skies of Ohio

2009-06-03T12:04:00.003-04:00

This summer Wright Patterson Air Force Base will play host to a ER-2 NASA Research Plane and it crews. The ER-2 is a converted Lockheed U-2 Spyplane being used by NASA for support of global warming research. The ER-2 can attain altitudes of over 70,000 and carry up to 2,600 pounds of cargo. This allows the sensor package installed on the aircraft to operate like satellite base sensors, collecting data on Earth resources, celestial observations, atmospheric chemistry and dynamics and oceanic processes. The aircraft and its crews are expected to arrive at WPAFB around June 24 and operate for about one month. The ER-2 is based out of NASA's Dryden Research Center located at Edwards Air Force Base in California. This should give Ohio Milcomers a unique listening opportunity this summer.

Photo courtesy of NASA

178th FW Will Conduct A Memorial Day Fly Over

2009-05-18T10:08:00.004-04:00

This year the City of Blue Ash will host a couple of special guests for their Memorial Day Parade and Concert. The 388th Army Band will be the featured military band for the 57th annual Blue Ash Memorial Day parade. The band will be performing a free concert at 6:00 PM on Sunday the 24th in the Blue Ash Towne Square in addition to the parade on Monday. The parade starts at 10:15 AM near Reed Hartman Highway and Cooper Road then travel east on Cooper to Kenwood, south on Kenwood to Hunt and east on Hunt to the Veterans Memorial the parade should end around 11:30 AM.

The other special guest for the parade will be a flyover of the 178th Fighter Wing/306th Squadron of the RNLAF from Springfield-Beckley ANGB during the parade.

Monitor, KSGH and Cincinnati ATC frequencies for the fly over:

120.700 KSGH Tower VHF
291.775 KSGH Tower UHF
118.850 Dayton Approach/Departure
327.125 Dayton Approach/Departure
269.000 Indy Center London RCAG
281.400 Indy Center Merwyn RCAG
123.925 Indy Center Merwyn RCAG
121.000 Cincinnati Approach/Departure
123.000 Blue Ash CTAF
124.900 Cincinnati Clearance Delivery
240.350 123rd ACS OH Air National Guard Blue Ash

Try a search of the 225-380 MHz, for other possible frequencies, and
remember to comment here on anything you find.

88th Air Base Wing Takes A "Time-Out" For Suicide Prevention

2009-05-06T09:48:00.003-04:00

The 88th Air Base Wing, the host unit at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has suspended part of their normal operations for the day to address the rise of suicides involving personnel from the base. Officials within the base have stated that the past six months have seen four apparent suicides. The base is taking a "time-out" today to bring awareness to its 5,500 military and civilian on base personnel and other organizations around the base, that there are Air Force programs and help available for those who maybe considering suicide.

127th FW Ceremony Marks Switchover to A-10s

2009-04-30T13:24:00.003-04:00

This coming Saturday (5/2) a ceremony will held at Selfridge Air Force Base in Mount Clemens, Michigan to mark the unit's transfer from the F-16 to the close combat support aircraft, the A-10. The 127th FW has been flying F-16s since 1990. This move is in accordance to the 2005 BRAC.

Natural Disaster Response Drill at Wright Patterson AFB Scheduled.

2009-03-15T22:48:00.008-04:00

A natural disaster response training drill has been scheduled for Wright Patterson Air Force Base for March 25 - 27. This will help prepare its personnel in responding to natural disasters and other emergency situations. This exercise is named "Strong Winds 09" in preparation for the strong storms spring brings to this area, and also in reference to the extensive wind damage suffered by this area during the big wind storm last September from the remnants of Hurricane Ike. Normal base operations will continue, although gate security may be tightened.

For radio monitoring, keep a watch on the following systems/frequencies:

WPAFB TRS
GREENE COUNTY TRS
MONTGOMERY COUNTY TRS
Fairborn Police 155.5950
8 iTAC/8 iCALL
Miscellaneous Mutual Aid Frequencies (154.280, 155.280, etc.)

Please post back here with a comment if you are catching any related activity.

WPAFB C-5's Get Upgraded

2009-03-08T18:52:00.002-04:00

The U.S. Air Force's largest aircraft, the C-5 Galaxy flown by the 445th Airlift Wing based at Wright Patterson Air Force Base are ready to resume local pilot training flights. Those flight's were temporarily suspended as the 445th's C-5s underwent modifications to the aircraft's armor. This did not affect the regular scheduled flights to other global air bases in the support on the war on terror.

Big Changes Coming for Fort Wayne

2009-03-08T18:32:00.005-04:00

Citing budget constraints and longer projected service. U.S. Representative to Indiana's 3rd District Republican Mark Souder announced on February 27th that the 122nd Fighter Wing based at Fort Wayne will discontinue flying the F-16 Fighting Falcon in favor of the A-10 Warthog. The A-10 is expected to fill the gap from the time the F-16 is retired from service until the F-35 becomes available to the Air National Guard.

Unprecedented Kentucky National Guard Activation

2009-01-31T16:18:00.008-05:00

The Governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshear just called out the entirety of the Kentucky National Guard and some Kentucky Air National Guard assets to deploy to western Kentucky to render assistance to those affected by the huge Winter Storm that struck Kentucky a few days back.

This is a great opportunity to plug in those KYNG and EMA frequencies for activity. There may also be activity on the Kentucky State Police digital frequencies as units closer to our area head west on I-71. This is the largest ever deployment of the Kentucky National Guard in the history of the Commonwealth.

Frequencies from the MONIX Master Frequency List:

137.075 KYEMA/KYNG in to 149.825
138.425 N293 KYEMA/KYNG 3
139.0625 P25 KYEMA/KYNG in to 139.4625
139.2125 P25 KYEMA/KYNG 4
139.250 KYEMA/KYNG F3
139.350 KYEMA/KYNG F4
139.4625 P-25 KYEMA/KYNG 2 139.0625 in
139.6625 P-25 KYEMA/KYNG
139.9625 P-25 KYEMA/KYNG 2 in to 139.465
148.785 P-25 KYEMA/KYNG
140.790 P-25 KYEMA/KYNG
141.365 P25 KYEMA/KYNG 1 in to 148.750
142.350 67.0 KYEMA/KYNG Statewide Net Ch 1 Simplex
Ch 2 Rpt 143.000 in
142.475 KYNG CH 3 148.575 in
142.6625 P-25 KYEMA/KYNG
143.000 67.0 KYNG input to 142.350
143.275 162.2 KYEMA/KYNG

You may also want to check out the FEMA frequencies on the MONIX List as well.

If anyone catches any activity from the action,
please post back to the blog here.

Last Three F-16s leave Michigan Behind

2009-01-20T13:34:00.003-05:00

Monday January 12th saw the last three F-16s of the 127th FW of the Michigan Air National Guard at Selfridge AFB leave Michigan behind for their new home at Fort Wayne, Indiana and the 122th FW of the Indiana Air National Guard. The 127th FW is changing to the A-10 as the fleet from Battle Creek, MI move to over to Selfridge.

Chuck Rapacki in Detroit checks in with the details of the flight;

MACE 91 x 3 (Last MI F-16's).
413.050 MACH. Aircraft 498 is cranked, 01:46pm. Taxi
503, 02:02pm. (I never heard the last tail# mentioned)

225.400 MTC twr, MACE 91 taxi into position & hold,
02:22pm. MACE 91 you're cleared for T/O contact dep,
02:23pm.

391.900 MTC dep, departure MACE 91 climbing to the
block 3 to 4 thousand, 02:24pm. Turning left 090,
passing 3800ft for 10000ft MACE 91.

290.425 Cleveland Center 02:29pm. MACE 91 passing 10 for 14
thousand, left turn direct Fort Wayne 02:30pm. Center
MACE 91 req dir FREEDOM (Hilltop MOA) that's Fox Romeo
Echo Delta Mike, 02:31pm.

138.626 A/A Looks like we're not going to make it to
the MOA in time. we'll go dir FWA & do some low app's
to burn down gas then land.

281.425 Cleveland Center 02:33pm. Center req dir FWA. Dir FWA,
02:39pm. Left 230, MACE leaving 14 thousand for 11
thousand, 02:45pm.

138.626 FWA Ops. Talking to Ops 02:36pm. 2 is code 2
for Uniform radio, 1 & 3 are both code 1, 02:40pm.
MACE push it up to MACH .85, 02:43pm.

284.600 FWA app, approach MACE 91 flt of 3, 30 to the
NE, req ILS trail runway 5 low app, 02:48pm.
272.725 FWA twr, never heard them switch to twr.

app = Approach
dep = Departure
dir = Direct
FWA = Fort Wayne airport.
MTC = Selfridge ANGB.
req = Request
T/O = Take off
twr = Tower
==========

Local 123rd ACS OHANG Heading to Iraq

2009-01-19T14:11:00.007-05:00

Members of the 123rd Air Control Squadron of the Ohio Air National Guard based at Blue Ash Airport have been called to active duty and will soon deploy to Iraq. They will operate an air traffic control center and provide radar data to ground troops on military air traffic.

The 123rd ACS controls the Brush Creek and Buckeye Military Operations Areas (MOA) [R-5503 A/B] located to the east of Cincinnati.

180th FW Deploys to Iraq

2008-10-07T20:01:00.003-04:00

Later this month, 220 members of the Ohio Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing, its 112th Fighter Squadron will take flight overseas to support ground troops for Operation "Enduring Freedom" in Iraq.

They will be stationed at Balad Air Force Base north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Their last overseas deployment was in 2007. About two dozen members of its security forces will station to Saudi Arabia. Not all members will be taking part in the deployment. There will still be a force of pilots to patrol the local skies as part of their new Homeland Security mission.

180th FW/112th FS Frequencies:

138.0500		AIR TACTICAL
138.1000		AIR TACTICAL
138.4250	V10	AIR TACTICAL
139.6250	V6	AIR TACTICAL
139.7500	V7	AIR TACTICAL
139.9750	V8	AIR TACTICAL
141.6000	V9	AIR TACTICAL
141.7000		AIR TO AIR
141.8750		AIR TACTICAL
143.8500	V1	COMMAND POST "BEEHIVE OPS"
285.4000		TOLEDO TOWER
307.0000	P5	TOLEDO APPROACH/DEPARTURE
317.5500	P4	TOLEDO APPROACH/DEPARTURE
338.9000	P1	COMMAND POST
343.8000	P7	OH ANG
379.2000	P11	CLEVELAND CENTER

180th FW Goes On The Alert

2008-10-07T19:27:00.005-04:00

Since that faithful day on Tuesday September 11, 2001 the 127th Fighter Wing based at Selfridge ANGB in Michigan has been on alert status protecting the local skies to identify or intercept unresponsive or threatening aircraft. With the 127th FW transitioning to the A-10 Thunderbolt in accordance with the 2005 BRAC, they will no longer be flying the F-16 by the end of 2008. They have turned the alert mission over to the 180th FW of the Ohio Air National Guard based in Toledo. The offical mission hand off took place on October 2, 2008.

NY Air National Guard's 174th FW Last Manned Flight

2008-08-18T10:29:00.004-04:00

When the unit deployed on June 10th for their last combat mission the MAZDA flights were heard taking to the skies on their last manned mission. When the nearly 200 members of New York Air National Guard's storied 174th Fighter Wing landed at Hancock Field last Tuesday from a two month deployment to Iraq, they ended over 60 years of manned flight.

The "Boys from Syracuse" will relinquish their F-16 C/D Fighting Falcons and take on a new mission of piloting the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper remote controlled drone.

179th Airlift Wing Gets A New Mission

2008-08-03T11:24:00.005-04:00

The Ohio Air National Guard's 179th Airlift Wing base at the Mansfield-Lahm Regional Airport has officially received new orders from the U.S. Air Force. Originally the 179th was to be disbanded as recommended by the 2005 Base Relocation and Closure Act. They will still lose all eight of their C-130 aircraft by 2010. Beginning in 2012 they will start receiving an as yet disclosed number of new C-27J Spartan joint airlift aircraft. During the transition however they will remain active flying the C-21 Learjet. The base was saved from closure with efforts by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and other local leaders working with the Ohio Air National Guard officials.

Further good news is that the 179th could possibly become the formal training wing for the C-27J. In the meantime you can still monitor the 179th on the following frequencies:

119.8000 MANSFIELD TOWER
121.8000 GROUND
122.9500 UNICOM
124.2000 MANSFIELD APPROACH / DEPARTURE
125.3000 ATIS
127.3500 CLEVELAND APPROACH / DEPARTURE
297.5000 HERC COMMAND POST
317.7000 CLEVELAND CENTER
325.8000 TOWER / GROUND
390.8000 APPROACH

Dayton Air Show 2008

2008-07-20T08:31:00.015-04:00

The 2008 Vectren Dayton Air Show is underway. Rod Villari reports in with active frequencies and what he heard on Saturday:

124.900 - Air Boss This was an interesting choice since it is used
here in Cincinnati. Some of the early performers
complained that they were picking up CVG when
they were in the air. They never changed frequencies
and I did not hear any more complaints later in the
show. All of the aircraft communicated to Air Show
Control on this frequency.

Discrete frequencies are listed below:

123.150 - Aeroshell Aerobatic Team

128.475 - Collaborators, Sean Tucker

280.800 - Apache Demo Team

384.55 - F-16 Demo, Heritage Flight

123.525 - Starfighters

376.025 - Heard the F-22 Raptor on this frequency for a very few minutes.
He then indicated that he was switching to a UHF discrete
frequency and never heard any more. I thought he indicated
378.475, but did not hear any traffic on that frequency.

The F-18 did not appear to have any ground support frequency.

The Misty Blues did not appear to have any ground support either.
Their sole contact was on the Air Boss frequency.

Rod Villari
--------------

Thanks for that report Rod, if anyone catches any other frequencies, please post a comment.

Local public safety at the show appear to being using the Montgomery County TRS talkgroup 12656 I-OP 1. I have heard a lot of heat related issues reported on that tg. Also 12688 I-OP 2 is active with some event related traffic, but not as busy.

181st FW (RACERS) Is No More

2008-07-14T21:44:00.003-04:00

In an official ceremony this past Sunday (7/13), the 181st Fighter Wing of the Indiana Air National Guard based at Hulman Field in Terre Haute was redesignated as the 181st Intelligence Wing. The nearly 200 air National Guard members are now part of the new wing.
The last of the 181st's F-16s left last December, some are now part of the 122nd FW based at Fort Wayne. Sadly there will be no more RACERS to listen to, but the 122nd FW still flies the skies of Indiana.

MI Air National Guard 127th AW Changes Mission

2008-04-13T14:07:00.003-04:00

On Saturday April 12th, the 127th Airlift Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard based at Selfridge Air Force Base northeast of Detroit changed it's mission from flying C-130s to flying jet powered KC-135s. They are now designated as the 127th Air Refueling Wing. This change was established in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act. The base has had eight KC-135s for a number of years now that once belonged to the 927th ARW of the Air Force Reserves. Those members of the 927th have since been reassigned to the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.

New Unit Begins Operations At WPAFB

2008-04-06T15:54:00.005-04:00

As part of the newly organized Global Logistics Support Center that regulate the supply of repair parts and aircraft engines to various air force bases worldwide, a new unit has begun service at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. On Monday March 31st, the 591st Supply Chain Management Group started operations. Its primary mission is supply chain strategy and integration of the Global Logistics Support Center headquartered at Scott Air Base in Illinois. This could mean several new talkgroups activating on the WPAFB Trunked Radio System.

445th AW Receives New Commander

2008-04-06T15:39:00.003-04:00

At a change of command ceremony on Sunday (4/6) Colonel Stephen Goeman took command of the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Colonel Goeman comes from serving as vice-commander of the 459th Air Refueling Wing based at Edwards Air Force Base, where he served as the senior air reserve technician. At Edwards he was responsible for 1300 personnel in 20 wings operating eight KC-135R Stratotankers. He replaces Brigadier General Bruce E. Davis who is retiring.

Popular Communcations - My New Gig!

2008-04-01T11:40:00.002-04:00

My first Popular Communications article has been published.
You can find it on page 57 of the April 2008 issue. I focused the
article on scanning Andrews Air Force Base. Check it out if you get a chance.

http://www.popular-communications.com/

The Silent Treatment

2008-04-01T11:24:00.005-04:00

I apologize for the dormant period we have had on the Blog here.
I've spent several months preparing to move. That has been done,
but real life took over for a period and I have not been able to get
any new information of any importance to post on here. Keep in mind if you have anything to pass along concerning military activity in the Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana area please send it along to ohioscan (at) gmail (dot) com.

I have not gotten the new shack up and running at my new QTH yet. I have however, purchased a new PSR-500 GRE handheld. So far I am very happy with it. I really haven't put it through its paces on the Milair side, but hope to soon.

MILITARY CALLSIGN LIST EXPANDED!

2007-09-03T13:47:00.001-04:00

I have just done a BIG update to the Military Callsign List.
Where known I have added confirmed Air to Air/CP frequencies.
If you can provide any updates to the list please feel free to contact me at: ohioscan@gmail.com and we will add them with the next update.

Enjoy,
Mark

THE THUNDERBIRDS ARE IN TOWN!

2007-07-25T22:10:00.000-04:00

This coming weekend is the 2007 Vectren Dayton Air Show at James M. Cox Dayton International Airport. The main attraction this year is the U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds. Here is a list of frequencies to keep a scanner on for activity. Some of these were last confirmed at the 2005 show:

AERONAUTICAL:

123.150 Common Discrete Channel
126.150 Airshow Control
130.500 Brazilian Air Force
130.650 Brazilian Air Force
132.250 Brazilian Air Force
140.400 Thunderbirds "T-BIRD OPS"
141.850 Thunderbirds "VICTOR 2", Air to Air
142.575 Thunderbirds Air to Ground (NBFM)
143.850 Thunderbirds "VICTOR 1" , Air to Air/PA System
235.200 Thunderbirds Control/Communications Cart
235.250 Thunderbirds "UNIFORM 1" / Solos/
322.950 Thunderbirds "UNIFORM 2"
316.700 * DAY Approach/Departure /Fly-Bys/
384.550 Air Show Control UHF

GROUND SUPPORT (NBFM):

148.1250 Civil Air Patrol
216.7275 Thunderbirds Audio Program
216.9750 Thunderbirds Pilot Audio
397.3750 ISR 04 (used by USAF Cadets for support)
413.2750 DCS 431 Thunderbirds Maintenance
413.3250 DCS 503 Thunderbirds Maintenance
467.8500 Food Operations
469.5000 DCS 732 Ground Support
469.5500 DCS 072 Food Operations
901.5000 Thunderbirds Cart Headsets
905.3500 Thunderbirds Cart Headsets

* = Correction

Search the 413 - 414 MHz band for more Thunderbirds ground activity some of which will be analog and some P-25 digital.

Please post any active frequencies you can confirm in our comments section!

AERIAL REFUELING FREQUENCY UPDATE

2007-07-21T11:44:00.000-04:00

There have been several frequency changes to area Aerial Refueling Routes (AR). Frequencies in RED are new. Make note of these and program your scanners accordingly. Do not forget, you can use the comment section to post any activity you are hearing on these.

AR Route Primary Secondary Entry Exit Controlling Center

AR-217	283.9000	282.7000	298.9500	294.6500	CLEVELAND
AR-218	274.4500	282.7000	299.2000	379.2000	CLEVELAND
AR-219	305.5000	282.7000	363.1000	288.3000	CLEVELAND
AR-220	274.4500	282.7000	299.2000	291.6500	CLEVELAND

AR-315 E	343.2500	236.6500	353.6500	257.8500	INDIANAPOLIS
AR-315 W	343.2500	236.6500	317.6700	291.6200	INDIANAPOLIS
AR-455 E	336.1000	291.9000	293.2200	290.5500	INDIANAPOLIS
AR-455 W	336.1000	291.9000	290.5500	377.1200	INDIANAPOLIS

A Dry Spell

2007-06-22T23:31:00.000-04:00

Apologies for the long dry spell. Things have been rather slow around here Milair-wise, on top of that I am now working day shift for the summer so that has cut into my monitoring time.

RNLAF training continues on 143.8750 and 138.3500.
I have also noticed the 121st ARW out Rickenbacker ANGB has been quite active lately on 238.800.

Please feel free to let us know what you are hearing in the comments section below.

The Flying Dutchmen in Ohio Skies

2007-05-09T11:09:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday May 8th in the 9 - 11 AM time frame we heard the first training session flown by the Royal Netherlands Air Force over the Buckeye State. We were unable to catch a callsign, but there seemed to be at least 3 pilots using a combination of Dutch and accented English. Nearly all of the communications took place on the 178th FW Air Tactical frequency of 143.875. The RNLAF Squadron 306 training over Ohio has begun!

ROYAL RECEPTION

2007-04-30T09:56:00.000-04:00

This coming Saturday May 5th presents a chance for some interesting monitoring for our area.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip will be attending the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

The current trip itinerary is for her to travel on a chartered Boeing 777 (most likely British Airways). The published schedule does not mention any stopovers in Lexington, but she does own a horse farm in the area. Arrival via Norfolk, VA may be Friday evening or Saturday morning at either Lexington or Louisville or both.

If the 777 is flown by the Royal Air Force No. 32 Squadron it may be using the callsign "KITTYHAWK", followed by several numbers, then followed by "ROMEO" to signify a Royal Family Flight. KITTYHAWK is the callsign of RAF Royal Squadron.

Both Louisville International Airport - Standiford Field (KSDF)and Blue Grass Airport (KLEX)in Lexington are controlled by Indianapolis Center (ZID). We will have to chance to hear them on ZID frequencies and approach frequencies for Lexington and Louisville.

Click on the links to the right for Indianapolis Center frequencies, here we list the approach frequencies for KSDF and KLEX:

LEXINGTON - KLEX

120.150 -- Approach/Departure (040-220)
120.750 -- Approach/Departure (221-039)
125.000 -- Approach/Departure
259.300 -- Approach/Departure (040-220)
298.900 -- Approach/Departure (221-039)

LOUISVILLE - KSDF

123.675 -- Approach/Departure West
132.075 -- Approach/Departure East
134.150 -- Approach
327.000 -- Approach/Departure

Expect this aircraft to be handled in the same manner as Air Force One.

RNLAF Units at Springfield

2007-04-28T11:37:00.000-04:00

We have more information on the RNLAF units now based at Springfield-Beckley (KSGH).

The Dutch pilots being trained at KSGH are members of the 306th Training Squadron based at Vokel Airbase. However, the F-16s are a mixture from various other Royal Netherlands Air Force squadrons. In particular the first wave of aircraft are from the 322nd and 323rd Squadrons based out of Leeuwarden Airbase. The current Dutch aircraft present at KSGH should be:

J-208 -- F-16BM
J-623 -- F-16AM
J-209 -- F-16BM
J-367 -- F-16AM
J-369 -- F-16AM
J-010 -- F-16AM

Frequencies from the RNLAF aircraft we should be monitoring are:

306th Training Squadron "Hawks"

142.975 V13
142.275 V16
142.075 V17
142.475 V18
143.275 V19

322nd and 323rd Squadrons

129.275
140.125
140.225
140.575
140.625
142.025

Locally in the Netherlands the 306th Sqn are known to use the following callsigns:

BOXER, CONDOR, NAF306, RAZOR, REBEL, ROVER and SPIDER.

A big THANK YOU to Marcel for passing along the above information!

Get your receivers programmed and let the monitoring begin!!

Major Exercise Scheduled: ARDENT SENTRY/NORTHERN EDGE 2007

2007-04-26T12:49:00.000-04:00

Beginning next week in the April 30 through May 10, 2007 time frame. A major federal exercise will take place in FEMA Region 1 (CT, MA, ME, NH RI, VT). The Military code name is: "ARDENT SENTRY/NORTHERN EDGE 2007" and it will simulate a landfall by Hurricane Yvette. This should still pose a listening opportunity for those of us in and around Ohio.

Keep an ear on the NORAD NE Sector frequencies:

228.900 -- HUNTRESS (NORAD NE SECTOR)
234.600 -- NORAD BLUE 34
252.000 -- NORAD BLUE 11
254.475 -- HUNTRESS
260.900 -- HUNTRESS
265.000 -- NORAD BLUE 14
271.000 -- NORAD BLUE 15
282.600 -- NORAD BLUE 17
288.400 -- NORAD BLUE 19
293.600 -- HUNTRESS
295.800 -- NORAD BLUE 20
300.125 -- NORAD BLUE 40
319.750 -- HUNTRESS

Others to try are:

Civil Air Patrol, National Guard, Air National Guard and the SHARES frequencies on HF. These are just a few, you may want to set up a receiver in search mode to find others.

THE FIRST WAVE HAS ARRIVED!

2007-04-19T09:50:00.000-04:00

Half a dozen F-16s of the Royal Netherlands Air Force arrived at KSGH on Tuesday. 15 Dutch Technicians arrived at WPAFB on Tuesday as well. Eight more jets are expected for a total of 14. Official ceremonies to begin the deployment are scheduled for Tuesday April 24th, although we should expect training activity to begin any day now.

Darryl, KB8BKU notes hearing RAMP OPS on 149.0375 from Springfield-Beckley MAP (KSGH). Darryl notes this seems to be a low powered repeater and is hard to hear from his QTH 15 miles west and using a 9db gain antenna.

He notes the same level on 163.3750 PL 71.9, but has not determined the use of it yet.

The RNAF training deployment is here to stay for at least the next three years. Talks to extend the deployment beyond the original three year deal are underway.

180th FW Night Operations

2007-04-05T22:03:00.000-04:00

The 180th FW out of Toledo are conducting night ops in Brush Creek MOA as of 10:00 PM Thursday. They are using their standard callsign STING on the following:

139.6250 -- Air to Air
141.6000 -- ACM
291.7250 -- Cleveland Center
338.9000 -- 180th FW Command Post

Wright-Patterson AFB Trunked System Decoded!

2007-04-03T00:42:00.000-04:00

Well, thanks to the effort of several area listeners the new WPAFB TRS has been decoded! I discovered today it is NOT a true P-25 system as it is still running at 3600 Baud. The SysID of 2B1C remains the same. It appears that the talkgroups remain the same, the main change is the switch to digital voice and new frequencies. Here is the set up you need
for your digital scanner to track the system:

Base: 406.3500
Offset: 380
Step: 12.50 kHz

FREQUENCIES:

Wright-Patterson AFB TRS is now DIGITAL!!

2007-03-31T12:35:00.000-04:00

It appears that the Wright-Patterson AFB Trunked Radio System has finally switched to digital as several listeners have noted a change since Friday March 30. We have been expecting this to happen since 2004, not sure why it took so long.

Here is what Darryl Trump, KB8BKU has monitored in analog mode on Saturday March 31st:

408.7625 Control Channel
408.9625
409.1625
409.3625
409.5625

When I get an opportunity to get over that way I will check it further with my Pro-96 and Trunker to gather more information
on it.

Dutch Air Force Due

2007-03-30T12:03:00.000-04:00

16 Pilots and 14 F-16s are due to arrive any day now at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport (KSGH). Keep an ear on the local aero frequencies for their arrival.

118.850 ---- Dayton Approach/Departure (091-180) /327.100/
120.700 ---- Springfield-Beckley Tower /291.7750/
256.700 ---- Indianapolis Center
281.400 ---- Indianapolis Center Merwyn RCAG Low
290.500 ---- Indianapolis Center London RCAG
317.625 ---- Indianapolis Center

If anyone knows any of the callsigns used by the Dutch Air Force, or any frequencies they may use, please post your comments.

BACK IN ACTION

2007-03-21T10:31:00.000-04:00

I have the IBM ThinkPad 760ED and Probe v7 back up and running. I'm slowly getting the frequencies back into it, up to 205 so far.

Here is what is being heard as of 10:20 AM local this morning:

138.3500 --- CLAW (flight of 4), 178th FW OHANG Springfield V14
139.5500 --- CLAW Air Tactical in R-5503
143.8750 --- CLAW Air Combat Maneuvers
240.3500 --- 123rd ACS Blue Ash coordinating CLAW flight
316.7000 --- CLAW wkg Dayton Approach
291.7750 --- CLAW w/ Springfield Tower RTB

Afternoon session as of 1:15 PM:

142.5500 ---- COACH 21 - 24 (Flight of 4) Air Tactical
240.3500 ---- COACH w/ BLUE ASH for ACM (this may possibly be Uniform 15 in their radios)

My Opto OS456 and Probe

2007-03-15T11:09:00.000-04:00

Apologies for the long dry spell. My main equipment for scanning
the multitude of military frequencies for many years has been my
Pro-2006 w/OS456 board installed and running Probe v7 on my
IBM Thinkpad. Well, back in late January I came home from work
to find the IBM Thinkpad displaying the BSOD or
"Blue Screen of Death". The hard drive died and thus all my data.
Now on all my other computers I keep everything backed up.
However, since I only used that one for running Probe 24/7
I never took the time. So....basically since then I have only
been doing intermittent milair listening using my Pro-96
and Pro-97 handhelds, and running Trunker on Ohio MARCS
sites with the 2006 and desktop computer.

A few days ago, I picked up another IBM Thinkpad from a friend,
so as soon as I can get Windows 98 loaded on it (it has Win95)
and Probe reloaded I'll be back up and monitoring Milair 24/7
once again.

If you ever find a Pro-2006 with an Opto OS456 board
pre-installed up for sale, jump on it! This has to be one
of the best scanning set-ups ever designed.

NEW Frequency for the area 240.3500 MHz

2007-01-16T11:31:00.000-05:00

For the past week or so, area monitors along with myself have
caught a new frequency active; 240.3500 MHz is BLUE ASH CONTROL. This is being used by the 123rd Air Control Squadron, Ohio Air National Guard based at Blue Ash Municipal Airport in Cincinnati for Air Combat Maneuvers (ACM) for R-5503A/B Brush Creek and Buckeye MOAs. This new frequency is providing some great listening for the area, and should become even more active when the 178th begins training the Dutch pilots in May.

Springfield-Beckley Activity To Increase

2007-01-06T10:24:00.001-05:00

There will soon be more to listen to in the skies over southern Ohio.
The Dutch government recently signed a letter of agreement with the United States. This will have Ohio Air National Guard pilots of the 178th Fighter Wing at Springfield-Beckley MAP training 16 Dutch Fighter Pilots each year beginning in May through 2010. US Senators Mike DeWine (outgoing) and George Voinovich (incumbent) worked on adding the new mission to the 178th. This will add 105 full time jobs and help bring millions of dollars into the local economy. Base workers will maintain 14 Dutch jets at Springfield. In June of 2005 the base was saved from the BRAC by basing a unit of military analysts there where they will review different types of data like satellite imagery. This should provide us military monitors in Ohio with some interesting listening for the next three years.

AR-315 Active

2006-12-04T13:51:00.000-05:00

This afternoon (Monday 12/04) I have heard some aerial refueling taking place in AR-315 over Kentucky. This was a great monitoring session as I caught three tail numbers being passed. The 434th ARW out of Grissom ARB was doing the refueling of STING aircraft from the 180th FW out of Toledo and a C-5B from Dover AFB showed up as well using the callsign BOLAR 70.

295.4000 AR-315 Primary

MASH 81 Tail# 60-0322
MASH 82 Tail #58-0076
BOLAR 70 Tail# 87-0027

Do It Yourself Military Callsigns!

2006-11-28T11:17:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I get rather obsessive with military callsigns. Let's face it no military callsign list is complete, they never will be. It may be one of the most fluid parts of our hobby. Callsigns are constantly changing, such is the way of the military. There are several lists available on the web, some good ones that come to mind are:

The Guide's Internet Callsign List: www.the-guide.nl/callsign

And Hugh Stegman's (MT editor) Callsign List: http://www.ominous-valve.com/callsign.txt

Sometimes the updates for these list may run a little long. We all know its not an easy task to keep up with. In fact on Hugh Stegman's page he says (forever under construction). These gentlemen do us a wonderful service. However this is also a part of the hobby where you need to do things in your own way. Thus I have started my own military callsign list using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (Freeware Open Office also works great and they are interchangable). I input any callsigns garnered from my own monitoring and those posted to various lists such as QTH.net's Milcom list. Using a good spreadsheet program you can configure it however you wish, to show as little or as much information as you like. I know many of us keep our own lists, if you have not started one yet, I strongly urge you to do so. Its easy and I actually find it quite enjoyable. It is just another form of collecting.
You can always use the other lists as cross reference sources. With these tools at your command you can't go wrong when you do it yourself!

Holiday Week Milcom

2006-11-20T10:55:00.000-05:00

The 180th FW from Toledo is flying the skies of Ohio this morning.
Using the callsigns JOKER and STING, the following are active @ 1050 Local.

139.6250 Air Tactical
139.9750 Air Tactical
288.3000 AR-219 Exit
290.5000 Indianapolis Center London Low Discrete
383.3000 Jefferson Proving Grounds Range Control

Monday Milcom Activity

2006-11-13T12:55:00.000-05:00

The 122nd FW (IN ANG) out of Fort Wayne is up in the
Buckeye MOA this afternoon. They are using the callsign IRISH (flight x4). The following frequencies are active as of 1245 local:

139.7500 V16 Air to Air Tactical

@1450 Local

STING 33 (flight x2) 180th FW OH ANG Toledo

139.6250 Air to Air
139.9750 Air Tactical
143.8500 ACM
283.8000 Refueling

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Welcome

2006-11-11T03:32:00.000-05:00

Welcome, to my new blog for disseminating information on monitoring military communications in and around the Great State of Ohio. Ohio sees quite a lot of aeronautical military activity, as does our neighboring states. There's lots to listen to, so this is where we start.