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Monitoring Military Flight Demonstration Groups
–
MT's Annual Frequency, Equipment, and Schedule Column
by Larry Van Horn
Breaking News:
The following
frequencies have been observed at airshows since the start of
the 2004 season; *New* freqs are since this article was
written for the March 2004 Milcom column
:
US Army
Black Dagger Parachute Team
138.650
237.300
US Air Force
509BW B-2 Demo
388.850
US Air Force
AETC T-6 Texan East Coast Team
283.700
Observed at Keelser AFB/Dobbins JARB (Thanks to Mike
Riffle)
US Air Force
Thunderbirds
141.850 Comm
Test (Victor 1)
142.575 *New*
Program audio and air-to-ground
143.850 Four
ship formation
143.900 Ground
Support
235.250 Solo
aircraft
US Navy Blue
Angels
170.900 Ground
Operations/Air-to-ground
236.450 Unknown
usage, air-to-air
238.150 Delta
(six ship) formation
249.625 *New*
Solo aircraft (Observed at Dobbins JARB, thanks to Mike
Riffle)
251.600 Solo
aircraft
254.500 *New*
(Observed at Fort Lauderdale, thanks Robert Wymans)
273.300 *New*
Fat Albert/Blues taxi out (Observed at Dobbins JARB, thanks to
Mike Riffle)
275.350
Delta/Diamond formations
299.650 *New*
Diamond, used by Boss for coorination with solos (Observed at
Dobbins JARB, thanks to Mike Riffle)
345.900 Solo
aircraft
381.00 Heard
brief comms at end of performance (Observed at Dobbins JARB,
thanks to Mike Riffle)
Canadian
Snowbirds
272.100
Air-to-air
Civilian
Performers
122.750 Patty
Wagstaff
122.775 Red
Bull Team
122.950 Sean
Tucker
123.150 Ian
Groom (SU-31)
Geiko Extra 300 - Tim Webber
Pitts Special - USAF reserve
123.475 Patty
Wagstaff
Sean Tucker
Red Eagles
U.S.
Military Flight Demonstration Teams
Military
Parachute Teams
Civilian/Foreign
Air Demonstration Teams
Scanner
Equipment
2004
Performance Schedule
There is nothing quite as thrilling as going to one of the
many public air shows across the country and watching the Blue
Angels or Thunderbirds flight demonstration team strut their
stuff in front of thousands of fans. But if you add to the
visual drama in front of you the element of monitoring the
team’s radio communication, you will have a whole new
perspective that few get to enjoy.
Since the 2004 air show season starts this month, in this
edition of Milcom we will present our annual
frequencies to monitor, review of equipment, and the military
flight demonstration team schedules (Table One) for the
upcoming 2004 air show season.
So where is the
action?
You will need to concentrate on several different bands for
air show activity. Search the following bands in the modes
indicated:
118.0-137.0
MHz AM mode
(AM)
25 kHz steps
122.7-123.575
MHz
AM
25 kHz steps
138.0-144.0
MHz AM/Narrowband FM
(NBFM)
12.5 kHz steps
148.0-150.8
MHz
AM/NBFM
12.5 kHz steps
225.0-389.0
MHz
AM
25 kHz steps
389.0-400.0
MHz
AM/NBFM
25 kHz steps
406.1-420.0
MHz
NBFM
12.5 kHz steps
U.S. Military
Flight Demonstration Teams
The U.S. Navy (USN)/Marine Corps (USMC) teams is represented
on the air show circuit by the Blue Angels flying their F/A-18
Hornet aircraft. The other major piece of hardware in the
squadron is their C-130 Hercules transport aircraft,
affectionately known as Fat Albert. It is the only Marine
Corps aircraft permanently assigned to support a Navy squadron
and is flown by an all-Marine Corps crew of three pilots and
five enlisted personnel. Fat Albert flies more than 140,000
miles during the course of a show season.
The following discrete frequencies have been reported in use
by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels during the past six air show
seasons. An * indicates a frequency that has not been reported
recently and may no longer be in use.
U.S. Navy Blue
Angels
Frequency
Usage
142.000*
Ground Comm Cart/Ground maintenance personnel (NBFM)
143.000*
Tower observer (AM)
143.600
Ground support, occasional BA air-to-air during cross country
trips (AM)
164.900
Ground Comm Cart/Ground maintenance personnel (NBFM)
168.900
Ground Comm Cart/Ground maintenance personnel (NBFM)
169.400*
Ground Comm Cart/Ground maintenance personnel (NBFM)
170.900
Ground Comm Cart/Ground maintenance personnel (NBFM)
236.450
Fat Albert (C-130 transport) aircraft (AM)
238.150
Taxi Out (Aircraft 1/2)/Show center/Diamond formation aircraft
(1-4)/Commonly reported air-to-air enroute (AM)
251.600*
Solo aircraft (5/6) air-to-air (AM)
256.250*
Usage unknown (AM) Note: Reported at a Texas airshow.
263.350
Diamond formation aircraft (1-4)/Fat Albert (C-130 transport)
aircraft JATO flight demonstration (AM)
263.500
Fat Albert C-130 aircraft (AM)
264.550
Diamond aircraft (1-4)/Solo aircraft (5-6) formations (AM)
Note: Last heard at Dayton Air Show.
275.350
Taxi Out (Aircraft 3/4)/Diamond formation aircraft (1-4)
air-to-air and all six aircraft air-to-air (AM) [Channel
9]
286.000*
Usage unknown (AM) Note: Reported at two Texas airshows.
302.150
Miscellaneous air-to-air (AM) Note: Reported on the west
coast.
307.700
Show center/Diamond formation aircraft (1-4) (AM) Note:
Reported on west coast.
345.900
Taxi out (Aircraft 5/6)/Solo aircraft (5/6) air-to-air
(AM)
The premier U.S. Air Force (USAF) flight demonstration team is
known as the Thunderbirds. This team uses a mix of six
aircraft, performing formation flying and solo routines.
The four-aircraft diamond formation demonstrates the training
and precision of Air Force pilots, while the solos highlight
the maximum capabilities of the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting
Falcon. The pilots perform approximately 30 maneuvers in a
demonstration. The entire show, including ground and
air, runs about an hour and 15 minutes.
The list below has frequencies reportedly used by the
Thunderbirds during the last six air show seasons. It should
be noted that at some shows 143.850 and 235.250 MHz roles get
reversed from what is published below. An * indicates a
frequency that has not been reported recently and may no
longer be in use.
USAF
Thunderbirds
Frequency
Usage
140.400*
Support aircraft and show aircraft cross country air-to-air
(AM)
141.850
Pre-take off checklist/Four ship formation air-to-air which is
linked to public address system (AM) [Victor 1]
143.850
Four, five and six aircraft on/off show center (AM) [Victor
2]
235.250
Solo aircraft on/off show center (AM)
322.950
Engine Starts/Solo aircraft (5-6) air-to-air (AM)
413.000
Maintenance/ground teams (NBFM) Digital comms
413.025
Maintenance crews/ground teams (NBFM) Analog and digital
comms
413.100
Maintenance/ground teams (NBFM) Analog and digital comms
413.250
Maintenance/ground teams (NBFM) Analog comms
413.275
Maintenance/crew chiefs (NBFM) Analog comms
413.350
Maintenance/ground teams (NBFM) Digital comms
413.375
Maintenance/ground teams (NBFM) Digital comms
Both the Navy and the Air Force have other special flight
demonstration units in addition to those units mentioned
above. Listings below transmit in the AM mode. Here is a list
of those units and their frequencies.
Special Flight
Demonstration Teams
USAF ACC A-10
Thunderbolt demonstration teams 123.150 123.475
269.900 384.550
East: 347FW/23FG Pope AFB, NC
139.625 139.975 140.400 236.850
343.000
West: 355FW Davis Monthan AFB, AZ
123.475 138.050 138.100 138.200
138.250 138.300 138.475 138.500
139.625 139.725 139.800 142.200
123.475 305.400 327.700
USAF ACC F-15
Eagle demonstration teams 276.675 376.025
384.500 384.550 384.850
East: 1FW/1OG Langley AFB, VA
225.650 228.450 228.950 233.525
236.550 238.625 238.825 252.775
257.075 262.025 262.050 264.975
275.675 279.650 282.675 282.800
285.150 287.775 296.925 298.350
301.525 305.650 315.125 315.850
317.800 319.325 325.325 325.725
325.775 333.550 359.225 364.125
385.700 391.200 396.900 397.100
West: 33FW Eglin AFB, FL
232.150 234.600 236.150 237.400
239.400 252.525 252.575 254.675
258.375 259.550 260.275 264.875
266.550 268.175 292.725 303.950
330.125 333.550 338.750 351.050
355.750 384.550 399.750 399.850
USAF ACC F-16
Fighting Falcon demonstration teams
East: 20FW/78FS Shaw AFB
138.025 138.100 138.200 138.250
138.475 138.425 138.900 139.750
139.825 139.900 139.925 139.975
140.375 141.600 229.075 261.200
336.925 344.900
West: 388FW/4FS Hill AFB 138.025
138.100 138.200 138.250 317.800
USN VF-101 F-14
flight demonstration team
261.100 299.500 311.500 341.200
342.900 342.950 345.000
USAF Combat search
and rescue demonstrations
139.700 225.450 236.000 242.000
251.900 252.800 259.000 280.500
282.800 381.000
USN Search and
Rescue demonstrations
242.500 282.000 283.100
US Coast Guard
aircraft demonstrations
122.900 (SAR) 157.050 (Drug Interdiction demo) 381.700
(SAR) 381.800 (SAR) 383.9 (SAR)
Military Parachute
Teams
The colorful U.S. Navy Seal Parachute Team, known as the Leap
Frogs, are frequent visitors around the country at various
sporting events and air shows. This team has been regularly
reported on their 407.500 MHz (NBFM) frequency nationwide the
last several years. Last year we got a report of team
communications on 134.100 and 270.000 MHz (AM).
The U.S. Army Parachute Team is known as the Golden Knights.
They also make the rounds during the air show season. Look for
their communications on 123.400, 123.475 or 123.500 MHz. You
should also keep 32.300, 32.400, 122.575, 124.875, 284.900 and
367.700 MHz plugged in for possible GK activity.
During 2001 and 2002 seasons I received several reports that
the Golden Knights were using civilian UHF frequencies (such
as 462.625 MHz, a business itinerant frequency known as Black
Dot) and two FRS frequencies: 467.5625, and 467.6125 MHz.
These reports suggest that the Golden Knights might be using
Family Radio Service radios. It might be a good idea to keep
FRS frequencies in your scanner since you might hear some
interesting activity on these frequencies anyway during air
shows. The standard FRS frequencies are (NBFM mode):
Family Radio
Service
462.5625
Channel 1
462.5875
Channel 2
462.6125
Channel 3
462.6375
Channel 4
462.6625
Channel 5
462.6875
Channel 6
462.7125
Channel 7
467.5625
Channel 8
467.5875
Channel 9
467.6125
Channel 10
467.6375
Channel 11
467.6625
Channel 12
467.6875
Channel 13
467.7125
Channel 14
We did receive a report of the ground pyrotechnics personnel
from the Tora Tora Tora and Warbirds flight demonstration team
using FRS radios for communications during one show last year.
You will also find other military monitoring enthusiasts who
use FRS radios at the show to meet fellow enthusiasts. Load
them up in your scanner and you might make a new Milcom friend
or two.
One final note regarding military UHF frequencies. The
government's version of the Family Radio Service is known as
the Inter-Squad Radio or ISR. I have seen a couple of
scattered reports over the last couple of years that these
radios might be in use at air shows by military units. At this
point it might be a good idea to program these frequencies in
also as part of your air show loadout. As always, field
reports are requested.
Inter-Squad
Radio
396.8750
Channel 1
397.1250
Channel 2
397.1750
Channel 3
397.3750
Channel 4
397.4250
Channel 5
397.4750
Channel 6
397.5500
Channel 7
397.9500
Channel 8
398.0500
Channel 9
399.4250
Channel 10
399.4750
Channel 11
399.7250
Channel 12
399.9250
Channel 13
399.9750
Channel 14
Civilian/Foreign
Air Demonstration Teams
The Canadian Forces Snowbird aircraft demonstration team (431
Air Demonstration Squadron) is another regular on the
U.S./Canada air show circuit. The following frequencies have
been recently reported for this popular aerial team:
123.325 242.600 245.500 245.750
246.500 272.100 (Primary) 284.900 299.500
333.300 MHz.
Some frequencies for other foreign military and US civilian
flight demonstration teams that have been reported to us
during the past few years include:
Civilian Flight
Demonstration Teams
Aeroshell
Aerobatics Team
123.150
All American
Firebirds Flight Demonstration
Team 122.775
Bud Light Air
Force (ex- Coors
Microjet)
122.925 123.350 123.475
Firecat (Rich
Perkins) 123.500
French Connection
Airshow 122.925
122.975 129.975
Ian Grooms FedEx
Red Bull Aerobatic Team
(US) 122.825
123.150
Lima Lima Flight
Team 123.150 123.175 123.425
Manfred Radius
Glider Aerobatics
Team
123.150
North American Jet
Airshows Team 122.775
122.925 129.650 129.925
Northern Lights
Aerobatic
Team)
123.325 136.975
P-51 Mustang
Flight Team
122.850 122.875 (Commemorative Air Force)
Patty Wagstaff
Airshows Inc 122.750
Rayban Gold
Aerobatics Team 122.925
Red Baron Stearman
Squadron 122.725 122.775 123.150
Sean Tucker Power
Aerobatics
122.950 123.150
Skytypers
Team
122.775
Swift Magic
Aerobatic Team 122.775 122.925
Tora Tora Tora
Warbirds
Team
123.450 469.500 469.550 (Commemorative Air
Force)
Foreign
Military Flight Demonstration Teams
Asas de Portugal,
Esquadra 103 (Wings of Portugal 103 Squadron) Flight
Team
262.150
Blue Eagles Royal
Army Air Corps Flight Team (UK) 136.975
Brazilian Air
Force Team
(Brazil)
130.550 130.650 132.250
Canadian Forces
Skyhawks Parachute Jump Team (Canada)
123.000 294.700
Falcons Royal Air
Force Parachute Jump Team (UK) 255.100
465.100
Frecce Tricolori
Military Flight Team
(Italy) 307.800
381.000
Grasshopper
Helicopter Team (Netherlands)
281.100
Halcones Military
Flight Team (Chile) 136.175
La Patrouille
Adecco Air Force Flight Team (France)
138.450 141.825 143.100 143.850
242.650
La Patrulla Aguila
Military Flight Team (Spain) 130.500 252.500
Military Stars
Flight Team (Turkey)
264.400 279.600
Patrouille Suisse
Military Flight Team
(Switzerland) 288.850
Red Arrows Royal
Air Force Flight Team
(UK)
242.200 242.050 243.450 253.450
Not Just Any Old Scanner Will
Do
Some of the handheld scanners currently marketed are
not suited for air show monitoring. There are
certain requirements your air show has to meet in order to
successfully monitor the two major military aerial
demonstration teams – the Blues and T-Birds.
If you are going to a Thunderbird show you will need a scanner
that can monitor the 138-150 MHz military land mobile band in
the AM mode. Most of the older Uniden scanners cannot be used
for air show monitoring due to their lack of independent
transmission mode selection.
You also need a scanner that has the 225-400 MHz military
aeronautical band in it. Most of the action (especially the
Blues) will be heard in this military UHF portion of the
spectrum. Adding this criteria to the mix of possible radios
again narrows down our choice for air show scanners even more.
I am frequently asked on the Grove Tech line which scanner we
recommend for air show monitoring. While I don’t have a
favorite in this regard, I have prepared the list below as a
purchase guide for receivers that meet all the requirements
outlined above.
Information below includes current Grove stock codes/prices
(as of presstime) for the items indicated, but the price does
not include shipping or taxes (if applicable). Prices are
subject to change without notice, so be sure to call our Grove
order department at 800-438-8155 or visit our website at
http://www.grove-ent.com for
current pricing.
Handheld
Unit
Grove Stock
No
Price
Alinco DJ-X3T
SCN11
$209.95
Alinco
DJ-X10T
SCN01
$319.95
Alinco
DJ-X2000T
SCN10
$499.95
AOR AR-8200 Mk III
SCN51
$589.95
Icom IC
R-3
SCN07
$449.95 (Call for special promotional pricing)
Icom IC
R-5
SCN02
$199.95 (Call for special promotional pricing)
Icom IC R-10
SCN04
$349.95 (Call for special promotional pricing)
Uniden
BC-250D
SCN40
$349.95 (Optional APCO-25 card $299.95)
Uniden
BC-296D
SCN42
$524.95 (Includes APCO-25/trunking capability)
Yaesu VR-500
SCN06
$324.95
Air Show Listening Tip: If you are going to use a handheld
scanner at the air show there is another purchase you should
consider – an extra set of charged batteries. Murphy's law
applies here and nothing is worse than having your batteries
die half way through the show with no replacement.
Base/Mobile
Unit Grove Stock
No.
Price
AOR
AR-3000AB
SCN26
$1099.95
AOR
AR-5000A+3B
RCV44P
Awaiting FCC certification
AOR AR-8600 Mk
II
SCN11
$889.95
Icom IC
R-8500
RCV14
$1499.95 (Call for special promotional pricing)
JRC NRD-545
RCV21DS $1799.95 (Must
order the optional ACC11DS VHF-UHF converter at $349.95)
Uniden
BC-785D
SCN41
$309.95 (Base/mobile) (Optional APCO-25 card $299.95)
Uniden
BC-796D
SCN43
$524.95 (Includes APCO-25/trunking capability)
Yaesu
VR-5000
RCV51
$889.95
Computer
Receivers Grove Stock
No.
Price
Icom
PCR-1000
RCV45-BON $399.95 (Call for special promotional
pricing)
WinRadio
WR-1550e
RCV47-E $549.95
WinRadio
WR-1550i
RCV47-I
$499.95
WinRadio
WR-3150e
RCV48-E $1849.95
WinRadio
WR-3150i-DSP
RCV48-I
$1849.95
WinRadio
WR-3500e
RCV49-E
$2395.95
WinRadio
WR-3500i-DSP
RCV49-I
$2395.95
WinRadio
WR-3700e
RCV50-E
$2895.95
WinRadio
WR-3700i-DSP
RCV50-I
$2895.95
Finally, I would like to extend a hearty thanks to the over
200 contributors who took the time to share their post
show reports with us during the last year. I deeply appreciate
the time and effort each of you took to let us know what you
were hearing.
During the 2004 season we want to hear from any of our readers
who attend any of the air shows listed below. We hope you pass
along any and all frequencies you monitored during the show
even if they are on the list above. If you attend an air show
this year, please pass along what you hear! You can
reach me via e-mail at larry@grove-ent.com or you can
write us at: Milcom, 7540 Highway 64 West, Brasstown, NC
28902.
Until next month, 73 and good hunting, all.
******************************************************************************
Table One:
Military Jet Demonstration Teams 2004 Performance
Schedule
Note:
Participation of the teams below at a variety of locations is
still pending. Note also that should Security Levels
increase beyond Threat Condition "Bravo," many military
installations will not have public air shows. Consequently,
demonstration schedules dates listed below are subject to
change or cancellation without notice.
Group
Abbreviations:
BA=USN Blue Angels SB=Canadian
Snowbirds
TB=USAF Thunderbirds
Base
Abbreviations
AB Air Base
ACC Air Combat Command
AFB Air Force Base
ARB Air Reserve Base
CFB Canadian Forces Base
JRB Joint Reserve Base
MCAS Marine Corps Air Station
NAF Naval Air Facility
NAS Naval Air Station
Dates
Group: Locations
Mar 13 BA: NAF El
Centro, CA
Mar
20-21 BA: NAS Lemoore,
CA
Mar
27-28 BA: Tyndall AFB, FL;
TB: Punta Gorda, FL
Apr
3-4
BA: MacDill AFB, FL
Apr
4-5
TB: Eglin AFB, FL
Apr
17-18 BA: NAS
Meridian, MS; TB: San Diego Beach, CA
Apr
24-25 BA: MCAS
Beaufort, SC; TB: March ARB, CA
May
1-2
BA/SB: Fort Lauderdale, FL; TB: Millville, NJ
May
8-9
BA: NAS Atlanta, GA; TB: Lake City, FL; SB: Vidalia, GA
May
12
SB: Dobbins ARB, GA
May
14-16 BA/SB: Andrews AFB,
MD
May
15-16 TB: Dover AFB,
DE
May
18
SB: Grande Valle, PQ
May
22
TB: Charleston AFB, SC
May
22-23 BA: NAS Kingsville,
TX; SB: Summerside, PEI
May
23
TB: Langley AFB, VA
May
26
SB: Nunavut, NU
May
29-30 BA: Calverton, NY;
TB: Moffett Field, CA; SB: Riviere Duloup, PQ
Jun 5-6 BA: Myrtle
Beach, SC; TB: Maxwell AFB, AL; SB: CFB Winnipeg, MB
Jun
9 SB: Virden, MB
Jun 12 TB:
Hill AFB, UT
Jun
12-13 BA:
Bermuda
Jun 13 TB:
NAS Fallon, NV; SB: CFB Moose Jaw, SK
Jun 16 SB:
Hanover, ON
Jun
19-20 BA:
Oklahoma City, OK; TB: Quonset Point, RI; SB: Sarnia, ON
Jun 23 SB:
St. Isidore, PQ
Jun 24 SB:
St. Georges, PQ
Jun
25-27 SB:
London, ON
Jun
26-27 BA:
Elmendorf AFB, AK; TB: Janesville, WI
Jul
1 SB: Ottawa, ON
Jul 3-4 BA:
Traverse City, MI; TB: Kansas City, MO; SB: Muskegon, MI
Jul
9-10
BA: Pensacola Beach, FL
Jul
10-11
TB: Binghamton, NY
Jul
17-18
BA: Rochester, NY; TB/SB: CFB Cold Lake, AB
Jul 21
TB: Cheyenne, WY; SB: Inuvik, NT
Jul 24
SB: Yellowknife, NT
Jul
24-25
BA: Peoria, IL; TB: Fairchild AFB, WA
Jul 25
SB: Peace River, AB
Jul 28
SB: Watson Lake, YT
Jul 31
SB: Williams Lake, BC
Jul 31-Aug
1 BA: Helena, MT; TB: Mt. Comfort, IN
Aug 1
SB: Kelowna, BC
Aug 4
SB: Wetaskawin, AB
Aug
7-8
BA: Seattle, WA; SB: Lethbridge, AB
Aug 11 SB:
Vancouver, BC
Aug
13-15 SB: Abbotsford,
BC
Aug
14-15 TB: Westover ARB,
MA
Aug
21-22 BA: Chicago, IL; TB:
Offutt AFB, NE; Saskatoon, SK
Aug 25 SB: Lynn
Lake, MB
Aug
28-29 BA: Niagara Falls,
NY; TB: Toledo, OH; SB: St. Catherines, ON
Sep 1
SB: Brantford, ON
Sep 4
TB: Ellsworth AFB, SD
Sep
4-6
BA: St. Louis, MO; SB: Toronto, ON
Sep 11 TB:
Anderson AFB, Guam
Sep
11-12 BA/SB: CFB
Shearwater, NS
Sep 14 TB: Kadena
AB, Japan
Sep 15 SB: Pictou,
NS
Sep 16 TB: Kunsan
AB, South Korea
Sep
18-19 BA: Nantucket,
MA; SB: Sherbrooke, PQ
Sep 19 TB: Osan
AB, South Korea
Sep
25-26 BA: NAS
Oceana, VA; TB: Hyakuri AB, Japan; SB: McConnell ARB, KS
Sep 29 SB:
Tucumcari, NM
Sep 30 TB: Misawa
AB, Japan
Oct
2-3
BA/SB: Salinas, CA
Oct 3
TB: Hamamatsu AB, Japan
Oct
9-10 BA:
MCAS Kaneohe Bay, HI; TB/SB: Redding, CA
Oct 15 SB: CFB
Moose Jaw, SK
Oct
16-17 BA: MCAS
Miramar, CA; TB: Houston, TX
Oct
23-24 BA: NAS/JRB
New Orleans, LA; TB: El Paso, TX
Oct
30-31 BA: NAS
Jacksonville, FL; TB: Lafayette, LA
Nov 6 TB:
Camden, SC
Nov
6-7
BA: Key West, FL
Nov 7 TB:
Seymour-Johnson AFB, NC
Nov
13-14 BA: NAS Pensacola,
FL; TB: Nellis AFB, NV
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