R C M A J O U R N A L Issue 188 September 1991 Copyright, all rights reserved RCMA, Inc., P.O. Box 542, Silverado, CA 92676 Founding Fathers of RCMA E. J. Short (CA-OR-002) Danny McLean (CA-OR-004) Bob Leef (CA-OR-033) Chuck Smith (CA-OR-001) Iden Rogers (CA-RI-001) Jim Barrow (CA-OR-003) George Pond (CA-SB-008) RCMA Board Members and Assistants to the Board E. J. Short Bob Leef Iden Rogers George Pond Chuck Smith Jim Barrow Danny McLean John Clark C.M. Cavalieri Byran Hunnell Carol Ruth GENERAL MANAGER BUSINESS AFFAIRS ù ADVERTISING GENERAL EDITOR Carol Ruth (CA-OR-100) William Mauldin (FL-137) P. O. Box 542, P. O. Box 811421, Silverado, CA 92676 Boca Raton, FL 33481-1421 F O R Y O U R I N F O R M A T I O N : The RCMA Journal is published by members of the RADIO COMMUNICATION MONITORS ASSOCIATION, Inc., Post Office Box 542, Silverado, CA 92676. Membership dues as of August 1, 1991 are $24 for U.S. residents. For persons in other countries, the following rates apply: Canada and Mexico $28; Europe, Asia & the South Pacific $28 (surface)/$54 (airmail). These dues are payable in U.S. funds and are subject to change. Information contained herein is obtained primarily from members and does not necessarily present the position or reflect the opinion of RCMA as a whole. RCMA, Inc. does not necessarily recommend or endorse products or services advertised herein. The publication is copyrightedÓ. Reproduction of any material in it is prohibited without prior written consent. Disclaimer RCMA, Inc. has non-profit incorporation status in the state of California as a club for scanner enthusiasts. Neither RCMA or its Journal are affiliated with, participate in the management of, or are responsible for, any other organization or publication. This includes POLICE CALL, put out by RCMA's long-time good friend, Gene Hughes. Queries about POLICE CALL cannot be answered by RCMA. RCMA welcomes paid advertising. For information on rates and mechanical requirements, contact Carol Ruth, RCMA Advertising Manager, Post Office Box 542, Silverado, California 92676. þÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄþ CALENDAR Send notices of upcoming events for the Calendar section to:RCMA Calendar, P.O. Box 542, Silverado, CA 92676Deadline: 1st of the month two months prior to cover date. West Los Angeles Chapter Contact: Rick DiFiore (CA-LA-544), (213) 397-6581. Talk in: 146.925 MHz (-600 PL-2A) Tues 1930 hrs net. Meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7:30 PM, in the front patio of Chris's Pizza, 10105 Venice Blvd., (213)838-2151. Nearest major street is Motor Ave. This is east of the 405 freeway and south of the 10 (get off at Robertson and head west on Venice). RCMA Chicago Contact: Ron Kosinski, P.O. Box 528213, Chicago, IL 60652. Chapter meeetings for 1991: September 14 November 2 December 7 The Chicago Chapter prints a local newsletter prior to each meeting. Send $5 U.S.C. (no checks, please) to the contact person above for the next ten issues. Fees are used to cover the cost of postage and handling. We welcome visitors to our meetings. Please confirm the location in advance. Northeast Scanners Contact: Les Mattson (NJ-187), 212 West Broad Street, Paulsboro, NJ 08066. The Northeast Scanning News, a monthly publication covering the states of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, DC, Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. Sample copies: $2. Make checks out to Les Mattson. Attention: Monitoring Enthusiasts in the state of Iowa: Interested in forming a scanner group with a newsletter that would supplement your monthly RCMA Journal? Send SASE and phonne number to: Chuck Gysi (PA-005), P.O. Box 974-H, Burlington, IA 52601-0974 RCMA Wisconsin Send an SASE to the address below for more information. Contact: Scott W. Miller (WI-039), 122 Greenbriar Dr, Sun Prairie, WI 53590 RCMA for D.C., MD, VA, & DE Contact: Capitol Hill Monitors: Alan Henney (MD-069), 6912 Prince Georges Av, Takoma Park, MD 20912 (301-270-2531), or (Baltimore area only) Arnold Miller (MD-054), 407 Foxview Ct, Reisterstown, MD 21136. Local chapter newsletter supplements RCMA & NESN newsletters. CHM newsletter appears as a NESN column - see "Northeast Scanners" for subscriptions. Please send material & requests for Baltimore area to Arnold & all other areas, including Washington, to Alan. Visitor & frequency requests - please send a SASE. Chapter meetings for 1991: Saturday, May 18th 2 to 4 Saturday, October 19th from 2 to 4 Meetings are held at the county library located at 6530 Adelphi Road in Hyattsville, MD. $1 cover charge. Contact Alan for more info. RCMA Minneapolis-St. Paul Area Contact: Chuck Steier (MN-008), 4820 Hwy 7, Minneapolis, MN 55416; (612)927-9253 An SASE on file assures notification of chapter activities (tours, gatherings, etc). Non members are welcome to attend. Southern California Area Dxers Contact: Don R. Schmidt, Director, 3809 Rose Ave, Long Beach CA 90807-4334. Meetings held at Huntington National Bank, 9025 E. Artesia Blvd, Bellflower, CA. All Ohio Scanner Club (A Full Member of ANARC) Contact: David B. Marshall (OH-146), Managing Editor, ASOC Newsletter 50 Villa Road, Springfield, OH 45503-1036. The All Ohio Scanner Club covers all of Ohio, plus Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mihigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Onario, Canada as well as additional areas. The AOSC Newsletter features excellent federal government and below 30 MHz utilities columns. Sample issue: $2.00; membership inforation for an SASE. Attention: Monitoring Enthusiasts in the San Francisco Bay Area: Contact Herman Frisch (CASC-088), Bay Area Scanner Enthusiasts (BASE), 1465 Portobelo Dr, San Jose, CA 95118. (408)267-3244. BASE covers greater Bay Area. For sample newsletter, The Listening Post, and information, send a business size SASE. Regional Communications Network Contact: Jay Delgado (NJ-249), Box 83, Carlstadt, NJ 07072-0083 RCN is a "Two-Way Radio Communications Monitors Association" interested in monitoring communications from public safety to satellites. For information send an SASE #10 (business size) to contact person. Toledo Area Radio Enthusiasts Contact Ernie Dellinger, 6629 Sue Lane, Maumee, OH 43537, (419)865-4284. The TARE is a group of radio buffs (SWL & scanners) who meet on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Frisch's Big Boy Restaurant, 6609 Airport Hwy (St Rt 2 just west of I-475), Holland, Ohio. Metro Radio System Boston Area, 462.725 Contact Julian Olansky, Dispatcher 8, P. O. Box 26, Newton Highlands, MA 02161. MRS operates a wide area UHF repeater system so that members can notify other members of urgent scanner activity in the metro Boston area. MRS also publishes a newsletter and has a dinner meeting twice a year. Monitor Communications Group Contact: Lou Campagna (PA-024), 8001 Castor Ave #143, Philadelphia, PA 19152-2701. MCG rpovides radio communications for area scanner enthusists who notify other members of late-breaking events via two-way radio. Anyone living in the Greater Philadelphia/South Jersey operational area may write to contact person for more information. þÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄþ From The CAPTAIN'S DESK William Mauldin, RCMA General EditorPost Office Box 811421 Boca Raton, FL 33481-1421 ARRL Petitions FCCfor 220 MHz Access The American Radio Relay League has filed a massive petition with the FCC requesting that amateur radio operators be allowed to operate on the 220 MHz to 222 MHz portion of the band on a secondary basis. Although I am certain Gordon West will continue to bring you news and updates on this story and how successful the ARRL petition actually is, I felt the news of the ARRL effort was worth mentioning in this general news column. ARRL has fought the removal of this portion of the ham band from the Amateur Radio Service since day one. Although the casual listener might think that the frequencies mentioned are not used by the amateur radio members, hams have long enjoyed 220 MHz as a primary linking band for repeaters and other radio special services. Loss of a portion of this band to the Land Mobile Service gave amateur radio a considerable shock, and caused much disruption to the links and other point to point services, especially in the highly populated areas of the country, such as Southern California. Hams have had access to the 220 MHz band since the mid 1930's, and many of the repeater links and other point to point services which reach path lengths of 60 to 100 miles can not be transferred to the UHF ham band, as suggested by the FCC. The amateur community was shocked and highly upset when the FCC transferred a portion of the band from the Amateur Radio Service to the Land Mobile Service. Without approval of the ARRL petition, hams will lose access to the reassigned portion of the band very soon. ARRL is asking the FCC to allow amateur access to the reassigned frequencies on a secondary basis. This will be a very interesting case to watch. As a licensed amateur myself, and a member of ARRL, I strongly support access to the reassigned portion of the band on a secondary basis. I can only hope that the ARRL petition receives a favorable consideration from the members of the Commission. The FCC received over 50,000 applications for the land mobile licenses to occupy the 220 MHz - 222 MHz frequencies which were removed from the Amateudio Service. The Commission said the workload would require at least six months of processing time by the license division personnel. The FCC has said they will accept no additional applications for consideration. FCC PR Docket 91-36 Update Jorge Rodiguez, RCMA Editor for Monitoring and the Law, was quoted in several publications in his representation of our views regarding the FCC PR Docket 91-36. The Commission is considering the mandatory removal of access to public safety frequencies from amateur radio receivers. Jorge has done an excellent job at handling this matter for you and the members of RCMA. The W5YI Report quotes the RCMA response to the FCC request for comments as, "It is not enough for the Commission to address this issue only in terms of its licensees or of equipment capabilities, because all of the members of RCMA have as much right to listen to their radios as those who are licensed amateurs." W5YI Report offered a collective summary of the responses to the FCC Docket. We have been well represented by Jorge and other members who have taken the time to respond to the FCC request for comments. Initially, when this Docket was announced, rumors ran wild with thoughts of the FCC excluding public safety bands from all future radios, scanners as well as amateur transceivers. ARRL initially brought the matter before the Commission because they were concerned for amateurs who were being arrested and having their radios confiscated because the receivers were capable of receiving police calls. (Many current makes and models of amateur mobile transceivers and handhelds allow for extended receiver reception, allowing the user to monitor mainly VHF and UHF police and public safety communications.) Although the FCC Docket did not have the purpose of removing public safety frequencies from handheld scanners and other radios capable of mobile use, the users of this type of receiver quickly jumped on the Docket as a major threat. Although the FCC Docket 91-36 did not intend to remove public safety radio frequencies from the hobby scanner, it is a clear indication of how easy it would be for the Commission to take such action without Congressional approval or input. As you may remember, the ECPA law was a Congressional action before it became law. The FCC could remove public safety frequencies from scanners just as easily as they could remove public safety frequencies from ham radios, many said. And, I will have to acknowledge, I do agree in theory. In one response, David Held with the Michigan State Police stated in his response, "We can see no beneficial need for amateur radio equipment to tune into public safety bands. The industry has successfully and without hardship blocked the cellular telephone channels from 800 MHz scanning monitor receivers in response to Federal regulations. Therefore, there should be no problem blocking public safety bands from amateur equipment thus eliminating the risk to amateur licensees for arrest under scanner laws and the need for their exemption from prosecution." With a personal background of over thirty years in law enforcement and radio communications, I am sometimes stunned with the lack of insight by some members of my profession. While working in the field, I have been assisted by amateurs, volunteer fire fighters, and the average scanner monitoring citizen many more times than I have encountered a crook committing a crime with a police radio in his car or in his pocket. Certainly there is a criminal element out there who will use a scanner or a gun illegally in the commission of a crime, however, the benefits of allowing the public to monitor the public safety radio stands on it's own merit. As with gun legislation, the society would be better served if those who use a radio or a gun in the commission of a crime were penalized, and the average, law abiding citizen left to enjoy the freedoms that should be extended to those who do not commit crimes. Maybe someday we will see bumper stickers which say, "When scanners are outlawed, only the outlaws will have scanners." I strongly encourage you to support and follow this continuing story in our RCMA Monitoring and the Law column. Jorge Rodriguez represents us all in his efforts to follow and respond to those who would gladly take away your rights to monitoring what is on the radio frequencies of public safety. National Scanning Report Scott, FL-033, sends us a copy of the new National Scanning Report, published by the Bearcat Radio Club. This is the first copy of the new publication I have seen. Therefore, I can't offer you a qualified review at this time. Norm Schrein is noted as President of the Bearcat Radio Club, and Larry Miller, former editor of Monitoring Times is listed as Editor. The National Scanning Report is noted as being published bi-monthly by the Bearcat Radio Club, P.O. Box 360, Wagontown, Pennsylvania 19376. Membership information is available by writing Post Office Box 291918, Kettering, Ohio 45432. The issue that Scott sent me was Volume 3, Number 3, the issue for May and June 1991. This issue was 36 pages, of standard magazine size, and carried articles on air shows, cellular phones, secret frequencies and searching, and on sky traffic reports. Regular columns are devoted to World of Radio, Dispatch (a frequency information exchange), Intelligence File, Police Beat, Fire Report, Scanning the Skies, New Products, and Things that Work. The off-the-shelf price is noted on the front of the publication as $3.00 per issue. World Radio World Radio has long been known to the amateur radio community, however, I was surprised and impressed with the sample issue that was received this month. World Radio has revised it's format, and now, like National Scanning Report, it is still published on newsprint quality paper, however the appearance is much more like a magazine than a newspaper. The publication is still mostly devoted to amateur radio, however, there are many ads and articles with wide interest to any radio buff. The FCC Highlights column keeps readers updated on late breaking news from Washington. Special Events offers details on radio shows and other interesting special event amateur broadcasts. The new product reviews are interesting and informative. Articles devoted to amateur radio make up 80% of the magazine, but other subjects do receive space in World Radio. Our own Gordon West writes a monthly column devoted to mobile operations and special marine interests. The July issue was 76 pages big, and displayed a news stand price of $1.25. A twelve issue subscription is only $14. Clearly, the interesting ads pay most of the costs in publishing this fine amateur related publication. I found the ads educational and interesting, and certainly worth the space they took up on just about every page. For more information on World Radio, write to 201 Lathrop Way, Suite D, Sacramento, California 95815. Two Other Publications For the most up-to-date news on the Amateur Radio Service available, you can not do better than the W5YI Report. This news letter style publication comes out on the first and fifteenth of every month, and is filled with the late breaking, interesting news related to the Amateur Radio Service. Other news on the FCC and other communications interests are also included. This is a very interesting news publication. Normally no more than 10 pages make up the W5YI Report, but the pages are packed with interesting news, and those who demand the latest news quickly are on the subscription list of the Report. For more information, write to Post Office Box 565101, Dallas, Texas 75356-5101. If you are a buyer or seller of used radio equipment, be it commercial, amateur, or hobby related, you can not do better than the Ham Trader Yellow Sheets. The HTYS have long been the exchange medium for those who buy and sell anything related to radio. Like the W5YI Report, this is a twice a month newsletter style publication which offers excellent information to the reader. I have long subscribed to both publications, and consider both necessary reading. The HTYS is made up completely of classified ads from those who buy and sell anything and everything in radio, however, most ads are of a ham nature. Those amateurs who deal and use commercial radios in the amateur hobby find the Yellow Sheets a necessity when it comes to locating just the right handheld, repeater, or mobile radio. If you are on the lookout for a good deal, this is one news publication that should grace your mailbox. For more information, write to Post Office Box 15142, Seattle, Washington 98115. In the Mail This Month Vern, an active NYC member, sends a news article about the surprising interest and value related to FCC frequencies being made available for new mobile radio communications. The New York Times news article covered the 200 radio channels, using two megahertz, being offered to those who need communications for transmitting voice and data between the vehicle and a base, and the resulting frenzy of activity by those seeking assignment of the frequencies. Although the FCC has not currently approved the equipment to be used in the service mentioned, the agency was deluged with 46,000 applications on May 1st, the first day applications could be submitted. The FCC said the flood of interest could easily represent six months of work in assigning the available radio frequencies. Of those seeking new radio frequency assignments, the article indicated the following: New land based mobile communication systems are seeking an additional 200 MHz of radio space in the present UHF television band (400 MHz to 700 MHz). Mobile satellite services are seeking new space in the 800 MHz to 900 MHz band and in the 1850 MHz to 1990 MHz band for communications and paging. Radio pocket size telephone services are seeking 100 to 200 MHz in the 1710 MHz to 2500 MHz band. Apple Computers is seeking 40 MHz in the same band for personal data communications between computers. High quality digital radio is seeking 10 MHz somewhere between 400 MHz and 2000 MHz for satellite based, nationwide broadcasting. ACE Announces AR-1000XC Ace Communications announced the release of the new AR-1000XC this month. The new 1000 channel handheld scanner offers continuous coverage from 500 KHz through 1300 MHz. The modes being offered are AM, FM, narrow band FM, and TV audio. The suggested retail price for the handheld scanner is $429, and includes a 120 volt to 12 volt wall plug adaptor and charger, antenna, and carry case, plus AA rechargeable batteries. The new compact scanner is only 6 7/8" in height, 2 1/2" in width, and 1 1/2" in depth. Pairs of upper and lower limits for bands to be searched can be stored in 10 separate search memory locations. There is single channel priority, keyboard lockout, BNC antenna connector, and lighted display for night use. Actual measured sensitivity of the AR-1000XC exceeds .35uV at 12db Sinad in the narrow FM mode, and 1.0uV at 10db S/N in AM. Delivery is expected in August 1991. For more information, contact Ace Communications Monitor Division, 10707 E 106th Street, Fishers, IN 46038. Telephone 317-849-2570. Congratulations to Peter Kemp! Our congratulations to Pete Kemp, CT-073, for the work he is doing to encourage student interest in radio communications and amateur radio at the Bethel, Connecticut Middle School. Pete is a regular contributor to RCMA editors and columns, and his support has been exceptional. Pete and the students at the Bethel Middle School received color photo coverage in a recent edition of the ARRL QST monthly magazine. þÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄþ AIRCRAFT Jack Sullivan Civilian: Send private, commercial, firefighting and law enforcement aircraft frequencies in the 108-136 MHz range and frequencies in other bands associated with civilian aircraft or airports. Military: Send information and frequencies for military aircraft in the 118-140 MHz and 225-400 MHz bands and frequencies in other bands associated with military aircraft or aircraft support-related frequencies at Naval, Coast Guard, and Marine Air Stations, Army Air Fields, and Air Force Bases. An interesting observation about our military and their use of communications is the very lax security procedures observed. Transmissions are frequent and the conversations, all in the clear, become informal and gossipy. There is obviously very little if any concern that anyone might be listening. It is partially this same lack of communications security that cost American lives in the recent Gulf War. A March 18 article in Aviation Week magazine revealed that the U.S. was "scouring the desert" in search of Soviet-supplied intercept equipment that the Iraqis had used during the war to monitor our air and ground tactical communications. The Iraqis, who had plenty of practice during the 8 year Iran-Iraq war, had been able to put together enough intelligence from these intercepts that they were able to set up ambushes for U.S. strike aircraft and to hide mobile SCUD missile launchers before inbound Coalition aircraft could find them. The article puts the blame on poor Coalition communications security. Frequencies and tactical callsigns were not changed frequently enough to deprive the listening Iraqi monitors of a pretty clear picture of our forces and plans in many areas. Too much information was sent over the radio "in the clear," especially from the Saudi military. Lacking a military tradition, they were said to gossip among themselves about the war over their radios. And strike pilots were overheard discussing target attack strategies while enroute to their targets. Secure communications modes, when available, were not used extensively enough for a number of reasons. One good reason was the pressure and confusion of war, when the secure communications equipment was simply not used. Another was the sheer size of the military effort, which precluded the use of highly sophisticated scrambling systems like HAVE QUICK. Another is the fact that the great bulk of the air and ground forces were not equipped to communicate with each other with secure systems. The typical combat patrol was equipped with the familiar AN/PRC-77 30-76 MHz manpack transceivers, a 1960s design that will still be the work horse of the military into the 2000s. These are basically one-channel-at-a-time communicators that depend on the training of the soldier carrying them to provide security rather than on sophisticated scrambling systems. During the Gulf War there was a great increase in the amount of military "skip" traffic heard in the U.S. While it was not possible to tell whether any of these transmissions originated in the Persian Gulf area at that time, it was possible to conclude that the same style of communications overheard was in use during DESERT STORM. And the bulk of the communications picked up by myself and others were in the clear, giving grid coordinates and other information that were later confirmed as being in the war zone. It is a sobering thought to realize that Iraqi intelligence agents were listening to the same stuff that monitoring enthusiasts were listening to in the U.S......and deriving a military advantage from what they heard. Even though there was a lot of scrambled traffic on these channels (General Norman Schwarzkopf referred to communications as being "covered," the only conclusions that I can reach were either that the Americans underestimated the Iraqis or that years of peace and poor training in communications security importance and techniques contributed to a situation that at the very least cost the lives of Coalition soldiers and could have put a much different ending on the Gulf War. While on the subject, most people not involved in monitoring (including a lot of our military establishment) and many monitoring hobbyists who have not spent time monitoring the military assume that either you can't monitor their communications (scrambling, etc) or that you can't make sense out of what is being said even if you could. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Especially in military aircraft communications, most communications are in straightforward colloquial English. Granted, when the conversation starts getting technical, abbreviations and codewords are used, such as "Bingo" for low fuel status and "RTB" for return-to-base. But these are standard, commonly used terms that a monitor can learn to recognize quickly. An interesting note concerning the recent change made by the Navy's Blue Angels from their traditional VHF-AM (VICTOR) interplane channel of 142.0 to the current UHF channels listed above. Apparently someone at an air show had a portable amateur transceiver that could operate on this frequency (in FM) and attempted to contact the aircraft while in flight! Needless to say, the Navy made the decision to head up to the less accessible UNIFORM channels. Also interesting to note is the fact that the Air Force Thunderbirds apparently still use their VHF-AM interplane channels of 141.85/143.85. I was able to record a complete performance from my home while they were at McGuire AFB. (The Blue Angels are, in my opinion, more interesting and exciting to listen to than the Thunderbirds. I have also heard that the Navy flight demonstration team executes more daring and exacting aerial maneuvers than the Air Force.) (Many Amateur handheld transceivers cover above and below the 144-148 MHz allocated to the "2-meter" band. This is to allow operation on channels just outside this band that are set aside for Civil Air Patrol and MARS (Military Affiliate Radio Service) operations. (As I was putting the finishing touches to this column on May 28, I heard this morning that the Thunderbirds had performed yesterday at McGuire AFB and that their communications were on 141.85. Someone had a scanner hooked up to a public address system mounted on his car in the parking area and broadcast the interplane chatter!) My personal monitoring plans for this summer include antenna work (I will be adding two or three low-band antennas) as well as adding receive capability for continuous monitoring of several active local nets. In military usage, a "net" is a single frequency used by a group of related elements, whether they are aircraft, ships or soldiers. I have been impressed enough with the R-442A/VRC that I plan to add two more in addition to the one I already have along with a AN/PRC-25 and a AN/PRC-77, giving me the capability of monitoring up to five nets (National Guard, SANDYs, VIPERs, Emergency and one additional channel from the local lineup). The R-442s drive LS-454/U loadspeakers. The manpack radios drive AM-4979A/GR units, which are LS-454/U-type loadsdpeakers with 5-watt amplifers built in that run on 12-volts. These units pack a real punch and can literally drive you out of a room! This summer, when I am sitting downtairs on the deck, I will put the various speakers in the window of my radio shack upstairs so that I can keep track of military air operations. This could also be an effective way of getting back at my next door neighbor, whose dog does little more than bark in the early morning to wake me up! Recent travels have taken me to Grand Rapids, MI, Denver, CO, San Francisco, CA, Montreal, PQ and Indianapolis, IN. As is my usual practice, copies of my aircraft frequency database and my Fairmate HP-100E portable scanner were along for the trip. At Grand Rapids, no UNIFORM transmissions were picked up while staying about a mile from the Kent County International Airport, including the Chicago Center remote site at the airport. ATIS was picked up on 118.85, approach/departure on 124.6 (north sector) and 128.4 (south sector). Clearance delivery was heard on 126.35, ground control on 121.9, control tower on 119.3. Unidentified transmitters were heard on 127.625 and 127.9, as was the local American Airlines communications outlet on 129.225 (Grand Rapids Ops). As expected, things were a lot more active at Denver's Stapleton International Airport. Approach/departure control transmitter frequency pairings were confirmed as follows: 307.3/ 119.3, 288.1/121.1 and 381.5/123.85. The only Denver Center transmitter that was picked up was on 282.2. The control tower (which I could see from my hotel room) was heard on 118.3/119.5 but not on 257.8. Approach/ departure control frequency usage was something of a puzzle, as several listed frequencies (363.0, 269.3, 351.8, 284.0, 126.9, 120.8, 125.3) were not heard but some unlisted frequencies (121.1, 134.85) were in use. (I wonder at times like this if the IFR Supplement listing of 351.8 isn't a transposition mistake for 381.5.) (I only had a couple of hours to monitor, so a lot was probably missed.) At San Francisco, time only allowed confirmation of the following Bay Approach/ Departure Control frequencies: 120.9, 132.55, 135.1, 135.4, 135.65, 317.6, 338.2, 346.0, 354.1 and 389.9. ATIS was copied on 118.2, control tower on 120.5, and ground control on 121.8/124.25. Montreal's Dorval International Airport had French ATIS on 127.5 and its English equivalent on 128.0. The control tower was monitored on 119.9 giving bilingual air traffic control orders! Montreal Center was copied on 134.4, also providing bilingual ATC. Indianapolis International Airport (and the home for Indianapolis Center) was active. The following Center channel pairings were confirmed: 124.525/251.1, 128.375/290.3, 132.775/385.4 and 119.55/319.8. All VHF and UHF channels were active at this airport, and a flight of about 6 fighter jets going over at low altitude explains why. The departure control channel of 127.15 was heard on this visit, but the control tower frequency of 123.95 has still not been monitored. Additional loggings include the Flight Service Station on 122.55/255.4 and a weather briefing for an airliner on 134.825. To acknowledge receipt of recent correspondence, here goes: Alan (NM-032) dropped me a note concerning his adventures helping to set up 4 AWOS (Automatic Weather Observing Station) transmitters for the State of New Mexico. Operating at Silver City Grant County on 126.725, Alamogordo on 127.825, Artesia on 126.725 and Sierra Blanca (Ruidoso) on an unreported frequency, Alan had quite the job checking frequency and modulation on all of these in a single day! Roger (MN-052) sent in another excellent contribution, this time an excellent series of monitoring intercepts from Raleigh-Durham International Airport and from Simmons Army Airfield. I hope to combine these with my own recent observations and those of others for a future feature column on eastern North Carolina. Anyone interested in contributing? Will (MS-??) wrote to ask about the column I wrote in the March issue. He asks about the limits of the FOX MIKE military band and about the channelization. The limits in the U.S. are basically 30.00-75.95 MHz, in 50 kHz channels. 72.85, the channel you asked about, is a good frequency for this band. NATO standard equipment now covers 30.000-87.975 MHz, with 25 kHz channels, so you can expect to hear some transmissions that might be difficult to determine their frequency because of the odd split and the wide bandwidth of the transmission. Joseph (OH-252) wrote in to remind us of the excellent Cleveland (Ohio) Airshow scheduled for August 31 through September 2 at the Burke Lakefront Airport. (I monitored the Blue Angels performing at this show years ago when I lived in Cleveland. They make for exciting monitoring, especially if you can follow their performance while listening in on the plane-to-plane communications.) I recently received a review copy of Military Radio Systems - California, by Robert Kelty (Mobile Radio Resources, San Jose, CA, 1991). Bob has published Federal frequency information for California for years, so his new book has been much anticipated. As I publish my own military frequency directories, it wouldn't be fair for me to review Bob's new book in the Aircraft column. I will simply mention its major points and leave it to someone else to be critical. Military Radio Systems - California is an impressive book. Bob and his fellow West Coast monitoring enthusiasts have done an exceptional job of putting together a very thorough summary of communications frequencies, callsigns and other information for California and also for some neighboring states, like Nevada. The Air Force obviously got the greatest attention, with 74 of the book's 216 pages being devoted to it. The Army got 25 pages, the Navy got 52, the Marines 12 and Naval Aviation got 28. The organization of the book is primarily base-by-base, with sections for airfield, security, operations and other frequencies. Additional sections give the organizational structure of the different Services, nationwide frequency assignments, military jargon, callsigns and much more. This book is a definite must for anyone interested in monitoring who lives in California or who visits there. California has perhaps the greatest amount of military activity, so serious listeners should pick up a copy before planning their next field trip or visit there. The price of the book ($37.50 or $40 postpaid) is in line with what it cost to produce and is definitely in line with that the book is worth to a serious monitoring enthusiast. The book is also available in ASCII file format on floppy disks for $50. All in all I give Military Radio Systems - California high marks. This is a good start to what hopefully will become a standard reference work. To order a copy, contact Bob at (408)269-5814. His mailing address is 1224 Madrona Ave, San Jose, CA 95125-3547. Steve (GA-???) wrote again with some military aero intercepts from his area. I am still working on a dedicated column for military aero communications in you area, Steve, so thanks for the continuing interest and patience. Bill (NH-???) has written several times with observations on military aero communications from his area in New England. Thanks for the continuing interest, Bill. I hope to use your inputs in an update on military aero action in New Hampshire, especially with the conversion of Pease AFB to Pease ANGB. þÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄþ AMATEUR RADIO COMMUNICATIONS Gordon West This column is for reporting on amateur radio activities that may be of interest to scanner listeners. Send reports and questions concerning repeater nets, civil emergency systems, packet radio, amateur TV, etc., to: V H F H A M F I R E W O R K S Who said solar cycle 22 is on the down swing? There is still plenty of activity left in solar cycle 22 to give even old-time hams some excitement especially hams that routinely monitor VHF and UHF bands. The every-summer phenomena is called E-skip. You see it sometimes abbreviated Es, and this refers to VHF signals on high band that are bounced off of densely ionized clouds within the E-layer. Range is typically 1,500 miles, and for frequencies between 140 MHz to 160 MHz, E-skip can get quite exciting for hams as well as scanner monitor enthusiasts. The big E-skip for the season began early in the morning on June 12th. You knew something was going to happen when you turned on your little FM clock radio the band was completely jammed with FM broadcast stations overriding each other and sounding like a giant mess. If you turned on the television on June 12th, Channel 2 on an outside antenna was gone. Channel 3 gave you a station several hundred miles away, and Channels 4 and 5 had heavy black horizontal bars going from bottom to top. Channel 6 was a lively show, but the TV show was coming in 1,500 miles away on your little rabbit ears antenna. On the VHF scanner bands, it was wall-to-wall signals between 150 to 170 MHz. The local weather station on 162.550 MHz was literally drowned out by another station 1,000 miles away! On the 2-meter ham band, distant repeaters were popping up everywhere. If you lived in an area where there was only 2 or 3 repeaters, the 2-meter band was now filled with hundreds of repeaters, most over 800 miles distant. Down on the 6-meter ham band, E-skip signals on SSB were solid from 50.1 to 50.6 MHz, and FM E-skip signals were solid from 52 MHz on up! Ham radio operators had a bonanza on 6 meters. But new hams on 2 meters FM wouldn't believe that the band was actually open! "Sure, tell me another story no way you are 1,000 miles away," was the comment overheard on the band the other day. But sure enough, after a few minutes, the new hams began to better understand that E-skip is an exciting phenomena that will bring in distant stations sometimes more loud and more clear than local stations. There is great debate among ham operators on how E-skip clouds occur. Some think it's from wind shear. Maybe. Other ham operators claim it's large amounts of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. This I can buy because 2 days prior to this big June band opening, one of the largest solar flares ever recorded in history took place on the face of the sun. It makes sense 2 days later, charged particles from the solar flare began to ionize the E-layer, and the E-layer then becomes super-reflective to VHF signals. The highest recorded frequency for VHF E-skip is 223 MHz. There has never been a reported E-skip opening on the 440 MHz ham band, nor have scanner listeners ever indicated they have ever heard sporadic E-skip of police and public safety agencies more than a couple of hundred miles away. Now this doesn't mean it could never happen it's just that 460 MHz is so high, it's doubtful that we'll ever hear police E-skip on this band. Here is what to look for to predict an imminent E-skip band opening on low band and VHF high band: Big black horizontal lines on TV Channels 2-6 Radio activity on normally quiet channels 1-second "ZZZZTTTTSSSS" sounds on an FM receiver prior to band opening Someone coming on frequency with an accent from another part of the country! The big E-skip opening lasted approximately 2 hours one of the longest ever that June morning. The band was reported open throughout the United States, and the scores are just coming in on who was able to talk the furthest. My best contact was 2 meters to Louisiana from Southern California, turning down my power to as low as 1 watt and still being heard loud and clear! There was little or no FM distortion, and signals held strong for 2 hours and 5 minutes. A most incredible band opening! Funny Looking Antenna I recently tried and tested the MAX telescopic 2-meter ground plane. You see this advertised almost everywhere, and the price was right. I bought it thinking it would just be another gimmick type of antenna, but boy, was I wrong! First of all, it's built well. The telescopic elements they use are top-quality ones, and as long as you're careful not to bend them, they should last a long time. Everything telescopes in and out, and rotates up and down and sideways. This allows you to adjust the ground plane radials 4 of them to a perfect 50-ohm impedance match. You then slide the radials and the radiating element in and out for perfect resonance. With all of the whips fully extended, the antenna resonates at 120 MHz just right for aeronautical receive. Pull in the elements to 19 inches, and you are on the air with a perfect match for the 2-meter ham band. Push them slightly in a little further for 150 MHz public safety monitoring. And for the 222 MHz band, extend 2 segments, and add 1-1/2 inches, and this is the best setting. On the 440 MHz band, I found the thing worked quite nicely with all the elements nestled in. This unique antenna is produced by Cellular Security Group, 4 Gerring Road, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930. You might want to write them, or call 508/281-8892 for a descriptive product brochure. They sell direct, and believe me, this little antenna made out of telescopic whips and PVC pipe really works great. This same group also provides cellular antennas for the communications industry service monitors. "And we found an interesting way to designate cell sites in any system, requiring a simple division exercise," comments Thomas Bernie, President of Cellular Security Group. "Divide the last 3 numbers of a frequency (1 before and 2 after the decimal point), by .21. The result will give a number whose integer describes the channel, minus 1, and decimal identifies the cell site," adds Bernie. As an example, 889.050 works out to be 9.05 divided by .21 equals 43.09. The cell site designation is 09, and the channel is 44! It works out. Commercial Code Requirements If you are a ham and know the code well, you still may want to get a second class telegraph license for use on commercial vessels. Although they are doing away with this license sometime in the future, it's nice to have said that you have earned it. Here's what you must pass: 1. Element 1 and 2, rules and regulations 2. Element 5, radiotelegraph operating practice 3. Element 6, technical electronics For the second class telegraph license, you must transmit and receive code at 20 wpm plain language, and 16 wpm code groups. You may not use a typewriter. You must copy long-hand. You must also send, with a straight key, too. As for the study guide on electronics, it's available from WPT Publications, 979 Young Street, Suite A, Woodburn, Oregon 97071, and it's written by Tom LeBlanc, NX7P, a very active ham. From Peter-Ma-155, the following frequencies: 448.025 Hopkinton, MA repeater 147.10 Bridgewater, MA 449.925 Bridgewater, MA 146.82 Waltham, MA 146.985 Boston rpter, used for marathon 145.270 Hopkinton net 147.40 San Diego, CA ARES net 146.715 Columbia, PA repeater 146.91 Greylock, MA repeater 147.22 Pearland, TX repeater 145.35 Rhode Island rpter, Kent County 147.36 Rhode Island, Newport County 224.56 Provide County 147.165 Washington County Thanks, Peter, and you raise a good question about 10-meter FM repeaters how in the world do you know which one you are listening to when the band is open? That's a great question, and all I can say is wait for the repeater to ID in code, or try to figure out what the operators are saying as it relates to their approximate location. Working 10-meter FM repeaters is exciting because you are not only getting repeated somewhere else, but the signals are skipping around the globe. I once worked a mobile in New York City talking through an FM repeater down in the Virgin Islands! Finally, keep those frequencies coming. Tell us about a favorite amateur radio repeater in your area, and you'll read it here in print soon. 73, and hope to hear you on the airwaves. þÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄþ BEGINNER'S CORNER Edward Gleason If you are new to monitoring or have a question about some aspect of it, please write to me at the address given below, and I'll try to answer you. When possible, your questions and answers will be printed. For those who wish an immediate reply, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Hello again everyone and welcome to the September, 1991 edition of Beginner's Corner. I trust everyone has been enjoying their summer. I know I've had a busy one. Which brings me to some unhappy news I have to relate to everyone. Due to numerous external demands on my time, I must give up writing the Beginner's Corner column. The date of my last column has not been determined yet, and anyone interested in taking my place should check From the Captain's Desk for computer requirements and details on applying to become an RCMA column editor. I have to say that I have enjoyed the privilege of writing for RCMA I hope that I can afford the time to do so again in the future. Computer On-Line Services and Bulletin Boards for Beginners I thought I would pass this topic along to those reading this column who own a computer with a modem and are interested in communicating with other radio equipment enthusiasts "on-line." There are several on-line services available to those interested in subscribing. I'm sure many RCMA members with computers subscribe to a service or services already. I am directing this to members with computers who are totally unaware that services like this exist. Of course these services offer more to subscribers than bulletin board forums on this hobby. As a matter of fact, the entire range of services, topics and/or software offered by many of these on-line services could not be covered in this column or all the columns in the RCMA Journal combined! Suffice it to say that for those interested and looking for another outlet regarding the monitoring hobby, it would be a good idea to look into these services. For example, perhaps you've recently joined prodigy through some advertising campaign. By finding your way to the HOMELIFE CLUB Bulletin Board, (there are several club bulletin boards, by the way), and choosing the topic Amateur Radio, you would encounter several subjects that may interest you. Among them, Bearcat Scanners, Scanners, Antennas, AOR vs. Realistic Scanners,etc. Upon choosing one of these subjects and BROWSING the bulletin board messages, you would read messages between members concerning the given subject matter. Many times you may read a message pertaining to a similar problem or circumstance facing you. I'm sure there are members wishing to communicate with other's sharing common interests, e.g., antennas, etc. Once enrolled in one of these on- line services, it's easy to participate in these "on-line" discussions about things concerning you. The table below outlines the more popular services: If you are interested in finding out more about these services, contact the companies at the phone numbers listed above. I personally subscribe to PRODIGY and I would recommend this service to anyone. My ID number is GJMP87A in case anyone out there is a subscriber and would like to drop me a line. That's all I have time for this month. See you next month.