4-number calls were detected by a listener on Mode-S or ADS-B; I forget which. The rest were heard on COTHEN. All are strongly believed to be involved in some kind of operations for Harvey. A number of those Rxxxxx National Guard helicopters are also involved, but tail numbers don't show up on TV well enough to match up with those heard on-air.
----------------
002 USCG HC-130J #2002, Elizabeth City
003 USCG HC-130J #2003, Elizabeth City
007 USCG HC-130J #2007, Elizabeth City
503 USCG HC-130H #1503, Clearwater
6510 USCG MH-65D #6510, CGAS Miami
6525 USCG MH-65D #6525, Jacksonville, FL
6540 USCG MH-65D #6540, Miami FL
6542 USCG MH-65D #6542, Miami FL
6543 USCG MH-65D #6543, Traverse City
6551 USCG MH-65D #6551, Florida
6553 USCG MH-65D #6553, Florida
6554 USCG MH-65D #6554, Corpus Christi, TX
6565 USCG MH-65D #6565, ATC Mobile, AL
6574 USCG MH-65D #6574, CGAS North Bend
6576 USCG MH-65D #6576, New Orleans ,LA
6582 USCG MH-65D #6582, Detroit
6584 USCG MH-65D #6584, ATC Mobile, AL
6591 USCG MH-65D #6591, ATC Mobile, AL
CNT CBP US Central Communications Node
DOJ USCGC Benjamin Dailey (WPC 1123), last posn is Galveston
J01 USCG MH-60T #6001, ATC Mobile
J09 USCG MH-60T #6009, Clearwater
J12 USCG MH-60T #6012, Clearwater
J15 USCG MH-60T #6015, Elizabeth City
J25 USCG MH-60T #6025, ATC Mobile
J26 USCG MH-60T #6026, Clearwater
J31 USCG MH-60T #6031, Clearwater or E-City
J36 USCG MH-60T #6036, Clearwater
J38 USCG MH-60T #6038, CGAS Elizabeth City
J42 USCG MH-60T #6042, CGAS Cape Cod
J46 USCG MH-60T #6046, ATC Mobile
K11 USCG MH-65D #6511, Traverse City
K81 USCG MH-65D #6581, CGAS Houston
LNT USCG COMMCOM, VA
N02 USCG HC-144A #2302, CGAS Miami
N03 USCG HC-144A #2303, CGAS Miami
N05 USCG HC-144A #2305, CGAS Miami
N09 USCG HC-144A #2309, CGAS Miami
N10 USCG HC-144A #2310, CGAS Miami
N13 USCG HC-144A #2313, Mobile, AL
N14 USCG HC-144A #2314, CGAS Corpus Christi
N15 USCG HC-144A #2315, CGAS Miami
P21 USCG COTHEN Remote Command Console, ATC Mobile, AL
TGT USCGC Sturgeon (WPB 87336), Grand Isle, LA
TSC COTHEN Technical Service Center, Orlando, FL
Z18 USCG Sector Houston-Galveston
Utility Planet is the official blog for the column of the same name in The Spectrum Monitor. It replaces Utility World in the discontinued Monitoring Times magazine. Utilities are all VLF/LF/MF/HF (and sometimes low-band VHF) radio communications except broadcasting, CB, and non-emergency amateur. If you understood the last sentence, you know enough to read this blog.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
USCG Harvey activity on COTHEN #3
All heard on the air Tuesday
003 USCG HC-130J #2003, Elizabeth City
503 USCG C-130 #1503, Clearwater
DOJ USCGC Benjamin
Dailey (WPC 1123), Galveston
J01 USCG MH-60T #6001, ATC Mobile
J09 USCG MH-60T #6009, Clearwater
J26 USCG MH-60T #6026, Clearwater
K11 USCG MH-65D #6511, CGAS Miami
K81 USCG MH-65D #6581, CGAS New Orleans
LNT USCG COMMCOM, VA
N02 USCG HC-144A #2302, CGAS Miami
N05 USCG HC-144A #2305, CGAS Miami
N09 USCG HC-144A #2309, CGAS Miami
N10 USCG HC-144A #2310, CGAS Miami
N13 USCG HC-144A #2313, Mobile, AL
N14 USCG HC-144A #2314, CGAS Corpus Christi
N15 USCG HC-144A #2315, CGAS Miami
P21 USCG COTHEN Remote Command Console, ATC Mobile, AL
TSC COTHEN Technical Service Center, Orlando, FL
Z18 USCG Sector Houston-Galveston
Monday, August 28, 2017
USCG Activity on COTHEN #2
The following Coast Guard assets, as heard on COTHEN, are known to be working Harvey:
J01 USCG MH-60T #6001 ATC Mobile
J09 USCG MH-60T #6009 Clearwater
J26 USCG MH-60T #6026 Clearwater
J36 USCG MH-60T #6036 Cape Cod
J38 USCG MH-60T #6038 CGAS Elizabeth City
K11 USCG MH-65D #6581 CGAS New Orleans
LNT USCG COMMCOM, VA
N02 USCG HC-144A #2302 Miami
P21 USCG COTHEN Remote Command Console, ATC Mobile
Z18 USCG Sector Houston-Galveston
LNT was also heard here working N15, USCG HC-144A #2315, CGAS Miami, with ALE and voice on 12222. This activity also seemed to be related to Harvey.
J01 USCG MH-60T #6001 ATC Mobile
J09 USCG MH-60T #6009 Clearwater
J26 USCG MH-60T #6026 Clearwater
J36 USCG MH-60T #6036 Cape Cod
J38 USCG MH-60T #6038 CGAS Elizabeth City
K11 USCG MH-65D #6581 CGAS New Orleans
LNT USCG COMMCOM, VA
N02 USCG HC-144A #2302 Miami
P21 USCG COTHEN Remote Command Console, ATC Mobile
Z18 USCG Sector Houston-Galveston
LNT was also heard here working N15, USCG HC-144A #2315, CGAS Miami, with ALE and voice on 12222. This activity also seemed to be related to Harvey.
USCG Harvey activity on COTHEN
Listeners in the area are hearing extensive Coast Guard rescue activity on the COTHEN net. The lower ALE frequencies seem most active, but that could be time of day. One log was on 14 MHz. Again, COTHEN (Cellular Over-The-Horizon Enforcement Network) uses:
5732.0
5909.5
7527.0
8912.0
10242.0
11494.0
12222.0
13312.0
13907.0
14582.0
15867.0
18594.0
20890.0
23214.0
5732.0
5909.5
7527.0
8912.0
10242.0
11494.0
12222.0
13312.0
13907.0
14582.0
15867.0
18594.0
20890.0
23214.0
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Basic Harvey Frequency List #1
This extract from my rather dated 2013 Hurricane Frequency List contains the ones that are known to be still used for the activities listed. In other words, confidence in this particular list is somewhat higher than in the whole 2013 list, and these should be considered good places to start looking.
I left out the 14325 kHz Natl. Hurricane Watch Net, because I did not know whether or not it was still active for Harvey. There's another tropical disturbance off the US East Coast, and if it develops the HWN may activate again.
Frequencies that have already been confirmed active in Harvey are in boldface.
----------------
3845.0 (LSB) Gulf Coast West, often takes H&W
I left out the 14325 kHz Natl. Hurricane Watch Net, because I did not know whether or not it was still active for Harvey. There's another tropical disturbance off the US East Coast, and if it develops the HWN may activate again.
Frequencies that have already been confirmed active in Harvey are in boldface.
----------------
3845.0 (LSB) Gulf Coast West, often takes H&W
3873.0 (LSB)
Regional ARES Emergency Frequency
3910.0 (LSB) Central
Texas Emergency Net
3930.0 (LSB) North
Texas Emergency Net
3935.0 (LSB) Health
& Welfare Traffic Net (Night)
3944.0 (LSB) West
Gulf Emergency Net
3955.0 (LSB) South
Texas Emergency Net
3957.0 (LSB)
Louisiana State EOC
3975.0 (LSB) RACES
Net H&W Alternate
4780.0 FEMA
5135.0 SECURE Gulf
Coast net ALE/USB VOICE
5136.4 Red Cross
F-93
5141.4 Red Cross
F-94
5211.0 National
Emergency Coordination Net night primary
5696.0 Old USCG
air-ground/safety of flight, now mostly on COTHEN
5896.5 SHARES night
primary
6910.0 SHARES Region
6
7235.0 (LSB)
Regional Emergency Hurricane Frequency
7240.0 (LSB) Texas
Emergency Net
7248.0 (LSB) Texas
RACES, Primary Tactical Freq
7250.0 (LSB) Texas
Emergency Frequency
7260.0 (LSB) West
Gulf Coast Hurricane Net (Alt)
7264.0 (LSB) Gulf
Coast Health & Welfare (Alt)
7268.0 ????????????
7273.0 (LSB) Texas
ARES (Alt)
7285.0 (LSB) Primary
ARES Regional Daytime Frequency
7290.0 (LSB) Primary
Regional Daytime H&W/WX Freq
7348.0 FEMA
10493.0 National
Emergency Coordination Net day primary
11108.0 FEMA
12216.0 FEMA
13446.0 FEMA
"Foxtrot-36" various modes
13457.0 SHARES
primary - also Federal Aviation Administration
13956.0 FEMA
"Foxtrot-48", some NECN use (USB/LSB)
14293.0 Red Cross
use
14303.0 ARRL
International Assistance & Traffic Net
14389.0 MARS Mission
Support Net
14390.5 MARS
disaster operations
14396.5 SHARES
National Day Primary
14450.0 FEMA
"Foxtrot-41"
14567.0 FEMA
"Foxtrot-39," NECN primary in past
17458.5 SHARES
------------------
In addition, there is activity on the COTHEN net, though I haven't heard any voice comms here yet. This net was a mainstay in Katrina, and while I realize that's 12 years ago, and that its primary mission remains law enforcement, maybe it will be used again. It's primarily USB ALE, though follow-on voice comm is frequent.
5732.0
5909.5
7527.0
8912.0
10242.0
11494.0
12222.0
13312.0
13907.0
14582.0
15867.0
18594.0
20890.0
23214.0
24835.5
Friday, August 04, 2017
Shortwave Radiogram 5-6 August: Read the Blog
The announcement of this week's Shortwave Radiogram is too good for me to hack up here. It contains some important illustrations and many tables and font changes. It deserves to be viewed in all its glory here:
http://swradiogram.net/post/163794122557/shortwave-radiogram-5-6-august-2017-can-also-be
The thing about the marketers' beloved "millennials" suddenly "discovering" TV antennas has always amused me. I keep waiting for this ad:
ETHER PROBE
Here is a revolutionary NEW antenna which YOU can use to SNATCH FREE TV PROGRAMS FROM THIN AIR! This is not a hyped-up ad claim. This remarkable new device uses an exciting discovery called "RF" technology, which can provide many of your favorite channels WITH NO COST! Never pay a cable or streaming bill again!
(May not work in areas with low signal strength. Performance cannot be guaranteed in these conditions.)
http://swradiogram.net/post/163794122557/shortwave-radiogram-5-6-august-2017-can-also-be
The thing about the marketers' beloved "millennials" suddenly "discovering" TV antennas has always amused me. I keep waiting for this ad:
ETHER PROBE
Here is a revolutionary NEW antenna which YOU can use to SNATCH FREE TV PROGRAMS FROM THIN AIR! This is not a hyped-up ad claim. This remarkable new device uses an exciting discovery called "RF" technology, which can provide many of your favorite channels WITH NO COST! Never pay a cable or streaming bill again!
(May not work in areas with low signal strength. Performance cannot be guaranteed in these conditions.)