Wings Over Houston Air Show Frequencies 10/15/11
by Myles Barkman KG5AI
http://freqzone.home.comcast.net
kg5ai*at*comcast.net
119.6000 * "Air Boss" (2011)-coreographs all aircraft in show
124.5000 * "Air Boss" backup/discrete/intercom (2011)
other freqs from 122.700-123.575 may be used by teams during performances
These are the airshow staff channels for 2011 (all channels, except noted, use a PL of 146.2 Hz):
1 464.550 * operations/security (15W repeater-10' antenna/roughly 5 mile range-PL 186.2)
2 462.700 * fuel/oil/smoke
3 464.500 pilot registration/food/Eagle Squadron/volunteers
4 451.900 * parking/HPD
5 467.750 * gates
6 467.800 setup/takedown? (description omitted-using channel 1?)
7 467.850 pyro
8 467.900 finance
9 467.950 * pilot shuttle/motor pool (note: input to HFD Ch.6 repeater)
10 451.800 ground safety
11 451.850 * media (note: same as Southwest Services repeater freq)
12 462.550 * medical repeater
13 451.950 * water carts
14 461.2375
15 461.4375
16 461.6625
Note: All frequencies 118-137 MHz and 225-400 MHz use AM mode unless otherwise noted.
41.0000 * Ellington ANG Helicopters (FM)
126.0500 * Ellington Airport Tower
121.6000 * Ellington Airport Ground
135.5750 * Ellington Airport ATIS
141.9000 Ellington Air National Guard F16s Air-Air (AM mode)
157.0500 * US Coast Guard Helos stationed at Ellington
163.4875 * Ellington Air National Guard Security (P25 digital)
162.6125 * Ellington Air National Guard Security Primary (P25 digital)
163.0000 Ellington Air National Guard (used 2001)(P25 digital)
163.5375 * Ellington Flight Line Ops-repeats ground control units from 121.600 (P25 digital)
165.1375 * Ellington F16 Maintenance (P25 digital)
165.1875 * Ellington F16 Maintenance or POL trucks (Petroleum, Oil, Lubricants)(P25 digital)
173.5875 * Ellington Fire/Crash/Rescue (P25 digital)
235.4000 * NASA at Ellington
253.5000 * Ellington Airport Tower
269.9000 * Ellington Airport ATIS
275.8000 * Ellington Airport Ground
345.0000 * US Coast Guard Ellington Ramp "Comm-1"
412.8750 unknown use-Maint? (PL 97.4)
413.4750 * US Coast Guard repeater (input 407.475, PL 67.0)
122.9500 * Southwest Services FBO (fuel)
451.8500 * Southwest Services FBO (DPL 731)-licensed for 451.825 MHz
453.7000 * HPD Airport Police (best to listen to input on 458.700 to hear local units instead of Hobby and Bush)
460.0750 HPD Ch. B4 traffic control
460.2250 HPD Ch.8 Car-Car
460.5250 * HPD Ch.B3 (portable repeater in use?)
Amateur Radio Nets:
145.5000 * simplex
146.8800 repeater
441.3000 secondary repeater
151.9550 Family Use
154.5700 Concessions PL 100.0
462.5875 FRS 02 gate security?
462.6875 FRS 06 used by pyrotechnics (2003)
462.7125 FRS 07 Unk use
463.5625 Golf Cart control (portable repeater-DPL 532-about 2.5 mile range)
464.5000 * beer concession (DPL 071)
464.5500 National Concession Company (DPL 245)
467.6875 FRS 13 CAP Ramp Control
467.7625 Concessions DPL 074
467.8375 Unk, parking related?
467.9250 Film Crew
469.5000 various users "command post" DPL?
469.5500 CAP Command Post PL 131.8
Trunked systems:
TxWARN 22288 Houston Airport System Security at Ellington (not heard 2011)
TxWARN 22768 Houston Airport System Ellington Ops
TxWARN 22800 Hosuton Airport System Ellington Ops 1
TxWARN 22832 Houston Airport System Ellington Ops 2
Best sites to listen for Ellington talkgroups are Pearland, Pasadena and League City.
Houston 2-Way 0-12-125 Satellite parking
Commonly used Canadian Forces Snowbird freqs:
116.0000 used 10/6/07
242.6000 used 10/5/07 during practice
243.4000
245.7500
272.1000 * used 10/6/07, 10/14/11
275.8000 Ch.1
295.6000 Ch.2
310.8000 Ch.3
413.0250 ground crews
Reportedly used by the Tora Tora Tora Warbirds Team (Commemorative Air Force)(have never confirmed any of these personally):
118.7500
122.8500
122.8750
123.1500
123.4500
FRS radios
469.5000
469.5500
Reportedly used by USAF Demonstration Teams:
118.5000 air/air
122.4750
123.1500 heritage discrete
123.4250
123.4500
127.1500
136.5750
136.6750
238.1500 B-1B flyovers
282.8000
376.0250 F15E Strike Eagle
384.5500 * reported use at Fort Worth airshow 10/20/07 (out of band)
Try these for possible Civil Air Patrol comms:
141.5750 Command & Control 1 (pl 127.3)
141.0000 Command & Control 2 (pl 131.8)
149.2750 Air 1 (pl 141.3)
150.2625 Air 2 (pl 151.4)
150.2250 Guard 1 (pl 162.2)
139.8750 TAC 1 (pl 173.8)
148.1250 Primary repeater
148.1500 Secondary repeater
148.1375 Aero/Portable repeater
Here is a possible list of channels programmed into Air National Guard Radios at Ellington.
Specific uses are not all known and all are using APCO P25 digital modulation (NAC 147).
1 173.5875 * Ellington Fire
2 173.6125
3 163.4875 * Ellington Security
4 162.6125 * Ellington Security Primary
5 164.5000 *
6 163.5125 *
7 165.1125
8 163.0000 *
9 165.1375 * Ellington F16 Maint
10 165.1875 * Ellington F16 Maint or POL trucks
11 163.5375 * Ellington Flight Line Ops
12 163.5875
13 163.4625 *
14 171.3875
15 165.0125 *
16 162.5500 (weather)
Might even try listening to the Federal Government's version of FRS (called ISR for Inter-Squad Radio).
The only radios I know of so far that is used in this band is the ICOM IC-4008M. Narrowband FM is the mode.
Main user of this radio service is military and CAP (have heard little usage of this at past Ellington airshows):
1 396.875
2 397.125
3 397.175
4 397.375
5 397.425
6 397.475
7 397.550
8 397.950
9 398.050
10 399.425
11 399.475
12 399.725
13 399.925
14 399.975
Might check to see if there is a low-power FM broadcast of the announcer for folks that can't hear the speakers.
(none noted past few years)