Ever since I started posting military air activity, people have been asking for a way they could listen in on line. About a week ago, I started a fund-raising campaign, with one of the goals being to get a feed up that people can listen to. Six of you jumped right in and contributed, and I'm happy to announce the feed is now online on LiveATC.net (search for KBOS).
A few items of interest about the feed. First, there may be long periods of silence. This is normal, because the frequencies covered aren't always in use. Secondly, there are still some improvements in the works. Right now the feed is hooked up to my only digital scanner, which I don't like having tied up that way. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up a used base scanner in the $100 range to use to provide the feed. There's also more interference and worse reception in the room with the desktop I'm using for the feed, so I'll be picking up some supplied to move the antenna away from the computer and closer to the window, and a UHF RF filter to help keep the noise level down (about another $100). I've already got a brand new desktop to host the feed on, I'm just waiting for a new monitor so I can hook it up. I'm guessing the newer/better sound card that's in there will help things out a little, too.
The ability for everyone to listen in isn't the only improvement the new setup brings. It also means I have a local recording of the traffic, which I've been using cuts of to add audio to the Facebook page posts. It also means that things are monitored essentially 24/7, as opposed to before, when it was about four hours a day five days a week. Having the audio available has also motivated me to start doing daily logs of the military activity.
Besides the $200 mentioned above, I still have about $700 worth of upgrades that need to be made. Please, if you enjoy the live stream (and it will only get better!), or if you've ever thought to yourself "I'm glad all this is free to me, even if I'd gladly pay a small amount for it", or "I'd like to buy that AlertNewEngland guy a beer", consider making a small contribution. It will go a long way towards increasing everyone's enjoyment!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Military Logs, August 27th
Mode S hits:
ADS Reg. Flight Lat. Long. Alt. Course Speed Time Type Sqwk
710392 HZ-102 HZ102 0.00000 0.00000 34025' 0.0° 0.0kts 04:09:18UTC B738 0000
AE06E2 163840 0.00000 0.00000 0.0° 0.0kts 11:53:33UTC BE20 0000
AE03C8 153022 RANGR81 0.00000 0.00000 19950' 0.0° 0.0kts 13:09:24UTC C130 3613
010089 1292 EGY1116 0.00000 0.00000 40600' 0.0° 0.0kts 13:27:19UTC C130 6356
AE1D6A 161765 LT621 0.00000 0.00000 7250' 0.0° 0.0kts 13:38:56UTC P3 7340
AE1170 02-1098 TBIRD16 0.00000 0.00000 25100' 0.0° 0.0kts 13:50:34UTC C17 3422
AE0847 58-0107 MAINE86 0.00000 0.00000 22000' 0.0° 0.0kts 14:19:50UTC K35R 4643
AE1470 07-7178 RCH683 0.00000 0.00000 36700' 0.0° 0.0kts 14:31:49UTC C17 2426
AE2914 6037 C6037 0.00000 0.00000 500' 0.0° 0.0kts 14:38:03UTC H60 5152
AE04B9 58-0030 MAINE85 44.19010 -71.62637 21000' 0.0° 0.0kts 14:38:54UTC K35R 4662
AE0177 84-0128 ALLIED1 0.00000 0.00000 0.0° 0.0kts 16:11:14UTC LJ35 1453
AE03F0 165378 CNV3121 0.00000 0.00000 0.0° 0.0kts 16:18:13UTC C130 3135
AE026B 62-3515 RCH660 0.00000 0.00000 14300' 0.0° 0.0kts 17:50:48UTC K35R 6311
AE1472 07-7180 RCH626 0.00000 0.00000 34000' 0.0° 0.0kts 18:31:09UTC C17 2453
ADFE25 2104 0.00000 0.00000 2325' 0.0° 0.0kts 18:38:17UTC FA20 4420
AE02CF 91-9143 FUZZY32 0.00000 0.00000 19900' 0.0° 0.0kts 18:45:33UTC C130 0000
AE055F 85-0002 RCH402 0.00000 0.00000 38000' 0.0° 0.0kts 20:50:37UTC C5 6032
AE117D 02-1111 RCH545 0.00000 0.00000 30900' 0.0° 0.0kts 21:55:55UTC C17 3045
AE07FF 98-0053 RCH181 0.00000 0.00000 31400' 0.0° 0.0kts 22:30:34UTC C17 0737
ADFE2D 2112 42.32426 -71.16043 19000' 0.0° 0.0kts 22:46:26UTC FA20 4607
AE038B 62-3543 DEECEE12 0.00000 0.00000 28000' 0.0° 0.0kts 22:51:58UTC K35R 1543
AE020A 79-1711 TEAM35 42.57986 -72.03519 37025' 0.0° 0.0kts 23:37:26UTC DC10 7136
Navy LIMA TANGO 621 was on display at the Brunswick Air show over the weekend.
THUNDERBIRD16 was the support plane for the US Air Force Thunderbirds at the Brunswick Air Show.
MAINE85 took off and headed to AR-631 to refuel HAWK81 (USN F-18). HAWK81 flight was canceled, so MAINE85 canceled the refueling mission and returned to Bangor IAP.
Comms were also heard between MAINE85 and 86 on 311.0 MHz.
REACH683 was heard calling BRICKYARD, the McGuire AFB command post, to report they were inbound.
REACH660 was a NH ANG tanker, inbound to Pease.
At 11:49 local time, had GYPSY11-14, flight of four F-18's from VFA-32, inbound to Pease.
At 13:35 local time, had EMPIRE15 (USN F-18) in the area.
REACH402 was inbound to Dover, heard calling Westover Meteo for a weather report.
REACH181 landed at Bangor.
ADS Reg. Flight Lat. Long. Alt. Course Speed Time Type Sqwk
710392 HZ-102 HZ102 0.00000 0.00000 34025' 0.0° 0.0kts 04:09:18UTC B738 0000
AE06E2 163840 0.00000 0.00000 0.0° 0.0kts 11:53:33UTC BE20 0000
AE03C8 153022 RANGR81 0.00000 0.00000 19950' 0.0° 0.0kts 13:09:24UTC C130 3613
010089 1292 EGY1116 0.00000 0.00000 40600' 0.0° 0.0kts 13:27:19UTC C130 6356
AE1D6A 161765 LT621 0.00000 0.00000 7250' 0.0° 0.0kts 13:38:56UTC P3 7340
AE1170 02-1098 TBIRD16 0.00000 0.00000 25100' 0.0° 0.0kts 13:50:34UTC C17 3422
AE0847 58-0107 MAINE86 0.00000 0.00000 22000' 0.0° 0.0kts 14:19:50UTC K35R 4643
AE1470 07-7178 RCH683 0.00000 0.00000 36700' 0.0° 0.0kts 14:31:49UTC C17 2426
AE2914 6037 C6037 0.00000 0.00000 500' 0.0° 0.0kts 14:38:03UTC H60 5152
AE04B9 58-0030 MAINE85 44.19010 -71.62637 21000' 0.0° 0.0kts 14:38:54UTC K35R 4662
AE0177 84-0128 ALLIED1 0.00000 0.00000 0.0° 0.0kts 16:11:14UTC LJ35 1453
AE03F0 165378 CNV3121 0.00000 0.00000 0.0° 0.0kts 16:18:13UTC C130 3135
AE026B 62-3515 RCH660 0.00000 0.00000 14300' 0.0° 0.0kts 17:50:48UTC K35R 6311
AE1472 07-7180 RCH626 0.00000 0.00000 34000' 0.0° 0.0kts 18:31:09UTC C17 2453
ADFE25 2104 0.00000 0.00000 2325' 0.0° 0.0kts 18:38:17UTC FA20 4420
AE02CF 91-9143 FUZZY32 0.00000 0.00000 19900' 0.0° 0.0kts 18:45:33UTC C130 0000
AE055F 85-0002 RCH402 0.00000 0.00000 38000' 0.0° 0.0kts 20:50:37UTC C5 6032
AE117D 02-1111 RCH545 0.00000 0.00000 30900' 0.0° 0.0kts 21:55:55UTC C17 3045
AE07FF 98-0053 RCH181 0.00000 0.00000 31400' 0.0° 0.0kts 22:30:34UTC C17 0737
ADFE2D 2112 42.32426 -71.16043 19000' 0.0° 0.0kts 22:46:26UTC FA20 4607
AE038B 62-3543 DEECEE12 0.00000 0.00000 28000' 0.0° 0.0kts 22:51:58UTC K35R 1543
AE020A 79-1711 TEAM35 42.57986 -72.03519 37025' 0.0° 0.0kts 23:37:26UTC DC10 7136
Navy LIMA TANGO 621 was on display at the Brunswick Air show over the weekend.
THUNDERBIRD16 was the support plane for the US Air Force Thunderbirds at the Brunswick Air Show.
MAINE85 took off and headed to AR-631 to refuel HAWK81 (USN F-18). HAWK81 flight was canceled, so MAINE85 canceled the refueling mission and returned to Bangor IAP.
Comms were also heard between MAINE85 and 86 on 311.0 MHz.
REACH683 was heard calling BRICKYARD, the McGuire AFB command post, to report they were inbound.
REACH660 was a NH ANG tanker, inbound to Pease.
At 11:49 local time, had GYPSY11-14, flight of four F-18's from VFA-32, inbound to Pease.
At 13:35 local time, had EMPIRE15 (USN F-18) in the area.
REACH402 was inbound to Dover, heard calling Westover Meteo for a weather report.
REACH181 landed at Bangor.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Military Logs, August 26th
Mode S logs:
ADS Reg. Flight Lat. Long. Alt. Time Type Sqwk
AE023C 63-8888 BOLT16 0.00000 0.00000 9400' 00:50:12UTC K35R 6054
AE055F 85-0002 RCH402 0.00000 0.00000 31000' 01:43:50UTC C5 2111
AE023A 62-3520 NATN13 42.17360 -70.32401 37400' 14:46:14UTC K35R 3517
AE06E2 163840 0.00000 0.00000 19200' 18:50:21UTC BE20 5037
AE0578 87-0027 RCH628 43.58826 -71.15472 16700' 21:36:58UTC C5 2534
AE10B9 01-0190 RCH421 0.00000 0.00000 33000' 23:42:01UTC C17 6223
BOLT16 relocated from MacDill AFB in Florida to Pease due to Tropical Storm Isaac, along with a number of other tankers from the 91st Aerial Refueling Squadron
REACH402 is a Dover C-5M that went overseas, last picked up over Austria.
NATION13 is a NH ANG tanker, probably flying a CAP mission over Camp David, MD.
REACH628 is a Dover C-5M inbound from overseas. Was en route back to Dover, but chose to land at Westover due to weather.
REACH421 is a Charleston C-17 headed overseas.
ADS Reg. Flight Lat. Long. Alt. Time Type Sqwk
AE023C 63-8888 BOLT16 0.00000 0.00000 9400' 00:50:12UTC K35R 6054
AE055F 85-0002 RCH402 0.00000 0.00000 31000' 01:43:50UTC C5 2111
AE023A 62-3520 NATN13 42.17360 -70.32401 37400' 14:46:14UTC K35R 3517
AE06E2 163840 0.00000 0.00000 19200' 18:50:21UTC BE20 5037
AE0578 87-0027 RCH628 43.58826 -71.15472 16700' 21:36:58UTC C5 2534
AE10B9 01-0190 RCH421 0.00000 0.00000 33000' 23:42:01UTC C17 6223
BOLT16 relocated from MacDill AFB in Florida to Pease due to Tropical Storm Isaac, along with a number of other tankers from the 91st Aerial Refueling Squadron
REACH402 is a Dover C-5M that went overseas, last picked up over Austria.
NATION13 is a NH ANG tanker, probably flying a CAP mission over Camp David, MD.
REACH628 is a Dover C-5M inbound from overseas. Was en route back to Dover, but chose to land at Westover due to weather.
REACH421 is a Charleston C-17 headed overseas.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Fighter jets practice intercepting aircraft over Glens Falls, NY
F-15's from the Massachusetts Air National Guard conducted exercises today which involved a simulated scramble to intercept targets over Glens Falls, New York. The fighters launched from Barnes, and the role of the unknown aircraft was played by a Civil Air Patrol Cessna.
In this recording you can hear NORAD Northeast Air Defense Sector (call sign HUNTRESS) giving intercept instructions to the two F-15's, call signs SLAM31 and SLAM32. Towards the end of the recording you can hear unrelated traffic from PACK61 flight (two NH ANG refueling tankers) and MOVER30 (KC-10A out of McGuire), who were going to refuel over New Hampshire.
Longer periods of silence between transmissions were edited out to save some space.
F-15 practice intercept over New York by AlertNewEngland
This was all recorded with the setup I'm hoping to turn into a live feed. If you enjoy this, and would like to be able to listen to it live 24/7, please chip in some money to help me offset the cost of the required equipment.
In this recording you can hear NORAD Northeast Air Defense Sector (call sign HUNTRESS) giving intercept instructions to the two F-15's, call signs SLAM31 and SLAM32. Towards the end of the recording you can hear unrelated traffic from PACK61 flight (two NH ANG refueling tankers) and MOVER30 (KC-10A out of McGuire), who were going to refuel over New Hampshire.
Longer periods of silence between transmissions were edited out to save some space.
F-15 practice intercept over New York by AlertNewEngland
This was all recorded with the setup I'm hoping to turn into a live feed. If you enjoy this, and would like to be able to listen to it live 24/7, please chip in some money to help me offset the cost of the required equipment.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Boston jakes fighting 4 alarm fire on Fairmount St
Firefighters in Boston are currently on scene of a 4 alarm blaze in a large 3 decker house at 5 Fairmount Street. The call came in just after 11:00 AM, and the first fire crews on the scene reported heavy smoke coming from the house. The fire appears to have originated in the basement and then spread to all the floors. Firefighters were able to search the house for occupants before being forced to evacuate from the building.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Help me take this to the next level!
(This post applies mainly to my military air information)
So, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a new computer to replace the one that I currently leave on 24/7 to run the plane tracking software that I use. This presents me with some pretty great opportunities.
Currently, via my Facebook page and twitter feed I provide real time updates, when I'm able, on military activity throughout New England and neighboring states. I do this because it's a fun hobby, it's interesting, and I enjoy educating people about how hard our military men and women are constantly working.
With the new computer, several possibilities open up that would greatly enhance the coverage I currently provide. We could make this a real 'World Class' source of information. Two main goals come to mind:
1: Set up a live feed (or two)
A lot of people currently ask me where they can listen online to this kind of traffic. With the old computer, which dates back to 2002 or so (processor speed is measured in MHz), there wasn't much I can do. With the new computer, I'll have plenty of extra CPU to provide at least one feed on LiveATC. This feed would cover the command posts at bases in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, as well as the refueling frequencies and those used by NORAD in this area. Besides being able to listen live, LiveATC also archives all of the feeds for a couple months. This means I (or you!) could go back and review the radio traffic that occurred when I was away from the radios, so that in addition to the real-time coverage currently provided, delayed coverage would be available essentially 24 hours a day, as opposed to the four or five hours a day there is now. And, of course, the feed would be available 24 hours a day for everyone to listen in on.
I'm also considering preparing a weekly 'summary' newsletter. I would be able to cut the audio into short clips, so that you could hit play and hear interesting comms from that week.
With enough resources, I could add an additional sound card and hook up a second feed to compliment the first.
2: Upgrade my Mode S receiver
My current Mode S receiver is the simplest, most inexpensive one you can buy. It works great, but is a bit limited in it's functionality. I'd like to upgrade to a Kinetic SBS-3, which would provide numerous advantages. Obviously the more information I can gather, the more I can share with you.
The SBS-3 has a much higher message rate, which means more planes detected, and more messages processed from the planes it does detect.
The SBS-3 also receives Mode 3 squawks, which my current receiver doesn't. Combat aircraft such as fighters and bombers don't transmit Mode S while over the United States (yet!), but they still squawk on their Mode 3 transponder. This provides another avenue for potentially getting a location fix on them. It also means that I can receive instant notification of an aircraft in the area that has an emergency or hijacking, as well as notification of scrambled fighter aircraft.
Another great feature is the multiple Software Defined Radios built into the receiver. The more radio channels I can monitor, the more I can hear! I'll also use an SDR channel to monitor ACARS, adding another source of information.
As a side bonus, I'll probably sell off my current receiver, giving one of you the opportunity to pick it up for cheap and set up your own receiving station.
I've already put a couple thousand dollars into this hobby. I don't mind spending more, but I just don't have it right now. If I can't raise it here, I'll still make these improvements eventually (hopefully!). I don't expect other people to fund my hobby, but if you enjoy my coverage, are entertained by my page, have benefited from my assistance or tech support, or just want to lend a helping hand, please consider using the widget below to make a contribution. I promise it will benefit all of us!
So, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a new computer to replace the one that I currently leave on 24/7 to run the plane tracking software that I use. This presents me with some pretty great opportunities.
Currently, via my Facebook page and twitter feed I provide real time updates, when I'm able, on military activity throughout New England and neighboring states. I do this because it's a fun hobby, it's interesting, and I enjoy educating people about how hard our military men and women are constantly working.
With the new computer, several possibilities open up that would greatly enhance the coverage I currently provide. We could make this a real 'World Class' source of information. Two main goals come to mind:
1: Set up a live feed (or two)
A lot of people currently ask me where they can listen online to this kind of traffic. With the old computer, which dates back to 2002 or so (processor speed is measured in MHz), there wasn't much I can do. With the new computer, I'll have plenty of extra CPU to provide at least one feed on LiveATC. This feed would cover the command posts at bases in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, as well as the refueling frequencies and those used by NORAD in this area. Besides being able to listen live, LiveATC also archives all of the feeds for a couple months. This means I (or you!) could go back and review the radio traffic that occurred when I was away from the radios, so that in addition to the real-time coverage currently provided, delayed coverage would be available essentially 24 hours a day, as opposed to the four or five hours a day there is now. And, of course, the feed would be available 24 hours a day for everyone to listen in on.
I'm also considering preparing a weekly 'summary' newsletter. I would be able to cut the audio into short clips, so that you could hit play and hear interesting comms from that week.
With enough resources, I could add an additional sound card and hook up a second feed to compliment the first.
2: Upgrade my Mode S receiver
My current Mode S receiver is the simplest, most inexpensive one you can buy. It works great, but is a bit limited in it's functionality. I'd like to upgrade to a Kinetic SBS-3, which would provide numerous advantages. Obviously the more information I can gather, the more I can share with you.
The SBS-3 has a much higher message rate, which means more planes detected, and more messages processed from the planes it does detect.
The SBS-3 also receives Mode 3 squawks, which my current receiver doesn't. Combat aircraft such as fighters and bombers don't transmit Mode S while over the United States (yet!), but they still squawk on their Mode 3 transponder. This provides another avenue for potentially getting a location fix on them. It also means that I can receive instant notification of an aircraft in the area that has an emergency or hijacking, as well as notification of scrambled fighter aircraft.
Another great feature is the multiple Software Defined Radios built into the receiver. The more radio channels I can monitor, the more I can hear! I'll also use an SDR channel to monitor ACARS, adding another source of information.
As a side bonus, I'll probably sell off my current receiver, giving one of you the opportunity to pick it up for cheap and set up your own receiving station.
I've already put a couple thousand dollars into this hobby. I don't mind spending more, but I just don't have it right now. If I can't raise it here, I'll still make these improvements eventually (hopefully!). I don't expect other people to fund my hobby, but if you enjoy my coverage, are entertained by my page, have benefited from my assistance or tech support, or just want to lend a helping hand, please consider using the widget below to make a contribution. I promise it will benefit all of us!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
US Airways 750 makes emergency landing at Boston after seeing smoke in the cockpit.
US Airways flight 750, en route from Philadelphia to Brussels, was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing in Boston after seeing and smelling smoke in the cockpit. The plane, a Boeing 767, landed safely.
Below is the audio of the landing. I cut about two minutes of silence from the middle of it while the plane lands. Audio is courtesy of liveatc.net.
Cactus750 by AlertNewEngland
If you like posts like this, please chip in to help me buy some better aviation monitoring equipment:
Below is the audio of the landing. I cut about two minutes of silence from the middle of it while the plane lands. Audio is courtesy of liveatc.net.
Cactus750 by AlertNewEngland
If you like posts like this, please chip in to help me buy some better aviation monitoring equipment:
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