Thursday, March 24, 2011

Monitoring Operation Odyssey Dawn - Update #8

A U.S. Navy sailor guides an AV-8B Harrier jump jet to the deck of USS Kearsarge for fuel and ammunition resupply while conducting air strikes in support of Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn. The Harrier is assigned to the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Danielle M. Bacon

Here is our latest list of frequencies reported and those monitored from here on the Radio Ranch. Earlier information on the audio samples etc are down page in this post.

If you want to monitor shortwave broadcast from North Africa and the Middle East, we have the most complete and comprehensive listings of all language shortwave broadcast schedules available anywhere exclusively for our Monitoring Times magazine MTExpress subscribers online right now. Complete details on how to order our MTExpress - MTXtra schedules can be found on the Monitoring Times magazine or Grove Enterprises websites.

All frequencies are in kHz.

4196.0 Naval Military style CWC tracking net USB (American English accents). Sounds like a surface voice coordination net. Passing a track for a Russian AGI (3/21 @ 2150 UTC). Early on in Operation Odyssey Dawn that was used as a NATO AWACS tracking net USB: Callsign Magic ##/NATO ##
4235.0 UK Royal Air Force VOLMET USB Middile East Aerodromes
5725.0 UK Royal Navy CWC-style net USB.
6688.0 French Strategic Air Force Net - Commandement Des Forces Aériennes Stratégiques (CFAS) USB: Callsign Capitol/Cosaque ##
6712.0 French Air Force Commandement De La Force Aérienne De Projection (CFAP) USB: Callsign: Circus Verte
6733.0 RAF TASCOMM YL weather traffic to Solex 11 a Sentry AEW1 with TAF weather for LCRA RAF Akrotiri. QSYed to 9019.0 and 9031.0 kHz USB
6761.0 USAF Global refueling Operations USB
6877.0 USAF Psyop transmissions against Libyan Navy + jamming
9019.0 UK RAF TASCOMM USB TAF weather traffic +ALE/USB Real World Traffic
9031.0 UK RAF TASCOMM USB Operational Messages + TAF weather traffic
10315.0 DHN 66 NATO Geilenkirchen GER E-3 AWACS/Magic ## to DHN66 Link USB
12311.0 French Air Force Centre De Conduite Des Opérations Aériennes (CCOA) USB: Callsign Veilleur/AWACS callsign Cyrano.
16160.0 French Air Force up with voice and RATT on 16160 kHz USB. Probable Cyrano ops from AWACS. Thanks mco that is a new one in my db.

Libyan GMMRA HF ALE network was still active as of 3/21/2011 on 5368.0 6884.0 8200.0 9375.0 10125.0 10404.0. Look for the MOBILE## and HQ1 ALE Addresses.

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Media Coverage of Operation Odyssey Dawn

Good article on the bases being used for Operation Odyssey Dawn:
Allies prepare to enforce Libya no-fly zone

Fairchild tankers handle Libya refueling duties

Utah Guard crew, plane deployed to Libya

Limitations keep F-22 from use in Libya ops

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Earlier information posted as part of this update blog post.

Well it has been a very busy 24 hours plus with all the action in and around Libya. So in this post I will try to summarize what was heard and reported.

I should point out that we had a real good hint that the USAF B-2 bombers were on a Global Power mission yesterday afternoon when we saw the Ethyl tankers on the AR track up in the Canadian maritimes. I can report as of this writing that the Ethyl tankers are up again this morning to get the B-2 boyz back home from their long flight overseas. According to the Pentagon they were the aircraft that bombed the Libyan military airfields. As this is being written, the flight of three is approaching their Ethyl tankers in the Can Maritimes using callsign Fury 23 flight. Heads up NEMilAir guys.

Now to the HF reported on UDXF. The biggest news was a psyops radio reported by our friend Ary Boender in the NL.

Ary reported the following around 0730 UTC:

"6877 kHz : Psychological operations, possibly EC-130J Commando Solo III. Asks Libyan naval officers not to board their ships in AA/EE/FF. Hard to read here in Holland but msg is clear."

There was an EC-130H Compass Call aircraft, callsign Sheen 53, that was in theater so given their mission to "disrupt enemy command and control communications and limits adversary coordination essential for enemy force management," that may have been who Ary and others monitored last night.

An EC-130J Commando Solo from 193SOS has finally popped up in the theater, callsign Steel 74, so let the psyops broadcast begin.

At some point Andrea B recorded jamming on the 6877.0 kHz transmissions and you can hear that at http://www.mediasuk.org/appoggio/jamming_6877.mp3. This is a must hear mp3. You can even hear the transmission form the aircraft telling the Libyan Navy sailors to not leave port, etc.

Nils DK8OK, has also posted an audio file from 6877.0 kHz. "6877 kHz, 20.3.11, 09:00 UTC, in SSB/USB with reduced carrier. Slightly jammed. Calling Libyan seamen to return to port and leave their ships in Arabic, English and French:
„Libyan sailors! Leave your ship immediately! Leave your ... and return to your family or your home. ... forces of violating at United National resolution ... the end of ... in your country. For your own safety: Leave your ship immediately! Do not attempt to jam [?] transmission." Click here for Nils DK8OK audio file.

There are several more audio files posted online and you can find those in messages posted to the UDXF group.

Stay tuned. More as we get or hear it.