air show frequencies

[izznsky]

Does anyone know if any of the air show performers release what frequencies they use during the air show? It would be interesting to hear what they communicate. In some sports this I commonly done.

[FlyingRon]

In some sports, it is common to have people with scanners. The issue with the airshow is that people tend to use handheld transceivers to listen and all it takes is one yahoo with an open mike (heard this in the past) to disrupt things so BE CAREFUL.

The warbirds are perhaps the most interesting (133.85) on the big airshows where they are coordinating launch, arrival during the show, and recovery.
There's hardly any traffic for the other performers (try 123.9 or 128.0). The solo acts don't really need anything other than a 30 second warning on when their act starts.

The Thunderbirds typically operate on the military frequencies. They use both the military UHF band (which you may have on the better scanners) and the military VHF frequencies (which are a bit more problematic if your scanner won't go into AM on these frequencies). The diamond is reported to use 141.075 while the solos are up on 235.25.

[Hal Bryan]

Ron provides some excellent caveats - please, please, please don't use a transceiver to listen in while on the field, the potential for open or stuck mics is huge, and extremely dangerous.

As an alternative, we usually have small credit-card sized receivers that come pre-programmed with appropriate frequencies for sale for cheap, 15 bucks or so. (I don't know for certain if we'll have them this year, but we've had them in years past.)

Alternatively, you can use LiveATC to listen in as long as you have a data connection - you can go directly to their site: http://www.liveatc.net/ to stream, install their app, or you'll find it integrated into our app once we've formally launched and the feeds are up and running.

[RC Gregg]

Hal mentioned those credit card sized receivers. If anyone knows where I can pick one up on the grounds, it would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to buy something that could tune to any airport frequency for listening only. My last one went kaput. See all of you in a few short weeks!

[izznsky]

Several years ago I picked one up at skyshoppe (I think). It worked well, but I also use a handheld scanner in which I have stored a lot more frequencies. I wouldn't think of using a transceiver on the grounds. Too much risk of something going wrong.

[spongebobiwan]

I've had this pasted on the back of my scanner as well as having these frequencies saved in it since probably back around 2009 or 2010. I think they remain "good" frequencies until now. But bare in mind, I'm getting old now and my memory of whether or not I've changed any of them is a wee bit fuzzy.

Frequency Description

118.5 Tower (Runway 9/27)
126.6 Tower (Runway 18/36)
133.85 Air Boss
123.9 Airshow Control 1
128.0 Airshow Control 2


128.1 Airshow Control 3
121.4 Airshow Control Warbirds
121.5 EMERGENCY
121.75 Departure Control (Runway 9/27)
118.9 Departure Control (Runway 18/36)


122.85 Helicopter traffic at Pioneer Airport

I think I posted this list once before a few years back and if I remember correctly, somebody corrected my numbers for one of the frequencies. Don't know whether or not I ever went back and corrected this list. Keep that in mind.

Russ

[Wrongway Feldman]

By far the easiest way to monitor Airventure frequencies is the LiveATC http://www.liveatc.net/ smart phone App. and ear buds.
I think the Airshow public address announcer and EAA radio is included with the LiveATC smart phone App.

Below is what I use.
For the Airshow public address announcer audio 96.5 FM and EAA radio 96.5 FM audio I use is a small FM radio.
Both use the same Freq.
For live air traffic communications I use the,
Uniden BC125AT scanner,http://www.uniden.com/scanners/bearcat-handheld-scanner/invt/bc125atg
The scanner has computer spreadsheet software to plug in frequencies than upload them to the scanner.

I split my head phone left & right input jack, so I can hear live air traffic audio in one ear and EAA radio 96.5 FM & Airshow public address announcer audio in the other ear, at the same time. I use the volume control from ether the FM radio or scanner to balance the audio.
It is kind of cool to hear the air boss talking to the airshow pilot and the Airshow public address announcer at the same time.
Sometimes they patch the airshow pilot into Airshow public address announcer, then I hear the same audio in both the scanner and the FM radio. Wa La Stereo.

Using the handheld scanner I can turn on all banks or just the banks you want to monitor.
Example would be walking around the show grounds during the day, I turn on all banks.
During the air show I turn on just Bank 2 (air show frequencies)
Mass arrival days I turn on Bank 9 (north & south towers frequencies)
North & South tower frequencies are really the main frequencies.
So I dedicated a bank for each.

Remember you can only monitor one frequency at a time.
If you are monitoring multiple frequencies at a time you might hear a response from the tower but miss the reply because the scanner picked up another transmission on another frequency. This is what happens at the Worlds Busiest Airport.
At Airventure, sometimes there is so much Air traffic communications, its better to monitor one or two to frequencies at a time.

That little credit card size Flight Line Radio (I think that's what they call it) didn't work very well for me and has limited audio choices. And the ear buds that come with it didn't fit my ears.

Below is how I loaded the Airventure frequencies into the scanner.
A good thing is to check LiveATC http://www.liveatc.net/search/?icao=kosh for frequencies up dates, a week before Airventure some may have changed. I'm waiting to find out what frequencies the thunder birds are going use.

Bank 1
Reserved for my local airport frequencies

Bank 2
Air Boss ---------------133.8500
Air Show Control -------123.9000
Air Show Control -------128.0000
Air Show Control------- 128.1000
Air Shw Ctrl War ------ 121.4000
Emergency Guard------ 121.5000
Julie Clark------------- 123.1500
Patty Wagstaff --------123.0500
Sean D.Tucker ---------122.9250

Bank 3
AV Arrival ATIS---------125.9000


Bank 4
Seaplane Base---------123.3000
ARINC Orion FBO-------130.5250
Emergency/Guard------121.5000
Flight Watch-----------122.0000
Fond CTAF/UNICOM----123.0500
Green Bay Radio--------122.2500
Green Bay Radio--------122.5000
Oshkosh Clearance-----119.0500
Oshkosh Ground-------121.9000
Pilot Air-to-Air---------122.7500
Rwy18R/36LDepMon---118.9000
Rwy 9/27 Dep Mon-----121.7500
UCOMBaslerOriFBO-----122.9500
Warbird Ground---------123.9000

Bank 5
OshApproach Fisk----- 120.7000

Bank 6
Oshkosh Tower S-------126.6000
Emergency Guard-------121.5000
FlightWatch EFAS-------122.0000
Green Bay Radio--------122.2500
Green Bay Radio--------122.5000
KFLD CTAF/UNICOM-----123.0500
Mil Appr Oshkosh-------127.0000
Orion Flight Ser--------130.5250
Oshkosh Ground--------121.9000
Oshkosh Tower---------118.5000
Oshkosh UNICOM-------122.9500

Bank 7
Oshkosh Tower N-------118.5000

Bank 8
Oshkosh Tower S-------126.6000

Bank 9
KOSH Tower North------118.5000
KOSH Tower South------126.6000

Bank 10
Mil Kosh IFR Arv---------127.0000

[Wrongway Feldman]

The USAF
THUNDERBIRD'S
SUPPORT MANUAL
2013
http://afthunderbirds.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2013-Support-Manual-1.pdf

(4) Thunderbird Control monitors ―Guard frequency (243.0).
Ground MAINTENANCE RADIO FREQUENCIES are 413.275 and 413.325

7. AIR SHOW COMMUNICATIONS
During the demonstration, our Operations Officer, call sign ―Thunderbird 7,will be in continuous contact with our aircraft and your tower through our radio communication specialist, call sign ―Thunderbird Control, using radios in our communications trailer.
(1) Control of the airfield will be requested, and is highly desired prior to the F-16s taxiing. The tower must relinquish control before the Thunderbird aircraft will takeoff for the demonstration.
(2) If the tower needs to regain control of the airfield due to an emergency, it may do so only after coordination with our Operations Officer or Thunderbird Control, allowing time to halt the demonstration and advise the aircraft that the tower has control of the field. After the emergency situation has been resolved, our demonstration will not resume until we regain control of the airfield.
(3) We fully recognize that emergency situations must take priority over aerial demonstrations, but positive transfer of control of the field must be accomplished and acknowledged by both parties to prevent further safety complications.
(4) Thunderbird Control monitors ―Guard frequency (243.0).

[Mayhemxpc]

By far the easiest way to monitor Airventure frequencies is the LiveATC http://www.liveatc.net/ smart phone App. and ear buds.
I think the Airshow public address announcer and EAA radio is included with the LiveATC smart phone App.

Below is what I use.


Outstanding. Thank you for the one stop shopping list!

[Al Burgemeister]

The little credit card receivers do not directly tune aircraft radio frequencies. Instead, they are set to receive frequencies in the 75 MHz band, which are transmitted by a vendor who receives his signal from an aircraft radio scanner and the PA feed. Last year they weren't at Oshkosh so those receivers weren't available at EAA Merchandise shops and existing ones had nothing to listen to.

[bcflyboy82]

I'm glad I found this thread with the list of frequencies. I am planning on bringing a scanner with me to monitor radio traffic this year. Last year I used the liveatc app on my iPhone. The only problem with this is that the radio traffic is delayed some, so when you are hearing ATC tell an aircraft to "rock your wings," they are already rolling out on the runway. A little hard to stay with things if you are watching live. Not a bad app to have if you are just hanging out at your campsite though.