Changes to the Mobile Communications America DMR System at Georgia Ports Authority Savannah

Some time back, I noticed that the Mobile Communications of America 800 MHz DMR trunked repeater system (TRS) at Georgia Ports Authority in Savannah had changed configuration; no longer was anything being heard with it programmed into my gear as as Connect Plus system, but the SDS100 was seeing it as a Tier III system. I didn't have the time to pursue it any further at the time and added it to my radio "to-do" list. Over the weekend, I stayed up all night watching the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race and decided to check the MCA DMR system at Georgia Ports off the list; letting the SDS100's LCN finder run on it while I worked on the Charleston Road Trip Report and watched the race.

Military History, Colonial History, African American and Gullah Geechee History, Civil War History, and BBQ in the "Holy City" - Charleston, SC Road Trip Report; 9-13 June 2025

For several years now, I've wanted to visit the International African American Museum in Charleston, SC, so for this year's Summer vacation I took a week-long road trip to Charleston. I didn't really plan it, but it turned out that a good bit of the History I took in on this trip centered on the African American and Gullah Geechee experience in the Lowcountry. In addition to the International African American Museum, I visited Patriot's Point (taking day and night tours), Charles Towne Landing, the South Carolina Aquarium, the Old Slave Mart Museum, the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, McLeod Plantation, the North Charleston Fire Museum, Fort Johnson, and Fort Lamar. I also tried three of Charleston's BBQ restaurants; at one of them I had the best BBQ I've ever eaten. During the road trip, I was able to listen to the area's military and aviation communications, federal and USCG communications, public safety communications, and more. I did very little on amateur radio during this trip; I had just a couple of QSOs on the 146.7900- (PL 123.0) repeater on the USS Yorktown at Patriot's Point and checked into the "Scanner Junkies" net on TGIF DMR using DroidStar on Thursday night.

An F-4J Phantom II, Charleston Harbor, and the Ravenel Bridge as seen from the Bridge of the USS Yorktown (CV-10) at Patriots Point in Charleston, SC

Coastal Georgia Military Monitoring Recap; May 2025

May was a busy month with not a lot of radio time, but there were some interesting things to listen to during the radio time I did have. The Blue Angels, Golden Knights, F-22 Demo Team, and civilian performers were in Brunswick for the Golden Isles Airshow and the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) ARG and 22nd MEU were in the area for training. The military performers only flew on Saturday; unfortunately, thunderstorms moved in on Sunday afternoon and forced the cancellation of the second half of the days' show. Several foreign air force/government Gulfstreams were at the Gulfstream Savannah Service Center and several aircraft from other countries transited through Coastal Georgia. The Goodyear Blimp even transited through Savannah airspace one afternoon.

Blue Angel 6 performing at the Golden Isles Airshow in Brunswick

Coastal Georgia Military Monitoring Recap; April 2025

April was a really, really weird month for me. Some family medical issues and car problems during a Charleston road trip led to multiple trips back and forth between Charleston and Savannah and the loss of KF4LMT Mobile for two weeks while it was being repaired. The end result was less radio time than usual but the radio time I did have yielded a lot of activity due to how much was going on in the area this month. There were visits to the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center/Air Dominance Center from multiple ANG units, helicopters from 3rd AVN at Hunter AAF were in the field at Fort Stewart, the Golden Knights did some jumps at Savannah Bananas games, and I was able to hear some Cape Canaveral SFS rocket launch radio traffic from Savannah. I'm glad there were plenty of interesting things to listen to during April, but I'll be glad if May is a more normal month in other respects. 

In the shack on Monday, 28 April 2025, monitoring the ULA Atlas V/Amazon Kuiper 1 launch from Cape Canaveral SFS; I was surprised I could hear some HF activity with the HF+ Discovery and YouLoop antenna hanging on the closet door.

Road Trip Radio Report - Charleston Car Repair Trips; 11 & 17/18 April 2025

Earlier this month I took a road trip to Charleston and my car broke down on me when I tried to return home on 7 April. On the 11th, I had to go up and pay a deposit for the work to be done; Mama rode with me, so we made a couple of sightseeing stops on the way back to Savannah. The car was ready late on the 17th, so we went back up to Charleston and picked the car up the next morning with her following me back to Savannah in her car. On these two trips, I didn't have the mobile station (with the exception of returning back to Savannah on the 18th) and I didn't take all of the usual equipment, so what I heard was a bit more limited and this post can give you an idea of what you can hear in and around Charleston if you just take one radio.

South Carolina Lowcountry History, BBQ, and the Car Breaks Down - Lowcountry Charleston, SC Road Trip Radio Report; 6-8 April 2025

Earlier this week,  I took what was supposed to be taking a two day road trip to Charleston, SC, leaving Savannah on Sunday morning and returning on Tuesday morning. On Sunday, I visited the Botany Bay Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area on Edisto Island and the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site in Charleston. On Monday, I spent much of the day at Magnolia Plantation in Charleston and also visited Drayton Hall just down the road to see what they've done since my visit there a few years ago. Tuesday morning, I left the hotel and had only gone several blocks down US-17 when my car's clutch failed. Luckily I was able to coast into a parking lot across from a repair shop, but it kept me in Charleston for one more day and is keeping the car in Charleston for several more days. I'll be having to go back to Charleston, probably on Friday, to pick the car up. 

On Sunday, I stopped for a picnic lunch at the Botany Bay Heritage Preserve on Edisto Island and enjoyed this beautiful view while listening to F-35s aerial refueling offshore

Coastal Georgia Military Monitoring Recap; March 2025

March 2025 was a fascinating military monitoring month. There were a lot of visitors and a lot going on so there was no shortage of something to listen to in Coastal Georgia, Lowcountry South Carolina, and the First Coast of Florida. A road trip to Americus and Plains also gave me an opportunity to do some listening in Central and West Georgia. There was a lot of training going on, with the biggest training operation being the Patriot 25 disaster response exercise, which took place at Savannah-Hilton Head IAP, Fort Stewart, and the Guardian Center in Perry, GA. One of the more interesting catches of the month was a VRM-40 CMV-22B; it was the first time I've caught one of the new carrier logistics mission Ospreys. Foreign air force visitors this month were from the Royal Canadian AF, the Italian AF, the Jordanian Government, the Norwegian AF, and the Royal Air Force (UK).

KING 17 (HC-130J, 12-5768, 71st RQS) doing an approach at Hunter AAF on 13 March 2025