Monitoring the Southeast Georgia Wildfires

For those who don't live in the southeast, you may not be aware that southern Georgia has two large wildfires burning at the same time: the Pineland Road Fire in Clinch and Echols Counties (west of the Okefenokee Swamp) and the Highway 82 Fire in Brantley County (east of the Okefenokee Swamp). As I write, the Highway 82 Fire has burned over 22,000 acres and is 33% contained and the Pineland Road Fire has burned over 32,000 acres and is 38% contained. Both fires are due to the extraordinary drought in the region. Over the last few days, I've been able to hear some of the firefighting radio traffic from the two fires; most from the Highway 82 Fire, but some of the same assets and frequencies are being used for both fires. 

Monitoring the Highway 82 Fire from a safe distance from KF4LMT Mobile using a Uniden SDS100, two Uniden BCD325P2s, a Uniden BCD436HP, and a Whistler TRX-1

Colonial Dorchester, Drayton Hall, and Middleton Place - Colonial and Revolutionary War Road Trip Radio Report; 24-26 April 2026

Last Friday afternoon, I drove up to Charleston, SC to visit some Low Country Colonial and Revolutionary War historic sites. My first stop was Colonial Dorchester near Summerville before heading to the hotel in North Charleston. I spent Saturday morning at Drayton Hall and the afternoon at Middleton Place, both of which are on Ashley River Rd in Charleston. Some months back, I'd booked a behind-the-scenes tour of the work being done on Drayton Hall's Great Hall ceiling and that was the main reason for the road trip. While in the area, I learned that Middleton Place has a 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution exhibit, so I decided to drop in and see it since Middleton Place was right down the road. I thoroughly enjoyed both the behind-the-scenes tour at Drayton Hall and the 250th Exhibit at Middleton Place. The trip was productive radio-wise as well; there were changes to Charleston area communications on the Palmetto 800 system since my last visit and I was able to better ID some Joint Base Charleston traffic on the USAF 57 system. Saturday also provided the opportunity to listen to a sizeable industrial fire in Berkeley County. I tried a POTA attempt from Colonial Dorchester on Friday, but all didn't go according to plan. Food-wise, I had excellent meals on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Drayton Hall in Charleston, SC - built in the Late 1740s

Travelling Around Southeast Georgia - Notes From a Drive to Brooklet and Glenville and Learning Some New Southeast Georgia History; 13 April 2026

Today I spent much of the first half of the day on the road. I had to go up to Brooklet (near Statesboro in Bulloch County) to pick up a part to fix a couch and then I took Mama by the Veterans Cemetery in Glenville to visit my Father's gravesite. On the way home, I drove through Fort Stewart to see what I could see and hear. This trip took me through Nevils to Daisy on the drive from Brooklet to Glenville on Brooklet-Denmark Rd, Nevils-Denmark Rd, and Nevils-Daisy Rd; it was the first time I've been through Nevils and I ended up learning a piece of southeast Georgia History during the drive.

Candler Peanut - Nevils at the intersection of Nevils-Groveland Rd and Nevils-Denmark Rd in Nevils, GA. If I hadn't known I was in Nevils, I might have thought I was in Plains, GA.

Parks on the Air Activation at a Historic Battlefield and a Visit to Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens - Overnight Jacksonville Road Trip Radio Report; 5/6 April 2026

When I first planned this road trip, I didn't realize that it was going to start on Easter Sunday... I left Savannah on Sunday morning and drove down to Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park for an Amateur Radio Parks on the Air (POTA) activation. Instead of taking I-95 down to I-10, I jumped off I-95 in Brunswick and took the scenic route via US-301/GA-23 through Folkston down to Macclenny, then over to the park in Sanderson. It took a bit longer than the interstates would have, but there was a lot less holiday traffic to deal with. I stayed overnight near Jacksonville IAP and visited Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens on Monday morning to see the new entrance and manatee habitat before heading back to Savannah. Sunday being Easter, there wasn't much MilCom (military communications) to to listen to due to the holiday, but public safety and railroad communications (CSX rail lines paralleled much of my route of travel from Folkston south and along US-90 and I-10) made up for it. Monday wasn't very active MilCom-wise either, probably a result of the overcast conditions that turned to rain later in the day. 

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens' male Lion greeting visitors with a roar

A Visit to the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge's Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive and Listening to Georgia Ports

Earlier today, I took my Mother across the Savannah River to visit the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge's Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive. It was a great day to visit; the sky was sunny and temperatures were warming after a couple of overcast chilly days. Alligators and turtles were out enjoying the sun and although Autumn and Winter's migratory waterfowl have moved on, there were plenty of other birds to see. We counted 52 alligators, and that was just from the car; I didn't get out and walk any of the trails today. Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive also happens to be just across the Savannah River from Georgia Ports, so there is plenty of Marine VHF and Railroad activity to monitor from the Port (there is also a lot of traffic on the GPA DMR trunking system, but I didn't scan it today).

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park and the Robins Air Force Base Museum of Aviation - Middle Georgia Road Trip Radio Report; 21-23 February 2026

Over the weekend, I took a road trip to Middle Georgia, visiting Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park and the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB. These visits were supposed to be part of a road trip I took in October, but I was unable to visit them because of the government shutdown. Since I was in the area, I also visited the Griswoldville Battlefield (part of the Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site), doing an amateur radio Parks on the Air activation while there. It was rainy drive up on Saturday afternoon and while Sunday was windy, it was a beautiful day for wandering around Ocmulgee Mounds. The temperature dropped overnight and Monday morning was cold, but it was still good weather for wandering around the outside displays at Museum of Aviation. Radio-wise, it was a fun trip, both listening to the scanners and on amateur radio; it was another trip during which I combined my loves of radio and history.

The Lesser (left) and Great (center) Temple Mounds at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park in Macon, GA

Air-to-Air Melees off the Georgia Coast - Sentry South Exercise Underway in Savannah

Earlier this week, an air combat exercise began at the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center/Air Dominance Center at Savannah-Hilton Head IAP. Sentry South is what used to be Sentry Savannah, and although the name may have changed slightly, it is still the same exercise with mostly the same participants. This January's exercise involves USAF and Air National Guard F-22As, F-35As, F-16CMs, T-38s, and KC-135s, USMC F-35Bs, and Top Aces F-16s. Four units are working out of the Air Dominance Center in Savannah, tanker support is flying out of Hunter AAF in Savannah, and some local area units are flying out of their home bases.

ADS-B Exchange tracks of two of the KC-135s and some of the T-38s supporting the Sentry South exercise in Savannah