On Sunday and Monday, I took my first road trip in the new KF4LMT Mobile, visiting Northeast Florida. The new mobile station is quite a departure from what I've used before so I was very interested in how it would work and what I would be able to hear with it. I visited the USS Orleck (DD-886) Naval Museum in downtown Jacksonville, the Camp Blanding Museum in Starke, FL, and Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park in the Osceola National Forest on Sunday, overnighted in Kingsland, GA, and returned to Savannah on Monday morning. Sunday morning's weather forecast called for an almost 100% chance of rain and thunderstorms in the Jacksonville area, but although it was hot, humid, and oppressive all day it never rained or stormed (at least where I was at). I've visited the Orleck before, but this was my first visit to the Camp Blanding Museum and the Olustee Battlefield, which gave me the opportunity to listen in Bradford and Union Counties for the first time. It was also the first time I've been west of Jacksonville in quite a while, so it was good to see what I could hear out that way.
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| USS Orleck (DD-886) in downtown Jacksonville on the St Johns River |
Military/Aviation
I didn't hear a lot of military activity on this trip due to most of it being on a Sunday when there's not much going on MilCom-wise. On the way home on Monday morning, I did catch some activity from some 77th FS F-16s from Shaw AFB while they were working at Townsend Range and the Coastal MOA. As usual, the Jacksonville area was busy with commercial and general aviation traffic.
Jacksonville IAP/NAS Jacksonville/NS Mayport/Cecil Field
118.300 - Jacksonville IAP Tower
119.000/124.900/127.000/127.775/132.775 - Jax TRACON
269.900/284.600/292.150/308.400/377.075 - Jax TRACON
122.700 - Fernandina Beach Unicom/CTAF
126.100 - Cecil Field Tower
US DOD TRS (NAS Jacksonville site)
TG 28150 - NAS Jax FD Tac 2
Camp Blanding
141.5125 ($0DA) - Camp Blanding Range Control
Northeast Florida Regional Airport (St Augustine)
127.625 - Northeast Florida Regional Tower
Shaw AFB
262.000 - 20th FW/77th FS Air-to-Air
JACK 4# (F-16CM, 20th FW/77th FS)
Ranges/MOAs
228.400 - Townsend Range/Coastal MOA
252.900 - Townsend Range/Coastal MOA
Jacksonville ARTCC
124.675/282.200 - Jekyll Low
126.125 - Statesboro High
126.350 - St. Augustine High
126.750/277.400 - Brunswick Low
127.475 - Green Cove High
127.575 - Waycross Low
127.875 - Aiken High
128.625 - Micanopy Ultra High
132.425 - Hunter Ultra High
132.925/363.200 - Allendale/Savannah Low
133.300 - Moultrie Ultra High
133.625 - Georgetown High
133.700 - Baxley Low
134.850 - Torry Low/High
135.450 - Keystone Ultra High
135.975 - Alma High
Atlanta ARTCC
126.425 - Dublin High
FedCom
Since it was a weekend, there wasn't a lot of FedCom activity to be heard either. The US Coast Guard was active on Marine VHF and Rescue 21 system frequencies and due to the proximity to the Sector Charleston/Sector Jacksonville border, I could hear some of both. I also caught some activity from the Osceola National Forest while visiting the Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park.
156.8000 - Marine VHF Ch 16
157.1000 - Marine VHF Ch 1022/22A
162.3250 ($293) - CG 111, Sector Jacksonville
171.2375 ($293) - CG 127, Sector Charleston
412.9750 ($293) - CG 409, Sector Jacksonville Air Ops
171.5000 ($68F) - Osceola NF Fire
Public Safety
Public Safety agencies in northeast Florida use a mix of P25 trunking systems (Clay, Duval, and St Johns) and VHF conventional (Baker, Bradford, and Union). Camden County now uses a P25 trunking system and their VHF repeaters. Florida Forestry Service was all P25 on their VHF repeaters on this trip.
154.4000 (PL 173.8) - Baker County FD Dispatch
154.2500 (DCS 365) - Bradford County Dispatch/Tac 1
159.3450 (DCS 365) - Bradford County Fireground/Tac 3
159.2025 (PL 79.7) - Union County FD Dispatch
159.2400 (NAC 046) - FFS Jacksonville
159.3300 (NAC 03C) - FFS Suwannee
First Coast P25 TRS
TG 1087 - Jacksonville Fire/Rescue A2 Dispatch
TG 149 - Jacksonville Fire/Rescue A-4 Suppression
TG 1099 - JFRD A-8 Support
TG 1113 - Jacksonville Fire/Rescue Fireground B1
TG 1523 - Jacksonville IAP Events/Crash Units
TG 1563 - Jacksonville IAP Operations
Clay County P25 TRS
TG 300 - Clay County Fire/Rescue Dispatch
TG 301 - Clay County Fire Rescue Tac 1
TG 310 - Clay County Fire/Rescue Tac 10
St Johns County P25 TRS
TG 10000 - St Johns County Fire/Rescue A1 Dispatch
TG 10055 - St Johns County Fire/Rescue A12
TG 10615 - NPS Castillo de San Marcos
TG 10620 - NPS Fort Matanzas
TG 10640 - Trauma 1 South
Marine VHF and Railroad
There wasn't a lot of Marine VHF activity from the Jacksonville Port while I was around downtown Jacksonville on Saturday, but there was quite a bit of railroad activity, particularly from CSX. Their Export Yard frequency, AAR 50, was very active throughout the day.
Marine VHF
156.6500 - Marine VHF Ch 13; St Johns River Navigation Safety
156.3500 - Marine VHF Ch 7; Tugboats
CSX
160.3200 - AAR 14, CSX Dispatch, Jacksonville (Some PL 250.3)
161.5200 - AAR 94, CSX Dispatch, Kingsland Subdivision (Some PL 250.3)
161.3700 - AAR 84, CSX Road, Kingsland Subdivision (Some PL 250.3)
160.4850 - AAR 25, CSX Moncrief Yard B-Yard
160.2900 - AAR 12, CSX Moncrief Yard C-Yard
161.3400 - AAR 82, CSX Moncrief Yard H-Yard
161.0550 - AAR 63, CSX Moncrief Yard Locomotive Servicing
160.8600 - AAR 50, CSX Export Yard, Jacksonville (Some PL 250.3)
161.1000 - AAR 66, CSX Taft Yard
160.5900 - AAR 32, CSX Jacksonville
160.9200 - AAR 54, CSX Jacksonville (Some PL 250.3)
Florida East Coast Railway
160.6800 - AAR 38, Yard 1 (PL 103.5)
Amateur Radio/GMRS
I didn't talk on amateur radio or GMRS while I was in the Jacksonville area on this trip, but I was listening. There was good activity on some of the repeaters and one of the GMRS repeaters. I also heard some activity on 146.5200, the national calling frequency during the trip.
146.5200 - National Call
146.7000- (PL 127.3) - Jacksonville
146.7600- (PL 127.3) - Jacksonville
146.9550- (PL 127.3) - Jacksonville
147.0000- (PL 127.3) - Callahan
147.3900+ (PL 127.3) - Jacksonville Beach
444.4000+ (PL 127.3) - Jacksonville
444.7000+ (PL 127.3) - Jacksonville (SARNet)
462.6750+ (PL 141.3) - Jacksonville GMRS
USS Orleck (DD-886) Naval Museum
The USS Orleck (DD-886) is a World War II era destroyer that was commissioned just after the end of the war, so she didn't see any World War II combat. She did see action in the Korean War and Vietnam War and was active during the Cold War while in service with the US Navy (1945-1982) and with the Turkish Navy (1982-2000) as TCG Yucetepe (D 345). In her USN service, the USS Orleck became the most decorated ship in US Navy post-World War II service, partly due to her train-busting in the Korean War and fire support work during the Vietnam War. In 2000, after her Turkish Navy service, the USS Orleck was transferred as a Museum ship and was moved to Orange, TX. Damaged during Hurricane Rita in 2005, she was repaired and moved to Lake Charles, LA in 2010. In 2020, she was transferred to Jacksonville and moved to a temporary pier near the Hyatt Regency in Jacksonville in 2022. in 2023, she was moved to her current location at a pier near Everbank Stadium in downtown Jacksonville.
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| USS Orleck (DD-886) |
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| The USS Orleck's fantail, aft 5"38-caliber turret, and DASH drone deck |
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| Inside the USS Orleck's aft 5" 38-caliber turret, a video about the USS Orleck's fire support missions during the Vietnam War plays on the video screen |
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| The targeting computer for the USS Orleck's 5" 38-caliber guns |
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| QH-50 DASH anti-submarine drone inside the USS Orleck's drone hangar |
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| Mk 44 Torpedoes used by the USS Orleck |
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| The USS Orleck's ASROC (antisubmarine missiles) Launcher and Control Station |
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| Mk 32 Torpedo Launcher |
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| The USS Orleck's bridge |
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| Inside the USS Orleck's Bridge, a video presentation about her train-busting during the Korean War plays on the video screen |
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| The USS Orleck's CIC (Combat Information Center), the nerve center of the ship |
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| The USS Orleck's Radio Room |
Camp Blanding Museum
Camp Blanding, in Starke, is the Florida National Guard's training center. It has quite the history. In 1939, after its previous training center in Jacksonville became NAS Jacksonville, the Florida National Guard created Camp Blanding. During World War II, it was used for a training center and 9 Infantry Division trained there as well as replacement troops. The 508th Parachute Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division stood up at Camp Blanding before going to Camp Toccoa in Georgia for further training. During World War II, Camp Blanding was also used to house German Army and Navy POWs. The Camp Blanding Museum tells the story of the Camp's World War II training mission and the POW camps. Outdoor displays also feature aircraft and equipment from World War II through Desert Shield/Desert Storm as well as memorials and monuments.
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| The Camp Blanding Museum outside of Camp Blanding's main gate in Starke, FL |
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| This exhibit inside the museum shows how the soldiers training at Camp Blanding in World War II were housed and lived |
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| World War II M3 Half-Track (foreground) and M16 Multiple Gun Carriage (background) |
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| M4A1 Sherman medium tank |
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| Chevrolet 1 1/2 ton 4x4 Cargo Truck used during World War II |
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| C-47 on display at the Camp Blanding Museum |
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| F-106A 59-0105 in 125th FW, FL Air National Guard markings at the Camp Blanding Museum |
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| CH-47D 87-0075 on display at the Camp Blanding Museum |
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| The Florida Regimental Memorial at Camp Blanding, dedicated to Florida National Guard 31st Infantry Division and 265th Coast Artillery troops who served during World War II |
Olustee Battlefield State Historic Park
After visiting the Camp Blanding Museum, I made my way to the Osceola National Forest and visited the Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park near Lake City, FL. The Battle of Olustee in February 1864 was the largest Civil War battle to take in place in Florida and was a Confederate victory (it included Georgia troops from the Savannah area). I didn't explore the park in detail because of hot and humid it is, but I want to go back in Autumn or Winter to wander around it more and walk the interpretive trail.
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| The Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park sign along US-90 in the Osceola National Forest |
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| Canon and monument at the Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park |
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| The Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park Monument |
New KF4LMT Mobile
Last month, I came to the conclusion that my 2012 Kia Sportage was at the point where repair costs were coming to a point of diminishing returns and bought a 2025 Hyundai Venue from AutoNation Hyundai in Savannah. With this vehicle, I made the decision to go more low profile than I have with previous mobile stations. Instead of a mobile amateur radio rig and multiple scanners, I'm just going with an Anytone AT-D878UVII handheld and a Uniden SDS100 scanner using mag-mount antennas. I came to the conclusion that I don't talk on amateur radio enough to justify drilling holes, running cable/wire, and everything else involved in a mobile radio installation; the Anytone 878 will get me on the air for amateur radio and GMRS with the mag-mount on the few instances I actually have a QSO. The SDS100 and its mag-mount replace multiple scanners and antennas and should do the job just fine while reducing the profile of the station and not drawing as much unwanted attention. On this trip, I only listened on amateur radio and GRMS, but I have had some QSOs while going back and forth to work and the setup has worked just fine - I just need to refine how I'm going to mount the HT (and I think I figured that out on this trip). The SDS100 did great work on Public Safety, FedCom, and Marine VHF/Railroad comms and was sufficient for MilCom and Aviation after I adjusted the volume offset for most of the frequencies using AM. I'll have more about the new mobile station in a future blog post.
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| The new KF4LMT Mobile |
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