Author Topic: Southern California TRACON reception near Santa Monica (SMO)?  (Read 8385 times)

Offline Squawk 7700

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Los Angeles Area Listeners,

Looking for reception reports on the following frequencies:

ZUMA 124.5
Stadium 128.5
Downe 124.9
LAX Feeder 124.05
Manhattan 124.3
Malibu 125.2
Katalina 127.4
Newport 134.4
Laker 134.9

Possibility of setting up a remote feed covering the above frequencies?

The receiving antenna, most likely a 1/4 wave ground plane antenna, would be located in the vicinity of Santa Monica Airport.

Will be doing signal checks later in October down in SoCal and wanted to get some idea of the reception quality of the ground station?

Thanks!

Ken (N6GOH)
« Last Edit: October 01, 2011, 01:33:07 AM by Squawk 7700 »



Offline uplink

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Re: Southern California TRACON reception near Santa Monica (SMO)?
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2011, 07:28:40 AM »
Ken, it should work using that ground plane antenna, as long as you get it up on a rooftop.  Luckily SOCAL is stronger than the LAX tower out in West LA.  I work under the approach to Santa Monica's runway 21, and SOCAL TRACON is fairly decent from a mobile driving around the West LA area.   I use a 1/4 ground plane on the car cut to VHF airband. Good luck!, that's a very busy set of freqs.  The mini-route/helos on 119.8 is a good freq too.  Mark, (N6KES)
« Last Edit: October 01, 2011, 10:19:58 AM by uplink »

Offline Squawk 7700

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Re: Southern California TRACON reception near Santa Monica (SMO)?
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2011, 12:11:11 PM »
Ken, it should work using that ground plane antenna, as long as you get it up on a rooftop.  Luckily SOCAL is stronger than the LAX tower out in West LA.  I work under the approach to Santa Monica's runway 21, and SOCAL TRACON is fairly decent from a mobile driving around the West LA area.   I use a 1/4 ground plane on the car cut to VHF airband. Good luck!, that's a very busy set of freqs.  The mini-route/helos on 119.8 is a good freq too.  Mark, (N6KES)

Thanks Mark! Useful information!
After reading your reply, I think I will bring my Airband portable yagi antenna too for some direction finding.
Thanks for 119.8, I'll add that to the list. Probably throw in the LA Center Freqs and AIRINC while I'm at it?
Funny, but my "mini-vacation" in Santa Monica is turning out to be a fact finding mission  :-)
Ken (N6GOH)


Offline uplink

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Re: Southern California TRACON reception near Santa Monica (SMO)?
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2011, 07:42:27 PM »
Sounds good Ken, yes AIRINC is on 130.8/Enroute and 131.95/Pacificnet.  You'll hear airlines checking in to SF radio for HF freqs, and an occasional medical, or maintenance issue with company.  I think the xmitter is near LAX.

At night, the pattern is reversed at LAX, and the arrivals are over the water, and many of the sectors fold down to the controller doing 124.9.

Also the Special Flight Rules Corridor is on 128.55, has small aircraft at 3500'/4500' self announced traffic, somewhat routine stuff.

ZLA's Sector 30 is directly overhead on 119.95/277.4.  The VHF side is very busy, as it's somewhat the hub of many airways, very routine stuff though. It's so busy, your scanner may never stop on anything else, so maybe suited for one side of left/right channel thing, or separate scanner, IMHO.

However, the UHF/277.4 side (if your capable) is very cool, as the ANG CAP flights, and anything military in the area tends to hang out on that freq.

The USCG LAX station is on 345.0 and you'll get the Coast Guard helo ops, and rescues on there, good freq.

Have fun in LA! Mark  :-D
« Last Edit: October 03, 2011, 04:42:32 AM by uplink »

Offline Chananya Freedman

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Re: Southern California TRACON reception near Santa Monica (SMO)?
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2011, 04:23:44 PM »
Hello Ken and Mark and the rest of Southern California...
I would not put 119.8 on that scanner thought.  I would recommend 132.85 or 132.6
When I am at my plane-watching spot by In and Out Burger on 92nd street the following frequencies come in clearly:
128.5
125.2
124.9
124.5
124.3
125.8
132.85
and sometimes 132.6

I would focus on these for now Ken.  I was down by the beach a couple of summers ago, by Oxnard, and I was able to get 127.4
Just keeping you abreast of what I know Ken.
See you on Skype soon.