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Author Topic: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!  (Read 101737 times)

Offline dave

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #25 on: September 01, 2013, 12:23:14 PM »
I actually didn't have any of the north mountain frequencies in my feeds. This is nice! I guess Camelback is too far from 132.175 to get the ground side? That would be a nice bonus.

I think we can get all or most of the Elk Mountain RCAG freqs up there - I neglected to list those:

132.17500 ZNY34 Sector 34 Elmira High
128.50000 ZNY34 Sector 34 Elmira High (Spare)    
133.15000 ZNY36 Sector 36 Sparta Low
134.45000 ZNY51 Sector 51 Lake Henry Low

I did some recon up there in June but I can't find my notes.

Offline InterpreDemon

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #26 on: September 01, 2013, 12:41:41 PM »
Let me know if you need any "special" antennas

Offline dave

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #27 on: September 01, 2013, 12:43:07 PM »
Let me know if you need any "special" antennas

The specialty up there will be extreme filtering (bandpass/notch).

Offline InterpreDemon

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #28 on: September 01, 2013, 01:13:15 PM »
Got that covered, too. Lot's in the junk pile and I'll be happy to brew up stubs, resonators and such. Let me know if you need some help. You know me... I'll do it for free if you just get an ARINC 129.4 receiver up there, since they have a ground station at IPT. If you can pick that up, or even hear it way down in the grass, I've got the proper antenna, hard line and GRR-23 ready to go... installation included. You know how bad I want a good domestic ARINC station for all those flooded toilets and gear indicator lights, and that location is dead center for the NE net, probably get both sides of every QSO. Then we can break 129.4 out of the JFK feed and just run oceanic out of there, or I'll put a voting system on 29.4 for the flights that are too far east for IPT to pick up.

Offline dave

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #29 on: September 01, 2013, 01:37:01 PM »
I'll have a date set within the next few weeks - will keep you posted.  Williamsport will be too far from this site - behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre hills, but we'll see.

Offline InterpreDemon

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #30 on: September 01, 2013, 02:02:01 PM »
The 129.4 ARINC station is right up top on that "Cumulus Granite" cloud across the river south of the airport, which I seem to recall is about a 2200' ridge littered with aluminum. I was thinking this might be in range for that new ZNY feed you just got up. I'll still help with Camelback and Elk... I just need my ARINC!

Offline dave

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #31 on: September 01, 2013, 02:05:18 PM »
OK let me check into it.  We will likely have to split this new site into two receivers anyway.  But all depends on the transmit duty cycle of ARINC there.  If they are simulcasting all the time, like the other sites, that may be an issue to be resolved (separate receiver).

Offline InterpreDemon

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #32 on: September 01, 2013, 02:34:11 PM »
Have GRR-23, will travel. They generally do transmit from all the sites in the net simultaneously, each site having various frequency offsets, that particular site is offset +2.5kc, but the GRR has an old-fashioned crystal and can be netted, so no problem. The key over there is how good the airborne reception is, assuming we get the ground. If it is anything like what we get down at JFK, we should get enroute flights at altitude from Detroit to Boston to Baltimore since we get just about everything east of Buffalo down in Long Island now. Even if we just get the ground it's worth it to me... I'll provide a dedicated PC and run a real-time tie line to Stamford just like the one I am running from my private 129.9 receiver down on the island, then I'll feed the AGC from both of them via modulated sub-carrier and select the best airborne signal of the two and feed it out from here. Piece of cake.

Offline RonR

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #33 on: September 01, 2013, 03:00:54 PM »
So, I'm out here at my parents place running two radios off of the same antenna.  I am using a plain old cable splitter right now to split the signal to the two radios.  There seems to be only a very slight degradation in signal level due to the splitter...you can still hear the ground side on all the frequencies; 134.0 being the weakest in the bunch.  At the moment the JFK_CCC feed is running off of a split signal if anyone wants to check it out and give me their opinions.  Before I leave here I'll put it back the way it was.

Is there a reason why you would not want to use a simple cable splitter like this besides the slightly attenuated signal?

Offline dave

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #34 on: September 01, 2013, 03:04:17 PM »
Ron-

Only reason would be if signals became so attenuated that reception was noticeably degraded.  With a 2-way that seldom happens.

Dave

Offline RonR

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #35 on: September 01, 2013, 05:29:32 PM »
BTW, Jim, I've been playing around with IGN20 reception and haven't had much luck so far.  I am using a different scanner radio, other than that nothing has changed.  But I haven't given up...

Ron


BTW...can you retweek the feed squelch to hear the "noisy" IGN20 sector?

Jim

Offline ferraraj

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #36 on: September 01, 2013, 05:32:06 PM »
Dave...GREAT NEWS about North Mtn... Congrats AWESOME FEED!! Love all the  LGA & EWR traffic!

BUT...how about 121.325??? That's the SFK-Hi sector for ZNY that handles all the LENDY6 Arrivals to JFK (from xmitting from N MTN)..handing off to 133.15 or 132.6...during high traffic periods... 18z-01z... Can we add that feed?

Offline ferraraj

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #37 on: September 01, 2013, 06:15:07 PM »
Could be the receiver quality when it's that tight...

Thx for trying...hope maybe we can get a dedicated shelton ct up sometime soon...

Jim

Offline W3MAT

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #38 on: September 01, 2013, 07:45:21 PM »
Hello Guys,

I'm glad you are enjoying the ZNY North Mountain feed.  Currently the antenna is a 1/4 wave mobile whip mounted outdoors, not really cut for the aircraft band, and fed to the scanner with RG-8X coax, but non the less it is working.   Today I picked up the materials needed to construct a J-Pole antenna, that will be "cut" to 129.212 (center frequency between 123.625 and 134.800), and that will be connected to the scanner with either RG-8 or LMR400 coax.  I hope this will improve the reception, especially the controller on 128.575, as he/she is just a tad bit weak for my liking. 

Loon
W3MAT

Offline RonR

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #39 on: September 01, 2013, 08:33:26 PM »
The feed is great!  Thanks for providing this feed!  I've been listening to it all afternoon!

Ron

Offline W3MAT

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #40 on: September 01, 2013, 08:52:11 PM »
I have been monitoring most of the day myself.  In conjunction with the feed, I have been watching flightradar24, and surprisingly I am picking up aircraft just off PHL, over Allentown, and out as far west as Clarion.  Some are a bit week, but I  (or the antenna) can hear them.  Not bad for that whip antenna. 

Loon
W3MAT

Offline RonR

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #41 on: September 01, 2013, 09:00:36 PM »
Imagine what that J-pole will do!  One of the antennas I'm using is actually a marine antenna mounted on the roof here on Long Island.  With that one I can hear westbound aircraft crossing into Cleveland Center and southbound and southwest bound flights passing Norfolk, Virginia or Montebello, VA...not bad I suppose...

Ron

Offline W3MAT

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #42 on: September 01, 2013, 09:07:59 PM »
No, not at all Ron.  That's great for your antenna.  I would be very pleased with that.  I don't believe I'm going to post the antenna change right away, just to see if anyone can notice the difference. 

Offline InterpreDemon

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #43 on: September 01, 2013, 09:16:39 PM »
The j-pole should add a couple dB if matched up nicely, but unless you're on top of a hill it's all about getting above the trees. What elevation are you, and is there any way you could see if you can get the 129.4 ARINC ground station over at IPT from your location?... if so I'd be happy to ship you some equipment.  I would recommend RG-6 quad over the RG8 if you are not going with LMR-400, especially since you can easily match 75 ohm with your j-pole... and your scanner won't care. Of course if you've got a tower and can pick up 129.4, I'd give you a 60' roll of 1" Heliax complete with N terminations... better than all of them.

Offline W3MAT

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #44 on: September 01, 2013, 09:57:01 PM »
Not familiar with 129.4.

124.9 for ZNY low at IPT yes, but even that is tough because there is a mountain between myself and IPT.

I am on a hill, above trees, but not all of them.   I will most likely go with the LMR-400.  Oh yes, the Heliax would be great!
I want to get that RG-8X off and go with the heavier cable to reduce signal loss.

Someone made mention of the JFK arrivals.  I did monitor 121.325 for about an hour this evening on the scanner here at work, but nothing heard. 
I will keep an ear on it, and if I can get the controller good and clear may consider adding it to the scan list in the future, if there is
enough interest in it.  I have 7 frequencies going now, and I know 121.325 can get busy, although controller and aircraft are on the same freq, not
like the 132.15/124.625 pairing.  I just don't want to "clutter" up the feed.  After a day of monitoring it seems to be going pretty well.  There has
been an aircraft or controller covered, or blocked, by traffic on one of the other frequencies,  but that's to be expected when scanning 7 channels of ATC.

Offline InterpreDemon

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #45 on: September 01, 2013, 11:35:54 PM »
Which mountain? The ARINC antenna is on Skyline Drive atop the mountain south of Williamsport at 2400' MSL. If that's the mountain you're talking about it's no problem. I'd be willing to bet it is line of sight from there to the North Mountain site you're getting now, probably about thirty miles of lower ground between them, so it's just a matter of where you are and the hills around you.

Offline ferraraj

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #46 on: September 02, 2013, 01:13:24 AM »
Thanks for the N Mtn feed! Its awesome. Ive been hoping/waiting a long time to get the western ZNY sectors on the net. I've been listening to many of these sectors for 10+ years when I'm driving thru the area...so great to have em on-line.

BTW..I was just out driving in the IPT area a week ago on rte 15, I180 & I80...for some reason, 128.57(hi) and 132.15(low) were both about equal from the ground side...but in the same locations...121.32 (hi) was noticibly weaker at times (along I80 east of Williamsport)...but they all xmit from N Mtn. Interesting. But they were all strong from the Williamsport area along I 180, so I would expect you should hear it from your site.

FYI...the 121.325 (SFK sector) typically opens daily from ~2pm til about 9pm...during busy times with JFK and EWR Sats (TEB/MMU) arrivals. At other times the sector is combined with 132.175 sector out of Elk Mtn. However...I have observed that some holiday times and slower traffic afternoons (due to weather when JFK arrivals are rerouted to other STARs) they don't decombine the sectors as was the case today(Holiday?) I was listening to the new feed this aft. and heard the controller on 128.57 hand off a NB aircraft to 121.32, then correct himself and said 132.17. That tells me today was a day (rare) that ZNY DIDNT decombine the SFK sector.

pretty much the same is true for 132.6 and 133.15... They only open up 133.15 during similar hours when that sector (SAX) is busy with arrivals. There is also a early morning JFK push from about 6am to about 8 am when they also open up (decombine) the 133.15 sector separate from 132.6 (HUO). 133.15 WAS open today though...even though 121.32 wasn't.

In summary...pls give 121.32 another try, hopefully ground side can be heard...it's a cool sector to listen to when busy. You guys are right... 7+ ATC freqs is a lot...prob will ultimately need to split them into two (or more!) feeds for best listening if at all possible...I think this will be a very popular feed! But one feed scanning 7or8 is better than none!!
« Last Edit: September 02, 2013, 02:07:20 AM by ferraraj »

Offline RonR

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #47 on: September 02, 2013, 09:11:57 AM »
Hey W3MAT, good morning!

Is it just me or am I hearing sometimes two different frequencies at the same time on your North Mountain feed?  Most of the time it's not doing that but once in a while I can hear it happen...Just wondering...

Ron

Offline RonR

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #48 on: September 02, 2013, 09:27:03 AM »
Sorry, you can ignore the last question W3MAT...I figured out what was going on...I forgot I was listening to two different feeds at the same time  :oops:

Offline InterpreDemon

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Re: New ZBW/ZNY/ZDC (JFK Area) feed!
« Reply #49 on: September 02, 2013, 11:46:55 AM »
You got the foot feed inside the mouth feed?