[ARC5] VHF Guard (121.5 MHz), and Other Guard Channels

[D. Platt]

Order in the Court... The Monkey Wants to Speak.....  Or, something like 
that.

Most of what you all have been saying, I believe is correct.  I'll 
confirm that the URC-4 and URC-11 both worked on VHF and UHF Guard 
(Emergency).  The military SAR aircraft, however, more often that not, 
did not have VHF DF capability, except for the USCG.  They seem to have 
kept up with both the civil and military arenas, from the get-go.  I'm 
not sure when it was that the military started integrating full VHF comm 
capability is most/all aircraft.  Given the whole gamut of A/G and A/A 
scenarios, it became wholly necessary.  It was after my stint in the 
USAF and in fighters (F-106's at KADW and KDOV).  In those days, fast 
movers only had UHF.  With regard to civil airport and ATC having UHF 
capability, most absolutely.  If one looks at either the civil or DOD 
enroute supplements (IFR Supp) or any of the Joint Operations pubs, 
you'll see the VHF and UHF frequencies listed.  That said, in the 
"beginning" only ARTCCs in the CONUS and most of NATO countries had full 
VHF/UHF capabilities.  Towers and other "outlets" like FSS's may have 
only had UHF guard and a common UHF frequency.   With synthesized 
equipment, and facility can and do, have the whole gamut.

Not to beleaguer a point, but has anyone noticed that the Europeans have 
gone to 8.33 kHz channel spacing, vice the 25 kHz spacing we use in this 
hemisphere.  That means there's a tremendous amount of gear in use that 
won't homologate over there!   I do notice that some American avionic 
companies are beginning to list that type of equipment, though.   God 
help us if they mandate that here!!!

Jeep - K3HVG

PS:  In case anyone didn't know (or could have cared less), if you've 
had occasion to hear an emergency beacon you'll notice that the mil 
units sweep up in note and the civil beacons sweep down. That was an 
"agreement" so that MIL assets could be readily identified by their the 
"own" people, and of late, SARSAT.  Its all a moot point now as the new 
406 MHz burst beacons can't be readily heard and SARSAT ignores the old 
frequencies.  CAP has retained both the SAR ability for both the old and 
the new frequencies.  I wonder what the military is doing?   Probably 
the USCG, bless their hearts, will keep it all.......