Navy radio channel list

[Fuelburner]

The navy uses fixed channel presets in their fleets. Does anybody know what channel (button) corresponds to what station? 
 

eg. button 1 is always Tower button 2 departure and so on…

[legearre]

Like that nervous twitch folks get, your note jarred the memory of aviators screaming, "static on Button 12!!"  It's been too many years ago to remember what Button 12 was, but it was mighty important whatever it was...

[Codguy]

Has been awhile- so things may very well have changed and I certainly don't remember all of them, but of the ones I do remember- the following was standard (at least among the west coast boats/CVWs, anyway) at one point in time.

 

1-  Tower/Paddles

2-  Departure

3-  Strike

4-  Red Crown

5-9 Various Tactical/Mission/CVW discrete freqs

10- Squadron Tower/CATCC rep 

15- Approach 1

16- Marshall

17- Approach 2 (if more than one was needed or discrete for emerg. aircraft)

20- Squadron Common

 

The actual frequencies mind you, could/did change periodically- so every time the comm card would be updated the AT's would need to re-channelize all of the aircraft radios, but the "button" number would remain the same.

 

[Fuelburner]

Great stuff thx. Can you explain what strike and red crown is ?

[Codguy]

No worries, wish I remembered more of the less commonly used freqs, but my memory is receding at a slightly faster pace than my hairline...

 

Strike was a function/controller physically aboard the CV, that managed air traffic and certain mission operation functions farther out than what would typically be handled by departure/approach/marshall.   Somewhat roughly equates to an AIr Traffic Control Center vs Approach controller in the civilian sector.       You’d check in with Strike first when approaching the carrier, and check out with them last if departing the carrier (or possibly stay under their control/surveillance the whole time if you were staying in the general area).

 

Red Crown was the agency responsible for ID-ing all air traffic inbound/outbound from the CSG more from an air defense standpoint, vice an air traffic control standpoint.   You’d have to check in/out with them if you were leaving the area and they would be responsible for interrogating your Mode4 (IFF) and basically making sure you were who you said you were before getting handed off to the CV controllers.   Red Crown was typically aboard the AEGIS equipped Tico cruiser, or maybe a Burke DDG.

 

More or less the function of Red Crown:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PIRAZ

 

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by Codguy

[HILOK]

@Codguy thanks! a couple more questions, if you dont mind

is there a special term for com-1 & com-2?

what would the correct intraflight phraseology be for "switch to preset x-y"?

thanks

[Bunny Clark]

10 minutes ago, HILOK said:

is there a special term for com-1 & com-2?

My understanding (not a real Hornet guy): COM1 = Pri, COM2 = Aux. 

 

Quote

what would the correct intraflight phraseology be for "switch to preset x-y"?

"Push Button x"

[HILOK]

12 minutes ago, Bunny Clark said:

"Push Button x"

thanks! how do flight members know whether its PRI or AUX?

[Codguy]

7 hours ago, HILOK said:

@Codguy thanks! a couple more questions, if you dont mind

is there a special term for com-1 & com-2?

what would the correct intraflight phraseology be for "switch to preset x-y"?

thanks

Afraid I’d just be hazarding a guess so don’t want to give inaccurate info on what specifically the Hornet guys did with/called their radios in practice.   For us, we had two radios (or 3 in some planes) that were always channelized the same - so didn't matter which one we used and we just called them (Comm) 1 and (Comm) 2.   In general practice, however, comm 1 was used for most everything and we usually left comm 2 for relaying info on squadron or airwing common.  Also, comm2 was typically used when talking to civ ATC or some other mission-related agency (E-2/Red Crown/DZ) while still having to be in contact with the boat.      Even in E-2s (up front, anyway) radio 1 was almost always the primary for communicating with/around the boat.  Imagine the pointy-nose tactical guys could have had a different methodology, but I do suspect COMM 1 was likely always the primary for them as well.

 

Like Bunny said- if you were leading a flight and wanted to switch everyone in your flight to a new freq., you’d typically say something like  “flight, push 16”, “flight, push Marshall”, or simply “flight, switch” (as everyone knows the comm sequence and button number anyway).

[HILOK]

thanks

[Brass2-1]

Hi OP, if you’re interested in working the radios in a realistic fashion I highly recommend the Raven One campaign. It does a fantastic job of encouraging you to manage your Pri/Aux radios throughout. 

[SmilingBandit]

18 hours ago, HILOK said:

thanks! how do flight members know whether its PRI or AUX?

Aux should stay on inter flight for the sortie.  Primary would be what changes.  
 

More from the AF side but should follow.

[fmedges]

We typically use MIDS A and B for interflight/squadron which frees aux up for monitoring other buttons.