Combat Air Patrols

General Information

DC area Combat Air Patrols (DC CAP) can occur at any time; however, they are commonly held during national holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July) or whenever the President goes to the Retreat in the Catoctin Mountains known as Camp David. When a CAP is announced over the Thurmont area, Camp David is said to be the Bullseye.

Here we'll list some frequencies and sites that you can use to get started monitoring this activity. All frequencies are in MHz, and utilize AM

Common Frequencies

• 135.525 'Guard Dog' Tankers, shared with Washington ARTCC/Falls Church
• 228.900 Huntress (NORAD) Tankers/Coordination
• 255.400 Flight Service Stations (nationwide assignment)
• 260.900 Huntress (NORAD) Tankers/Coordination
• 288.350 'Guard Dog' Aircraft, Coordination
• 320.600 Huntress boom frequency
• 324.000 Intercept aircraft (nationwide assignment)

Frequencies used in the past by aircraft for chit-chat, coordination, etc.

• 138.150 Shaw AFB SC F15s
• 143.150 Shaw AFB SC F15s
• 338.750 Eglin AFB F15s
• 369.150 Eglin AFB F15s

Sites

Concentrate on the UHF frequencies (225-400 mhz)

• Washington ARTCC
• Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control
• Maryland Sticky Thread for Milair

and for equipment, see our Milcom Receiving Equipment page. However, if you're a ham with a dualband (2m/440) radio, it's possible your radio can also receive milair. If it can do 138-144 Mhz (5 khz steps) and/or 225-400 mhz (12.5 or 25 khz steps) in AM mode, it's a possible candidate.

Online Audio Links

• DXTuners.com
  • Use the Washington DC and Tidewater sites
• Maryland Scanner
• Scan Milair-dc.com
• Scan Milair DC Teamspeak Yahoo Group