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935th Aviation Support Battalion's Company C keeps communications flowing during annual training exercise
By: Rachel Knight
Missouri National Guard Public Affairs
FORT MCCOY, Wisc. – The Missouri National Guard’s Company C of the 935th Aviation Support Battalion in Carrollton is in charge of the radio retransmissions site during annual training at Fort McCoy.
Retransmission – ‘retrans’ for short - offers commanders a valuable alternative when multichannel equipment is in short supply or absent.
“The need for these is the distance between two elements,” said Sgt. Christian Cordell, of Marshall. Currently, the unit is set up on a high-point of terrain between the tactical operations center and the flight line/airport.
Retransmission in the military is similar to that of civilian repeaters, but retrans works both ways. Two radios are set up on the same network, but with two different frequencies. When radio one receives a signal, radio two transmits or vice versa.
Each element operates on a single frequency, meaning they transmit and receive on the same frequency. When one radio is set to transmit and receive frequency from the operations center and a second radio is set to transmit and receive frequency from the airport, both elements can communicate with everyone on the same frequency they normally use.
To boost the signal of the radios that are in military vehicles that are running off the antenna whips, the Guard uses OE-254 antennas that provide more range as long as they are placed on a hill top rather than in a valley.
The OE-254 antenna is omni-directional, meaning it sends out signals in all directions.
The site picked at Fort McCoy this year is allowing the Guard to set up one full retransmissions site by using a vehicle with two radios and two OE-254 antennas and one partial retransmissions site by using a vehicle with two radios, an antenna whip and one OE-254 antenna.
There are several pluses to this system, according to Cordell. When the frequency comes in, it will be cleaned up, amplified and sent back out.
“It’s continually sending and receiving,” he said.
The retransmission site can also remain mobile if needed by just using the truck antennae as long as there isn’t too much distance between two elements.
The site is manned by four people while annual training continues.
“One truck and one retrans relay require a minimum of two people,” Cordell said. “We prefer four because the more people, the better the shifts will be.”
The relays are run off the radios and antennae so Soldiers must make sure they are in proper working order. They must also start the vehicles every four hours to charge the vehicle batteries that the retransmission is pulling power off of.
Sgt. Jason Ruther, of Ludlow, is a signal support systems specialist and one of the Soldiers manning the site.
“It’s fun and I get to do something different.” said Ruther, who is used to setting up the antennae at the armory. “And it’s more for the whole battalion then just one unit.”
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Posted: 6/18/2009 3:01:05 PM
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