Wings Over Houston Air Show Frequencies         10/20/06 

119.6000 * "Air Boss" (2006)-coreographs all aircraft in show
124.5000 * "Air Boss" backup/discrete/intercom (2006)
other freqs from 122.700-123.575 may be used by teams during performances

These are the airshow staff channels for 2006:
1  464.500    operations/security (15W repeater-10' antenna/roughly 5 mile range)
2  464.550    fuel/oil/smoke
3  462.700    pilot registration/food/water carts/Eagle Squadron
4  464.500    parking
5  467.950    gates (input to HFD Ch.6 repeater)
6  467.750    setup/takedown
7  467.800    pyro
8  467.850    finance
9  467.900    pilot shuttle
10 451.825    ground safety
11 451.850    media (same as Southwest Services repeater freq)
12 451.900 
13 451.950 
14 452.000 
15 451.800                
16 461.4875

All channels use a PL of 218.1 Hz

Note: All frequencies 118-137 MHz and 225-400 MHz use AM mode unless otherwise noted.

126.0500 * Ellington Field Tower
121.6000 * Ellington Field Ground
135.5750 * Ellington Field ATIS
141.9000 * Ellington Air National Guard F16s Air-Air (AM mode)
157.0500 * US Coast Guard Helos stationed at Ellington
163.4875 * Ellington Air National Guard Security (P25 digital)
162.6125 * Ellington Air National Guard Security Primary (P25 digital)
163.0000   Ellington Air National Guard (used 2001)(P25 digital)
163.5375 * Ellington Flight Line Ops-repeats ground control units from 121.600 (P25 digital)
165.1375 * Ellington F16 Maintenance (P25 digital)
165.1875 * Ellington F16 Maintenance or POL trucks (Petroleum, Oil, Lubricants)(P25 digital)
173.5875 * Ellington Fire/Crash/Rescue (P25 digital)
235.4000 * NASA at Ellington
253.5000 * Ellington Field Tower
269.9000 * Ellington Field ATIS
275.8000 * Ellington Field Ground
345.0000 * US Coast Guard Ellington Ramp "Comm-1"
122.9500   Southwest Services FBO (fuel)
451.8500 * Southwest Services FBO (DPL 731)-licensed for 451.825 MHz

453.9000 * HPD Airport Police (best to use input, 458.900, to listen to just Ellington units)
460.2250 * HPD Ch.8 Car-Car

Amateur Radio Nets:
145.5000 * Main Net Control
145.6000   Spare
145.6500   Civilian Performers & Airshow Control platform
145.7000 * Fuel trucks
145.7500 * Finance/Gates (tickets)
145.9000 * Medical
443.8000   Medical (simplex)

151.9550   Family Use
154.5700   Concessions PL 100.0
462.5875   FRS 02 gate security?
462.6875 * FRS 06 used by pyrotechnics (2003)
462.7125   FRS 07 Unk use
463.5625 * Golf Cart control (portable repeater-DPL 532-about 2.5 mile range)
464.5500 * National Concession Company (DPL 245)
467.6875   FRS 13 CAP Ramp Control
467.7625   Concessions DPL 074
467.8375   Unk, parking related?
467.9250   Film Crew
469.5000   various users "command post" DPL?
469.5500   CAP Command Post PL 131.8

Dept. of Houston Aviation talkgroups:
STAR-Net 800 MHz trunked system talkgroup 22800 is Ellington Ops

Reportedly used by USAF Thunderbirds:
140.4000   use enroute to airshows air-air (AM mode)
141.8500   "Victor 1" (AM mode) Airshow formations primary (or channel 2)
142.1750   (FM mode)
142.5750   Program audio/Air-Ground comms (FM mode?)
143.8500 * "Victor 2" (AM mode) Airshows (or channel 1)
143.9000   
235.2000   Thunderbird control/comm cart (AM mode)
235.2500 * Pre-engine start & Solo aircraft-Uniform 1 (AM mode)
250.8500   "Team leader" (AM mode)
322.6000   Air-Air (AM mode)
322.9500   Engine starts & Solo aircraft 5/6-"Uniform 2" (AM mode)
413.0000   ground ops-digital
413.0250   "Fox 6" Ground ops analog/digital (or channel 1)
413.1000   "Fox 1" Ground ops analog/digital (or channel 2)
413.1250   ground ops
413.2500   ground ops-analog
413.2750   ground ops-analog
413.3500   ground ops-digital
413.3750   ground ops-digital

Reportedly used by the Tora Tora Tora Warbirds Team:
123.1500
123.4500
469.5000
469.5500

Reportedly used by Sean Tucker Power Aerobatics:
122.8750
122.9500
123.1500
123.4750

Reportedly used by USAF Demonstration Teams:
127.1500
376.0250
384.5500

Try these for possible Civil Air Patrol comms:
148.1500
148.1250

Here is a possible list of channels programmed into Air National Guard Radios at Ellington.
Specific uses are not all known and all are using APCO P25 digital modulation.
1  173.5875 *
2  173.6125
3  163.4875 *
4  162.6125 *
5  164.5000 *
6  163.5125 *
7  165.1125
8  163.0000 *
9  165.1375 *
10 165.1875 *
11 163.5375 *
12 163.5875
13 163.4625 *
14 171.3875
15 165.0125 *
16 162.5500 (weather)

Might even try listening to the Federal Government's version of FRS (called ISR for Inter-Squad Radio).
The only radios I know of so far that is used in this band is the ICOM IC-4008M.  Narrowband FM is the mode.
Main user of this radio service is military and CAP:
1  396.875
2  397.125
3  397.175
4  397.375
5  397.425
6  397.475
7  397.550
8  397.950
9  398.050
10 399.425
11 399.475
12 399.725
13 399.925
14 399.975