Tinker Airmen conduct exercise at Altus AFB

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kenneth W. Norman
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Airmen from the 31st and 34th Combat Communications Squadrons, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., conducted an exercise here April 30 through May 3.

During the exercise 13 Airmen constructed two 9-foot antennas and connected them to two Tropospheric Scatter Microwave Radio Terminals (TRC-170). They then transmitted data to Tinker AFB 130 miles away at 4 megabytes per second.

The TRC-170 is used for beyond-line-of-sight communications between launch control and Patriot missile batteries. The terminal's antennae produce 11,000 watts of energy, which is sent as a signal to the troposphere. The signal then bounces off the troposphere and comes back to earth to another TRC-170 system.

The purpose of the training was for the Airmen to test the capabilities of the equipment, attain proficiency on the equipment, and stay current on their unit tasking code qualifications, said Staff Sgt. Jason O'Leary, 31st CCS radio frequency transmission system craftsman.

The TRC-170 is also one of the communication systems used down range.

"The job of this squadron down range is to support communications any time anywhere," O'Leary said. "We support communication in a tactical environment, whether it is with satellite transmission or radio frequency transmission by tropospheric scatter or line of sight."

The exercise was a change of scenery and an experience for the Airmen of the 31st and 34th CCS.

"Anything out of the office for us is great. Our daily ops we do a lot of maintenance on equipment so sometimes it is a lot of paper work," said 2nd Lt. Benjamin J. Shoptaugh, 31st CCS officer in charge during the exercise. "I think [the Airmen] had a really good time getting to see different sights. We're not this close to the flight line at Tinker so we don't get to see the aircraft taking off and landing."

After the Airmen were finished transmitting data, they deconstructed the TRC-170s and headed back to Tinker AFB.

"Everything worked out great, we love the support from Altus," Shoptaugh said. "We are hoping to have the opportunity to send more of our crews out here to Altus in the future."