Toshiba
Calls on Emergency Freq, again?
This story takes place on the evening of Tuesday November 23 and the
morning of the 24th in
Miami,
Florida and was
furnished to us by the "The Phoenix" a newsletter of the Florida
Miami
Senior Squadron One
CAP.
Lt Col Joseph M.
Martin is the former commander of Miami Senior One Squadron, Lt Col
Robert J. Miller is the new commander and 1Lt. John I. Hendricks is the
Chaplain of the unit. Both Cols. have DF experience and the Chaplain
recently earned his 101 card. Story by Lt. Col. Miller.
We were traveling
homeward from our weekly meeting about 10:00pm local time when Col.
Martin, an IC, received a call from AFRRC requesting assistance with a
DF/ELT mission. The signal was on both 121.5 and 243. In order to
expedite things, and since we were already teamed up, we accepted the
mission: 04M2531: opened at 10:10pm local, 23 November 2004. After
picking up our mission bags, mounting antennas and powering up two
DF’s,’ old reliable’ and a brand new tracker unit, we headed out.
Left to Right:
Col. Miller, Chaplain Hendricks,
Col. Martin
The nearest
coordinates were those given on the second satellite pass, so we
programmed the GPS to guide us there. This location proved fruitless, no
signal. We conducted an expanding block search out to a mile. Nothing
heard in any direction by either device. The GPS was reprogrammed to the
first-pass coordinates; we remounted and set out again.
Southbound on a
busy avenue in a residential section, the GPS beeped us to turn right;
still no signal and the GPS showed a half-mile to target. All that
changed when we passed the 7th house in, westbound from the
avenue, both ‘old reliable’ and the ‘new kid’ came alive. They aired a
strong and very unusual signal.
What we were
hearing was not the usual chirping or yelping signal we had heard so
often before. The signal was a low-pitched wave being counter-troughed
by a much higher one. It sounded similar to someone trying to tune a HAM
radio. We stopped and dismounted.
Now afoot and
using both DF’s we spread out to find the signals best strength. Within
a few minutes we met each other on the North side of the street in front
of the same duplex and determined the source to be one of two windows
each in a different side of the duplex and near the center. Just to be
sure, we scanned south, nothing. Rather than awaken people at this time
of the night on a ‘probable’ we moved one block north, 7 houses in and
scanned again; same result. We returned to the front of the duplex and
noted that the signal was only heard within about 60 feet from our
ground locations.
We called
Miami-Dade Police for assistance in waking the occupants. They responded
within minutes and were very cooperative after we explained our mission.
The occupants of
both apartments were also very cooperative, but the interview and
subsequent search inside the rooms both proved negative. Yet, the signal
persisted and seemingly came from adjoining bedrooms, one in each
apartment.
We called AFRRC.
The third satellite pass had just been completed and we were exactly on
point. We explained that there was no visible ELT device present and
that the audible was very strange.
AFRRC suggested
that we unplug any televisions and related a recent unusual find in
Oregon.
We re-entered the
first apartment where two televisions were then unplugged. The occupants
were still up and watching us intently. The signal persisted; we went
next door, to find three television sets. We unplugged the first in the
living room; still the signal went on. We unplugged the TV in the back
bedroom; the signal continued. We went to the third and last television
in the front bedroom, it held the second window from which we thought
the signal was coming. We concentrated both DFs about the television.
The signal was
loud and we noted a ‘clicking’ sound as we passed ‘old reliable’ and
it’s rubber-ducky in front of the set. The set was off, but still
plugged into the wall outlet. The owner reached down and unplugged the
27” Toshiba color television from its power source. Silence. The signal
stopped and the signal strength indicator lights on the newer ‘tracker’
ebbed. Colonel Martin and I looked at each other. The resident looked at
us. We all looked at the TV. We plugged it back in; the signal returned.
We left it unplugged.
Just to be sure we
scanned the room and TV again for a signal; nothing but static. We went
outside, separated and scanned again. Static; louder but just static.
Col. Martin again
called AFRRC with our report and began steps to closeout the mission. We
remounted our vehicle; re-scanned with the three-antenna array and left
the area.
As it turned out,
the site was almost exactly 1 mile from my home. Col. Martin and I were
both happy that we found and disabled the target. We were also
curiously happy that our find, with the exception of Oregon, was unique.
And Chaplain Hendricks was happy; not just because he decided to be a
member of the team, but would soon be sporting his ‘find’ ribbon on his
chest.
Chaplain
Hendricks receives FIND Ribbon
‘The Phoenix’ is
published by Miami Senior Squadron One. The unit meets Tuesday nights at
7:00pm in Bldg 113 at the Opa Locka Coast Guard Air Station. For more
information about the Civil Air Patrol Contact Joe Martin at (305)
525-0970.
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