Is there a frequency/setting that we can change to in order to listen to music and or news/weather reports during an FTX?

Cadet 2LT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 10:21:42 -0500

My platoon is going on a month-long FTX. (no civilian electronics are authorized) We are on M1A2s and for morale purposes, I was wondering if there was a frequency/setting that we can change in order for us to listen to music and or news/weather reports?

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jan 11 at 2020 11:32 AM

LTC Jason Mackay — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 11:32:13 -0500

Short answer no. The FCC allocates bandwidth so functions do not interfere with each other. So the government gets a block, commercial use gets a block etc. there might be a situation where the frequencies bleed over sometimes. https://www.fcc.gov/engineering-technology/policy-and-rules-division/radio-spectrum-allocation/general/table-frequency

Table of Frequency Allocations Chart

The FCC's Table of Frequency Allocations consists of the International Table of Frequency Allocations ("International Table") and the United States Table of Frequency Allocations ("United States Table"). The FCC's Table of Frequency Allocations is codified at Section 2.106 of the Commission's Rules. For the allocation of frequencies the ITU has divided the world into three Regions. Click here to view a PDF map of the three Regions. The...

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 11 at 2020 11:37 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 11:37:50 -0500

Sounds like you could use a crank phonograph.

Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made Jan 11 at 2020 11:50 AM

MAJ Javier Rivera — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 11:50:44 -0500

You mean tampering with US Government communications equipment and somehow breach the frequency spectrum controlled/managed by the FCC? Let me know how it goes!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 11 at 2020 12:22 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 12:22:32 -0500

Try an emergency hand crank radio. I don't think it would count as electronics.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jan 11 at 2020 4:02 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 16:02:16 -0500

Where is the FTX?

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 11 at 2020 5:57 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 17:57:53 -0500

MBITRs can be programmed to pick up AM and FM crews. Check your owners manuals on how to set it up.

Response by Maj John Bell made Jan 11 at 2020 11:31 PM

Maj John Bell — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 23:31:36 -0500

Tell me this is a joke.

Response by SSgt Jimmy Jackson made Jan 12 at 2020 8:47 PM

SSgt Jimmy Jackson — Sun, 12 Jan 2020 20:47:35 -0500

Cadet 2LT Private RallyPoint Member , no sir

Response by LCpl Donald Weston made Feb 2 at 2020 2:19 PM

LCpl Donald Weston — Sun, 02 Feb 2020 14:19:25 -0500

At the FM and AM frequencies the FCC intended for tactical use across all branches of the Armed Forces, that’d be a hard no. My unit never used our radios to pick up music stations to listen to during my time in service.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 21 at 2020 6:20 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 18:20:14 -0400

Actually you can. All the radio is doing is picking up a signal. Make a channel with no crypto or hop set, put in the local channel with the right AM or FM setting, and make sure the squelch setting it off. The squelch setting is the main thing you have to disable to hear the broadcast.

Response by Cpl Joseph Williams made May 11 at 2020 4:56 PM

Cpl Joseph Williams — Mon, 11 May 2020 16:56:49 -0400

Not that I know of. I got out in 1987, EW is total different now.Backin the old days we used walkmans, lol

Response by SGT Erin Mcadams made Aug 22 at 2020 1:18 PM

SGT Erin Mcadams — Sat, 22 Aug 2020 13:18:32 -0400

BBC, you will have to scan for it on HF

Response by SGT Erin Mcadams made Apr 10 at 2021 4:14 AM

SGT Erin Mcadams — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 04:14:18 -0400

As a Com Chief, I did find BBC and a Russian station on HF only, sorry it's been a while & dont remember the freq's. Scan your HF radio, BBC is a good one to listen to.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Apr 10 at 2021 10:51 AM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 10:51:11 -0400

The HF radios in the C130 would pick up some radio stations. So would the ADF. All of these are probably gone now in favor of SATCOM and GPS. The FM radios the Services once had could be dialed to the same frequency as civilian FM broadcast stations. Comms may be so tight now because of security that none of this would work any more.

Response by MAJ Matthew Arnold made Apr 10 at 2021 6:10 PM

MAJ Matthew Arnold — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 18:10:20 -0400

You can if your radio can get the right frequency. While flying we would occasionally tune one of the radios to a local station and listen to the music. But then helicopters have lots of radios: UHF, VHF, FM, and sometimes HF. I forgot on which one the local radio was received.

Response by SFC Randy Hellenbrand made Apr 10 at 2021 6:32 PM

SFC Randy Hellenbrand — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 18:32:30 -0400

There are some. When we went on FTXs at Fort McCoy Wisconsin, we were able to pick up a station or two. This was back in the late 80s and early 90' however. Most of the time we called McCoy the radio dead zone.