910th Comm Squad brings radio 'magic' to Utah spray mission Published March 31, 2015 By Master Sgt. Bob Barko Jr. 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Office HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- A seven person team, assigned to the Air Force Reserve's 910th Communications Squadron (CS) based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, provided support to a two week aerial spray mission conducted by the 910th Airlift Wing here, March 9 - 20, 2015. While supporting the wing's Department of Defense-unique aerial spray capability is nothing new for 910th CS, this particular mission focused on the consolidation of radios, where one radio can receive several UHF and VHF channels, eliminating the need to carry multiple radios as part of the squadron's support capability. The 910th CS team used a radio multiplexer in conjunction with a satellite system known as the Joint Incident Site Communications Capability (JISCC) to eliminate the need for aerial spray personnel to carry more than one radio during the mission. "By using the multiplexer, one radio can be used on the mission to talk on VHF (Very High Frequency) and UHF (Ultra High Frequency)," said 910th Communications Squadron Infrastructure Technician Staff Sgt. Gil Martin. "We now can talk to the aircraft and maintenance personnel on the same radio." In addition to cutting back on the number of radios individuals have to carry with them on the ground and in the aircraft, the 910th CS's specialized equipment also brought additional capabilities to the Citizen Airmen working on this aerial spray mission. "This equipment also scans multiple frequencies and brings us NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather alerts and warnings," said 910th Communications Squadron Radio Transmissions Technician Tech. Sgt. Donald Adkins. "It does all the magic, which is pretty cool." Adkins said the 910th CS team also provided access to laptop computers, printers, phones and wireless capabilities to the aerial spray mission. This not only allowed communication between the YARS Citizen Airmen working here, it also allowed communication with their home installation in Northeast Ohio. According to squadron personnel, they set up an extender antenna which allowed radio signals to reach the Utah Test and Training Range, which is approximately a 55 mile straight line distance from Hill AFB, or about a two hour-drive from the base due to the fact the two points sit on opposite sides of Utah's Great Salt Lake. Adkins also said the extender antenna let 910th ground support personnel overseeing spray operations at Hill AFB communicate with ground support personnel on the ground at UTTR and the aerial spray aircraft flying over the range. Without the set-up of the antenna, this communication would not have been possible. In addition to providing practical support to the 910th's aerial spray team, this mission allowed the 910th CS to practice setting up and operating a deployable communications capability package. According to the squadron's official unit mission description, this deployable capability is designed to meet Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) communications requirements throughout the continental United States (CONUS). The 910th CS has used their deployable communications capability to support aerial spray operations in response to past national emergencies such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as well the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The squadron's continuing involvement such as the recent aerial spray mission here allows them to be ready to support future emergency operations if the need arises.