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Radio maintenance keeps airwaves flowing

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Clinton Atkins
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  base's operations tempo is propelled by its ability to communicate vital information. One shop in Southwest Asia makes sure the vital communications continue to flow across the airwaves. 

The 379th Expeditionary Communications Squadron Ground Radio Maintenance shop here provides the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and the tenant units with the safe and efficient equipment necessary to maintain a high ops tempo. 

"Our mission is to provide local communications capabilities to the entire base via (high frequency, very high frequency and ultra high frequency communications systems," said Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Rogers, 379 ECS Ground Radio Maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge. "We are also responsible for the giant voice system, issued cell phones, pagers and land mobile radios. We also install radios in buildings and vehicles." 

The nine-man shop provides customer service for 82 separate accounts consisting of 1,400 cell phones and more than 1,600 LMRs issued to various base organizations. Additionally, the shop handles all requests for public address support. 

"Anywhere you go on base our equipment is there," said the Solon, Maine, native. "We're a support organization; that's what we do. The people refueling the planes use our LMRs to communicate with each other. (The 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron) effectively provides security by using our equipment. The people loading the bombs on the planes also use our LMRs to coordinate transportation of munitions. Even the control tower uses our LMRs. People not using a desk phone are most likely using radio maintenance assets." 

Using an LMR is a widely-preferred communication method for the 379 ESFS, said Senior Airman Evan Lawson, 379 ECS Ground Radio Maintenance technician. 

"If you ask anyone in security forces they'll tell you their main source of communication is an LMR," said the Lytle, Texas, native. "They use them for almost anything they do." 

Considering LMRs play such a large part in the communications of base operations, the shop must rotate encryption keys on every radio periodically to prevent a compromise to communication security. 

"We have to coordinate with every organization that has LMRs to load a crypto key onto all 1,600-plus LMRs in one day," Sergeant Rogers said. "A rekeyed LMR can no longer communicate with an LMR that hasn't been rekeyed yet so we have to have 100 percent completion in the shortest amount of time possible. 

"On that one day, that's all we're doing," he said. "We get it done in about four hours using only eight people. We'll keep one person in the office because we do get walk-ins.
"Doing this prevents the enemy from gaining the ability to listen in on our nets and from finding out sensitive information," Sergeant Rogers said. "Without this countermeasure the enemy would know almost everything we do. It would be a huge (operational security) disaster." 

When they're not out protecting the base from unexpected eavesdropping, the shop averages about 15 maintenance actions of in-house work per day. 

"We have done hundreds and hundreds of maintenance actions since the beginning of our rotation," he said. "Every office on base has radios and we make sure they work. 

"We replace face plates, key pads and antennas on the LMRs, but with the high frequency radios we handle the maintenance all the way down to the circuit cards," said Sergeant Rogers. 

On top of all of the in-house work that's done, there are 25 siren locations for the giant voice system the shop maintains and inspects, he said. 

As long as the airwaves are being kept secure by highly motivated Airmen, it will be smooth sailing. 

"I love the high ops tempo and staying busy," Airman Lawson said. "I cross-trained into this job specifically to be more on the tactical side of the Air Force."