Defence High Frequency Communications Service (DHFCS)
United Kingdom Communication systems - Joint

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Description

The Defence High Frequency Communications Service (DHFCS) provides long distance strategic communication between Army units, RAF aircraft, Royal Navy warships and UK headquarters using HF communications.

It has subsumed the following legacy systems:

• Strike Command Integrated Communications System (STCICS), now known as Terrestrial Air Sea Communications (TASCOMM);

• Maritime data services (broadcasts and ship/shore/ship communications);

• NATO HF services provided by the RAF;

• Defence Communications Service Agency (DCSA).

 

Base of operations

The system is based on six sites in the UK and four overseas.
In the UK they are Crimond, Inskip, Kinloss, Forest Moor, Penhale Sands and St Eval.
Overseas sites are Cyprus, Gibraltar, Ascension Island and the Falklands Islands.

The Network Control Station (NCS) is at Forest Moor (TASCOMM); it controls all DHFCS assets worldwide. The alternative network control centre (ANCS) is at Kinloss.

The system includes Automatic Link Establishment (ALE), Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) and Automatic Link Management (ALM) and provides both voice and data services.

DHFCS was declared in service in March 2008 with the delivery of the ANCS at Kinloss.

Network Frequencies TASCOMM

There are H24 (flightwatch) operations centres at DHFCS Forest Moore and DHFCS Kinloss

Callsign	Location	Watch Frequencies	Notes
ARCHITECT	UK (FOREST MOOR / KINLOSS) (TASCOMM)	4742 5702 9031 11247 13257 18018	ALE CALLSIGN IS XSS
TAZCOMM	ASCENSION	3146 4742 6733 11247
CYPRUS	CYPRUS	4742 9031 11247	4742 - (H+15 weather broadcast when active)
VIPER	MT PLEASANT - FALKLAND ISLANDS	4742 11247	NOTE: H+35 weather broadcasts when active. 1. Flight Watch available for notified flights. 2. Aircraft not fitted with ALE are to scroll through the frequencies in order to select the best reception. Transmissions are to be made at 15 sec intervals before changing to the next guard frequency.
VOLMET		5450  11253	H24  00/30 BENSON, COLTISHALL, CONINGSBY, LEEMING, LEUCHARS, LOSSIEMOUTH, MARHAM, ODIHAM, SHAWBURY, HANNOVER, GEILENKIRCHEN, GARDERMOEN, TRONDHEIM 06/36 ALDERGROVE, BIRMINGHAM, BRIZE, NORTON, CRANWELL, EAST MIDLANDS, KINLOSS, LYNEHAM, MANCHESTER, NORTHOLT, PRESTWICK, STANSTED, WADDINGTON 12/42 SPLIT, BUDAPEST, BARI, GIOIA DEL COLLE, AVIANO, RIMINI, ANCONA, ROME, CONSTANTA, BUCHAREST, PRISTINA, SKOPJE 18/48 KEFLAVIK, ASCENSION, BANJUL, DAKAR,GIBRALTAR, MOMBASA, NAIROBI, RIO DE JANEIRO, MONTEVIDEO, BRIZE, NORTON,LYNEHAM, WADDINGTON, FUJAIRAH 24/54 ADANA, AKROTIRI, AL UDEID, AMMAN,BASRAH, BAHRAIN, CARIO, KEBUL,KUWAIT, MUSCAT, AL KHARJ, SALALAH,THUMRAIT

 

 

Information source: US DoD FLIP

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THE FOLLOWING ARE REFERENCED MATERIAL FROM A NOW DEFUNCT HF NETWORK AND ARE NOT BE CURRENT
THESE FREQUENCIES ARE INCLUDED FOR REFERENTIAL PURPOSES ONLY

The previous HF network (pre-2006) was the STCICS.  The following information applies to the STCICS and is shown as an archival reference only, although some frequencies do apply as discreets for DHFCS (although unconfirmed via our sources).

STCICS HF FREQUENCIES

GROUND CONTROLLED INTERCEPTION

On HF the following air defence radar stations can be heard.

Buchan, Boulmer ,Neatishead, Benbecula

Frequencies in use are from the same pool as the STCICS above. On any day you can hear stations ask Architect for designator frequencies to work with the three above, mostly Neatishead.

GUIDE TO MONITORING STCICS
-To find which frequencies are active listen to the Architect weather broadcast at H+00 and H+30 (see above).
-If the UKADGE circuits are active there will be an announcement following weather with code letters for active freqs.
EG '...additional information 2..PK..tack..401C..tack..AG (repeated twice).

-The first number indicates which air defense radar is active.
1- Buchan, Boulmer, Benbecula
2- Buchan
3- Boulmer
4- Neatishead

-The first 2-letter group is the code for the active HF frequency from the list (above), sometimes refered to as the Jorsk Frequency. This is the main operating frequency.

-The third group is the Charlie Squared channel, where AWACS aircraft pass their radar data. 

Channel	Frequency
401A	2250.5
401B	33?
401C	4478.5
401D	6673.5
401E	8500.5

 -The final group is 'chick co-ordination' where HF capable combat aircraft can be passed target information, etc.

-Therefore the EG given would be Buchan as ADR, using 5095 KHz for voice traffic, AWACS on 4478.5 KHz and 'chicks' are on 4745 KHz.

RAF/NATO 'K Series'
A new set of codes seem to be being used by RAF and other NATO forces. The 'K series' (real name unknown).

Channel	Frequency	Channel	Frequency
Golf 02	3235	Kilo 26	UHF?
Golf 08	4572	Kilo 27	UHF?
Hotel 05	9010	Kilo 28	Beaver HF?
Kilo 01	HF?	Kilo 30	4477
Kilo 04	HF?	Kilo 31	5045
Kilo 05	4520	Kilo 33	5385
Kilo 06	4020	Kilo 34	5463.5
Kilo 09	4920	Kilo 36	4012
Kilo 10	5173	Kilo 55	UHF?
Kilo 11	5277.5	Kilo 56	UHF?
Kilo 12	5290	KJ 02	3357
Kilo 14	UHF?	KJ 04	3805
Kilo 15	7860	KJ 07	5280
Kilo 17	3304.5	KJ 11	?
Kilo 18	4860.5	KJ 28	UHF?
Kilo 19	UHF?	KJ 29	UHF?
Kilo 22	4785	KJ 37	5910 (poss.)
Kilo 24	4779	TL 04	6237 (poss.)
Kilo 25	HF?

ROYAL NAVY

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