satcom

Last week, I observed unusual radio traffic on the 260.475MHz frequency. The transmissions were likely from a Colombian military or law enforcement operation. The callsigns used were Copán, Pulpo, Mammoth, Aquiles, and Jerónimo. The operators were active for several days and mentioned carrying out police searches, taking photos and videos, and operating a drone. They also provided latitude and longitude coordinates that placed them in the remote jungles of the Darién Gap, along the border between Colombia and Panama. One of the units sounded digital, suggesting that some of the radio traffic may have been patched through a terrestrial radio system. Another clue was dropped when one of the operators said, “Copán, le confirmo la salida en el Black Hawk, en el UH-60 PNC 0625.” This translates to, “Copán, I confirm the departure of the Black Hawk, UH-60 PNC-0625.” A check of the tail number confirmed that this particular Black Hawk belongs to the Colombian National Police.

Here is a recording of some of the radio traffic.