Radio intercept of transit flights or incoming traffic @ Hi alt.

[Edelweiss]

Hi,
Maybe not a newbie Q but anyway here for now:

A question to the very seasoned and systematic scanners, I would like to know if someone can offer some good tips about how to intercept:

• MIL transit flights at hi altitude that seem to be quiet or on MIL and likely under CIV ATC

• incoming MIL flights that are to land in UK and are still under CIV ATC before they likely will switch to MIL ATC.

While it is fairly easy to pick them up from T/O or on the MIL freqs once they are on them (there are not so many MIL freqs), I find it terribly hard to find the right CIV freqs to look out for.

a) there is constant babble, even at night there is quite some traffic still
b) there are a myriad of CIV frequencies and sectors and areas are a mess. I think one needs to be really well versed with how this is being "managed".
c) the usage of the freqs is dynamic and as I am not scanning CIV freqs much I have little awareness of their routines and regional allocation changes over the day.

Say you see that C-5 coming into the Bristol channel on a Sunday morning at FL350 for Ramstein - it is not heard on MIL ATC. Looking at CIV sector maps is a pain and I had little success.
Also the contacts with ATC at this altitude will be sparse due to Flight plan and nothing much going on other than drinking coffee and twiddling the autopilot once in a while.

Or you see some tankers coming on over Lands End and eventually they will be handed over to MIL, that route is generally easier and frequently only uses one VHF freq before they get handed over.
Possibly they will also be on foreign MIL ATC, my antennas are in the loft so may radio range is sadly not enormous at the moment.
Is the Squawk of great help here? They are mostly annoying transit Squawks anyway...

So any hints appreciated how to approach this.

Cheers

Mike

[Malcolm]

Yes, squawks are useful in identifying what frequency to listen to.

If they're under military control, then (in the South of the UK anyway) they'll likely be on a 33xx or 64xx squawk, and probably on a UHF frequency. This usually only happens for stuff from the SW inbound to Mildenhall/Lakenheath, and the aircraft will descend to FL230 somewhere between Yeovilton and Brize before transiting through the Westcott corridor.

However, if they're on airways, or on a transit squawk, then they will be in amongst all the other civil stuff, almost certainly on VHF, and you'll have to put up with all the other Speedbird, Easyjet and Ryanair traffic on the same frequency.

[Edelweiss]

Thanks @Malcolm, so no secret sauce other than knowledge and trying...