Edwards AFB Fremont Valley Lincoln Labs mode-s facility

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, this facility probably ranks a 0.1. But it is recently built and does qualify as a base (well just barely). Hey, unlike Dulce, the Fremont Valley site actually exists.

I haven't looked at it in the flesh, but based on documents from fbo.gov, the facility is built at
N35 13 01.0 W118 00 44.7

The facility is mentioned in this document:
Lincoln Labs Mode-s

The contract to build the facility can be found here:
fbo.gov link

For those not familiar with mode-s, it is a supplementary radar system. Planes with mode-s, once interogated, can report back more detailed information than traditional FAA radar, which just reports a squawk code or altitude. In addition, the mode-s equipped aircraft can use ADSB to report it's location.

ADSB wiki

sounds like good thing?

airtraffic control is a paramount issue , interesting that that the pie says 8% of recorded flights are 'Unique' wonder what that means?

reply to post by MrsBlonde


A bit more background on transponders is needed to explain the "unique" mode-s readings. Here is how air traffic control (ATC) worked prior to mode-s. The aircraft has a transponder that when interrogated by the FAA emits a signal indicating either a "squawk" code (four digit number) or the altitude of the plane. The four digit number is entered by the pilot into the transponder as it is given (assigned) via radio from ATC. As the plane flies through various flight control centers, the code is changed. ATC can't tell the altitude of aircraft without the transponder. If you saw United 93, the terrorists turned off the transponder so ATC couldn't see their altitude, but the ATC could track position of the plane.
Mode-S goes a bit further. Rather than a four digit code that is dynamic, mode-s uses a static six digit hexadecimal code. Basically enough numbers so every plane in existence can have a unique number. Well the US military wanted nothing to do with this since they could be tracked. One of the compromises is the mode-s codes of the military would not be published. If you can't link a code to a particular plane, then even if you can detect the code, you can't tell what plane is emitting it. For commercial aircraft, the codes are listed in the FAA database, thus each plane can be identified.

My guess regarding the MIT comment is 8% of their "hits" can't be linked to known mode-s databases. These are probably military flights and planes with improperly programmed mode-s transponders. At the moment, mode-s in the US is not required, so sending the wrong code isn't a big deal. In Europe, they require mode-s, so planes that fly internationally are most likely programmed properly.

The military takes their mode-s secrecy a step further. They are aware that hobbyists own mode-s receivers. With a few methods, it is possible to determine the mode-s codes of military aircraft. In the internet age, it is possible for these hobbyists to exchange this data and create on-line databases. Thus the military at times just makes up mode-s codes for planes they don't want tracked. Now they use some caution as to not use an assigned code. Often they pick 000000, 000001, or AAAAAA. Of course, these codes can't be tagged to a plane by the Lincoln Labs facility.

what's wrong with me???

now this sounds like the biggest exercise in redundant base building ever . So there's an expensive base to do what any average numbnuts living in Moms basement does better than the military, large fancy base notwithstanding?

I want my money back,no building a base to track military aircraft until you learn how to track aircraft
gotta walk before you can run


thanks for bearing with me I know I'm dumb at this

Lincoln Labs developed the mode-s and ADSB system. What exact THEY do at this joke of a base isn't totally known. The private mode-s receivers are used world wide. You can google Kinetics SBS-1 or Airnav Radarbox for more info.

MIT has had a long time relationship with radar. Modern radar was a British invention. It was hard to do design work to optimize radar when the Germans are bombing you, so the engineering details were brought to MIT. They called it the "radiation lab" so everyone kept the hell outta there. Lincoln Labs grew out of that research. Hanscom AFB has some sort of relationship with the labs.

MIT/Lincoln Labs itself has some sort of nebulous relationship to Groom Lake. The N105TB plane flown around Groom Lake has gear from Lincoln Labs though Hanscom flies it. The fly another plane around called "Paul Revere". The tail number escapes me, but it shows up around the Nellis Range during the JEFX exercise.

I think these things are largely just money pits ,the military mucky mucks in charge just use them to skim dollars to themselves in the form of unbelievable perks

having been raised on Military bases during my formative years ,I can attest to the egos and sense of entitlement they posses.
Black Ops budgets and activities have disturbed me since I knew about them,again as a kid