BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. — From Oct. 22 to 25, 2024, five members of the 104th Fighter Wing’s Communications Squadron participated in Exercise Noble Skywave, an International High Frequency communication competition, hosted at Joint Base Cape Cod, Mass. The Canadian Forces Joint Signal Regiment organized the event, which brought together teams from around the globe to crown the best HF radio operators.

The four-day exercise, designed to test communication abilities across various distances, consisted of four phases: Establish the Net, Free Play, Team Contact Challenge and Back to the Future. Each phase ran for 12 hours, with participants seeking to make as many successful contacts as possible during the given timeframe.

Master Sgt. Evan Morrell, Master Sgt. Chris Lynch, Staff Sgt. Brian Abert, Senior Airman Brian Bodenstein and Airman 1st Class Daniel Zimowski comprised the team members for this year’s competition, marking the third consecutive year the 104th has participated in Exercise Noble Skywave.

The goal during Phase 1, ‘Establish the Net,’ was to successfully send a voice communication to the Network Control Station and receive confirmation that the transmission was clear. Phase 2 acted as a test to successfully establish connect with as many contacts as possible.

The Barnestormers logged 113 total contacts, including stations in Uruguay, Latvia, Kyrgyzstan and Australia, with the farthest contact attained in Queanbeyan, Australia, at a distance of 10,264 miles.

“One of the hardest parts was just making the contacts and waiting for them to respond,” said Abert, a RF Transmissions Systems Specialist. “But the most rewarding part of the exercise was once we finally made those distant contacts outside of North America. That really ramped up our team to continue and go even further.”

In Phase 3, the Barnestormers secured 13 out of 14 possible contacts, while in Phase 4, they achieved 61 credited contacts. Their performance placed them 63rd out of 377 teams globally, with 219 teams actively participating. Most notably, in the Team Contact Challenge, the team placed 28th out of 106 teams.

The 104th HF team found greater success with the competition occurring on the coast, as the radio signals faced less resistance before broadcasting over the open waters.

“This was our third year doing Noble Skywave, and we’ve gotten better every time,” Abert added. “We feel like we’ll continue to get better and better as we continue to get the hang of how the system works.”

Participation in Exercise Noble Skywave not only showcased the 104th Fighter Wing Airmen’s technical proficiency but also reinforced the unit’s international communication network, preparing them for future military operations requiring dependable HF communication.