Company Frequencies

[2p!ssed2drive]

.... We've all used them, no doubt.

What I want to know is how professional is it to use company frequencies?

In the past I've heard topics being discussedon company ranging from operational requirements (ie, pax and fuel), to who my co-worker slept with the night before, to how drunk my mates girlfriend was the other night, to how how hungry we all are, to 'what the heck are we gonna eat when we get back etc etc... Once I counted probably 7 guys all chatting on company. Oh, and another thing I've heard is Rodney Rude and Kevin Bl0ody Wilson (wired through an ipod!) over company.

is it completely unprofessional in anyones opinion to talk about non-operational things, such as chit chat?

All I can say is keep it clean, because guys have been shot in the foot before... And if you're near a town/city - you'll never know who's listening in on their scanner!

2p2d :ok:

[touchncloth]

Don't run your ipod on company freq. I want to hear it on Area!:E

"Santa Claus you c#nt where's me f#ckin bike, I've opened all this other sh!t and there's nothin here I like":ok:

[PilotHTR]

Not so much company freq's (which are usually discrete)........BUT....If you include 123.45 in your question, then it's a different matter.
It's great to be able the have a 'casual' chat, but how often on 123.45 do we hear twits blathering interminably about what is in their sandwiches or when their dog (or wife) is being wormed???
I have been involved in Formation displays where pilots have been unable to communicate because of vacuous rantings going on between other pilots.
If you must discuss the drivel of everyday, use a BLOODY TELEPHONE!! - otherwise be respectful of others and keep it brief and succinct.
....goes to cupboard and gets flameproof suit on.........fire away!.....

[Towering Q]

What I want to know is how professional is it to use company frequencies?
I think it's professional enough so long it is not abused. It is a good way to compare ground speeds, discuss aircraft idiosyncrasys, "hey is things cylinder head temp always this high":eek: and other operational matters. The other talk should be kept to a minimum. Especially if you have problems selecting the correct mic.:uhoh:
I've lost count of the number of times I've heard someone on company say, "centre are trying to contact you.":8

[j3pipercub]

Hey All,

use company freq quite regularly, most of the time to compare g/s at differing heights etc. However dont see the harm in exchanging hello's or an odd joke on company provided it's not congested. As for not being able to communicate on 123.45 furing formation, shouldnt you guys have your own discreet freq to avoid such things??:bored:

[QNH1013.2]

There are other legal channels available for this purpose other than 123.45. I would never use 123.45 in a formation for the aforementioned reasons as you never know who will be on it. Some of us use powerful radios that will receive and transmit for up to a couple of hundred miles, so 123.45 is usually completely out of the question.

If someone could post the other legal channels here that would come in handy; I don't have them on me right now.

I say bad luck if you are stupid enough to discuss company / private info over the airways on a "chat" channel. Everyone knows you are supposed to talk in code and add 100 knots to all of your airspeeds when comparing.

I remember one day cruising along discussing a porno we watched the night before when this voice cuts in and says "the two aircraft tracking south there is a Warrior coming straight towards you," then a quick evasive move to avoid him. Seems the guy with the handheld was listening to us for ages and when we flew overhead happened to notice an aircraft coming straight towards us. Felt quite lucky after as it would have been close. Some could argue that if we were on centre we would have been warned, but that's what the other radio's for.

[AerocatS2A]

I don't care what the company frequencies get used for.

123.45 though, is used for air to air communications in oceanic airspace. As has been mentioned above, aircraft radios can transmit a long way particularly if there is a strong inversion. It can be a bit frustrating trying to separate from another aircraft and having some idiot blabbering on about a movie he saw last night.