Band Boxed ??
Manchesters Most Wanted PPRuNer
Join Date: Jul 1999
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At a guess "box" is an old / slang term for a radio.
Thus "bandbox" equates to operating on more than one "band" (band = frequency and/or wavelength) on a single radio (box).
Thus "bandbox" equates to operating on more than one "band" (band = frequency and/or wavelength) on a single radio (box).
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Bucks. UK
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This is how it was explained to me when I joined ATC over 35 years ago.
A bandbox is a 17th century word given to a light cylindrical box used by military officers, clergymen and the aristocracy for storing their ruffs (then known as bands) collars, caps etc.
Over the years it has also come to mean to tidy things away i.e. put them in a bandbox.
In the 1960s many of the senior controllers were ex-RAF officers and the term "bandbox" was coined to indicate collapsing sectors onto one position or tidying up as you might say. The fact that radar consoles at the time were circular made it look as though all the sectors had been put into a bandbox.
A bandbox is a 17th century word given to a light cylindrical box used by military officers, clergymen and the aristocracy for storing their ruffs (then known as bands) collars, caps etc.
Over the years it has also come to mean to tidy things away i.e. put them in a bandbox.
In the 1960s many of the senior controllers were ex-RAF officers and the term "bandbox" was coined to indicate collapsing sectors onto one position or tidying up as you might say. The fact that radar consoles at the time were circular made it look as though all the sectors had been put into a bandbox.
Join Date: Sep 2003
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Band Boxed
Band Boxed - don't know where the expression came from but its very clear what it means, yet another strategy for UK Controllers to diminish their capacity and efficiency while inflating their egos1
Well, um, ...... believe it or not, I have a rather nice old leather 'bandbox'. (Not that I'm clergy or aristocracy, you understand! 
). It originally belonged to my Grandfather, who served as an Army Officer during WWI.
). It originally belonged to my Grandfather, who served as an Army Officer during WWI.
pat_torcon, I think you'll find that bandboxing is a method of keeping aircraft moving when there aren't enough staff to operate each frequency. This is to cover management for their woefully inadequate manpower planning.
I am unaware of any unit which is fully staffed, so the staff get fully stuffed instead. The problem is swept into a box (and therefore no longer exists) by a band of theives we call managers, hence, bandboxed...
I am unaware of any unit which is fully staffed, so the staff get fully stuffed instead. The problem is swept into a box (and therefore no longer exists) by a band of theives we call managers, hence, bandboxed...
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: southampton,hampshire,england
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Bandbox
The early RT consisted of a three position switch, up was off, centre was on for receive. The switch was spring loaded when depressed to transmit so that it returned to the centre receive position when released. Next to it was an identical switch for a different frequency////and so on. When two sectors were combined a band was placed over the two switch keys so that by pressing the band it was possible to transmit on both. If the panel contained more frequencies just use a longer band. Sorry...made it up....sounds plausible! Remember that cross-coupling came much later....back then it was quite a headache when transmissions were made simultaneously on two monitored frequencies such as tower and ground{vehicles}.
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Dan Dare - Aptly named - must have arrived from another planet. Agree about the poxy management but Understaffed - No way - wildly overstaffed - thats why so many of us are away Rest days, Roaming Days "Band Boxed Days " why bother when there are so many neat ways to avoid work and all because the management nerds don't understand ATC or how we band box the roster to maximise free time, minimise workload and ensure the sodding pilots get some of the aggro
