Saying your Squawk code.

[GlueBall]

More unnecessary radio congestion...

It's more annoying when pilots first call: "Request" and then pause...rather than to state their request on the initial call-up....Why? Because the controller may actually hear you the FIRST time. Get it?

It's also annoying when during multiple verbal exchanges in the same brief conversation, pilots keep repeating their full call sign, over and over, like a parrot. Needless to say, there is such a thing as VOICE RECOGNITION...because you had just talked to the controller seconds earlier, no? ...Would someone else be masquerading with your identical voice?

[Rule3]

Agree 100% on the Request.....Just say what you want.

As for BLOCKED. I will realise the message has not been received and will repeat it. So PLEASE do don't waste more RT time by saying BLOCKED.

[HeathrowDictator]

At least "BLOCKED" is not just confined to the area I'm working in then! It gives me some satisfaction after I've issued an instruction, heard someone say "BLOCKED" only for the original recipient to read it back in full!

Most of the time there's a side tone for us ATCOs anyway which lets us hear when someone else is transmitting at the same time...but some R/T discipline (from both sides) wouldn't go amiss!

-HD-

[Gulf News]

Hey boys and girls, I don't know where this got started but saying your squawk code when changing frequency's is NOT required!!!

This is where it comes from. The scene is any given day the skies over India .

UAE 500: Mumbai Emirates 500 position Nobat FL350.

Mumbai ATC: Jeteweys 223 contact Nagpur 123.9

Jet Airways 223: 133.9 Namshakar Jeteweys 223

Unknown: Babu is that you ?

Jet Airways 223: Hi who is that ?

Unknown: Siti

UAE 500: Mumbai Emirates 500 FL350

Jet Airways 223: Hi Siti how are you.

Unknown: Cant complain you know.

UAE 500: Mumbai Emirates 500

Jet Airways 223: Ok happy landings Captain

UAE 500: Mumbai Emirates 500

Unknown: You too. Say Hi to Raj.

Mumbai ATC: Emirates 500 Mumbai I have been calling you for the last 5 minutes Werify(sic) Skwak(sic) and level. Next time maintain a listening vatch(sic).

[six7driver]

Togalk you are a bitter, anal little man. It's people like you that wish to turn this job to the the cr*p it has become in this part of the world. Worried about this instead of worrying about why your company reams you out every month @ a hundred hours a month. Why don't you change your screen name to CALLSIGN NAZI. If I had to fly with you I'd press 2. HA HA now go start some other crappy thread on this supposedly professional pilot forum.

[Togalk]

Ninja, it looks like your life is just as pathetic as mine. You took the time to read and respond to the post. Moron.

[Oakape]

Gulf News, did you make a recording on a trip & then transcribe it? Word perfect!

[Togalk]

Haha six7 you're funny. I think I may have flown with you before back in the great white north. And if I remember correctly, you were the one that people hated flying with not me.

Most of the comments here were informative and helpful until your "professional" post appeared.

No go find another thread to ambush.

Cheers.

[Over and over]

Can't believe the number of times I have to repeat myself (are the transmitters that bad or are people not listening?)

Totally sick of pilots of a certain area saying "confirm" after I've read the clearance and acknowledged the correct readback!! Cut it out!!!

[VoxPopuli]

ATC: "Birdseed 69, report squawk and level passing."

BS69: "Estimating ORSAR at 2123, registration IDIOT"

[I.R.PIRATE]

If we could ditch the ragmatullah barakatu habibi hayakallah hatikallah ghoi feraitallah inshallah inshallah on the radio, things would go so much smoother.

[I.R.PIRATE]

Yup, ending each read back in the form of a question, or saying confirm after every single transmission.

Get real people, and open your ears for a change.

[xbleedstart]

Togalt,

If you think checking in with ATC and giving a squak code is causing congestion you might want to look at the congestion you have cause on this post!
I will put up with someone relaying their squak code before the ones which start their transmission with "a very good morning"

Squaking 7600

XBS

[fatbus]

Just goes to show you how bad the profession ( if you can call it that) has got when we see the childish behavior of little boy pilots, grow up guys !

[Shrike200]

OP posts reminder on what correct procedure is in order to reduce congestion on frequency.

OP gets dumped on for being an idiot.

Aaaah, pprune!

Ignore the sceptics. The word for the day is 'brevity'!

[I.R.PIRATE]

Approaching the Cairo FIR boundary last night, I pondered whether to give my squawk code to the controller on initial contact - but then I thought Togalk might be in the air, and decided that I wouldn't want to spoil his night.

So I contacted Cairo on 126.6 and the first thing he asked for was....yeah...my squawk code.

As I was saying earlier, its most definitely not required, or necessarily correct, but once you get to know where they always ask for it, I can't see anything wrong with checking in with your squawk, if you KNOW its a sector where ATC always asks you anyway. That way you are cutting out an entire extra request/reply transmission.

[VoxPopuli]

Hey boys and girls, I don't know where this got started but saying your squawk code when changing frequency's is NOT required!!! Neither is saying what position you are at or going to!!!
From the Middle East to most places in Europe you are under radar coverage. The controller knows your code, where you're at and where you are direct to. So lets just stick with what is required.
Call sign and altitude.
Cheers.

Togalk, below is the definitive guide to squawk code usage for the UAE FIR:

1. If you enter the UAE FIR via either ORSAR or DARAX (Tehran FIR), say your squawk and level/level passing.

2. If you enter the UAE FIR via either KITAP or TANSU (Bahrain FIR) say your squawk code and level.

3. If you depart DXB/AUH/RAK etc, say your squawk code and level passing on first contact with APP.

4. Should you ever find yourself departing from Al Dhafra, say your squawk code and level/level passing on first contact with Al Dhafra APP and UAE ACC. Highly unlikely though.

Edit to add: Feel free to say good morning.

[PanPanPeter]

flight planned route and nothing has changed to your routing - it has started creeping into UAE radar now

The book of rules that the UAE ACC operate under specifies that the route of every aircraft must be confirmed which means a full route clearance from FIR entrance to exit is a requirement. This is not a new thing. I am actually surprised at how often the flight plan does not match the intended route of the aircraft including some fairly major airlines. Unfortunately the route is often read back but not followed just as often. As an example, tracking after ORSAR cleared via PEBAT for DESDI, read back is as cleared for PEBAT and the aircraft turns for ITITA. While that may not sound like an issue, when there is any holding going on, the points are used as vertical insertion points for the pattern and the anus WILL pucker if a turn to ITITA occurs. This is mainly a problem with Russian Fed/Ex Soviet aircraft.

The requirement to identify aircraft from unit to unit is laid out quite clearly in ICAO documentation as well as any local differences in identification procedures. For example, the method of observing a coupled assigned code in an expected position is not a valid method of identification by UAE hence where we do not have agreements in place, you need to say your code. Again, this is nothing new. Not wanting to start a war, I would have though that airlines would train their staff on route specific requirements such as these and you would know exactly what each unit is going to want.

[PanPanPeter]

There is no question that there are many non standard things going down around these parts. But to be frank, if you do the most procedurally correct thing every time, you should not have an issue. If you are asked for more, give/do it. Doing the wrong thing just because everybody else does is not a good thing in a safety critical indutry like Aviation and that goes for both sides of the mic.

Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

[ferris]

Staynes (and others)

And another point, why does Bahrain insist on telling you your flight plan route and getting you to repeat it back

Because we are required to do so by our employer- under threat of dismissal.

Why if we can fly from USA / Australia / Far East / South America all the way back to the gulf without having to repeat our flight plan route once

I presume because the tight airspace design in the BAH FIR means that if you deviate unexpectedly, there is a fair chance it will get ugly very quickly. It is also the type of knee-jerk reaction that a manager applies after an incident (or series of incidents) that shows he has done something about it. eg. EK123 enters BAH at BALUS, exiting via IVONI, would be expected to route UL768, however, turns left after BALUS to follow N969. Why wasn't this detected from the flight plan, you say? Because there were 2 flight plans for that flight, and the assistant picked the one he thought it should be, which is different from the one the crew had. How is it possible for a flight to have more than 1 plan, you say? Good question, is the answer (from our end). The record I have seen is 27 flight plans submitted for 1 flight.
The single biggest problem for unexpected route deviations in BAH occurs for a/c tracking on N929, and who are expected to remain on that airway until SILNO. Some turn left at TOBLI to overfly KFA (which they shouldn't do) and almost immediately cross the descending QR arrivals on UN318. Large pucker factor. Note: Some a/c, after reading back the required route, subsequently turn left at TOBLI anyway, which does leave you wondering.

Hope this explains a little of the whys and wherefores, some of which are grey