Flying Oman-Maldives
 

Hi,

First time flying this route. Noticed in Jeppesen that you have to contact Mumbai 10 min before entering but no specific frequency like in most places. How does this work. Also noticed that the UPR airspace, from what I can find this is only required for off route flying (USER PREFERED ROUTES) and on airways you can fly without CPDLC / ADS-C. any comments?

If you do not have CPDLC, you’ll be lucky to be able to contact them at all on HF...it is a jungle sometimes.
Don’t worry too much about the 10 minutes, and when radar service with Muscat is terminated, request the HF frequencies in use with Mumbai...

Good luck:8

If you're lucky the HF ones you get are correct.
If you're really lucky Mumbai might answer you.

During sun-up hours, the HF frequencies will be 10018 or 8879. Once the sun starts to go down, they'll be 6661, 5658, 3476 or 3467. You'll have good VHF coverage with Muscat (unless you're low and close to the FIR boundary). Good luck. The Maldives are a wonderful place to stay!

Haha! Yes, the default answer will be:

"Confirm you are CPDLC?"

If you are CPDLC then they'll talk to you and give you a quick selcal check so that they can go back to sleep. "Roger, continue CPDLC, Mumbai".

If you are not CPDLC then Oh Boy.. Expect the run-around as follows, even though they can hear you just fine :

On 8879: "flight calling Mumbai you are veeery veeery weak, come on 5658 or 6661."
On 6661: "flight calling Mumbai you are veeery veeery weak, come on 8879 or 5658."
On 5658 : "flight calling Mumbai you are veeery veeery weak, come on 8879 or 6661."
On 3476 : "flight calling Mumbai you are veeery veeery weak, come on 5658 or 6661."

If you've tried all those and you tell the operator you get their special message : ""flight calling Mumbai you are veeery veeery weak, come on 10018 or 10084" even though it's 4am in the morning... and then you're promptly ignored until you reach VHF.

Don't worry about things like courtesy waiting for other flights to finish their AIREP - you just key your mic and give your AIREP over the top of anyone else who is transmitting just like the Saudias and Express Indias do. :)

It's just airway flying with position reports on HF.

Mumbai wants estimates for all your points within the FIR and at the end of the initial position report give them your SELCAL code.

Be sure to monitor air-to-air frequency 123.45. Mumbai will sometimes have another aircraft contact you on VHF and you can relay your position report via them.

Entering Maldives FIR you are right on the limit of their VHF coverage - it may take 10 minutes after entering their FIR before you can contact them.