Yes I have but I never said that I've never made a mistake have I? := I always look before transmitting. ALWAYS.

Because genius what else would you recommend selecting comm 2 to? A random CTAF frequency? Ohhh perhaps numbers? :hmm:

It's simple, company policy states comm 1 active, comm 2 guard.

There is a counter view that, at least where instant communication with ATC is necessary ie Ground, Tower, Approach, and Departures, you monitor the active ATC freq on both radios.

That will 1/prevent you missing any critical ATC transmissions eg "Go Around", "Stop Immediately" if one of your VHFs fails and [cough cough] 2/prevent you being jammed by someone transmitting on Guard and missing any critical ATC transmissions...

And get the echo all the time with both radios being on the same frequency? Bugger that for a joke. That's more annoying than someone transmitting on guard!

Actually there is no echo Morno. Was standard Ops in Ansett for many years.

How about company frequency? That's SOP for us.

In the rest of the world guard is monitored by ATC and is also their back up for miss-guided soles on a long lost frequency, and for them to contact the said lost sole.

Has Oz ATC caught up?

halas

Kellykelpie,
Understood. In all the aircraft I've flown, the other comm will pick up the transmission on Comm 1 (ie the one you're using). Not to mention 2 radios broadcasting the same thing back to you.

morno

We use comm 2 for ground frequencies, CTAFs, and to monitor 121.5 in flight - once on tower on comm 1 I have comm 2 queued up with the ground frequency, if there is one, but muted, so it is just as easy to switch to that as it is to switch the flip-flop on comm 1.

The comm 2 antenna is on top of the aircraft rather than underneath it and is optimised for communications when the aircraft is on the ground. It makes a huge difference at times.

Kellykelpie

If I remember correctly when both Comms were set to the same frequency Capt listened to Comm 1 and First Officer listened to Comm 2.
Not both pilots listening to both Comms. Long time ago though.

I wasn't aware ATC were concerned about lost fish swimming around in the sea?! ;)

DF

In a modern jet (ie, not a 737 :E) there is no issue with two VHF sets being on the same frequency. When you switch to approach or tower, the radios get a little louder and you can hear the other bloke/girl transmitting. Much more preferable than having to listen to ride reports or wheelchair requirements during such a critical stage. What if an ELT went off during flare or at V1?

If your SOPs require 121.5 on 2 at all times then I would be deselecting that audio below transition.

Training wheels,

I can assure you if I had company frequency on comm 2 I'd be missing more transmissions than if I was to monitor guard. :E

If we were to have the same frequency on both we would get that echo. Much the same that Morno has been talking about. However I'm starting to just turn down the audio on comm 2 below 10,000. I'll see if I can make it changed in the book when I talk to the CP. :ok:

Curious: exactly what type of aeroplanes give an echo when listening to one freq on both radios?

No problem with that. If one radio dies, the other keeps "talking".

Did listen to both comms; you could tell which radio the other guy was transmitting on.

Due to the need to monitor two separate freqs now (CTAFs) we changed our SOP to transmit on Comm 1 for ATC TX, and CTAFs on Comm 2. But below Transition in Class D/C, both comms on ATC, transmit on Comm 1. No echo. :ok: "Echo" only occurs when ATC have Hi and Lo freqs combined. Now that is bad!

Thanks for the complement!

I don't care what comm 2 is set too. Horses for courses. But you originally complained that transmissions on guard were making it hard to hear the tower's transmissions!.

There's an easy fix for that! Deselect it. It's an unwanted distraction at a critical time.

Are you sure you'd have "that echo"? Have you actually tried it for a ground/tower/approach frequency? If comm 2 is picking up your transmission on comm 1 it's going to take a tiny fraction of a second come back at you. It's all happening at the speed of light and the distance the signal has to travel is measured in metres. Perhaps you've had a bad experience with Centre frequencies. I've had to monitor two adjacent yet combined Centre frequencies and you'd get an echo with your transmission because it was being re-broadcast on the other Centre frequency with some delay. This doesn't happen when using both radios for the same frequency though, at least not in the type I fly.

On the subject of making mistakes. Yes we all make mistakes sometimes and I'd never have a go at someone who accidentally transmits on 121.5 once a year, however you occasionally come across an individual who repeatedly makes these sorts of mistakes over and over again. I'd estimate that in the mob I work for, at my base, 95% of these errors are probably made by one person. Of the other 5%, 4% are made by slightly stressed new employees undergoing line training, and the last 1% is from normally professional guys and gals making their once-a-year cock-up.

Yep I'm sure. I've submitted numerous reports and I'm waiting a reply. Sometimes if someone transmits on any comm, the other one gets blocked out completely!!! :{

What aircraft type?

B200. But it's the way the company has rigged the comms. So don't stress people!!!

Probably set up by a genius. :}

Every beacon I've ever heard, I've been below transition at the time.

I think the guys that have been found thanks to crews monitoring 121.5 would prefer it if the one person that AerocatS2A works with, makes an effort to check their Com selector before transmitting... only takes 3 weeks to form a habit, and something a lot of us got taught at the PPL stage.