So what's up with the 121.5 twits?
 

Why do it? It is the boredom of night flying out in the boonies or something?

It sorta disturbs me that an apparently increasing number of pilots recently are demonstrating a mental maturity while they're flying which approximates that of a 2 year old (though arguably that might be insulting to many 2 year olds).

Aside from the stupid sounds and moronic comments, what takes the cake is someone deciding to clog up 121.5 with their ipod music for a minute. I like nothing more than a good joke, a funny quote, or some music. But not on the emergency frequency.

In a time where we're struggling to keep T's & C's at some reasonable level and show people how we deserve to be paid and treated as professionals, I can't thank you enough for making anyone listening out think we're a bunch of complete tossers. :mad:

It could be within that 60 seconds that someone's Mayday call or ELT signal is blocked, meaning that this could potentially jeopardize a life.

Same goes for CTAF's.

Not the right frequency to ask Bill to put the kettle on :ugh:

As long as the CTAF isnt busy a 'Bill put the kettle on' doesnt bother me.

The ones that annoy me are, 'gday Bill, hows ya goin moit, hows the wife, hows the kids? Oh, and can you put the kettle on?'

'Dutchy' ya don't need to be very bright to drive a plane so hence there will always be an element of Neanderthal types who simply use 121.5 as a plaything:ugh:

I've had to use 121.5 at the direction of ATC in an attempt to contact a wayward plane out of contact but that's based on an issue becoming a safety issue not creating a safety issue by it's use.



Wmk2

Judging by what I hear on a daily basis, I was under the impression that 121.5 is the Qantas chat frequency :}

Ever thought that the mindless chatter and Ipod broadcasts are not coming from pilots? (Qantas crew excepted) :eek:

We ain't the only ones who use 121.5.;)

'En guarde' http://www.smilies.our-local.co.uk/i...les/Touche.gif

Well, it's often late at night and while flying over the GAFA. So.......aliens? :hmm:

Really?

I spend about 16 to 20 hours month flying over the GAFFA in the early hours and I almost never hear anyone chatting on Guard about anything other than operational contacts to go to another freq. Music? never heard it.

Cheers

I'm also finding a lot of people just aren't watching which comm is actually selected before transmitting. So many more "xxx Sydney xxxx123 inbound no requirements, etc". Very fcukin annoying coming in to land trying to hear tower's transmissions with some **** on guard. :D

One organisation with which I was flying last year had a couple of very young pilots who thought they'd pick a frequency on which to chat, though thankfully not guard. It was, however, an enroute freq somewhere in the country and high flying aircraft were able to hear their transmissions. One of them was (and still is by all accounts) a particulaly immature young bloke who rarely exercised good judgement and his verbal diarrhea quickly identified himself and his employer. The other was more disciplined.
A letter soon arrived from CASA and the CP hit the roof! Both blokes were lucky to keep their jobs. The more disciplined one sorted himself out and is now chasing his dream airline career. The other... well, I wouldn't be surprised if its him you hear on guard. :cool:

Its a good idea they had Trojan...just poorly executed!!!

Both annoy me... CTAF might not sound busy at 3000', but if you start listening on descent from Flight Levels, it's ALWAYS busy. Nothing worse than someone's radio call from your destination being clipped by someone being a tool.

True mate; but there are just some things you dont say on the radio!

It may be the QF 'chat frequency' according to you ( an assertion I've not found accurate in the last 15ish years of domestic flying) but it appears 121.5 recently has become the default company frequency for arrival requirements. I've got some stats by trips if people are interested as to who makes the mistake most often.

We all make mistakes and i accept that but what irritates me is the tool that says 'go ahead' to the first error and them we get another 30 seconds of wheelchair and engineering requirements.

I agree with the original post. As professional aviators we should be better than this.

The PA's are classic :E

Altimeters, I take it you've never made a mistake then eh?

Chit-chat is one thing, but misdirected transmissions are something else. Does anyone here think that someone going out on the wrong freq. would actually do that, if it wasn't an honest mistake?

Everyone, hands up - be honest now - hands up if you've never made an honest mistake. Yep, thought so... :hmm:

To the chit chat merchants: really, can I ask that you please free up the frequency, and be more professional?

To the PLONKERS who have never made an honest mistake, and enjoy trying to be a smart arse (and if you're reading this, YOU know who YOU are): Can I ask that you please get a life, grow up, whatever. Alternatively, you could always decide to continue being a d1ckh3ad - it's your call...

CR.

Altimeters
 

Why would you have, guard as you call it, selected whilst landing?

Because I know in my operation, Comm 1 is the active, Comm 2 is on guard.

morno

damn

20 years ago we had (and where taught about) something called professionalism

guess that got f$@# over too

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.