CTAF Frequencies

Tfoster100

Tfoster100

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Tim
I fly in the DFW area and notice on local frequencies like 122.8, 122.9, 123 etc you hear a lot of different airport calls. My question is why don’t they have different numbers for airports within 40 miles or so? Are there not enough possible frequencies? Or is that just unusual bleed over of farther away airports.
 
AIM Table 4-1-2 covers the Unicom/Multicom frequencies. There are seven designated Unicom frequencies.

It does seem that they could be better allocated in many areas. I don't know why they aren't.
 
Only 2 airports in a 40 mile radius were I live and they have different frequencies. I bet in a congested area with many airports it would be distracting sorting out the different calls.
 
If the frequency gets congested enough, you may have to transmit while someone is still talking at another airport. The inverse square law makes it likely that aircraft in the pattern at a particular airport will still be able to hear each other, because the transmissions from farther away will be weaker.
 
Palmpilot said:
That's one reason why the airport name should be said at both the beginning and end of each transmission.
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On that subject, why start off saying "Podunk Traffic" and ending with "Podunk Traffic"? Is that what is being taught now? Why not start with "Podunk Traffic" and simply ending with "Podunk"?
 
Greg Bockelman said:
On that subject, why start off saying "Podunk Traffic" and ending with "Podunk Traffic"? Is that what is being taught now? Why not start with "Podunk Traffic" and simply ending with "Podunk"?
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I don't believe it's being taught but lots of people do things differently than the way they were taught.
 
Of course, when you have two airports in very close proximity, you want them on the same frequency.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
On that subject, why start off saying "Podunk Traffic" and ending with "Podunk Traffic"? Is that what is being taught now? Why not start with "Podunk Traffic" and simply ending with "Podunk"?
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That's how I was taught--PPL in 07, Instruments in '10. Now I'm so far out in Podunk that I'm the only plane at the airport!

It's not uncommon to hear transmjssions from > 100 nm away. There are three fields within ~20 nm that come to mind, all have different frequencies.
 
In the 1930's, most aircraft didn't have radios so it wasn't a problem.


But, what I suggest is that you plan most of your flights only to airports on the same frequency as home - that way you don't have to figure out how to change frequencies (this knob, that knob, push in gives different than pulling out, way too much hassle), and you are likely to get to know the people that you are listening to all the time.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
On that subject, why start off saying "Podunk Traffic" and ending with "Podunk Traffic"? Is that what is being taught now? Why not start with "Podunk Traffic" and simply ending with "Podunk"?
Click to expand...

Same thing really and is fine. I taught it that way too. It's always made sense to me. If another pilot misses the beginning hopefully they will catch it at the end.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
In the 1930's, most aircraft didn't have radios so it wasn't a problem.


But, what I suggest is that you plan most of your flights only to airports on the same frequency as home - that way you don't have to figure out how to change frequencies (this knob, that knob, push in gives different than pulling out, way too much hassle), and you are likely to get to know the people that you are listening to all the time.
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You say that jokingly, but more than half of the hamburger stops I fly to have the same freq as my home airport.
 
I'm so used to seeing 122.7, that I dialed that in, only to see later that it was 122.705. I'm used to 123 having decimal fractions, but not 122.7 and 122.8.
 
tinerj said:
I'm so used to seeing 122.7, that I dialed that in, only to see later that it was 122.705. I'm used to 123 having decimal fractions, but not 122.7 and 122.8.
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I hear calls for Ann Arbor Tower (ARB - 120.3) on CTAF 123.0. I assume there is the occasional lysdexic pilot out there.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
On that subject, why start off saying "Podunk Traffic" and ending with "Podunk Traffic"? Is that what is being taught now? Why not start with "Podunk Traffic" and simply ending with "Podunk"?
Click to expand...
The latter is how I was taught twenty-six years ago, and it's what I still do.
 
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Larry in TN said:
AIM Table 4-1-2 covers the Unicom/Multicom frequencies. There are seven designated Unicom frequencies.

It does seem that they could be better allocated in many areas. I don't know why they aren't.
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Airports open and close. It's a moving targets and changing freqs introduces a safety challenge.
 
tinerj said:
I'm so used to seeing 122.7, that I dialed that in, only to see later that it was 122.705. I'm used to 123 having decimal fractions, but not 122.7 and 122.8.
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122.705 isn't an aero freq in the US :)

That one wouldn't even be with 7.33mhz spacing.
 
flyingron said:
Of course, when you have two airports in very close proximity, you want them on the same frequency.
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Yeah. There used to be the San Fernando airport that was closer to KWHP than different runways at some airports. The traffic patterns could literally overlap. Things could get a little 'testy' sometimes on the frequency.
 
Tfoster100 said:
I fly in the DFW area and notice on local frequencies like 122.8, 122.9, 123 etc you hear a lot of different airport calls. My question is why don’t they have different numbers for airports within 40 miles or so? Are there not enough possible frequencies? Or is that just unusual bleed over of farther away airports.
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Ask the FCC...they assign the frequencies.

Bob
 
Tfoster100 said:
My question is why don’t they have different numbers for airports within 40 miles or so? Are there not enough possible frequencies? Or is that just unusual bleed over of farther away airports.
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Years ago my home field had the same CTAF as an uncontrolled "regional" airport on the other side of the mountains, some 65 nm away. Normally it wasn't a problem, of course; except for the occasional bizjet, inbound to the regional airport, who'd call up just as he's starting down from FL360 to put in his orders for fuel, lodging, lav service, Prist, rental car, lunch, feminine companionship, etc., etc., etc. Not necessarily in that order.

:mad:
 
The FCC however isn't going to go around reassigning frequencies. It's up to the individual airports involved to make the application to move theirs to a different frequency.

Info here rather simply explained: https://www.aopa.org/advocacy/advoc...ces-process-brief-changing-unicom-frequencies

What the FCC wants people to do is get together on a regional basis and do their work for them and submit an answer (this is inline with just about everything the FCC does in frequency allocation these days if they can).
 
Tfoster100 said:
I fly in the DFW area and notice on local frequencies like 122.8, 122.9, 123 etc you hear a lot of different airport calls. My question is why don’t they have different numbers for airports within 40 miles or so? Are there not enough possible frequencies? Or is that just unusual bleed over of farther away airports.
Click to expand...
When the US changes to 8.33 Khz spacing there will three times as many frequencies as now and the issue should be mitigated a little. If you have a 430W or later, you have the capability. For the time being, you may use it for private Air-to-Air if you like. Unregulated frequencies are an advantage to us.
 
Pilawt said:
Years ago my home field had the same CTAF as an uncontrolled "regional" airport on the other side of the mountains, some 65 nm away. Normally it wasn't a problem, of course; except for the occasional bizjet, inbound to the regional airport, who'd call up just as he's starting down from FL360 to put in his orders for fuel, lodging, lav service, Prist, rental car, lunch, feminine companionship, etc., etc., etc. Not necessarily in that order.

:mad:
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I guess my ctaf communication skills are a bit rusty. What is the appropriate radio protocol for requesting “feminine companionship”?
 
SbestCFII said:
When the US changes to 8.33 Khz spacing there will three times as many frequencies as now and the issue should be mitigated a little. If you have a 430W or later, you have the capability.
Click to expand...

Actually, that's incorrect. While it makes three times as many assignable frequencies, putting two stations in close proximity on nearby channels isn't going to work. It barely works with the 25K spacing now.

For the time being, you may use it for private Air-to-Air if you like. Unregulated frequencies are an advantage to us.
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Not sure what point you are being made. Frequencies are not now, nor likely to be unregulated.
CTAF is not a frequency allocation anyhow. CTAF is a designation of some other frequency use (unicom, multicom, ATC tower freqs, FSS advisory frequency).
 
Or just make fewer calls.

Lots of people have a need to make a announcement for when they taxi, take off, cross wind, downwind, base, final, on the go, I mean they might as well also announce when they fart.



Greg Bockelman said:
On that subject, why start off saying "Podunk Traffic" and ending with "Podunk Traffic"? Is that what is being taught now? Why not start with "Podunk Traffic" and simply ending with "Podunk"?
Click to expand...

That's what I've always done and taught.
 
James331 said:
Lots of people have a need to make a announcement for when they taxi, take off, cross wind, downwind, base, final, on the go, I mean they might as well also announce when they fart.
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Oh, pardon them for following the guidance the FAA gives in being safe and effective.
 
flyingron said:
Oh, pardon them for following the guidance the FAA gives in being safe and effective.
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Except it's not effective as it congests the frequency and thus is less safe.

That's one thing about aviation, the constant ingrained acceptance of anything coming from OKC without question.

Tell me how making the fewer calls by not announcing every tiny thing and not jamming up the frequency and leaving the "traffic" of the end of the transmission is less safe.
 
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It's recommended James so YOU are exempt. I teach my students that and everything else that is recommended. I was taught that way back in the early 70s when I learned to fly and everywhere I have been the majority of pilots do it that way. Just because you think it's wasteful doesn't mean one shouldn't do it.
 
James331 said:
Except it's not effective as it congests the frequency and thus is less safe.

That's one thing about aviation, the constant ingrained acceptance of anything coming from OKC without question.

Tell me how making the fewer calls by not announcing every time thing and not jamming up the frequency and leaving the "traffic" of the end of the transmission is less safe.
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Yeah I have to disagree with that. A radio call SHOULD be made for each leg in the traffic pattern and anytime in the airport environment at non-towered fields. The most notable reason is for folks who change over to CTAF either mid-transmission or just after a radio call was made that was accidentally missed. Of course the two or more pilots should coordinate with each other, but that's besides the point.
 
Sullivan traffic Fly Baby 4268 10 miles to the west to land Sullivan

Sullivan traffic Fly Baby 4 miles to the west to land on 26 Sullivan

Sullivan traffic Fly Baby entering right downwind for 26 Sullivan

Sullivan traffic Fly Baby turning right base 26

Sullivan traffic Fly Baby turning final 26

Sullivan traffic Fly Baby clear of all runways Sullivan

I say the "traffic" at front but not at end, and if I had my choice, I'd not say traffic at the front. (But it is required)
 
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mscard88 said:
It's recommended James so YOU are exempt. I teach my students that and everything else that is recommended. I was taught that way back in the early 70s when I learned to fly and everywhere I have been the majority of pilots do it that way. Just because you think it's wasteful doesn't mean one shouldn't do it.
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Oh the mello drama lol

So WHY?



tinerj said:
Sullivan traffic Fly Baby 4268 10 miles to the west to land Sullivan

Sullivan traffic Fly Baby 4 miles to the west to land on 26 Sullivan

Sullivan traffic Fly Baby entering right downwind for 26 Sullivan

Sullivan traffic Fly Baby turning right base 26

Sullivan traffic Fly Baby turning final

Sullivan traffic Fly Baby clear of all runways Sullivan

I say the "traffic" at front but not at end, and if I had my choice, I'd not say traffic
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Jebus, how often do you have to replace the mic button!

Normally I'll just call downwind, maybe final, and if anyone else's chirps up I'll state my position and coordinate as needed.
 
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