Channel Designators???

[trace1]

I've been hearing BHM APP/DEP (Birmingham AL), at times, telling A/C to switch to Tuscaloosa Tower on channel 11, or Columbus Approach on channel 7 instead of the actual frequency.

Anyone else hearing things like this any where? And what would the reason be for using such channel designators instead of the actual frequency?

 

[rmiller818]

I've been hearing BHM APP/DEP (Birmingham AL), at times, telling A/C to switch to Tuscaloosa Tower on channel 11, or Columbus Approach on channel 7 instead of the actual frequency.

Anyone else hearing things like this any where? And what would the reason be for using such channel designators instead of the actual frequency?

Never heard that in my experience, was this milcom stuff?

 

[trace1]

Never heard that in my experience, was this milcom stuff?

Civil/General aviation comms.

 

[rmiller818]

I went through the AIM and could not find anything related to channel numbers. The only thing I can think of that has a channel number associated with it is navaids (VORs and ILS). Even then, a controller wouldn't tell a pilot what that channel number is as it is charted and you are responsible for your navigation.

This has me really perplexed as I have never heard it before, they always just give you the frequency. Did you hear the reply of the aircraft that was told to contact such and such on that channel?

 

[b7spectra]

That sounds more like milcom as they have their radio's pre-programmed so all they have to do is his a button and they are there. General Aviation is always given the frequency.

 

[rjviola12]

I am also in the Birmingham Area. We were working around the Columbus AFB a few weeks back, and also near Navy Meridian. I have a BCT 396T programed to hear traffic in those areas also. They (aircraft) are handed off from one controller to another using channel numbers, verses actual frequencies. Just simply reporting what I hear. I guess that is the way it is handled around the military facilities.
Richard

 

[rmiller818]

That sounds more like milcom as they have their radio's pre-programmed so all they have to do is his a button and they are there. General Aviation is always given the frequency.

That makes sense, so you were probably hearing the controller working a military aircraft. Keep in mind that they are usually transmitting on more than one frequency a civil one and a military one for example. I was going to say, I wouldn't know what to do if the controller told me to change to a channel number lol.