scanmanmi
Member
Do they do this in the US like the UK?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obt7O4INRD4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obt7O4INRD4
Monitoring ground repeater
- Thread starter scanmanmi
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W8RMH
Feed Provider Since 2012
I've worked on airline ground crews and in the tower and I have never heard of FM links from AM air used in the US. Ground vehicles usually have AM radios if they need them. We had FM UHF ground radios and I never heard air AM over them. Aircraft can communicate on company radios in the FM bands though, usually to dispatch.or maintenance.
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ecps92
Member
based on my experience it would be only the smaller airports
An exampe is Concord NH using 464.6375 S to hear 122.7000 [Unicom]
They do exist but rare and since Simplex and/or Low Power Repeater - rarely reported
An exampe is Concord NH using 464.6375 S to hear 122.7000 [Unicom]
They do exist but rare and since Simplex and/or Low Power Repeater - rarely reported
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DaveNF2G
Guest
I don't know of a relay to airband, but Southwest talks to aircraft on the ground on UHF at KALB.
The short answer is no. While there are still a handful of microwave links in existence (mainly for backup purposes, on frequencies your scanner is not going to pick up anyway), it is mainly telco lines that are in use, via AT&T or such.
KALB UHF
Can you elaborate on that? UHF to/from the aircraft? I think not. I've worked for Southwest for 21 years as an A&P Mechanic, our aircraft are not equipped with UHF radio comm. Only our ramp agents and ops agents use business radios like DMR Cap plus and UHF motorola.
Can you elaborate on that? UHF to/from the aircraft? I think not. I've worked for Southwest for 21 years as an A&P Mechanic, our aircraft are not equipped with UHF radio comm. Only our ramp agents and ops agents use business radios like DMR Cap plus and UHF motorola.
ecps92
Member
Wrong thread ???
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DaveNF2G
Guest
Yes, it's true. The ramp agent at KALB informs the taxiing flight of its gate assignment (or confirms it) and relays other pertinent info on 464.8875 MHz with a DCS code of 152. I've heard it many times.
KALB
Ok, you are hearing the Ramp Radios from Operations. Pilot to Ops can be heard on 131.8 VHF
Ok, you are hearing the Ramp Radios from Operations. Pilot to Ops can be heard on 131.8 VHF
Uhhhhh....no.
I noted that there are no "ground repeaters" for pilot/ATC comms. Any link to remote radio sites or such are done via Telco and microwave links. There are no UHF links that you can listen to on the Baofeng radios, and hear airband communications.
ecps92
Member
No one was talking about Microwave Links.
And Yes there are FM Repeaters and Simplex patching to the Air [AM] bands at some airports.
All depends [as my original example confirmed] on the Operation
And Yes there are FM Repeaters and Simplex patching to the Air [AM] bands at some airports.
All depends [as my original example confirmed] on the Operation
I am talking about microwave links. That's how ATC communicates with the remote transmitter/receivers. That and telco lines. They do NOT use UHF links (especially FM) that can be picked up on the Baofeng radios. That's what the OP was asking, correct?
Your example has absolutely NOTHING to do with ATC Comms. as the video in the original post is showing. Did you actually watch the video? Nobody is talking about UNICOM (which is normally run by the FBOs). I'm sure the FBO is running a UNICOM link to UHF so they can use their UHF business radios to monitor the UNICOM operations, or even talk on the UNICOM frequency from their business radios.
The UK video that was posted originally is referring to ATC. Note, you can actually hear the tower controller talking to the pilots. That does not happen in the US, as the Southwest mechanic and now a FAA Operations Supervisor is telling you.
UNICOM is a completely different animal, as are the OPS frequencies for the airlines, i.e. to the Ramp "Controllers". You are absolutely 100% NOT going to hear the Tower, TRACON, or ARTCC on some sort of UHF link, unless some 3rd party is operating the repeater/patch. Do not expect to go to any old airport and hear some sort of magic FAA link on your Baofeng radio, because it isn't going to happen.
SWA Comms
To be clear, No SWA aircraft have UHF. Some that we bought have come equipped with HF. So VHF and ACARS and in some cases HF but to my knowledge not in use because SWA is not flying ETOPS until next year. Having said that the only other instance of repeating the VHF I'm aware of at McCarran Airport there's a parking/watching lot accross the runway from the terminal that has a very local FM radio repeat. I forget the freq but it's for any car to sit and watch planes land and hear tower comms on their FM radio.
To be clear, No SWA aircraft have UHF. Some that we bought have come equipped with HF. So VHF and ACARS and in some cases HF but to my knowledge not in use because SWA is not flying ETOPS until next year. Having said that the only other instance of repeating the VHF I'm aware of at McCarran Airport there's a parking/watching lot accross the runway from the terminal that has a very local FM radio repeat. I forget the freq but it's for any car to sit and watch planes land and hear tower comms on their FM radio.
101.1. Formerly 88.5. It's actually run by the airport administration.
Every now and again, they'll do some radio checks with ARINC. Gearing up for the Hawaii flights.
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ecps92
Member
No kidding on how facilities/agencies connect to remote RX/TX Sites.
And Yes I did watch the Video and the OP asked about Repeaters.
And Yes I did watch the Video and the OP asked about Repeaters.
I am talking about microwave links. That's how ATC communicates with the remote transmitter/receivers. That and telco lines. They do NOT use UHF links (especially FM) that can be picked up on the Baofeng radios. That's what the OP was asking, correct?
Your example has absolutely NOTHING to do with ATC Comms. as the video in the original post is showing. Did you actually watch the video? Nobody is talking about UNICOM (which is normally run by the FBOs). I'm sure the FBO is running a UNICOM link to UHF so they can use their UHF business radios to monitor the UNICOM operations, or even talk on the UNICOM frequency from their business radios.
The UK video that was posted originally is referring to ATC. Note, you can actually hear the tower controller talking to the pilots. That does not happen in the US, as the Southwest mechanic and now a FAA Operations Supervisor is telling you.
kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ
Codan makes a crossband repeater that will take UHF FM and retransmit to VHF AM and vice versa. This thread had NOTHING to do with linking to remote sites BTW.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yet another person who apparently didn't watch the video, or didn't understand that the ATC in that video was being relayed to a remote transceiver via UHF as is commonly done in the UK.
It has EVERYTHING to do with remote sites and linking to remote transmitters, but apparently you don't understand how the technology works over there, or in general.
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DaveNF2G
Guest
Not very often. Those of us who are actually in range of KALB know that some of the VHF channels are obsolete.
The aircraft and the ramp agent can both be heard on the UHF channel I listed.
I wish people who are not sitting in my station or my car at the airport would stop telling me that what I am monitoring is not happening. I have been in this game for quite some time.
[EDIT: In future I will collect tail numbers.]
KALB follow up
Nobody doubts what you say you are hearing, just the abnormality of this. Can you dial up 131.8 VHF and hear the same comms? My only information, say if I were to go to KALB to fix a plane, my information comes from company provided station information charts on our ipads. All I would be able to do is dial up 131.8 on the aircraft to contact operations. I do see your exact information in the RRDB here Albany International Airport (ALB) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference Outside of that I cannot find information for the VHF/UHF repeater. Maybe by looking into the station id there is information? WQNV888 It is a small station with few flights daily, perhaps the repeater is out of convenience for the Ops/Ramp/Managers? I will put in a call up there tomorrow to see if they can explain what's going on up there?
Nobody doubts what you say you are hearing, just the abnormality of this. Can you dial up 131.8 VHF and hear the same comms? My only information, say if I were to go to KALB to fix a plane, my information comes from company provided station information charts on our ipads. All I would be able to do is dial up 131.8 on the aircraft to contact operations. I do see your exact information in the RRDB here Albany International Airport (ALB) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference Outside of that I cannot find information for the VHF/UHF repeater. Maybe by looking into the station id there is information? WQNV888 It is a small station with few flights daily, perhaps the repeater is out of convenience for the Ops/Ramp/Managers? I will put in a call up there tomorrow to see if they can explain what's going on up there?
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