I'm still really new to all the scanning information out there. I'd like to listen in to my local airport, which is about a mile away from me, and I found the page in the Sticky with all the airport information listed, but I can't find anything that tells me what exactly what I will need to program my scanner "pro197" so I can listen in? If anybody could point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it.
Local Airport Info
- Thread starter frodin1
- Start date
- Status
Well, you're lucky, living only a mile from your airport, which means you'll be able to hear BOTH sides of the conversation when the control tower operator and all the different pilots talk to one another. For instance, I live about 12 miles away from my local airport and I cannot hear the tower operators. Why, because the tower works on low power. They only need to cover about a five-to-seven-miles radius around their airport. I can hear the aircraft calling in, because they're up high, but I can't hear the control tower.
So, if you have the airport information, as you say, program the CONTROL TOWER frequency into your scanner. If your local airport has more than one runway, then your airport likely has has TWO control tower frequencies -- one for each runway. Don't forget to program in the GROUND CONTROL frequency, so you can hear the planes on the ground being directed on how to taxi. If your airport is large enough to have commercial airliners, then also program CLEARANCE DELIVERY, so you can hear where those airliners are heading to. Also, try to find your local APPROACH/DEPARTURE frequency so you can listen to planes coming to and heading away from your airport.
So, just to give you an example, my local airport, Fullerton (CA) Municipal (KFUL) has one controlled runway on a frequency of 119.1. Ground Control is on 121.8. Because my airport is small enough, this frequency also serves as Clearance Delivery. When I visit Fullerton Arport I always listen to Ground Control because I'll hear the tower give the pilots instructions on how to fly to Santa Barbara, or Montgomery Field in San Diego, etc. Southern California Approach and Departure Control is on 124.65. So I can listen to pilots either en route or departing from Fullerton, should I choose.
Also, don't forget the ATIS frequency. This is an automated broadcast that gives pilots the local weather and, most importantly, the current altimeter setting, so the pilots won't come in too low or too high and crash on the runway. Since this is a continuous broadcast, I usually have the Fullerton ATIS on 125.05 locked out on my scanner.
One other thing, if your local airport doesn't have a control tower, then you'll need to program your airport's UNICOM frequency into your scanner. When an airport is UNCONTROLLED, meaning there's no tower, the pilots get on the Unicom frequency and talk to each other so they don't collide either in the air or on the ground.
So, if you have the frequencies for your local airport, then just follow the directions in your scanner's owners manaual on how to program frequencies and you're golden.
Dave
KA6TJF
Last edited:
n5ims
Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2004
- Messages
- 3,993
This link FAA Information about Laughlin/bullhead International Airport (IFP) may be for your airport if I guessed correctly based on your location info. If not, use the site's Airport Finder to get the correct one. The airport's main frequencies are listed for most every airport's page since the site is for pilots that will be flying into it.
My airport is smaller, with no tower. I was wondering what the Unicom was, because I saw that info on the page I found. I'm trying to get the Lake Havasu city AZ airport. Not the Laughlin one, I wish it would've been easy enough to just upload, but I guess I can't be that lucky. So the frequencies are all I need to enter? There's no codes, tags, alpha codes, foot, and fingerprinting ,or family history necessary. Lol
Here's the info listed on the site, it looks like there's 3 different numbers listed. I'm not real sure what the other stuff is under the Unicom number? AirNav: KHII - Lake Havasu City Airport CTAF/Unicom 122.7 then there's a WX AWOS-3 199.025 and under that WX ASOS at EDD (18NM NW) 128.325 Is all I need the numbers at the end?
rmiller818
Member
CTAF is 122.7, you will want that in order to hear aircraft self announce their position and intentions.
AWOS-3 is the type of automatic weather observing system. (AWOS = Automatic Weather Observing System, the 3 indicates the type of equipment included, this one includes cloud and ceiling data plus all the equipment of an AWOS-2) So if you want to listen to it put in 119.025.
The ASOS listed is at another airport nearby (18 nautical miles away to the north west)
ASOS is an Automatic Surface Observation system, it is a newer system, updates in smaller intervals and includes all the reports the AWOS systems do.
The phone numbers are listed so you can call and listen to the weather information over the phone, useful to check the weather when your away from a computer.
Don't forget to program 134.65 to hear approach/departure control as well.
Dave
KA6TJF
By they way, once you have the frequencies programmed into your scanner, you then can add alpha tags to each frequency. Simply look in your owner's manual for how to do this.
Totally conventional frequencies. So, what you want to do to differentiate between the frequencies is to add an alpha tag yourself. As I mentioned, your owner's manual should tell you how to do this for each frequency you've entered.
Now, you have to think up the alpha tag yourself. For instance, in my scanner I have alpha tagged the Fullerton Airport tower frequency "KFUL TWR." The ground control frequency I've tagged "KFUL Ground."
If you look through the RR database, you'll see that the database managers have given you suggested alpha tags for most radio systems across the country. This doesn't mean you have to follow them. Create your own alpha tags that you think work best and enter them into your scanner. Again, just consult your owner's manaual on how to do this.
Dave
KA6TJF
P.S. When you pick up a particular Talk Group (TG) on a trunked system, your scanner display will show a series of numbers. Each talk group has its own set of numbers. You can go into the RR database and find these talk group numbers and which agency they belong to. Here again, what you can do is then add an alpha tag to each talk group. For instance, in my scanner, beyond all of the aircraft/airport frequencies I have entered, I also have one bank of nothing but trunked frequencies for the Orange County (CA) TRS. Whenever a new Talk Group (TG) appears I save it, then I go into the RR database to find out who that talk group belongs to, then create an alpha tag for that talk group.
Here's the thing. I've been into scanning since 1975 when I was given a 10-channel, crystal controlled scanner for Christmas. So all this stuff is second nature to me. My advice, start slow. Program in all the aircraft band frequencies first, since you have an obvious interest. Learn how to add the alpha tags to the air frequencies you enter. Then add some conventional local law enforcement and fire frequencies into your scanner, and then add alpha tags for those frequencies. Then, after a few weeks, see if there are any trunked systems in your area. Here again, my advice would be to MANUALLY enter the trunked frequencies into your scanner. WHY? Because you'll learn more about your scanner's operation than if you simply buy a computer cable and download everything from RR or another source. I've never downloaded frequencies off my computer. And damned if I don't know how my scanner works forwards and backwards.
Last edited:
I have already done that unfortunately. Low and behold it's exactly how you say it is. Yea, I have the police, fire and EMS, installed, but I have very limited knowledge on how to manually enter stuff. I have been playing with the book, and online forums to learn the different systems, but misinformation is a huge enemy out there. One site says one thing and someone else will tell you another. The more I play around with it, I'm slowly but surely figuring it out. At least now if I screw it up, I can always start over to fix it. Thanks for the help and I'll let you know how it goes.
- Status
