Northeast app to KPHX

MiCon

Mike
Joined
Feb 9, 2006
Messages
170
Location
central AZ
I give up. Trying to track commercial a/c coming into KPHX from the northeast. I have them checking in to Phoenix App on 128.65 about 50 miles out. For the past week I've been monitoring all of the freqs I think they should be on farther out (ZAB, ZDV) south of Holbrook. Following them on ADS-B but I'm just not getting any of the identified a/c. They're at 30k+ altitude, I should be able to hear them. Can anyone tell me what frequency they're on?
 

clover509

Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2007
Messages
171
Using the ADSBExchange site and switching to the IFR High/Low view will actually yield a lot of useful information. When aircraft are inbound from say, Gallup VOR, they are talking with Center controllers to start getting lower altitudes and sequencing to get into Phoenix. The little blue boxes that look like postage stamp edges will have the appropriate sector frequency that you could expect them to be on. In the instance of Gallup VOR, the closest frequency box is Zuni, 120.550 MHz.

Check the Albuquerque Center page here on RR (www.radioreference.com/db/aid/2239) for the frequencies associated to each RCAG (Remote Center Air/Ground) station. I have not seen a recent sector map from the FAA to know exactly where the boundaries are to know exactly where a center controller will give a handoff frequency, but the IFR High/Low map should give a good idea.

As aircraft get closer to Phoenix, they get handed off to Phoenix Approach controllers that assign a frequency based on location and altitude, until they get cleared to land on a particular runway and handed off to the tower controllers. In addition to the frequency page here for Phoenix Sky Harbor, Airnav is a good source for knowing if an aircraft is coming in from such and such direction and a certain assigned altitude what frequency they can be on.

So, the short answer is, look for arrivals from the Northeast to be on the Zuni or Winslow frequencies, as they get closer and lower, look for them on the Globe 1 or 2 site then handed off to Phoenix Approach (freqs on RR or pulled from the Airnav PHX www.airnav.com/airport/phx page for specific directions and altitudes), off to final approach, tower, ground and to the gate.

Sorry for the verbose explanation, but hopefully that helps.
 

dorkzilla

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 12, 2012
Messages
8
Location
New River, AZ
Hello Mike!

I happen to work at Phoenix TRACON and can provide you some possibilities of why you are not hearing aircraft at high altitude at any given time. Your primary interest seems to be the transition from high to low altitude, including delivery to the TRACON.

I'll assume you live in or near the Phoenix Valley and have decent to above average line of sight and equipment.

From the northeast...... beginning furthest from Sky Harbor.

Albuquerque Center

Sector 93 (120.55) delivers aircraft 8 miles in trail to Sector 38 (132.9)

Sector 38 delivers to...

Phoenix TRACON

Apache Sector (128.65) delivers to Freeway Sector (126.6)

Freeway Sector works arrivals to runway 8 or 26.


In the TRACON, during a sector combination, most of us have all of our traffic on the frequency of the sector at which we are physically located. For example, Apache is combined with the Quartz sector (124.1) at the Apache position most of the day. Quartz handles arrivals from the West and Southeast gates. Therefore, one can typically listen to all four corners on one frequency.

At Albuquerque Center, they most definitely mimic the aforementioned practice. However, I cannot recall the last time I was sending eastbound departure traffic to Sector 38 on any other frequency. I suppose I should mention that Sector 38, which is ALWAYS combined with Sector 39, is an arrival AND departure sector! Needless to say, that sector is quite busy.

So, perhaps...... just perhaps... 132.9 may have been out of service or unusable this past week for a day or two and 38/39 were using the 39 frequency (135.72). I had a short week with some time off. I worked Thursday through Saturday. And I can say for certain that 132.9 was in use. Or maybe during the times you were monitoring, Sectors 38/39 were combined to the sector that overlies them with the exact same geographical dimensions.... Sector 50. And the controllers working at those times wanted all their traffic on the frequency of Sector 50...... 128.12


Regards,
DZ
 

MiCon

Mike
Joined
Feb 9, 2006
Messages
170
Location
central AZ
For some reason I was never notified by RR Forums of the last two replies.

To clarify, I'm located in Dewey, just southeast of Prescott Valley. I'm using a discone in the attic (no thanks to the HOA) of my one story residence, fed by about 25' of cable. My elevation is approximately 5,000'. The Mingus mountains (7,000 ') are twelve miles east of me, but I can't imagine they would pose a problem between me and a/c at 30K.

I will monitor the frequencies mentioned and see what I can hear. I appreciate the responses and explanations. I'm not new to aircraft monitoring, but new to the area, and just trying to figure out some of the frequencies used for the flight patterns I'm seeing on ADS-Bexchange.

Thanks for your help.
 

dorkzilla

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 12, 2012
Messages
8
Location
New River, AZ
Howdy Mike!

Now that I know where you live, I can provide you even more insight. First, Mingus Mountain is located pretty much due north of Dewey. Atop Mt. Mingus is the Prescott RCAG. Albuquerque ARTCC and Phoenix Approach utilize the aforementioned RCAG. Second, you live directly underneath the BRUSR ONE RNAV Arrival. The BRUSR is the second most volumous feed to PHX.

In my opinion, you live in an area that is ripe with aviation communications. And living in such close proximity to the RCAG, you should hear both sides of the comms with relative ease.

Only three sectors from Phoenix Approach utilize the RCAG. The Tracon sectors I mentioned in the previous reply do not. They transmit from a site located at Sky Harbor Airport.

Here is a list that should keep your radio buzzing damn near 24/7

ZAB
Sector 37/43 128.45 (BRUSR ONE RNAV)
Sector 92 135.32 High Altitude
Sector 45 127.67 High volume arrival/departure

Sector 43 is the focal sector. Meaning, all sectors combine to 43 on the overnight shifts.

Phoenix TRACON (Prescott RCAG)
Crown Sector 119.52 (we rarely use this frequency)

Kachina Sector 126.37 (the emergency backup to this frequency is at Flagstaff Airport. We use this for ground comms when Flagstaff Tower is closed...specifically to issue IFR clearances. We also use the primary transmitter of this frequency for Sedona Airport serving the aforementioned functions)

Jerome Sector 133.57 ..... this one can be very busy. It serves IFR / VFR functions to Prescott Airport as well as overflights.

Crown, Kachina and Jerome are always combined at Jerome. So 99.999 percent of the comms are heard on 133.57.

Prescott Tower

125.3 and 128.75

Have fun!

DZ
 
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