Yes this is my point, they should be using 129.450 and 129.400 in this area for phone patches. Leave 129.900 (Maritimenet) clear to issue HF frequencies. Just listen to 129.900 during the morning rush and you can see how a phone patch would totally screw things up. The ARINC coverage charts should be updated to make that clear IMHO. I don't understand why the New York ARINC operators even do it, I guess they can get away with it in off peak times ?
Standard procedure in this area is for ARINC on VHF (129.900) to assign the HF frequencies, even for CPDLC aircraft. Presumably set up that way to reduce the workload on the ZNY Domestic controllers (133.500), who currently don't have CPDLC capability. Yes if you had to, you could ask the ZWY New York Oceanic controllers on CPDLC for the HF frequencies, but it's not really their job at that point, and not the current "procedure". Once inside ZWY airspace the standard procedure, as you note, is for ZWY (not ARINC) to issue the VHF frequencies directly if CPDLC equipped. Just the way it is.
I don't know why they don't issue the HF frequencies via CPDLC as a standard practice, it would definately make things easier. I'm guessing it has something to do with it currently beings ARINCs job and they don't have CPDLC capability like ZWY does ?
Interesting conversation but maybe a bit off topic for this forum ?
