Flight service remotes

[Everett M. Greene]

Flight service has a remote radio site somewhere in our area.
When contacting them via the remote, the specialists want you
to state you're calling on that frequency. If you don't, they
seemingly have the remote transmitter off and you won't hear
their reply. If you call them again without the frequency,
they'll turn on the remote and sound irritated that you didn't
tell them which frequency you're using.

Is the FAA saving money for electricity by switching the remote
transmitter on only when it's actually being used? Wouldn't it
be better to leave it on all the time so the users of the
remote will have some idea as to whether the specialist is
talking to someone else on a different frequency?

AFAIK, ATC has the controllers talking on all the frequencies
that any one controller may be handling at any given time.
That's why we hear one side of comm with military pilots on
the UHF freqs, for instance.

[Stan Prevost]

The AIM recommends that you state your frequency and the name of the RCO.
For example,

"Anniston Radio, N8158Y, 122.2, Huntsville."

Note that you don't use the name of the airport, but the name of the RCO.

If you are using a duplex RCO using voice-over-Navaid, you will have to make
a call like:

"Anniston Radio, N8158Y, transmitting on 123.4, receiving Rocket VOR."
(frequency made up)

Give your AFSS a call and ask them your question. They have always been
very willing to discuss such questions with me.

Stan



"Everett M. Greene" > wrote in message
...
> Flight service has a remote radio site somewhere in our area.
> When contacting them via the remote, the specialists want you
> to state you're calling on that frequency. If you don't, they
> seemingly have the remote transmitter off and you won't hear
> their reply. If you call them again without the frequency,
> they'll turn on the remote and sound irritated that you didn't
> tell them which frequency you're using.
>
> Is the FAA saving money for electricity by switching the remote
> transmitter on only when it's actually being used? Wouldn't it
> be better to leave it on all the time so the users of the
> remote will have some idea as to whether the specialist is
> talking to someone else on a different frequency?
>
> AFAIK, ATC has the controllers talking on all the frequencies
> that any one controller may be handling at any given time.
> That's why we hear one side of comm with military pilots on
> the UHF freqs, for instance.

[John R. Copeland]

Each operating position in the FSS has the audio from all the
different radios multiplexed into a single audio channel.
If you don't tell the FSS specialist which frequency to use
for replying to you, he/she either has to guess, be lucky enough
to have noticed which indicator light came on while you talked,
or else gang together all of the possible frequencies.
(Or maybe just ignore you until you come to your senses?)

Ganging up all the frequencies at once is needless spectrum pollution.
---JRC---

"Everett M. Greene" > wrote in message =
...
> Flight service has a remote radio site somewhere in our area.
> When contacting them via the remote, the specialists want you
> to state you're calling on that frequency. If you don't, they
> seemingly have the remote transmitter off and you won't hear
> their reply. If you call them again without the frequency,
> they'll turn on the remote and sound irritated that you didn't
> tell them which frequency you're using.
>=20
> Is the FAA saving money for electricity by switching the remote
> transmitter on only when it's actually being used? Wouldn't it
> be better to leave it on all the time so the users of the
> remote will have some idea as to whether the specialist is
> talking to someone else on a different frequency?
>=20
> AFAIK, ATC has the controllers talking on all the frequencies
> that any one controller may be handling at any given time.
> That's why we hear one side of comm with military pilots on
> the UHF freqs, for instance.

[Stan Gosnell]

(Everett M. Greene) wrote in
:

> Flight service has a remote radio site somewhere in our area.
> When contacting them via the remote, the specialists want you
> to state you're calling on that frequency. If you don't, they
> seemingly have the remote transmitter off and you won't hear
> their reply. If you call them again without the frequency,
> they'll turn on the remote and sound irritated that you didn't
> tell them which frequency you're using.

If you don't tell them, they don't know.

> Is the FAA saving money for electricity by switching the remote
> transmitter on only when it's actually being used? Wouldn't it
> be better to leave it on all the time so the users of the
> remote will have some idea as to whether the specialist is
> talking to someone else on a different frequency?

There are only so many FSS frequencies in the country. There is
duplication, just like there is on unicom frequencies. Therefore, they
prefer not to transmit on every available frequency every time they talk,
because they could interfere with someone else talking to another FSS.
Plus, the same FSS may have several remotes with the same frequency. I
know Montgomery County does, and they need to know not only which
frequency, but which remote to enable to talk to you.

> AFAIK, ATC has the controllers talking on all the frequencies
> that any one controller may be handling at any given time.
> That's why we hear one side of comm with military pilots on
> the UHF freqs, for instance.

True, and it can be irritating. But there are far more approach
frequencies than FSS frequencies, and they are often using lower power
because they don't have to transmit very far. FSS frequencies cover a much
larger area, remoted or not. Why not just go along and tell them which
remote you're using? It makes it easier for everyone, and doesn't cost
you that much more breath.

--
Regards,

Stan

[[email protected]]

It's always been that way. ATC operates in a very different environment
than do FSSes.

"Everett M. Greene" wrote:

> Flight service has a remote radio site somewhere in our area.
> When contacting them via the remote, the specialists want you
> to state you're calling on that frequency. If you don't, they
> seemingly have the remote transmitter off and you won't hear
> their reply. If you call them again without the frequency,
> they'll turn on the remote and sound irritated that you didn't
> tell them which frequency you're using.
>
> Is the FAA saving money for electricity by switching the remote
> transmitter on only when it's actually being used? Wouldn't it
> be better to leave it on all the time so the users of the
> remote will have some idea as to whether the specialist is
> talking to someone else on a different frequency?
>
> AFAIK, ATC has the controllers talking on all the frequencies
> that any one controller may be handling at any given time.
> That's why we hear one side of comm with military pilots on
> the UHF freqs, for instance.