USA Competition Rules Changes Proposed for 2013

On Jan 24, 8:06*am, Wallace Berry wrote:
Spratt must be doing several hundred rpm at this point.

Charlie hated unnecessary radio chatter at contests . I can remember him
chastising the offenders: "You bark like a bunch of dogs..."

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

Allow me to suggest solution to most of these problems. Most of the
problems seem to be from lack of frequencies in the VHF band. Why
bother? Those who want to chat air to air can just go purchase those
spiffy family band walky talky type radios for well under $100. They
have a lot of frequencies, discrete calling, VOX, headphones,
microphones, and who knows what else. And they're legal. I use them
a lot for other activties. Sure, it may take a little bit of effort to
find some clear channels but it can be done. At 5 watts they would
have enough range for a reasonable distance in the air. Or have them
use their cell phones. I don't see why we would have to congest our
very limited frequencies. I am very leery of flying in a contest that
either has constant radio chatter or a significant number of
contestants just turning their radios off to get away from said
chatter. If it gets too chattery I suspect I will quit competing. I
view this as a very serious safety issue. Those who want to talk can
find ways to do it without mucking up the airbands the rest of us
monitor. Remember the ras discussions about using cellphones and
other communication technology? Let's think just a little bit outside
the (aviation radio) box. This isn't rocket science. Tim

Gone are the days when 123.3 was used pretty much by gliders alone. A couple of years ago, the frequency was also allocated here in Arizona to a local commercial operator for ground to air operations. When they first came on the air, they started yelling at gliders to "get off their frequency". Even now, when they are not overpowering us with their high-power transmitters, we get users from nearby Mexico stepping all over us. Now, many of us don't use 123.3 - sticking with either our airport frequency (122.9) or 123.5.

Finding frequencies for glider/glider communications in the aircraft band is going to be a challenge.

Mike

Snip... ...A
couple of years ago, the frequency was also allocated here in Arizona to a
local commercial operator for ground to air operations.

For the record...and making no claim to be an FAR/CFR anal wizard, my
understanding (from my instructor and eventually from reading material over
the years) has always been 123.3 has NEVER been "a glider only" frequency in
the U.S. I *think* 123.5 similarly was allocated for multiple - if specific -
users. Feel free to look it up.

In any event, flight school use has been a written-into part of 123.3
allocation since at least 1972, I believe.

Mostly, it's been ignorant glider pilots who (mistakenly) have thought of
those two U.S. frequencies as "exclusively for glider pilots". I'll wager a
good beer the Arizona commercial operator somehow or other selectively
read/heard what he wanted to regarding others' legal right to be on 123.3! Why
should glider nuts be the only misguided souls on the planet?

Bob - yeah it's still winter in the northern hemisphere - W.

Yes indeed, all the frequencies have always had multiple users, but in nearly thirty years of flying in the USA, I've experienced that 123.3 has only recently become so congested with high-power commercial users.

There is now no way that it could be used in southern Arizona for the official contest frequency because of all this congestion.

Mike

Exactly what frequencies would the Contest Rules comittee recommend.

this is a list of the legal ones.

108.000-
112.000 MHz Aviation Terminal VOR and ILS Navigation (80 Channels) Yes
112.000-
117.950 MHz Aviation VOR Navigation (120 Channels) Yes
118.000-
136.000 MHz Aviation Communication (720 Channels) Yes
121.500 MHz Aviation Distress Yes
121.600 MHz Civil Air Patrol (Authorized use only) Yes
121.700 MHz Aviation Ground Control Yes
118.000-
121.400 MHz Air Traffic Control (Towers and ARTCC's) Yes
121.600 MHz Civil Air Patrol Training Beacons Yes
121.650 MHz Aviation Ground Control Yes
121.700 MHz Aviation Ground Control Yes
121.750 MHz Aviation Ground Control Yes
121.775 MHz Civil Air Patrol Training Beacons Yes
121.800 MHz Aviation Ground Control Yes
121.850 MHz Aviation Ground Control Yes
121.900 MHz Aviation Ground Control Yes
121.900 MHz Flight Schools Yes
121.957 MHz Flight Service Stations Yes
122.000 MHz Flight Advisory Service Yes
122.025-
122.675 MHz Flight Service Stations Yes
122.250 MHz Balloons Yes
122.400 MHz Flight Service Stations Yes
122.600 MHz Flight Service Stations Yes
122.700 MHz Aviation UNICOM Uncontrolled Airports Yes
122.725 MHz Aviation UNICOM Private Airports Yes
122.750 MHz Aviation Air to Air Communications Yes
122.775 MHz Air Shows & Air-to-air Communications Yes
122.800 MHz Aviation UNICOM Uncontrolled Airports Yes
122.825 MHz ARINC Yes
122.850 MHz Aviation Multicom Yes
122.875 MHz ARINC Yes
122.900 MHz Aviation UNICOM Uncontrolled Airports and Search and Rescue Training Yes
122.925 MHz Aviation UNICOM/Multicom/Air Shows Yes
122.950 MHz Aviation UNICOM Controlled Airports Yes
122.975 MHz Aviation UNICOM Yes
122.975 MHz Airplane to Airplane (high altitude airliners) Yes
123.000 MHz Aviation UNICOM Yes
123.050 MHz Aviation UNICOM Yes
123.050 MHz Aviation Heliports Yes
123.075 MHz Aviation UNICOM Yes
123.075 MHz Aviation Heliports Yes
123.000 MHz Aviation UNICOM Uncontrolled airports Yes
123.025 MHz Helicopters Air-to-air Communications Yes
123.050 MHz Aviation UNICO Heliports Yes
123.075 MHz Aviation UNICOM Heliports Yes
123.100 MHz Search and Rescue/Civil Air Patrol Yes
123.125-
123.476 MHz Flight Test Yes
123.200 MHz Flight Schools Yes
123.300 MHz Flight Schools & Balloons Yes
123.325 MHz Air Shows Yes
123.350 MHz NASA Yes
123.400 MHz Flight Schools Yes
123.425 MHz Air Shows Yes
123.450 MHz Air to Air (trans-ocean unofficial) Yes, but out of range
123.475 MHz U.S. Army Golden Knights Yes
123.500 MHz Flight Schools & Balloons Yes
123.525-
123.575 MHz Flight testing Yes
123.600-
128.800 MHz Air Traffic Control (Towers/ARTCC's) Yes
126.200 MHz Military Airport Towers Yes
128.625 MHz NASA/NOAA Research Yes
128.825-
132.000 MHz ARINC Yes
130.650 MHz Military Airlift Command Yes
134.100 MHz Military Airports - Ground Control Approach (GCA) Radar Yes
135.850 MHz Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Yes
135,950 MHz Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Yes

Richard,

Jeezes.....

On Thursday, January 24, 2013 9:59:51 PM UTC-6, wrote:
Jeezes.....

Does this rule allowing radio comms make ANY sense given the lack of frequencies available???

Sure the option is available, but good luck making any effective use of it.

RC - I know the spirit of the rule is to allow limited comms between pilots for fun. But you have got to know that this WILL evolve into "teams of two" or "shark packs" whose goal will be to work together to win. As this happens, will teams going on any "available " frequency make us any friends in aviation world and with the FCC???

EY