Squawker PC

[rob42]

Does anyone use the Squawker PC software, and if so, do you recommend it?

At £10 per year, it seems to me to be good value, but only if it's accurate.

A short explainer...

I'm getting hits on all sorts of AT frequencies. For example: 135.575, which (so far as I can find) is used by London/Gatwick, which seems a bit of a stretch that I should be able to hear that, all the way up here. It's not as if the reception is real scratchy either; it's like as clear as the BM that hear on a CB Channel.

[milly]

Wouldn't know about the software you mention but channel 135.58* is an area control allocation in the NW of England (nothing to do with Gatwick).

The current UK airfield and area frequencies are always available online from NATS - https://nats-uk.ead-it.com/cms-nats/ope ... tions/AIP/

[Octane Red]

Not heard of it till you highlighted it. Had a look, but I don't think it would be for me, but that's down to the concern it would mess with my scanner programming rather than cost. I already have done all the legwork for all the programming and don't think I have many omissions. Then this programme could come along and cock it all up. Had that experience one with the Favourites Editor on Proscan....

If you are getting AT hits, then you already have the frequencies of interest. Now you just need to identify them, which shouldn't be too hard, and the previous poster adds a good link, and there is a lot on the NATS site if you have the patience to navigate around it - https://nats-uk.ead-it.com/cms-nats/exp ... _pages.pdf as an example

[rob42]

If you are getting AT hits, then you already have the frequencies of interest. Now you just need to identify them, which shouldn't be too hard...

You'd think, right?

I've discovered that many frequencies are reused, and the location is just as important as the frequency. 135.575 is just one example of this reuse, so finding the correct information for my local is not only time consuming, but in some cases, is fruitless.

I share your concern about it messing with the scanner programming, and to that concern: Scan125 has a very handy feature (thank you very much, Nick) that saves the current scanner setup information, which can be reloaded if needs be. I too, have spent many hours getting things just as I want them, so I don't want that to be messed up.

The way I see it, I'll end off with a few different frequency files that can be loaded in to my scanner, depending on where I'm at in the country; that's the plan, least ways.

[milly]

I've discovered that many frequencies are reused, and the location is just as important as the frequency. 135.575 is just one example of this reuse, so finding the correct information for my local is not only time consuming, but in some cases, is fruitless.

Channel 135.58 isn't re-used?

Things you will find used at different airfields are ground, tower and RADAR frequencies. Under normal reception conditions the communications shouldn't be compromised to to geographical separation.
In another thread you've also mentioned a couple of channels which are within the Company Operations segments of the spectrum. They can be used at different airfields by the same or different companies. You will usually be able to work out which airline/handling agent/location by the actual traffic heard.

[Antoni]

In case anyone is not aware of it, the frequencies for airports and airfields no longer necessarily match the 'frequencies' published. The actual true frequencies are in 8⅓ kHz steps. To try to keep things as simple as possible for pilots a new system has been developped where a 'frequency' given can be shortened to three decimal places - eg 135·580. These 'frequencies' are now in fact channel names, not frequencies.

And so, for example,'135·580' (channel name) is actually 135·575MHz. And '118·015' is actually on 118·0167MHz.

Here's a link to a chart showing how it works, but you still have to think a bit to understand it:

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com ... 3d24d2e0d7

I don't use scanners and so I don't know whether they have the intelligence to know what you really want when you enter an air-band frequency of 118·015, or whether it will just tune to exactly that.

Being both interested in radio and a flier I find it hard to get my head around. But, a pilot doesn't need to understand it because the radio fitted to the aircraft will. All the pilot has to do is punch in the numbers.

[rob42]

In reply to both:

The 8.33kHz scheme can (and does) confuse. My scanner 'corrects' 135.58Mhz to 135.757Mhz, and that correction did cause my confusion, until I did the research in order to understand what was going on.

During my childhood (I lived right next to Cottesmore), I attended a great deal of Airshows, becasue my Farther was a huge Military Aircraft buff. It was during one of those occasions that I saw and heard a hand-held frequency scanner, and I was fortunate enough to have one gifted to me. Back then, it seems that AT comms was a little different (unless my memory is not up to snuff) as I seem to recall that the "Tower" would be named (at least during the initial contact) and thus one would know the ident of the frequency. Indeed, I had a note book full of this info and would listen in and search for stuff at home, also.

My point to that little trip down memory lane, is that I no longer hear any ident info and as such, it's not so easy. https://adsbexchange.com/ is real useful, as I can see what Aircraft are where, and use that as a guide as to which Airfield the comms will be with, when say, there's an altitude or heading change for example.

So, in conclusion, I know that some of the freqs that I have seen on lists (some of which are real long and are even c&p from other sites) are as much about the location as they are about the frequency.

I have a new (used) computer being delivered next week; one that I can use purely for my Radio Comms Hobby. I don't use Microsoft systems for anything (I'm a Linux user), but it seems that all software for this type of stuff is designed for MS systems, which is understandable. Yes, I've tried the old and favored workarounds, but there's always some issue or other, so for the sake of £40 for a Lenovo Windows 10 Laptop, it seems nuts not to simply go for that.

I'll report back about the Squawker PC software, if anyone is interested in me doing that, just as soon as I have it all up and running.

Edit to add:

Channel 135.58 isn't re-used?

Thinking on about what I posted and your reply to that: I accept what you say, as I'm sure that your experience and knowledge is way better than mine, so it's entirely possible that the info that I've found via internet searching is simply out of date, and that freq is no longer used by London/Gatwick, and has been 'reassigned', rather than 'reused'; 'Semantics', possibly.

This is a very small sample of a 2000+ line list that I found...

Code: Select all

118.50     Dublin Radar
118.50     Heathrow Tower
118.50     Newcastle Radar
118.525    Mantson Radar
118.55     Humberside Tower
118.55     Jersey Radar
118.575    Manchester Approach
118.60     Dublin Tower
118.625    Brough Approach
118.625    Manchester Tower
118.65     Bournemouth Radar
118.70     Edinburgh Tower
118.70     Heathrow Tower
118.70     Shannon Tower
118.725    Paris ACC
118.775    London  ATCC
118.80     Cork Radar
118.80     Glasgow Tower
118.825    London TMA/ATCC
118.85     Tees-Side Approach
118.875    Oxford Tower
118.90     Guernsey Radar
118.90     Isle of Man Tower
118.90     Kemble Approach
118.90     Lossimeouth Tower
118.90     Tain Range Info

... so either freqs are reused at different locals, or this kind of info is grossly inaccurate.

[milly]

To use your list as an example (and i'd distrust pretty much all internet based 'lists' aside from the Civil and Military AIP documents (and if you happen to be going abroad most other countries have theirs online and free to access too):

Channel 118.50 can be used at those locations simultaneously as they are geographically remote (so under normal propogation conditions they won't interfere with each other)

Back to your 135.575 frequency, which on the radio will be referrenced by it's channel name, 135.58, - I don't recall it being in use by Gatwick in any time over the past 50 years so I'd especially not trust any list you have which suggests it is.

Almost no radios, apart from actual aviation designed equipment, correctly works with 8.33kHz channelization. It shouldn't be a major problem when programming memory but might, I suppose, make it a little bit more of a faff when 'searching' (which in my experience very few people ever do).

When you hear something you haven't identified ask yourself whether you are hearing both sides of the conversation or just one. If it's just one it will usually be an aircraft.
If both sides, is it two or more aircraft (and therefore a/a such as the royal air farce or a display team) or is it an aircraft and a ground station of some sort.
The style of the comms will allow you to narrow things down quickly.

If you are hearing a ground station at your QTH on channel 118.55 it's not going to be from the Channel Islands.

Learn how to use your bearcrap manually (I'm sure the software is convenient but what about when you haven't got it with you and hear several frequencies you want to remember), spend time 'searching' and build up your own list of things you receive at home. Create a 'bank' (or whatever bearcrap call it within their DMA memory scheme) for unknown/unidentifed frequencies and scan it when you have time. The more you hear the sooner you'll be able to tick ot off as identified and thus stored in your normal way or locked out as of no interest.