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Controller–pilot data link communications (CPDLC)

Is a Controller–pilot data link communications (CPDLC) something that is just used when outside VHF range, and largely an oceanic comms device?

Or does it get used inside European land mass too?

Do many ATC units have the ability to use them?

EIWT Weston, Ireland

Yes, it is used over land, but mostly in the upper airspace. The EASA currently mandates the availability of CPDLC above FL 285 throughout Europe, but some centres actually support it from FL 195 or FL 245 upward. Specific details for individual regions are in the AIP GEN 3.

Last Edited by Ultranomad at 26 Apr 13:39
LKBU (near Prague), Czech Republic

dublinpilot wrote:

Is a Controller–pilot data link communications (CPDLC) something that is just used when outside VHF range, and largely an oceanic comms device?

Or does it get used inside European land mass too?

Do many ATC units have the ability to use them?

No, it’s used all over the world.
Yes, Maastricht and many others.
The number is rising steadily.
Procedures vary a bit (PDC in the US vs CPDLC enroute etc…).

always learning
LO__, Austria

Did I understand correctly, that there is no CPDLC hardware for GA, priced for GA? (although it is not like there is particular use case for it on a typical GA flight)

EGTR

CPDLC is becoming increasingly used for the higher airspace and cuts down the radio traffic, to my mind the most advantage is when flying oceanic as the communications are unambiguous…………. unlike using the HF that is a black art.

Is this ever likely to come to GA and, if so, what would be the implementation? Presumably you need a keypad and a display…

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

An IFD or GTN box with their touch screens would do. There is one CPCLD implementation using a VHF channel so it might even be possible to do it all in software. Five or ten thousand Euro would buy you an SD card doing the trick

EDFM (Mannheim), Germany

terbang wrote:

An IFD or GTN box with their touch screens would do. There is one CPCLD implementation using a VHF channel so it might even be possible to do it all in software. Five or ten thousand Euro would buy you an SD card doing the trick

CPDLC is done using a dedicated VHF radio. In Europe and the US it is VHF only but for oceanic it can also use satellite data link (part of FANS/1A). Given what is involved and he fact it isn’t even going to be mandated for light jets in Europe, I doubt lighter GA will ever see it.

EGTK Oxford

My post was rather meant tongue in cheek, but anyway,

CPDLC is done using a dedicated VHF radio.

do you think, the radios in the mentioned boxes wouldn’t be capable of receiving and sending the data?

However, I don’t think we’ll see this in GA either.

Last Edited by terbang at 04 May 09:10
EDFM (Mannheim), Germany

the radios in the mentioned boxes wouldn’t be capable of receiving and sending the data?

It depends on how the radio is designed. In the really modern era you would probably down-convert a bit and then use a DSP to create a SDR. Then you can do more or less anything you want, within the available frequency range. I think a lot of aviation radios of the last 10-20 years are quite configurable at the transmission side (which is why not implementing an easy 8.33 update in software is hard to forgive) but not so much at the reception side. But I know nothing about CPDLC modulation etc.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom
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