wigglylamp (great name) good point, however valid for UK only.
I am not sure how much legal weight those Information Notices carry. The CAA publishes a lot of stuff which is worth a read but is not supported by any current regulation.
AOC ops are a different thing. Everything is prescribed, right down to the brand of oxygen kits for the crew and how often they are to be overhauled and what paperwork needs to come back with it.
RobertL18C wrote:
wigglylamp (great name) good point, however valid for UK only.
I just skimmed it but if I read it correctly, it just says that you can use a handheld, but not to comply with any carriage requirements. I’m assuming you’re fitting 8.33 radio into your Annex 2 bird because you need it – probably to enter airspace that requires it (Part NCO doesn’t apply to you, off the top of my head).
Bumping this old thread to call your attention to the following:
As scheduled, LVNL (the Dutch NATS) changed almost all of their remaining VHF frequencies to 8.33 kHz separation yesterday (15 sep 2016). Essentially the situation, as of today, is as follows:
- Dutch Mil Info (132.350) and Amsterdam Info (124.300) will remain on 25 kHz for now.
- All military and civil controlled frequencies, including TWR, APP, DEL, GRND, ATIS and such, have now been converted to 8.33 kHz.
- All frequencies for uncontrolled airfields are still on 25 kHz, but will need to convert to 8.33 kHz in 2017 at the latest.
The Dutch AIP has all these changes incorporated in the latest AIRAC cycle, dated yesterday. That includes essentially all charts as well – a massive update. There are “trigger NOTAMs” issued to warn everybody about these changes.
I just performed an update of the SkyDemon BeNeLux charts and it has all these changes incorporated already. Well done SD!
BackPacker wrote:
As scheduled, LVNL (the Dutch NATS) changed almost all of their remaining VHF frequencies to 8.33 kHz separation yesterday (15 sep 2016).
I recall having read somewhere that an aircraft complying with the 8.33 kHz requirement but also carrying 25 kHz radios was grounded after a ramp check in the Netherlands until the 25 kHz radio was removed. Does anyone from the Netherlands know if this is the official position of Dutch authorities?
8.33 was already a requirement around Texel last month with both Leeuwarden and De Kooy on 8.33 frequencies. This is due to Dutch Mil being unavailable at a time when restricted airspace was active. This did not leave too many 25Khz options for finding out if a notam’d PJE blocking the alternative VFR corridor was active, and even then the 8.33 controllers were pretty reluctant to give FIS. Anyone who thinks UK airspace management is high handed hasn’t flown in Holland recently!
I flew to Hoogeveen and back on Wednesday/Thursday and duly switched my GTN650 to/from 8.33 on handover from/to Oostende.
Dutch Mil Info were super helpful (albeit that they seemed to have only half a dozen aircraft on 132.350 at any one time) but what do others think about the clarity of their transmissions? To me it seemed worse than their 25 kHz counterparts in France and Belgium.
Can’t really blame the topography but it was a hot day, though. Is 8.33 theoretically less tolerant of, say, atmospheric effects or equipment/antenna problems compared with 25 kHz channel spacing?
Jacko wrote:
Can’t really blame the topography but it was a hot day, though. Is 8.33 theoretically less tolerant of, say, atmospheric effects or equipment/antenna problems compared with 25 kHz channel spacing?
No, that will just be military equipment.
Leeuwarden struck me as spectacularly clear on 8.33. The controller seemed quite startled to get a call from a G reg on 8.33, especially as they are under instructions not to help us while Dutch Mil are on strike unavailable. Dutch Mil, if you can get them, always seem to have average audio quality on 25khz.
Edited to add that if this Dutch Mil schinannigins had happened in UK, I’d definitely have filed an MOR.
Airborne_Again wrote:
I recall having read somewhere that an aircraft complying with the 8.33 kHz requirement but also carrying 25 kHz radios was grounded after a ramp check in the Netherlands until the 25 kHz radio was removed. Does anyone from the Netherlands know if this is the official position of Dutch authorities?
Unfortunatly, yes this is their position, either one 8,33 kHz or two 8,33 kHz, no 8,33 kHz and 25 kHz mix.
I still can not get my head around this, as you can switch ANY 8,33 kHz to 25 kHz mode (as part of design requirements). Unfortunaly all case I know of either took out the second radio, or installed a second 8,33 kHz. It would be better if someone objected and got this sorted before court.
