cobalt pet shortwave / mediumwave weblog

24 October 2012

hf air traffic control logs

During a casual frequency scan, I came across some air traffic control voice traffic on 8891 kHz USB. It looks like that frequency is used for North Atlantic traffic, and the signal was very weak.

• 2012-08-04, 0750 UTC, 8891 kHz: heard a woman talking in short segments, ended with "Okay, goodnight!"
"...selcall."
"You're welcome!"

After looking for a webpage of air traffic HF frequencies, I found 5547 kHz listed as an ARINC frequency for my local airport (SFO). Here are some of the exchanges that I logged, with the ground-based controller typically being more audible than the aircraft. I looked up flight routes and included them after some of the messages that included a callsign and flight number. There's a lot of Hawaii flights here.

• 0800-912 UTC, 5547 kHz:
"Air Canada 033" "stand by for selcall" (YVR-SYD)
"Delta 2246, San Francisco, go ahead." (HNL-SEA)
"Delta 2246, say again your temperature only."
"...requesting flight level 310."
"Delta 2246... climb and maintain flight level 310. read back."
"2246, San Francisco, roger."
"American 14, San Francisco, go ahead." (OGG-LAX)
"Alaska 822, San Francisco, go ahead." (OGG-PDX)
"Air Canada 048, San Francisco, roger." (HNL-YVR)
"All Nippon ... destination O'Hare... stand by for selcall."
"All Nippon 12, San Francisco, roger." (NRT-ORD)
"Delta 2246, San Francisco, go ahead."
"Delta 2246, ... flight level 310, San Francisco, roger."
"American 286, San Francisco, go ahead." (LIH-LAX)
"American 286, San Francisco, roger, copy all."
"EVA 620, San Francisco, go ahead." (ANC-LAX)
"...flight level 330..."
"EVA 620, San Francisco, roger... say your aircraft registration and destination."
"Say your aircraft registration and your destination. go ahead."
"Roger and say your aircraft registration... your tail number."
"Maintain this frequency primary, secondary 6673. Stand by for selcall."
"EVA 620, San Francisco, roger."
"Alaska 871, San Francisco, say request." (HNL-ANC)
"...Requesting climb flight level 370. stand by."
"...Say again your altitude and your selcall."
"Position American 102..."
"American 102, San Francisco, roger." (HNL-DFW)
"American 14, San Francisco, roger, copy all."
"Alaska 860, San Francisco, go ahead." (HNL-SEA)
"Alaska 860, San Francisco, roger."
"ATC clears Alaska 871... flight level 370... read back."
"American 298, San Francisco, go ahead." (HNL-LAX)
"Philippine 103, San Francisco, go ahead." (LAX-GUM)
"Philippine 103, San Francisco, roger."
"Korean air 012, San Francisco, go ahead." (LAX-ICN)
"All Nippon 2, San Francisco... stand by for selcall." (NRT-IAD)
"American 246, San Francisco, go ahead." (KOA-LAX)
"38 north, 130 west..."
"Confirm the next waypoint is ALLEB... alpha lima lima echo bravo?"
"American 267, San Francisco, go ahead." (LAX-HNL)
"Boeing seven-seven whiskey... Hong Kong..."
"Cathay 873, San Francisco, roger. ... stand by for selcall." (SFO-HKG)
"American 176 selcall bravo kilo juliet mike." (NRT-DFW)
"Asiana 203, San Francisco, go ahead." (LAX-ICN)
"Delta 2246, San Francisco, go ahead."
"Delta 2246, say your remarks after winds, your transmission was stepped on after that."
"Cathay 883, San Francisco, go ahead." (LAX-HKG)
"Philippine 103, San Francisco, go ahead."
(Philippine 103's transmissions aren't copyable by me, but wow they have a terrible hum over it.)
"ATC is requesting, confirm you are at ... waypoint."
"Confirm your flight level is 320..."
"Saab? 247, San Francisco, go ahead." (unsure of callsign)
"WestJet 1865, San Francisco, go ahead." (HNL-YVR)
"American 286, San Francisco, roger, copy all."
"American 14, San Francisco, go ahead."
"...flight level 380."
"American 14, San Francisco, roger, copy all."
"Air Canada 048, San Francisco, go ahead."
"...flight level 350."
"San Francisco, position, American 102..."
"Korean Air 012, San Francisco, go ahead."
"American 298, San Francisco, go ahead."
"Alaska 822, San Francisco, go ahead."
"Alaska 871, San Francisco, go ahead."
"Alaska 871, confirm waypoint was 45 north, 153 west."

• 2012-08-05, 0503-0513 UTC, 11282 kHz:
(selcall tones)... "1874, San Francisco"
"Roger ATC clears WestJet 1874... climb and maintain flight level 380... read back." (YVR-LIH)
"Alaska 877, San Francisco, go ahead." (PDX-HNL)
"WestJet 1874, San Francisco, go ahead."
"...stand by, selcall."

• 0747-0807 UTC, 5574 kHz:
(three identical selcall tone sequences)
"United 333, roger." (LIH-LAX)
"United 333, San Francisco."
"United 344, roger, stand by." (KOA-SFO)
"United 2, San Francisco." (HNL-IAH)
(seven identical selcall tone sequences)
"United 631, copy all." (KOA-DEN)
"United 1114, San Francisco." (OGG-SFO)
(two identical selcall tone sequences)
"United 1114, roger, copy all."

2 comments:

Flávio Nunes said...

Seems cool :) I can't listen those frequences in my QTH X:

Madridkid said...

Hi Cobalt! Love your site, although I forget to click in all the time. I was wondering if it is legal to publish what you heard on the private air traffic control frequencies? I am just referring to something I once read in Communications World back in the late 1970s. I live in Spain and I know that in the EU is it illegal. Thanks for your posts.