Using 121.5 "Guard"

[tigers2007]

Is this for emergencies only or is it also a calling channel (like Marine channel 16)? When I was at about 8500MSL today I heard the part of a conversation regarding an Air Canada flight. I couldn't tell what was going on and it ended quite briefly.

[carusoam]

Clearly not the common Chanel that 16 is for marine band...

Generally it gets used when you need to contact someone for some level of assistance....

Everybody from ATC to sport pilots are monitoring it...

Evey now and then you will get somebody with a stick mike broadcasting their inflight conversation.

Am I close?

For an exact answer, the FAA prints guidelines for this.

Best regards,

-a-

[tigers2007]

Well that's good to know that its just emergency business only. The AC pilot was talking to someone specific and mentioned "on Guard". I was getting some static feedback after that and had to turn it down.

[RLCarter]

Could have been ATC using one aircraft to contact another

[carusoam]

You have to have a pretty good modern radio to be able leave it on continuously.  The unquieted noise is the squelch not being used specifically on that frequency...

It would be bad to miss a distress call because the squelch was turned up too much.

Best regards,

-a-

[cloud116]

It is sometimes used to re-connect when communication is lost between atc and a pilot. For example, you are assigned 125.35  by atc. You are cruising along, they forget about you, or you have a weak radio, and when they attempt to contact you, you are out of range.  Some controllers will hope you are monitoring 121.5 aka "guard," and try to contact you there in order to get you assigned to another frequency with a station closer to your vicinity. Happens frequently out here in the plains. 

[Immelman]

19 minutes ago, cloud116 said:

It is sometimes used to re-connect when communication is lost between atc and a pilot.

This ^^

I fly an Airbus for work. Each radio panel can tune all radios. This makes it easy to make a bone-headed mistake and lose your comm freq "oops, I meant to tune comm 2". Most of our Mooneys have it better Then its time to switch to guard, fess up, and get a frequency that works.

 

 

Edited March 16, 2017 by Immelman

[kpaul]

My number 2 Nav/Comm is used to monitor Guard and check ATIS/AWOS.  Having two comms makes it nice.  In most parts of the country 121.5 is used for emergencies and for ATC to reestablish comm with an aircraft that may have missed a hand-off.  In the South on the other hand, every Jack-Wagon with a radio thinks it is their personal frequency.

[1964-M20E]

well down here in the helicopter world if you are told by another pilot to grab a hand full means tune 123.45 for a friendly chat.

Isn't there a designated frequency for air to air communication?

 

 

[Raptor05121]

I use my second COM radio for AWOS, but if I'm going somewhere and getting high, I will monitor 121.500. I have read somewhere that it is in the FARs to monitor 121.500 but I don't think its enforceable.

I have had JAX APP ask me to switch to 121.500 and listen for a ELT tone he said he was receiving. I didn't hear anything and that was that.

[1964-M20E]

I've had ATC ask me to listen for an ELT before and I heard it reported to them when I didn't hear it any more as well.

Squelch on my com 2 seems to be open when tuned into 121.5 so I get a lot of white noise.  I will keep it tuned in and occasionally open it up to see if I hear anything on 121.5.

 

 

 

[peevee]

18 minutes ago, 1964-M20E said:

I've had ATC ask me to listen for an ELT before and I heard it reported to them when I didn't hear it any more as well.

Squelch on my com 2 seems to be open when tuned into 121.5 so I get a lot of white noise.  I will keep it tuned in and occasionally open it up to see if I hear anything on 121.5.

 

 

 

the jets usually are the first to report elts but at their altitude it's really not very good info. Someone low helps pinpoint it.

buy a 406 elt folks...

[tigers2007]

At my next annual or maybe when I do my avionics upgrade at the end of the month I'll get one of those 406 units tied to the GPS. The little voice in the back of my head, "while they have everything torn apart might as well have them install XXXXX" is making me broke. But as the old wise men here point out, "money is cheap right now". Its cheaper for me to finance than to pay cash. I'll try to start monitoring 121.500 more often though - the part about ATC not being able to reach someone is a good idea. After browsing the 406-related threads it seems there is still value in having 121.500 in the ELT as 406 homing is difficult or impossible. I'm former CAP cadet (90's) and I have some experience in ELT searching. What I have gleaned is that the 406 units appear to get SAR crews within a 3-5 mile radius if the 406 unit is not linked to a GPS source. I suppose that if you activate it before you hit the dirt and you have it linked to the GPS, then it'll be very accurate.

[Yetti]

It's kind of stupid how unintegrated Airplane components are.  The Adsb and ELT should be combined.

[201er]

23 minutes ago, Yetti said:

It's kind of stupid how unintegrated Airplane components are.  The Adsb and ELT should be combined.

You wanna bet your life on it?

[201er]

20 hours ago, tigers2007 said:

Is this for emergencies only or is it also a calling channel (like Marine channel 16)? When I was at about 8500MSL today I heard the part of a conversation regarding an Air Canada flight. I couldn't tell what was going on and it ended quite briefly.

It is also the clown off frequency. Especially when Delta is on.

[Yetti]

7 minutes ago, 201er said:

You wanna bet your life on it?

Sure given that I did a pipeline locate with my phone which has all the same components that are needed both for the ADSB and ELT just add a 5 watt UHF transmitter.

[Cyril Gibb]

11 hours ago, tigers2007 said:

 After browsing the 406-related threads it seems there is still value in having 121.500 in the ELT as 406 homing is difficult or impossible. I'm former CAP cadet (90's) and I have some experience in ELT searching. What I have gleaned is that the 406 units appear to get SAR crews within a 3-5 mile radius if the 406 unit is not linked to a GPS source. I suppose that if you activate it before you hit the dirt and you have it linked to the GPS, then it'll be very accurate.

Most and perhaps all 406 elts also broadcast on 121.5 for homing

[jonhop]

Back when I was a Navy communicator, we monitored 121.5--International Air Distress--every time we got underway or lit off our communications suite. Never had a distress call while out to sea thankfully... Navy communicators refer to Guard, as anyone who is assigned to monitor the frequency, no matter the circuit designation. Anyone who is required to guard the frequency is responsible for monitoring/answering all communications on the frequency. Considering it is a distress frequency there are probably numerous FAA designated facilities that are required to monitor and answer on 121.5, given a line of sight geographic area. I'm sure that most trans oceanic flights are tuned and monitoring 121.5. It would also not surprise me that many domestic flights are doing the same... I know for a fact that the Navy still requires ships to tune and monitor 121.5 when they have their communications suites lit off, so that would be helpful if one were in distress within line of sight of a Naval vessel...

[air cooled dad]

12 hours ago, 201er said:

It is also the clown off frequency. Especially when Delta is on.

Hey now! I've only confused that with the ramp frequency a couple of times.  Never done a PA on guard, yet.  Lol. 

Wind check...

[flyboy0681]

When I went NORDO last year around Columbia, NC, ATC was attempting to raise me on 121.5. 

Ever since that episode I keep Comm 2 tuned to On Guard.

[peevee]

1 hour ago, flyboy0681 said:

keep Comm 2 tuned to On Guard.

it's a good practice

[peevee]

3 hours ago, air cooled dad said:

Never done a PA on guard, yet.  Lol. 

 

it's more better on frequency. damn that switch.

[Andy95W]

20 hours ago, 201er said:

It is also the clown off frequency. Especially when Delta is on.

We call 121.5 "Delta OPS".

(Apologies to my Delta North friends.)

[tigers2007]

Thanks to the Delta sleeper cell I had to go through hoops to get my medical cert last month. Coincidentally I just had recently met with my sleep apnea physician who wrote up a letter for the FAA to make up a determination.