Air Traffic, ILS & Navigation Aids

[LeedsPilot]

Q) EGTT/QCAXX/IV/B /AE/000/085/5348N00144W018 A) EGNM B) 1704080000 C) PERM E) AMEND TO ADD, DURING BUSIER PERIODS, ATC MAY INSTRUCT ACFT TO CONTACT LEEDS DIRECTOR ON 125.375 MHZ. EGNM AD 2.18, AD 2-EGNM-2-1, AD 2-EGNM-2-2, AD 2-EGNM-5-1, AD 2-EGNM-6-1, AD 2-EGNM-6-2 REFERS

Not sure if it was mentioned already but Leeds Director (125.375) now being used during busy periods.

 

[oldendays]

Listening in at the moment. 125.375 is being used but I haven't heard anything on 134.575 so looks like it's just one radar frequency at the moment. Callsign is 'Leeds Director' rather than '...Radar'.

I've noticed I'm getting much better reception on 125 than on 134. Perhaps my loft antenna is better suited in terms of SWR.

 

[LeedsPilot]

Noticed light aircraft calling up on the usual 134. It appears it's just scheduled IFR traffic operating inside controlled airspace using the new frequency and VFR traffic which take up a lot of time on air reverting to the old frequency?

 

[lbaspotter]

I'm i right in thinking that these are the Freq's now in use at LBA

Leeds Tower = 120.3
Leeds Delivery = 121.8
Leeds Radar = 134.575
Leeds Director = 125.375
Leeds ATIS = 118.025

 

[oldendays]

Correct lbaspotter.

Agree, sounds like Director handles inbound IFR traffic and Radar does everything else

 

[oldendays]

It's quite a significant development for the LBA ATC unit. There have been two radar frequencies available since about 1986 but the second one usually only was used for Surveillance Radar Approaches (which I believe are virtually obsolete now). There have been a handful of occasions when the second frequency has also been used as a Final Director, usually when diversions from other airfields has increased the number of inbounds.

Makes our humble airport seem quite grown up now.

 

[radar]

There's a new app out for the iPad from NATS, the UK's en-route ATC agency today called 'Airspace Explorer', and its free! It's similar to Flight Radar 24 except that it uses actual radar data, not the inaccurate crowd-sourced ADS-B that FR24 and the others use. In addition, you can call up and display the various layers of airspace - control zones, control areas, airways, upper air routes that ATC use.

Massive improvement on what's been available before, with the exception that you don't seem to be able to filter traffic (yet - it's still in beta).

 

[oldendays]

I've never used FR24 but this app looks good. Pity my phone and tablet are Android !

 

[radar]

I think they are planning to release an Android version as well, but don't quote me on that.

 

[oldendays]

I hope so radar. What I've read on the NATS website and various others suggests this is the case.

I wonder if LBA will ever acquire its own SSR aerial, thereby negating the NATS feed from Claxby ?

 

[rangieowner]

I've noticed I'm getting much better reception on 125 than on 134. Perhaps my loft antenna is better suited in terms of SWR.

Even sat at the airport the reception on 134 is crap. Me and my pal were just discussing this a few days ago......I think I'll get a bigger antenna.

 

[oldendays]

A few years ago, 123.75 disappeared and was initially replaced by 125.525 (I think). Reception was even worse on this frequency - lots of white noise partly masking the controller's transmissions. It wasn't long before it was canned and replaced with 133.125, which itself recently suffered with interference from the Brussels ATCC, hence another change last December.

On the whole, I've noticed a general deterioration in reception from LBA ATC since the frequencies and Tower roof antennas were replaced a few years back.

 

[rangieowner]

On the whole, I've noticed a general deterioration in reception from LBA ATC since the frequencies and Tower roof antennas were replaced a few years back.

Controller transmissions are ok even if a little 'snowy' but pilot transmissions are appalling especially at range but even at a few miles and line of sight!

 

[LeedsPilot]

I thought it could just be my 10+ year old, relatively cheap scanner slowly dying that was causing the deterioration in the quality of received transmissions but I'm somewhat glad to find others noticing the same. Sometimes when I'm at the airport itself the controller transmissions are significantly lower quality than at home 3 miles away - very bizarre.

 

[oldendays]

Perhaps the modern ATC radio equipment doesn't have the same belt and braces quality of the old Park Air and Pye stuff from two or three decades ago. What might also be significant is the design of the Tower roof antennas, which are connected to the transmitters. Before the frequency changes I've previously alluded to, these were Jaybeam ground plane types. Now it's hard to tell what they are; probably some sort of dipole. We need quik or radar to provide some answers.

 

[rangieowner]

I thought it could just be my 10+ year old, relatively cheap scanner slowly dying that was causing the deterioration in the quality of received transmissions

Mine's older than that........gotta be 25+ mine........but even so my mate has just bought brand new and suffers the same.

 

[Seasider]

Mine's older than that........gotta be 25+ mine........but even so my mate has just bought brand new and suffers the same.

I can match that - WIN 108 from around 1990.

 

[oldendays]

Does anybody have any interior control tower pictures they could post on here or know any other sites they could be viewed ? I would be interested in anything from 1966 to the present day, ATC being my principal interest within aviation.

Thankyou.

 

[lbaspotter]

Does anybody have any interior control tower pictures they could post on here or know any other sites they could be viewed ? I would be interested in anything from 1966 to the present day, ATC being my principal interest within aviation.

Thankyou.

This short Video was released by the airport once the update was completed to ATC Tower last year

Pic's after works was complete on upgrading the Radar Room





Also here's what the Control Tower looked like in the 1980-1990's



And Radar room back in the 1980-1990's

 

[oldendays]

Thankyou. Always good to see equipment from the past and present, not to mention a few faces who have moved on !