Squawk as you see fit (Off Topic Thread)

Shannon757

martinsvi wrote: »

it really depends whether you need a scanner or a receiver. What's the difference? You can get a cheap Chinese baofeng for less than 40€ that will receive programmed frequencies no worse than anything else.. scanning is a different activity altogether. You need your scanner to have the sensitivity and selectivity to be able to wizz through the bands with ridiculous speed and stop wherever there's activity.. those things cost money!

as we are in aviation forum, I assume you're ok with programming the know frequencies yourself.. in that case it's all about the antenna.. nothing to do with a device.. just get whatever device money can buy that allow to connect a decent discone antenna etc.. if I havent bored you to death by now, feel free to continue the topic with your requirements and we might as well find you a perfect kit within your budget

*/nerd out/*

I'll be honest, I don't know what most of that means:o

What I need but what I need is something to pick up ATC when I am out at the airport that I can carry around with me, if that makes sense.

But good to see there are people who know what they're taking about:)

martinsvi

the effective range of your mid range scanner with a "rubber duck" antenna ends just about 2 miles out of airport territory. ATC antennas are fine tuned to be effective in a certain angle - they want to talk to people who are either approaching or are passing by.. They don't typically want to talk to people who are 10 miles away from the airport at ground level probably behind 3 hills and 2 estates..

what that typically means to someone who has just bought a super duper 300€ bearcat scanner is that you will very well hear planes coming in, but you will not hear a peak from the controllers .. unless you're like our man here Mech1 who will put a super gain fine tuned aerial on a 10 ft mast on top of his chimney some 3 miles away from the airport just to deliver us the goodness of the live atc..

so to really answer your question - unless you want to get your hands really dirty with all the cables and high gain antennas, just get yourself a live-atc app on your phone and appreciate whatever enthusiasts have brought upon you

Pat Dunne

As martinavi says above there is no real need for a scanner or receiver anymore.

If you have a smart phone or tablet with mobile data just go to www.liveatc.net select the airport you want to listen into. Your selected feed will have all the frequencies integrated into it. You can even watch FR24 at the same time its just so easy.

Thanks to Mech1 the DUB feed on liveatc.net is always brilliant.

Shannon757

martinsvi wrote: »

so to really answer your question - unless you want to get your hands really dirty with all the cables and high gain antennas, just get yourself a live-atc app on your phone and appreciate whatever enthusiasts have brought upon you

Pat Dunne wrote: »

As martinavi says above there is no real need for a scanner or receiver anymore.

If you have a smart phone or tablet with mobile data just go to www.liveatc.net select the airport you want to listen into. Your selected feed will have all the frequencies integrated into it. You can even watch FR24 at the same time its just so easy.

Thanks to Mech1 the DUB feed on liveatc.net is always brilliant.

Thanks for the info lads but the problem is I can't get LiveATC on my phone so that is why I was looking at the scanners.
So would something like this:http://www.longcom.ie/product.aspx?id=10 not be any good for what I need it for?
Sorry for all the questions BTW.

martinsvi

yeah uniden scanners are class but make sure you get that antenna as well - if you scroll down on that page the one that's recommended there should be good. How far away you are from the airport?

Shannon757

martinsvi wrote: »

yeah uniden scanners are class but make sure you get that antenna as well - if you scroll down on that page the one that's recommended there should be good. How far away you are from the airport?

I would be right beside the runway. (Viewing area beside Lufthansa Technik in Shannon for those who know it)

martinsvi

ok in that case you can forget about an additional antenna, no need for it

Shannon757

martinsvi wrote: »

ok in that case you can forget about an additional antenna, no need for it

So I just need the scanner and something like that would do?

martinsvi

Shannon757 wrote: »

So I just need the scanner and something like that would do?

yes

Shannon757

martinsvi wrote: »

yes

Thank you.

tricky D

New bigger Beluga on the way witth increased capacity to transport 2 A350 wings instead of 1.

Tenger

tricky D wrote: »

New bigger Beluga on the way witth increased capacity to transport 2 A350 wings instead of 1.

Im gonna assume bigger means uglier too!

Edit; just looked at wiki. Using A332 as base aircraft. Does indeed look uglier, hump looks taller. In service from 2019.

afatbollix

I seen a trip report on here a few weeks ago. I just cashed in a load of miles for my first long haul flight. Any interest in seeing what the difference in your normal Aer Lingus & Ryanair?

martinsvi

I can't find the thread in which a rumor was circulated that Ryanair may be moving towards bonded type rating. I attended the open day at AFTA last Sunday and question was raised to Ryanair deputy chief pilot Aidan Murray whether they consider this move. The answer was a clear no, cadets will have to continue raising money themselves.

In other news the recruitment prospects look very good, they will need 750 new pilots every year for a foreseeable future. I think mr Murray was very fair reminding people, that just because they need pilots doesn't mean that they will hire just about anyone and that there are still thousands of young pilots unemployed who simply don't have the right stuff. For some reason a remark was made towards Dutch pilots, don't really know what's the story there but didn't bother to ask

Stovepipe

Ryanair can't do bonded anything, no more than any other airline, because it is banned under EU law to bond any employee, especially for something they have funded themselves. I'm told that the French courts are particularly strong on this.

martinsvi

Stovepipe wrote: »

Ryanair can't do bonded anything, no more than any other airline, because it is banned under EU law to bond any employee, especially for something they have funded themselves. I'm told that the French courts are particularly strong on this.

source? Flybe and Wizzair are doing it among many other smaller national airlines across the continent, I've never heard of it being banned or courts taking any cases against it.. are you not mistaking it with p2f?

Stovepipe

Not p2F...source is a captain friend with FR....bonding is a legal minefield because it allegedly prevents the free movement of a person, which is enshrined in EU law. My friend specifically mentioned French cases involving FR, both cabin crew and pilots.It may have involved people jumping ship, trying to evade a signed agreement.

martinsvi

it doesn't prevent a pilot to move on, when you bond a TR, it is effectively a loan issued by the company (often a separate company from the airline) and every month you pay a certain percentage back from your salary. If you decide to move on, there's nothing stopping you either paying up the reminder of the loan or continue paying it in the new company. In that essence it is not much different to what FR and Norwegian are doing with the difference being that in their case it's the cadet who organizes the loan for him/herself and the APRs are much higher. I would choose a bonded TR vs self funded at any day of the year, it's cheaper and less trouble

billie1b

Stovepipe wrote: »

Ryanair can't do bonded anything, no more than any other airline, because it is banned under EU law to bond any employee, especially for something they have funded themselves. I'm told that the French courts are particularly strong on this.

Ryanair already bond pilots into their type rating, have been for a few years now, they also bond cabin crew training expenses years now. Think your FR captain is telling porkies as most the f/o's sitting beside him/her are bonded

martinsvi

billie1b wrote: »

Ryanair already bond pilots into their type rating, have been for a few years now, they also bond cabin crew training expenses years now. Think your FR captain is telling porkies as most the f/o's sitting beside him/her are bonded

did you read my previous post? Their Chief Pilot said publicly that they don't and won't - now you're saying they do?

What they do is - a cadet that's starting up will cough up 30k (with or without the help of banks) and will pay the TR. When starting at the airline, no one works with a Ryanair permanent contract initially, you start up with your ltd which is then sub-contracted via the likes of Brookfield. For next couple of years you will claim back your TR costs via expenses, in other words you will pay no or next to nothing in tax allowing you to get that money back. Once You squeezed the very last drop of your ltd affair, you get a permanent contract directly with Ryanair. This was all explained in AFTA, it's not coming from some rumor mill or wherever else

MAYBE, just maybe experienced guys starting with FR get different conditions, I don't know - that was not what was being discussed at that time. The discussion was only about 0hour cadets with fATPLs

JCX BXC

BA sacking BA3, what will they do with the spare A318?

L1011

Carnacalla wrote: »

BA sacking BA3, what will they do with the spare A318?

Hot spare for the other, ORD, IAD - one of those I'd guess.

jimbis

RNLI open day in Dun Laoghaire this Sunday, rescue 116 will be landing on Carlisle pier at 2pm for anyone interested in a snoop around it.

Obviously dependant on if it gets a call out though.

reforger

According to the Irish Times Christoph Mueller is to join Emirates later this month as its
chief digital and innovation officer.

billie1b

Ryanair have purchaesd another Private Jet, Airbus A319, no registration as of yet

L1011

Anyone ever come across an online version of the old Sky Shopping catalogues from EI? My sister is trying to trace something that was in it in maybe 2012/3 and was always out of stock; and unlike Cara I can't find them online; only the rebranded Botique ones.

JCX BXC

Was pricing flights for a family member (and spouse) who may be going to Amsterdam in a few weeks. They have very specific days (but not times) due to work commitments.

Strangely enough, KLM were comparatively cheap, being the second cheapest option, only €7 more expensive than Ryanair, and KLM working out cheapest should times be an issue. Aer Lingus were bonkers expensive in comparison, but would have worked out cheapest if the dates were flexible.

Just thought I'd share, given how people have assumed KLM will automatically be much more expensive than the EI/FR monopoly.

donvito99

To anyone in the know, is the Air Corps Britten Norman still in service? Thought I saw it pass overhead there, followed by a GASU EC135.

Negative_G

donvito99 wrote: »

To anyone in the know, is the Air Corps Britten Norman still in service? Thought I saw it pass overhead there, followed by a GASU EC135.

Yes it is.

Pat Dunne

donvito99 wrote: »

To anyone in the know, is the Air Corps Britten Norman still in service? Thought I saw it pass overhead there, followed by a GASU EC135.

Yes the the Garda Air Support Unit, Defender is still flying and crewed by the Air Corps.