LiveATC Discussion Forums

Air Traffic Monitoring => Listener Forum => Topic started by: t3hwookie90 on August 23, 2011, 02:42:46 PM

Title: JFK (All/119.1 pri) Tower is weak and garbled in static
Post by: t3hwookie90 on August 23, 2011, 02:42:46 PM
anyone else notice this that anytime the JFK tower transmits that he is really REALLY hard to hear.

Side note, did something happen at JFK? Is that why the frequency is so quiet?
Title: Re: JFK (All/119.1 pri) Tower is weak and garbled in static
Post by: t3hwookie90 on August 23, 2011, 02:58:03 PM
I should say did something happen OTHER than the earthquake.
Title: Re: JFK (All/119.1 pri) Tower is weak and garbled in static
Post by: t3hwookie90 on August 23, 2011, 02:59:54 PM
Never mind, i guess it was just the last guy who was in the CAB. The guy up there now I can hear crystal clear.
Title: Re: JFK (All/119.1 pri) Tower is weak and garbled in static
Post by: tyketto on August 23, 2011, 04:48:19 PM
Quote from: t3hwookie90 on August 23, 2011, 02:58:03 PM
I should say did something happen OTHER than the earthquake.

Nope.. not really, other than the quake. I was listening to the Delivery fed, and the controller there mentioned that they did evacuate, so they weren't in the tower at all.

EWR evacuated as well. DCA and IAD didn't. don't know about PHL or BWI. LGA stayed open.

BL.
Title: Re: JFK (All/119.1 pri) Tower is weak and garbled in static
Post by: MikeNYC on August 23, 2011, 05:19:00 PM
As tyketto mentioned, JFK tower evacuated and control resumed from a backup "tower". Presumably the transmitters are not as strong or antenna location is different, so the LiveATC reception is not as good as the normal setup. When the all-clear was given, operations reverted back to the standard tower and the feed came in at full strength.
Title: Re: JFK (All/119.1 pri) Tower is weak and garbled in static
Post by: Lynch_Christopher on August 23, 2011, 08:43:43 PM
That's interesting that they resumed control from a backup "tower". I wonder where they resumed control while they were evacuated. When they weren't in the tower cab they were probably using the battery powered programmable transceivers (PET2000) to communicate with the aircraft.
Title: Re: JFK (All/119.1 pri) Tower is weak and garbled in static
Post by: MikeNYC on August 23, 2011, 08:53:58 PM
While I don't have further information about the backup tower location or equipment, it was used 3 years ago when there was a fire in the main JFK tower:

http://avherald.com/h?article=408ca2dd&opt=0
Title: Re: JFK (All/119.1 pri) Tower is weak and garbled in static
Post by: Lynch_Christopher on August 23, 2011, 08:58:11 PM
Quote from: MikeNYC on August 23, 2011, 08:53:58 PM
While I don't have further information about the backup tower location or equipment, it was used 3 years ago when there was a fire in the main JFK tower:

http://avherald.com/h?article=408ca2dd&opt=0


Thanks for posting that article. Interesting stuff.
Title: Re: JFK (All/119.1 pri) Tower is weak and garbled in static
Post by: aevins on August 23, 2011, 11:11:31 PM
The Kennedy Tower Emergency Relocation Kits are located at the Satellite Rescue Station Fire Training Building.
Title: Re: JFK (All/119.1 pri) Tower is weak and garbled in static
Post by: dave on August 31, 2011, 09:09:29 AM
The audio on those particular PET2000's was horrible.  :-)  But they do work in a pinch.  Could have been the microphones, though, not necessarily the radios.