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Aviation => Pilot/Controller Forum => Topic started by: NCAA on October 18, 2010, 07:50:41 PM

Title: AIRCRAFT RADIOS GOING NEXCOM DIGITAL????
Post by: NCAA on October 18, 2010, 07:50:41 PM

Quick question, is the FAA eventually going to make commercial aircraft and towers switch to VDL MODE 3 for all voice communication and if it does eventually happen will this finish are listening hobby for the airband :-o

Title: Re: AIRCRAFT RADIOS GOING NEXCOM DIGITAL????
Post by: byoungblood on November 01, 2010, 12:27:20 AM

In short...NO.

NBAA, AOPA and almost every airline has come out against going to digital communications on the air band unless there is some tangible benefit to doing so. Aircraft flying out of the US would have to either have twice the amount of radio equipment or would have to be equipped with dual mode radios in order to remain compatible with countries that haven't made the switch to digital.

This isn't like a municipal or county radio system converting to a digital system where you have a couple of thousand radios to replace. You're talking about hundreds of thousands of radios having to be replaced in the US alone, not counting aircraft based in other countries in order to be able to communicate with ATC here.