I've got a question for those of you who do PRM approaches more frequently than I do.

The last few times I've been to ATL, they were doing PRM approaches, and I tune the monitor frequency as required. What I found unusual is that I'll often hear distracting transmissions on that frequency. I've heard vehicles crossing runways and airplanes under tow being given instructions.

My understanding of the setup is that the monitor frequency is there to protect the NTZ, and that transmissions on that frequency are safety critical to the PRM operation.

Since ATL is the only place I ever seem to get PRM approaches, I'm wondering if this is normal, or it's just an ATL thing?

 

I've never heard anything other than monitor (can't recall if I've done PRM at ATL, probably did but not in recent years).

Might be that the monitor freq gets used for other purposes during normal ops and not everybody gets the word when they go to PRM? Or maybe it's frequency bleed-over on your radios?

Or maybe you have your comm 3 knob pulled out?

 

I do them all the time into ATL and never heard anything on the monitor freq.

 

I do them quite frequently, and the only chatter you hear on the monitor frequency is a controller verifying that an aircraft is on that frequency.

 

[QUOTE=Senior Skipper;1288420]I've got a question for those of you who do PRM approaches more frequently than I do.

The last few times I've been to ATL, they were doing PRM approaches, and I tune the monitor frequency as required. What I found unusual is that I'll often hear distracting transmissions on that frequency. I've heard vehicles crossing runways and airplanes under tow being given instructions.

My understanding of the setup is that the monitor frequency is there to protect the NTZ, and that transmissions on that frequency are safety critical to the PRM operation.

Since ATL is the only place I ever seem to get PRM approaches, I'm wondering if this is normal, or it's just an ATL thing?[/QUOTE

Are you sure its the PRM freq? I can understand the tower controller crossing aircraft and possible aircraft under tow on his freq. As I understand it the PRM controller is located at the approach control facility which lot of people may not know is not at the ATL airport. Approach control is actually in Peachtree City(about 20 miles away), so its seem strange they would be controlling ground movements.

 

Thanks guys. Maybe it was a bit of a fluke, but I'm positive PRM procedures were in effect, and I was on the correct frequency. I've noticed it 2-3 times in all, landing in both directions.

Maybe it was just a fluke. I'll see how it goes next time I go there.

 

During the PRM approach, the monitor controller (who works at the TRACON) operates on the tower frequency. You do not communicate with the "final monitor" unless there is a transgression into the NTZ.

After being vectored onto at least a 15 mile final and as soon as the approach controller verifies you are tracking the LOC inbound, you are handed off to the tower frequency. At that time you're supposed to switch to tower, as well as begin monitoring "the monitor" frequency. All that is, is just an identical copy of the tower frequency, so what you're hearing is normal. A final monitor controller is able to override the local controller on the same frequency, but is not able to override another aircraft speaking on the same frequency, thus the reason for having two separate frequencies.

 

Skipper I'm with you.....how it's been about a year since I've shot PRM's at ATL, and I have done them at several other airports. I couldn't help but notice how much other chatter there was on the monitor frequency each time I shot a PRM there. Like you said it was to the point of not being able to decipher what either freq was saying. So bad I double checked to make sure we had the right freq in monitor. Never had that problem anywhere else. There were normal transmissions on it for other planes. I actually sent a FSR about it.

 

I may be totally wrong, but I was under the impression that the monitor freq was just a carbon copy of what was transmitted on tower freq. Just like when one guy is up in the tower working local and ground all of his transmissions broadcast over both freqs. So when the local controller transmits it goes out over both tower freq and the monitor freq so that if tower freq transmission is blocked by an aircraft the transmission on monitor remains "unblocked" and readable to the aircraft in the area. Its also my understanding that the monitor (who is in the TRACON) also transmits on both the tower and monitor freq for the same reason.

 

but in my case there were totally different transmissions on moitor by a guy with a different voice clearing aircraft to land on different runways etc. And it was constant which made listening to primary and monitor virtually impossible.