An Eye And An Ear To The Sky
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I have been an active photographer for the past 25 years and also a very active Amateur Radio operator for almost as long. I have many photography interests, but my primary interest has been in trains and ships That is up until a few years ago when I developed an interest in aviation photography and in 2016 I joined the Halifax Airport Watch Group. While perusing my photography interests over the years I have always been able to combine my love of photography and my passion with radio communications which has assisted me greatly in achieving my photography goals. In the hobby of Plane Spotting, having the appropriate information is important is key in knowing when and where to be in order watch a particular plane arrive/depart or to snap a great photo.
In today's world of technology there are many useful apps one can install on their mobile device which can provide invaluable information to the Plane Spotter. Examples include Flight Radar 24 which provides live flight radar and schedule boards for just about any airport worldwide. Another example is Live ATC which streams live Air Traffic Control communications for most major airports worldwide. The mentioned apps also include a lot of other useful information such as aircraft identification and other airport data. There are many other useful apps out there for the tech inclined which we will discuss in further article, but for now I would like to give a brief introduction to Aviation Radio scanning.This discussion will focus on scanning around (CYHZ) Halifax Stanfield International Airport, but will provide a reference for aviation radio frequencies at other airports. This discussion will contain a very basic list of the most used frequencies to get one started. More frequencies and in depth scanning information will follow in future articles. Future articles will contain information on how to understanding what you are hearing and tips on finding the right scanner.
Halifax Stanfield International Airport(CYHZ) Radio Frequencies;
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ATIS 121.000
Tower 118.400
Terminal 119.200
Ground Control 121.900
Clearance Delivery 123.950
Gateway FBO 129.100
Shell FBO 123.400
ESSO FBO 129.300
For a more detailed list of frequencies and a good general description of Aviation Scanning and Plane Spotting please check out the Maritime Scanning Site.
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Another site to find scanning information and frequencies is Radio Reference.
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Brian Teepell, VE1ILD
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