PilotEdge Forums

I'm able to hear PilotEdge's controllers just fine, no matter what airport they are covering. It's a bit strange to hear -- for example -- the Burbank Tower controller when I'm on the Torrance Tower frequency. But I understand why a single controller covers many airports and I'm fine with that. I also hear some pilots in other areas too; and again, I understand why I do and am fine with it.

However, I do not hear all other pilots, and that has been a big problem for me. When I hear the controller give another pilot an instruction that the other pilot is supposed to read back, I wait for the pilot to respond. Often, though, I don't hear a response, and then yet another pilot makes a request of his or her own. This has been an especially big problem as I try to complete the CAT-10 flight that requires three frequency changes in a very short time. I know that sometimes there is another pilot transmitting even when I can't hear him or her, because I've heard PilotEdge controllers chastise pilots for stepping on the transmissions of pilots I cannot hear.

Is there some reason I can always hear the controllers but can hear only some other pilots? If so, can it be fixed? I ask, because I'm still struggling to get through the CAT-10 rating. I've twice needed to do a 360 before entering the LAX Bravo, because I didn't get a clearance in time to go straight through; and both times I've messed up the Bravo transition.

The way the frequencies are set up, you will hear always hear planes on the same frequency as you. But, depending on the number of controllers working, you may hear controller instructions but not the pilot's response.

If you are on a tower, ground, or clearance frequency, you will hear all other pilot transmissions on ALL clearance delivery, ground, and tower frequencies. This was done to reduce the number of stepped on transmissions.

If you are on approach/departure, or a center freq you will only hear pilots on the same frequency.

When flying the northbound leg of the CAT-10 flight, I was on tower frequencies only. I could hear the controller talking with pilots from elsewhere but couldn't hear the responses of many of them. I am not the only one having this problem, I don't think. I've been listening to the PilotEdge Receiver this afternoon, and have heard as many as three pilots talking over one another at the same time. I know that even in the real world, pilots sometimes talk over one another. But this afternoon, on PilotEdge, it's been happening a lot.

Can something be done to let me hear all of the other pilots talking with the controller with whom I'm on frequency, even if the other pilots are on different frequencies? I'm having trouble completing the CAT-10 because I've been waiting for another pilot to respond to the controller I'm trying to talk with; and the wait has prevented me from getting cleared through the LAX Bravo in time.

The system is working exactly as it's designed. As Scott said, there are repeaters at the clearance, ground, and tower levels. This is intentional to prevent the number of blocks on frequency. So if you are on one of those frequencies, you will hear everyone else on a clearance, ground, or tower frequency in the entire airspace. This is not true for approach and center frequencies. You will hear the controller obviously, but you will not hear the other pilots unless they are on the exact same frequency as you.

All that said, if hearing every pilot on every approach or center frequency is that important to you, you can download the PE receiver and you'll be able to hear everyone. You can find that here:

https://www.pilotedge.net/pages/pilotedge-receiver