Who monitors guard?

Who monitors 121.5 in flight?

  • Yes

  • Sometimes

  • No

Results are only viewable after voting.
Most of the time.

Every now and then I pick up an ELT and report it to ATC. I'll bet they're mostly false alarms but there is one time that I didn't report and found out later that it was a real crash with fatalities. I keep hoping that the ELT wouldn't have made a difference in their survival.

And there's also that other incident that I related in the other thread.
 
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Definitely on long cross countries IFR. I double check I’m still tuned to Guard when I haven’t heard anything for a few minutes from ATC to anyone, in case I went out of their range.
 
Most of the time. If I'm just doing a short local flight, probably not. If I am going long-ish distances, or I am IFR, definitely. Required to monitor it while at work.
 
Mexico pilots use it for chitchat, along the border here I’ll turn them down…. and forget I did :(
Otherwise; monitored except for atis/asos
 
My MDAR (meow : dead air ratio) is normally very low.
 
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> ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN UNITED STATES NATIONAL AIRSPACE, IF CAPABLE, SHALL MAINTAIN A LISTENING WATCH ON VHF GUARD 121.5 OR UHF 243.0.

I have two radios so I monitor guard unless I'm picking up ATIS or something.
 
#2 comm is nearly always on guard. Exceptions, getting automated weather or if guard gets inundated with meows, Chewbacca, etc. I’ll return to guard after getting automated weather or after it’s likely the meowing has ended.
 
Doesn't matter if I'm at work or flying for fun - #2 is on guard unless it's being used for something else (ATIS, ramp, etc).

EDIT: One exception - if I'm doing an ocean crossing or going south over the west Atlantic, #1 is on guard. We use #2 for 123.45.
 
ATC uses it contact you if they’re unable to on the assigned frequency. I’ve had this happen when they forget to hand me off. If it gets annoying I turn it off and usually turn it off when I get close to my destination; wx, approach and CTF frequencies is enough radio workload for me.
 
#2 is on guard unless needed for something else (AWOS, CTAF monitoring before ATC cuts me loose, stuff like that).
 
kayoh190 said:
if I'm doing an ocean crossing or going south over the west Atlantic, #1 is on guard. We use #2 for 123.45.
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That's interesting. Why do you switch Guard from #2 to #1 when coasting out? We just switch #1 from our last ATC freq to air-to-air and leave Guard on #2.
 
Larry in TN said:
That's interesting. Why do you switch Guard from #2 to #1 when coasting out?
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I have absolutely no idea. :p Your question prompted me to look it up - it's indeed directed by our FOM and not just some culture thing. But why? Dunno.
 
Answered sometimes.
If I'm just doing a short local flight, probably not.
Cross country distances, definitely.
 
Always, but today there no meows until I got home.
 
Ed Haywood said:
I answered No, but the discussion has persuaded me to change to Sometimes.
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I also answered "no", and am frankly surprised to find myself in the minority. 95% of my flying is either ifr or on flight following. I have enough radio chatter without the flying cats and guard nazis. Makes me wonder exactly how boring airline flying must actually be.

Possible i got a bad taste in my mouth from the couple times I accidently broadcasted on guard and promptly got yelled at by 37 pt 121 meat servos that I was "ON GUARD!!!!!!!!".
 
#2 radio is always being monitored at least. I use it for ATIS, clearance, ground, and guard. Which means, in the air, I'm monitoring guard unless I'm listening to the ATIS. It's simple to do, and required because I am able. (While glaring at the FAA for not following proper rulemaking procedures.)

Sometimes, you get meows. Sometimes, there's a prez TFR nearby and you get to hear all of the incursions, of which there are sadly far too many. Sometimes, you get a cabin announcement and a bunch of guard police. But sometimes, you get to listen to an actual emergency. Last one I remember was a C130 with an engine fire that diverted to PIA.

Jim K said:
I also answered "no", and am frankly surprised to find myself in the minority. 95% of my flying is either ifr or on flight following. I have enough radio chatter without the flying cats and guard nazis. Makes me wonder exactly how boring airline flying must actually be.
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The "3D Audio" feature of newer audio panels, where Com1 is biased to the left ear and Com2 to the right, is extremely valuable when trying to pick this apart. You can also turn the #2 radio down to a lower volume so that you always hear your calls on Com1. Or, if you still have a speaker and an audio panel that lets you put each source on headset or speaker, put #2 on the speaker.

Jim K said:
Possible i got a bad taste in my mouth from the couple times I accidently broadcasted on guard and promptly got yelled at by 37 pt 121 meat servos that I was "ON GUARD!!!!!!!!".
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Meat servos... LOL!

Yeah, the guard police are dumb and unprofessional. Don't let them change how you operate.
 
Yeah, I just keep guard at a lower level. You get used to hearing chatter on both and being able to sort stuff out. Almost all the flying I do now is outside of US airspace, so there's a lot less garbage to listen to on guard.
 
On long XCs I typically have guard as the STDBY channel in Com1 and monitor it. Com2 is used to pick up wx. The active channel on Com1 is either ATC or the nearest CTAF.
 
I didn't used to when I started flying. Part of that was in my first plane com2 was an older KX-170 that didn't have a standby frequency/flip-flop button. I've been in the habit since training of using com2 for weather/monitoring and com1 for actually talking.

But when I switched to an airplane with a KX-155 on com2 that does have a standby I still didn't start. What actually got me doing it was actually the meowing. Or rather everyone on aviation social media talking about it- I was curious because I'd never heard any of this stuff so that's what actually got me to start monitoring if I'm being honest. Took a while before I heard anything but it made me chuckle a bit and it still does.

Yes, I'm monitoring guard more because immature people meow on it. I've got an immature sense of humor, sue me.
 
Most always. Last two trips to the airport, someone had managed to activate their ELT in their hangar. Initially, I thought it might be my plane, but the signal decreased in intensity when I taxied away. Turns out it was planes in two different hangars adjacent to mine. If for no other reason, monitor to make sure your ELT isn't accidentally activated.
 
Never, unless looking for old school ELT (CAP) (yes, they are still out there). No excuse; maybe I'll do better. Monitoring is more important now that the satellites quit listening to 121.5. Just spent a few days looking for a guy that had not upgraded his ELT; and the battery from his old ELT was dead; sitting on the kitchen table. His wife was not happy; even less so when we found him.
 
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I'm gonna have to start monitoring, because according to the other thread, there is top notch entertainment going on there.
 
If an ELT is going off on guard and you are monitoring, and you are on flight following, is it customary to give the controller a heads up so they know which area it’s going off in or is this not necessary
 
I do mention it.
Sometimes ATC will ask airplanes to listen for an ELT and report if they hear it.
That way they can figure out the area it's coming from.
 
Nikhiln25 said:
If an ELT is going off on guard and you are monitoring, and you are on flight following, is it customary to give the controller a heads up so they know which area it’s going off in or is this not necessary
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I report it as a car alarm…in Minecraft of course
 
Nikhiln25 said:
If an ELT is going off on guard and you are monitoring, and you are on flight following, is it customary to give the controller a heads up so they know which area it’s going off in or is this not necessary
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Not required, but encouraged. AIM 6-2-4(d).
 
Yesterday I was on an IFR flight plan and an elt was going off at 45 past the hour so the non test time window. I let the controller know and he was like “ok.. why are you telling me that”
 
Nikhiln25 said:
Yesterday I was on an IFR flight plan and an elt was going off at 45 past the hour so the non test time window. I let the controller know and he was like “ok.. why are you telling me that”
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Might be a new guy...
 
Nikhiln25 said:
Yesterday I was on an IFR flight plan and an elt was going off at 45 past the hour so the non test time window. I let the controller know and he was like “ok.. why are you telling me that”
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I recently learned that they took out the test window(s) - no time for 121.5 beacons to be tested anymore.
 
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