The Problem with Standby Frequency Monitoring

I used to think that the new standby comm radio frequency monitoring was a great feature. That was until I actually tried to use it.

On the surface, it sounds like a great idea. Especially for mission limited aircraft. And, for the most part, it still is. But, if you're typically flying in busy airspace, as I do in Southern California, then it's not a feature you can count on for typical flight missions.

A little background:

TRACON in SoCal really appreciates all pilots flying in Southern California be in communication with them. They deal with busy radar screens and get a little stressed out when having to call out unknown traffic that affects you and your safe flight. They would rather be able to communicate with both pilots (sometimes more) and vector you away from in each in a coordinated manner. I know this because I regularly talk with several controllers and they say it's one of the worst things they have to deal with.

Any flight to another airport will require you to listen to the destinations ATIS or AWOS. In rare cases, neither of these information sources are available, but assume they are most of the time (in busy airspaces, at least). So, you need to tune a radio to pick it up. If using the secondary frequency monitoring feature, then you're able to listen to the primary frequency (perhaps ARTCC or local traffic) and the terminal information at the same time. Or, are you?

With the monitoring feature, any time there is a tranmission on the primary frequency, the secondary frequency is muted. In a busy airspace (as is the case with SoCal), you may need to listen to the terminal information message multiple times before you have all the details necessary to safely land. Many times, even with multiple comm radios, by the time you collect all the details you need, you're being handed off to another controller and behind the airplane. And if you're gundecking it (look it up), you're risking the safe outcome of your flight.

There's an upside. Let's say you have two VHF comm radios and one of them goes tango uniform on you. Well, the monitoring feature is useful when you need to pick up ATIS at your destination while also listening to ARTCC or local traffic. But, this is just a backup strategy.

If you're typically flying in busy airspace, my recommendation is to have two comm radios. This recommendation is not about having a backup, because a handheld radio would suffice if needed. This is about reducing pilot workload and successfully completing your mission.