Lindsey Wiebe 1101951 Posted September 30, 2016 at 05:20 PM Posted September 30, 2016 at 05:20 PM Hi, when there are multiple center controllers on is there a rhyme or reason to their designations (eg. OAK_04_CTR)? Inevitably when there are two or more controllers I will pick the wrong one, "OAK CTR CXA318 FL180 from the east" "CXA318 contact OAK CTR on 127.8"; this is the reason I don't gamble... haha Back to the title, is there a way to determine WHOM I should be contacting first? I know it's not a biggie and all the controllers I've ever encountered aren't bothered by it, but I always strive to learn more about vatsim. I use skyvector charts and they show exactly where a center's airspace begins but I've yet to find any reference to a freq. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to use OAK_N_CTR OAK_S_CTR etc? I'm not referencing OAK specifically as an issue, it's just the first to come to mind as I fly Cali regularly. In fact I've had many a conversations with Nick Navarro on freq or pvt text regarding different procedures. We've even worked out the SQL departing north while SFO are landing north. That's an interesting departure with the PC12. Thanks! Mr. VATSIM P2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastien Bartosz Posted September 30, 2016 at 06:38 PM Posted September 30, 2016 at 06:38 PM Yes, some ARTCCs use the actual sector codes, but you're right, it makes no sense to pilots or neighbouring controllers. Thats why some ARTCCs have switched to a geographical nomenclature because it makes more sense. A way of getting an idea of who to contact might be by looking in the controller info and getting an idea of what they might cover. New York ARTCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernesto Alvarez 818262 Posted September 30, 2016 at 06:47 PM Posted September 30, 2016 at 06:47 PM ATC dont, and shouldnt, expect pilots to know the sector divisions. pick one, theyll tell you right away if you are on the right one by keeping you or redirecting you to the right one. i have ran into situations though, and theirs no nice way to say it, but a few egotistical controllers will kinda go on a rant for calling the wrong sector, but again, thats their job to know, not yours. not even real sectional charts will define sectors, just show you frequencies which "kinda" help pilots figure out who to call based on their position. people get it wrong though and it should not be a h[Mod - Happy Thoughts]le to simply tell a pilot which is the correct one. online controllers can help though by including information in their controller information to help pilots know if they should call them or not. more often then not though, i find when the sectors split, they often dont Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Board of Governors Don Desfosse Posted September 30, 2016 at 08:08 PM Board of Governors Posted September 30, 2016 at 08:08 PM +2 to both of these replies! It's one of my (minor) pet peeves when controllers don't use a geographic and or High/Low identifier. I always check the controller info in such situations. Probably 1/3 of the time, it will be in there. Many times, unfortunately, it won't. When in doubt, if coming from uncontrolled airspace or on the ground asking for a clearance, I'll just pick one and say something like, "xxx Center, DAL123 [position report], are you the right controller to talk to?" or "xxx Center, DAL123, on the ground at XXX looking for clearance to YYY, are you the right controller to request that with?" Don Desfosse Vice President, Operations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindsey Wiebe 1101951 Posted September 30, 2016 at 09:29 PM Author Posted September 30, 2016 at 09:29 PM Sounds like a common pet peeve... maybe controllers can use the feedback and plop it in their "info". I always read that information, unfortunately lately it's been generic/blank. It would be appreciated if they indicated "controlling east ops, or south ops, high level, etc". Mr. VATSIM P2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommi Karkkainen 1322309 Posted October 1, 2016 at 06:55 AM Posted October 1, 2016 at 06:55 AM Sounds like a common pet peeve... maybe controllers can use the feedback and plop it in their "info". I always read that information, unfortunately lately it's been generic/blank. It would be appreciated if they indicated "controlling east ops, or south ops, high level, etc". Or even better, list some of the airports they cover in the info. The border between north and south is dubious, but saying "I cover southern parts of Finland incl. EFHK EFTP EFOU" is pretty clear that your sector goes all the way up to Oulu, but probably doesn't include Rovaniemi (EFRO). I've seen German controllers do this kind of thing in their info regularly, and it really helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wygene Chong 1089621 Posted October 2, 2016 at 12:08 AM Posted October 2, 2016 at 12:08 AM Totally agree with Tommi about listing major airports. For those covering multiple countries (e.g. BIRD, ASEA, GULF), list those countries. When I'm on BIRD_CTR my info says: Reykjavik Control - Iceland, Central Greenland and the Faroe Islands http://www.vatsim-scandinavia.org/pilots/airports/iceland If I'm on BIRD_E_CTR, it'll be just "Reykjavik Control East - Faroe Islands" etc... Wygene Chong C1 Controller | Iceland | Greenland | Faroe Islands VATSIM Scandinavia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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