ARINC cell phone check

Rosstafari

Rosstafari

Likes tacos
Had a Citation coming through our airspace today who called us up and asked if he could "do an ARINC cell phone check". Never heard of that one, but I noticed he listed a cell number in his flight plan remarks. I called up ARINC and they gave me three frequencies to pass along to him, which I did, but was too busy to follow up to see if it was what he needed or what he was even doing.

So... what happened there?
 
Sounds like a SelCal check. Used for HF radio when oceanic so you don't have to listen to crappy static and alien type voices all the time. The aircraft gives the controller a code that is input into the controller's radio. When they transmit to call the aircraft, it will first transmit a multi-tone "callsign" that the aircraft's radio recognizes and prompts the crew to respond.

If it really was a "cell phone" check, I'm lost. :confused:
 
They could have been looking to try out a newly installed SatPhone. You can use one to call ARINC to make position reports in lieu of dealing with waiting your turn on HF.
 
gne in prog said:
Selcal or cell phone?
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Said cell phone in the remarks, but I suppose he might've said SelCal and I just interpreted it as "cell call" or something along those lines. The number in the remarks looked like a US number in international format... 001-xxx-xxx-xxxx. He was flying domestically on our flight plan; didn't think to see if he had filed another and was just making a fuel stop.

TFaudree_ERAU said:
In which facility do you work?

If you don't want to say, is it oceanic, or somewhere along a coast line?
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Center. Coastline, but not oceanic (as in not ZOA or ZNY; part of one area reaches out a couple hundred miles or so).
 
SatCom Direct now makes a service that allows you to use your phone in the cabin to dial out calls through the aircraft's Inmarsat or Iridium network (provided you also have WIFI). Pretty cool technology and it turns your iPhone into an advanced handset. It also has much better voice quality than your typical handset.

Now, would a citation have all of that normally? I'd tend to think that would be a decked out citation, but not unheard of. What type was it?
 
Rosstafari said:
Said cell phone in the remarks, but I suppose he might've said SelCal and I just interpreted it as "cell call" or something along those lines. The number in the remarks looked like a US number in international format... 001-xxx-xxx-xxxx.
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A lot of GA jets flying through our center have cell numbers in the remarks. I would think this was separate from what was probably a SelCal check.

I like it when they have the PIC's name in the remarks too. I'm going to start putting that in when I'm flying around in a bugsmasher on the weekend.
 
Bernoulli Fan said:
I like it when they have the PIC's name in the remarks too. I'm going to start putting that in when I'm flying around in a bugsmasher on the weekend.
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I'm thinking that it's put there for them if they're using a flight planning service like ARINC or Universal. They're not trying to be "cool". Matter of fact, the PIC probably doesn't even know it's been done.
 
GUNIT said:
SatCom Direct now makes a service that allows you to use your phone in the cabin to dial out calls through the aircraft's Inmarsat or Iridium network (provided you also have WIFI). Pretty cool technology and it turns your iPhone into an advanced handset. It also has much better voice quality than your typical handset.

Now, would a citation have all of that normally? I'd tend to think that would be a decked out citation, but not unheard of. What type was it?
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Aha. I think it was a 680, so I guess that'd be one with enough range to put him over the water for a while.

Bernoulli Fan said:
A lot of GA jets flying through our center have cell numbers in the remarks. I would think this was separate from what was probably a SelCal check.
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TFaudree_ERAU said:
I'm thinking that it's put there for them if they're using a flight planning service like ARINC or Universal. They're not trying to be "cool". Matter of fact, the PIC probably doesn't even know it's been done.
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That answers another question. We see regular cell number and pilot names all the time. Thought it was an ego thing too.

May as well use them if they're in the remarks. "Ted, turn 20 degrees left, vector for a one-syllable name."
 
I used to call 800-645-1095 to get a freq on the ground prior to launch for the check (I didn't like waiting until coasting out to find out a coupler blew - ask me how I know).
 
Better off checking it in the air, then you can say it failed in flight, then you are still allowed to go. If you check it on the ground you can't fly.
 
klkm said:
Better off checking it in the air, then you can say it failed in flight, then you are still allowed to go. If you check it on the ground you can't fly.
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Sorry, what I meant was that I received freq's on the ground to use airborne. That being said, I'd rather not to another trans-Atlantic crossing without HF.
 
1) The frequencies were no doubt for an HF radio and SELCAL check.

2) The operator name and phone number is being added into field 18 (remarks) of the ICAO/FAA RNAV type flight plans ahead of the implementation of ICAO 2012 in which some sections of the flight plan will be expanded in order to better account for airplane and flightcrew capabilities. In some cases, the operator name and phone number will be that of a flight plan service provider.

3) The PIC's name goes into field 19 of ICAO/FAA RNAV type flight plans along with RNAV/RNP certifications, survival equipment, aircraft color, etc. To my knowledge, individual pilots place their information into field 18, not a flight plan service provider. You will also sometimes see the airplane's SAT phone number(s) there.

Cheers!
 
klkm said:
Better off checking it in the air, then you can say it failed in flight, then you are still allowed to go. If you check it on the ground you can't fly.
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Enjoy getting NY to buy that one. Re-routed many an airplane hundreds and hundreds of miles to keep them within VHF radio range because they lost HF.

That being said, they've taken a few from time to time, depending how busy, aircraft equipment etc.
 
And sometimes they just lie and say they have HF radio when they obviously don't, but we are not the HF police (or RNP police, or MNPS police). Pilots who attempt oceanic crossings without HF (or CPDLC) are lining themselves up for a Darwin award in my opinion. Even with CPDLC, HF contact is still a requirement.
 
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