unitedchicago From United States of America, joined Jan 2000, 90 posts, RR: 0 Posted (6 months 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 2707 times:
Hello,
I've been meaning to post this. I've heard a cockpit automated voice come from the RJ 700 saying something to the effect of "cell call". Not sure I have that right but believe it's something ending in "call". It's only when we're parked at the gate.
XFSUgimpLB41X From United States of America, joined Aug 2000, 3996 posts, RR: 36 Reply 2, posted (6 months 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 2522 times:
Except since the CRJ has no chime for an ACARS message, the SELCAL aural alert is used instead. It is incredibly obnoxious hearing that every message you receive.
roswell41 From United States of America, joined Aug 2001, 577 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (6 months 6 days 5 hours ago) and read 2496 times:
Most CRJs (all that I've flown personally) have never been equipped with a real SELCAL system. The CRJ does however use an audible 'SELCAL' to alert the crew to a new ACARS message.
Fabo From Slovakia, joined Aug 2005, 1111 posts, RR: 1 Reply 5, posted (6 months 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 2316 times:
Quoting HAWK21M (Reply 4): Why no real selective calling on the type....
Is there even a need? Best use for SELCAL is when you get only one message in a longer amount of time, typically NATOPS and PACOPS and so, meanwhile CRJ usually fly in rather busy airspaces. Is there even an option for using SELCAL for ex. on eastern coast of the US and eastern Canada?
The light at the end of tunnel turn out to be a lighted sing saying NO EXIT
roswell41 From United States of America, joined Aug 2001, 577 posts, RR: 1 Reply 7, posted (6 months 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 2256 times:
Good question. I don't know the answer to why no ACARS audible alert was installed. I am sure a real SELCAL system is an option that few CRJ operators exercise. SELCAL is most useful when flying over long distances with only HF coverage. With SELCAL, pilots don't have to continuously monitor the HF radio since that system will alert them of incoming messages. As you can see, all things not particularly useful for your average CRJ route.
longhauler From Canada, joined Mar 2004, 4316 posts, RR: 36 Reply 8, posted (6 months 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 2249 times:
Quoting Fabo (Reply 5): Is there even a need? Best use for SELCAL is when you get only one message in a longer amount of time, typically NATOPS and PACOPS and so, meanwhile CRJ usually fly in rather busy airspaces. Is there even an option for using SELCAL for ex. on eastern coast of the US and eastern Canada?
Canadian Airlines used to have SELCAL on their B737-200/300s, using VHF frequencies. This was a way for Flight Dispatch to maintain flight watch before the days of ACARS. It continued right until the retirement of the type, as it was considered ACARS installation too expensive considering how long the aircraft were remaining.
Never gonna grow up, never gonna slow down .... Barefoot Blue Jean Night
XFSUgimpLB41X From United States of America, joined Aug 2000, 3996 posts, RR: 36 Reply 9, posted (6 months 5 days 13 hours ago) and read 2228 times:
Early CRJ operators didn't have ACARS, so that likely had to do with no programming of an ACARS chime. Why it hasn't been retrofitted, I have no idea. I can't imagine how many radio calls are missed every day due to that ridiculously loud aural message.
Fabo From Slovakia, joined Aug 2005, 1111 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (6 months 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 2167 times:
Quoting XFSUgimpLB41X (Reply 9): I can't imagine how many radio calls are missed every day due to that ridiculously loud aural message.
Ironic, isnt it?
Quoting longhauler (Reply 8): Canadian Airlines used to have SELCAL on their B737-200/300s, using VHF frequencies. This was a way for Flight Dispatch to maintain flight watch before the days of ACARS. It continued right until the retirement of the type, as it was considered ACARS installation too expensive considering how long the aircraft were remaining.
Interesting tidbit, thanks longhauler! So do I understand it right, that you would have a radio with SELCAL tuned to company frequency, and when you got a chime, you called home and asked what they wanted?
The light at the end of tunnel turn out to be a lighted sing saying NO EXIT
longhauler From Canada, joined Mar 2004, 4316 posts, RR: 36 Reply 11, posted (6 months 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 2079 times:
Quoting Fabo (Reply 10): Interesting tidbit, thanks longhauler! So do I understand it right, that you would have a radio with SELCAL tuned to company frequency, and when you got a chime, you called home and asked what they wanted?
Yes, that is exactly right. The VHF frequency was the same from Victoria to St. John's, and Com3 was always tuned to this frequency.
Ironically enough, with the source for the B737s from at least 10 different airlines, the actual location of the SELCAL light (push to cancel) was different. I had one occurrence where the button was at the top of the overhead panel, to the right. Probably easy to find on a dark night, but on this bright day, it took us a few minutes of "bing-bong"ing to find it.
It was a "one-off" in the fleet, that I had never before seen! We knew what it was, just not where it was!
Never gonna grow up, never gonna slow down .... Barefoot Blue Jean Night
woodreau From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 895 posts, RR: 7 Reply 13, posted (6 months 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 1757 times:
It must be an customer option to have an ACARs msg trigger the SELCAL aural and associated EICAS status, as our CRJs don't do that. Instead when we receive an ACARS msg, the printer prints the message automatically. No annoying "SELCAL" aural or anything like that. in addition we'll get a "MSG" annunciation on the CDU scratchpad.
When I worked for a B1900 operator, we had SELCAL using VHF. Most of the time we used it to call company not so much for dispatch to call us as we never bothered to tune the appropriate frequency into the VHF radio.
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