Radio Communication Practical class to be run on Monday
19th April
Please familiarise yourself with how to switch on radios, adjust the volume
and especially the proper use of the squelch.
The squelch is only to keep the loudspeaker or headphones quiet in the abscence
of a radio signal, but if improperly used, something that is very common,
it will manage to blank out weak signals. All radios have some means
of lifting the squelch, most of the older ones had manual control, the new
ones don't.
The term squak means to set a given code on the transponder. Squak
ident means that ATC want you to do some action to force the transponder
to transmit
so that they can positively identify you at a particular moment. Many
transponders have a little red button that you press to do this, but some
have an extra
spring loaded position on the on/off switch that you hold against the spring
momentarily. Take a look around the aeroplanes so see which they have.