Subscriber question:
"How long should you wait before checking in with a new station after ATC gave you a new frequency?" — Bobby B.
Martin:
“Nobody likes to be interrupted in the middle of a conversation, but it does happen — especially on VHF radio frequency in the airplane.
One simple way to mitigate that is to wait for a few seconds after a frequency change, and just listen before checking in with the new controller. That way you know there wasn’t a conversation already in progress. As a pilot, you know very well how most radio exchanges are spread over multiple transmissions alternating between the controller and the pilot. Wait until the end of such an exchange, or else it gets harder for everyone involved as now there are multiple incomplete conversation threads going on.
A variation of this is helpful when a controller transmits on multiple ATC frequencies for different sectors. In that case, you will hear the controller talking, but sometimes not the pilot. They are transmitting on a different frequency, but their transmission is still important to the controller. As a courtesy and for efficiency, resist the urge to chime in on frequency just because there’s a break. Instead, try to imagine the responses of the pilot you cannot hear. Wait until this conversation (only half of which you hear over the radio) is over.
Given how standardized most of what we say on the radio is, it’s amazingly predictable just when the conversation will be over, even if you don’t hear of all it.
Now, if you have an emergency on your hands or you need to speak up now to avoid an emergency? Do what you have to do. But checking after a frequency change, and many other non-time-critical transmissions can wait a bit.”
Watch this video on how to handle a frequency change from one ATC facility to another from PilotWorkshops VFR Communications Manual.
What do you do if the frequency is so busy you can't find a gap to check in with ATC?
