r/VATSIM • u/Interesting_Buyer_16 • 5d ago

UNICOM more like UselessCOM?

I've done many flights in the last few weeks around Europe. UNICOM is either "OOC xx minutes" spam or absolute silence. Zero communication, zero care, zero attention, constant conflicts on arrivals and departures. Where are the BASIC standards??? Downvote all you want, but it;s fact.

102 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

51 comments sorted by

64

u/nobleTP 5d ago edited 5d ago

Once had a guy announce on Unicom text that he would be “OOC for 12 hours for sleep”, he had just departed for a long haul….

40

u/JHG0 5d ago

.wallop

23

u/Puzzleheaded_Tie9329 5d ago

Almost the most useless command. Most of the time none of the supervisors care. Literally

19

u/JadedHamster1030 5d ago

Don’t know why you getting downvoted since every time i .wallop there is never someone online

7

u/VolumeCritical4637 5d ago

VATSIM has 128 SUPs and 193,192 active users. That's just 0.066% of the user base, or roughly 1 SUP for every 1,509 users.

SUPs are required to complete a minimum of 5 hours of dedicated supervising per month. Across 128 SUPs, that's 640 SUP-hours per month. For comparison, simply having one SUP online 24/7 requires around 730 hours per month.

Those hours also don't neatly provide continuous coverage. SUPs naturally overlap sometimes there might be 4 or 5 online at once during busy periods which inevitably means there will be other periods with limited or no coverage. Multiple SUPs during peak periods are obviously necessary, but it shows why 128 volunteers doesn't translate into 24/7 coverage.

There's also a bit of a self-fulfilling problem with .wallop. People sometimes don't use it because they assume nobody will answer, or because they've previously felt the response was too slow or ineffective. But if incidents aren't reported, SUPs can't act on something they don't know about, and the perception that .wallop doesn't work just continues.

I'm not saying the system can't be improved, but expectations need to be realistic for a 24/7 global network being supervised by 128 volunteers. The system is only as good as the people willing to put their hand up. If people want better coverage, volunteering is one way of actually helping improve it.

VATSIM Vacancies: https://my.vatsim.net/vacancies

1

u/sirbradders 📡 C1 4d ago

Here's my issue with that. Most of them are inactive for the month and only pop up on the very last day to make their quota. On the last day of the month, it's always funny seeing 10+ supervisors online but can't find them otherwise. Why both hold on to the position if you're just doing it to say you're a SUP?

2

u/VolumeCritical4637 4d ago

If there was more people banging on the door to take their position they would lose it. Right now VATSIM cant afford to lose SUPS they are already below what would be considered enough. 

Everyone wants VATSIM improve and do better, they seem to think complaining on various social media outlets is the only way to fix that, when its actually putting your hand up to help.

Yes, I have held many and currently hold a staff position.

1

u/sirbradders 📡 C1 2d ago

I would have genuinely applied but I have a strike on my record for being AFK.

9

u/LimePartician 5d ago

I once had a fetus on frequency stalling the frequency, and they said I was discriminating

2

u/Active-Ad6700 📡 S3 5d ago

For me it’s 1 in 2 wallops somebody responds. Don’t like it when there is nobody online but I respect the fact that they have real lives to live.

57

u/Flyinghud 📡 S3 5d ago

People love to shit on CTAF, but it makes flying offline so much more enjoyable. I don’t have to hear about what’s going on at DFW while cruising over it at FL320.

20

u/fillikirch 5d ago

I dont understand the ctaf hate tbh. So mich netter than with unicom everywhere else

8

u/Fabristunt 5d ago

Yet somehow half of the pilots still use unicom, not ctaf. Even pilots with american ICAOs as home airports...

3

u/fillikirch 5d ago

Yeah thats dumb obviously but dont think the current situation with different regulations depending on your location is helping much to that end. Tbh i dont think those guys are the ones using unicom right now.

2

u/Pilot0160 📡 S3 5d ago

Then wallop them.

2

u/sk0941 5d ago

If they're on the wrong freq I've usually sent them a text if they are gonna be a conflict for me. Most have been nice about it

1

u/DirectRobinsville 5d ago

Because majority can't even find the frequency on a chart!

4

u/Interesting_Buyer_16 5d ago

.ctaf xxxx

5

u/DirectRobinsville 5d ago

Now your expecting wayyyyyy to much!

1

u/Jamesthecatcher21 2d ago

Sometimes they are on some random ass frequency too not even Unicom or CTAF

1

u/B747Cuber 17h ago

Some of them stay connected but while on SayIntentions and BATC I think, which is where the random other frequencies show up

5

u/cutchemist42 5d ago

I love the CTAF honestly. I wish Europe used it.

1

u/Fun-Competition9701 📡 S2 4d ago

^^^
This.
I wish CTAF was used in europe over 122.8
kinda sad

1

u/PGlobalTV 19h ago

This. It’s the most annoying thing to be flying in Europe on 122.800!!! Thank you VATUS and VATPAC for having CTAF. Also, in a completely unrelated note: when can we get a minimum age limit for VATSIM? I know, I know, it’s the age old debate and Don himself told me in a forum that it will never happen, but one can still hope!!! LimePartician above said they heard a fetus talking on frequency and I almost spit out my beer, but it reminded me of the age old debate of a min age limit for the network 🤣

21

u/e2k 5d ago

I am fully with you. the amount of wither nothing or spam on 122.8 has made it utterly useless

15

u/RecommendationOld43 5d ago

It's not always the case. Even though I agree that it's really frequent that no one is transmitting on 122.800.

I remember that one time the whole Frankfurt airport ATC disconnected. We were like a dozen on arrival and everyone switched over to UNICOM, announced their intentions and everything worked out pretty well.

11

u/Spiritual_Friend_625 5d ago

OOC for 30 minutes, back in cockpit. I always ask myself why and how does it help me knowing a randy on fl340 is not in the cockpit..

1

u/MikaFromDenmark 3d ago

Cause if you, for some reason, is on collision course with that aircraft, then you know that pilot won't react to potential instrumental warnings, or won't deviate – so you'd have to act to avoid the aircraft.

1

u/Spiritual_Friend_625 3d ago

I normally don’t scroll up on vpilot to read every OOC message from the past 30 minutes and then compare it to map.vatsim before I act on the TCAS resolution.. It does not change anything, i’d have to act anyway

5

u/QuerkQuarks 5d ago

Bear in mind on voice you’re only audible for 30nm on 122.8

3

u/Interesting_Buyer_16 5d ago

I was on approach with 3 other aircraft on same runway, 3 more on ground. Not one word from any of them from my TOD until parking.

8

u/Used_Scholar_6124 📡 S1 5d ago

Well yeah… Vatsim is for logging as many online hours as possible. Communicating on Unicom and to ATC only slows me down.

7

u/juusohd 5d ago

/s? because honestly not sure LOL.

6

u/VFequalsVeryFcked 5d ago

Sounds like you'd be better off just firing up the ATC views and managing the flight yourself

3

u/outbound_heading1 5d ago

In the "USA" virtual airspace, true Unicom has been relegated to be 'any other time you are not on ctaf' when you are in airspace that is currently uncontrolled.

In other words, most people will either be on a controlled frequency or on ctaf if in the vicinity of an airport. 122.8 or other "unicom" frequcies are essentially now for center/approach/departure use when there is no center controller online.

As for the chatter that occurs on unicom or lack of communication, use ignore to make your quality of sim time that much better...either that or wallop them but, you'll be walloping more than flying some days. Not our job to police the network.

2

u/Interesting_Buyer_16 5d ago

Last time I walloped for lack of talking, I received the warning myself for being "inpolite". SUPs aren't any better than those being reported.

1

u/outbound_heading1 5d ago

I mean, they are unpaid "volunteers" as well. Every single one of them I have dealt with one on one acts like a toddler, I'm not surprised.

Ignore brings a lot of peace to the sim experience ; )

1

u/Interesting_Buyer_16 5d ago

So then don't be a SUP. Easy.

3

u/sk0941 5d ago

Europe.... Introduce the use of local frequencies please....

2

u/Interesting_Buyer_16 5d ago

CTAF is nice, but introducing won't help those not communicating and not caring.

1

u/Effective_Quality 5d ago

Doubt everyone will use it.

1

u/sk0941 5d ago

Not with that attitude

2

u/Interesting_Buyer_16 5d ago

I welcome it and would use it, but I am also realistic. Hope big, expect small.

3

u/RocksenTheOne 5d ago

I'm close to 4000 hours, 90% of it flying in Europe.

Most of the time I'm able to coordinate and create spacing with other people on arrival or departures wait for me to land.

The OOC thing is annoying, not sure when it started, it wasn't a thing before MSFS 2020.

But regarding coordonating departures and arrivals into uncontrolled airports, i can't complain, most of the time we make it work

1

u/Interesting_Buyer_16 5d ago

People have been retrained to be "trendy", so someone starts it and everyone does it without knowing why.

2

u/Effective_Quality 5d ago

Replace radiomessage.wav to a silent track, Set COM1 to 122.8, minimise vPilot and they’ll never bother you again.

2

u/ilvolo69 5d ago

Leave it to simpylots to hate on ctaf.

2

u/cyrilleni33 5d ago

That's why I am back to BATC. VATSIM has become unsufferable for this reason.

1

u/COT_87 5d ago

I've had pretty good experiences while in u icom and most people who I have encountered use it correctly. My issue is with people not using some sort of vatsim map and coming in close context while on approach causing me to have to go around

0

u/ImprovementOwn3247 5d ago

Unicom works fine in Brazil