Air carrier Captain reported the inability to routinely acquire the SFB ATIS information in a timely manner due to interference from the shared frequency of SAV Tower.
Synopsis
Air carrier Captain reported the inability to routinely acquire the SFB ATIS information in a timely manner due to interference from the shared frequency of SAV Tower.
Narrative
Radio interference between SFB ATIS (125.95) and SAV ATC Tower. This is an ongoing; chronic problem and it needs to be addressed. This narrative is general to most arrivals to SFB from the north; but it also applies specifically to the flight number and date of this event.SAV ATC tower and SFB ATIS occupy either the same; or adjacent frequencies such that efforts to listen to SFB ATIS while on descent from the north are usually blocked and interfered with by SAV ATC Tower two-way communications. Aircrews and others normally seek ATIS approximately 20-30 minutes before landing in order to obtain runway in use; winds; weather conditions and NOTAMs reported on the tape. This allows crews to plan their descent and arrival; to conduct a crew brief for good CRM; and to perform other tasks such as working up relevant landing performance data for the runway to be used; allowing for the condition of that runway at the time of arrival. This information is usually obtained prior to top of descent. Interference from SAV Tower often results in SFB ATIS frequently being unintelligible long past the top of descent; well into the arrival phase of flight. Efforts by the Pilot Monitoring to listen to the usually garbled and broken SFB ATIS or discerning the ATIS message from the concurrent radio calls relating to SAV takeoffs and landings often causes the Pilot Monitoring to be distracted for an extended period of time; and unavailable to perform other Pilot Monitoring duties such as listening to and making radio calls related to the affected flight. (For pilots of single-pilot aircraft; this problem would be even worse.) The alternative to having the Pilot Monitoring listen 5; 6; or 8 times to an ATIS that is continually interfered with is to delay obtaining the ATIS until late on the arrival; at low altitude and nearly reaching Orlando Approach's airspace. This results in suboptimal approach planning and briefings; and an attempt to obtain SFB ATIS in busy training airspace with both Daytona Beach and Sanford GA aircraft; along with airline arrivals to MCO and SFB operating. Again in the second situation; the Pilot Monitoring is left busy obtaining ATIS when it is safer to be attentive to other matters. This problem can be remedied easily; by reassigning either SFB ATIS to a new frequency that has no radio interference; or by reassigning SAV Tower frequency. It would be a definite safety improvement. Strongly recommend a frequency reassignment for either SFB ATIS or SAV Tower. I think this would be an important safety improvement.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.