KLGA Tower Frequency Range

[Wrongway Corrigan]

I am 8.5 miles from LaGuardia Airport. Am I in range to pickup the Tower frequency with an aviation band radio? I know many other factors will apply, but I wanted to know if distance will be a factor.

[NYARTCCFAN]

I used to live in NJ on the other side of the Hudson(North Bergen) which was around 9 miles from LGA and I was able to receive tower loud and clear. But then there is always issues with terrain and electronic environmental interference.

[Derf]

yes (EDIT.... sorry about being so vague, I should have said "Yes you will be able to hear with no problem unless you live next to a power station) The other answers were much better than mine....see the next post below.

Fred KB2VVT

[Matt Molnar]

I am 8.5 miles from LaGuardia Airport. Am I in range to pickup the Tower frequency with an aviation band radio? I know many other factors will apply, but I wanted to know if distance will be a factor.
Hearing the tower shouldn't be a problem, but hearing the planes talking to the tower could be sometimes since they will often be farther from you than the airport.

[LGA777]

I am 8.5 miles from LaGuardia Airport. Am I in range to pickup the Tower frequency with an aviation band radio? I know many other factors will apply, but I wanted to know if distance will be a factor.
Hearing the tower shouldn't be a problem, but hearing the planes talking to the tower could be sometimes since they will often be farther from you than the airport.

Gotham, no disrespect but the opposite is true, and it's because of line of sight. I have lived in different area's of this area in my 24 years here and often times on home scanners I could here the aircraft talking to say JFK Tower but could not here the controllers transmissions.

And here is another example with the actual VHF radios we use for our company and ramp control freqs at work at LGA. I often talk to aircraft on my company freq that have departed or are inbound that sometimes are a 100 miles away clearly, as their is nothing to block the signal, or line of sight. But when aircraft land on 22, and turn off the runway and start to taxi to the ramp their is in area in front of and around the AA Hangars where it is sometimes very diffucult to here the pilots transmissions only a mile away again because of line of sight. Between my Tower, (even thought it is elevated) and the aircraft are the AA Hangars, Main or Central Terminal, current and new FAA towers, and the former TWA and United Hangers, all taller than my location. This all has a significant effect on line of sight, hence an aircraft on the ground is harder to hear 1 mile away than one inflght 100 miles away.

Respectfully,

LGA777

[Gerard]

>Gotham, no disrespect but the opposite is true, and it's because of line of sight. I have lived in different area's of this area in my 24 years here and often times on home scanner I could here the aircraft talking to say JFK Tower but could not here the controllers transmissions.<

Have to agree. When I lived in Forest Hills, Queens and living on the second floor of an apartment building between Queens Blvd
and the GCP I very rarely heard LGA Tower but did hear the planes and the helos. Heck I even heard helos flying on the river
freqs in Manhattan.

[Matt Molnar]

Makes sense, I stand corrected.

[cancidas]

...and it's because of line of sight.
don't forget that if you're inside any kind of structure that'll limit the range as well. steel and stone (concrete, cinder block) are probaby the worst. if you're using a hand-held reciever then you might not even hear the tower. when i use my transciever in the office i can't hear the LGA tower because of interference, but can them fine if i'm standing on the roof of my house 7 miles away.

[Delta777LR]

From Throgs Neck I get the LGA take offs and landings communications nice and clear. very often when the planes are landing on rwy 22, I can hear clearly (Taxi position and hold traffic landing on 22). But I can hear more clearer from the planes landing. When I go to Co-op City I can hear the final approaches very clear.

[Wrongway Corrigan]

I will give everyone a report once I get the radio. It will be used on the rooftop of a four story building, so hopefully that will help with reception.