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By: - 8th November 2003 at 00:58 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
No you can hear both the tower and the a/c speaking.Dont think they are ilegal as they are sold in everyday shops but i could be wrong ? Never heard of anyone in the u.k being prosecuted for using an airband radio but who knows ?
By: - 8th November 2003 at 07:01 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
well Ive bought one, I wanted to enhance my ATC experience from VFR to IFR for when I do my CPL next year, dont think they are illegal or they wouldnt be on sale as said above, just dont take one on board an aircraft with you.
D.
By: - 8th November 2003 at 07:03 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Re: Airband REceivers: are they legal
Originally posted by Jeanske_SN
And can you hear tower and aircraft speaking, or only aircraft?Jens
only if you are in range, remember you are at ground level so you need to be in close proximity to the transmitter to hear the ATCO, but as the aircraft transmits downwards you can hear them plain as day, I live 9nm north of Filton Aerodrome Nr Bristol and can only pick up the aircraft transmitting and not the ATCO.
Dean.
By: - 9th November 2003 at 14:25 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I can't remember the legalities exactly but I have a gut feeling that owning a receiver is ok as you can't transmit with it. If it is a transceiver I think you are really supposed to have a radio operators license (at least in the UK).
By: - 9th November 2003 at 15:39 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Originally posted by SOFTLADNot a good reason. Weapons are ilegal too but sold in official shops :)
No you can hear both the tower and the a/c speaking.Dont think they are ilegal as they are sold in everyday shops but i could be wrong ? Never heard of anyone in the u.k being prosecuted for using an airband radio but who knows ?
Receivers are legal since radio waves are public.
If you use a receiver you can listen any kind of wavelength.
Most of the sensitive military tramsmissions are crypted anyway.
Only transmitters are strictly regulated and as wys said you need a license for that.
By: - 9th November 2003 at 16:43 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Deano ,if you live near the transmitting station for the appropriate frequency, you can get both sides of the conversation ,but normally it is pilots side only ,unless you live near the transmitter!
The freqs that I get both sides of conversation are on the I Of Wight and that does give good reception ,also if you get a very foggy day, try listening then, and you may be pleasantly surprised --I got the LGW approach and LHR apprach both sides of conversation and theyre both based at West Drayton.
By: - 9th November 2003 at 16:43 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hi guys!
I have it on good authority that you could have your equipment grabbed (oo-er!) if you flaunt it in public (not sure of that definition...) and/or listen to the police freq's! Since most receivers will pick up the police quite easily it will obviously depend on how bad a day they are having - not whether you are actually doing it at the time! And if you are wandering around an international airport with an earpiece in then don't be too surprised if someone 'invites' you to explain what you are doing! :)
By: - 9th November 2003 at 17:11 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There was a story (on the old forum) i remember where a guy fom Newcaslte/Teesside direction bought one of the £5k transmitters via mail order from someplace. He used it to talk to ATC on one of the channels they have to communicate freely with each other like unicom or something but one reported him and he was traced via the mail order company.
He had to cough up something like £50-100,000 in damages.
Apartently the £5k transmitters are meant for ATC towers or Airlines for company frequency.
By: - 9th November 2003 at 17:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
yea i have a personal scanner and we have two box sets at work for use to talk to the aircraft. I know the box sets are licenced as the have the details on the side, as do all of th aircraft radios i believe?
By: - 9th November 2003 at 17:36 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
It's illegal to listen to anything that you are not licensed to (airband, police, etc, etc) - in the UK anyway. The scanner itself isn't illegal.
By: - 9th November 2003 at 17:47 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
You CANT listen to Police in the UK without a Police Radio which would have to be taken from a Police Officer....
I have fun with the VHF function on scanner of listening to taxi companies.
If i had a car i would go after their fare :D
By: - 9th November 2003 at 19:35 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
At the front of Airwaves 97 (erm, the most recent airband book I have...) it states: Whilst generally tolerated, it is illegal in the United Kingdom for any unlicenced person to listen to any airband transmission, whether military or civilian. It is also illegal to pass on any information heard on these frequencies to another party.
The UK Scanning Directory (1993 edition) states that South Yorkshire police now regard a scanner as a burglar's tool, alongside the jemmy.
The fact that both these guides state that they are for entertainment and educational purposes only and are not intended for use alongside or in conjunction with any type or form of VHF/UHF scanning receiver is countered by the fact that they are both crammed with tasty frequencies!
Your scanner will send out a signal - I have walked through air show carparks listening to the action and setting off car alarms, and also done the same from the top of a multistory carpark whilst photographing a large building on fire (me? Listen to the fire brigade? Not me? :eek: )! I nearly did the same at the May Day 2000 protest in London, but luckily left it behind since the police had their detection equipment working and did catch several press that day (apparently...).
AND you can still listen to the police on VHF and UHF - or rather some police, depending on the encryption devices employed and the acceptance of the aerials for the next generation systems by the public (not very popular due to suspected radiation!).
I'll just warn you: don't flaunt it.
Flood.
Posts: 1,776
By: Jeanske_SN - 7th November 2003 at 20:53
I want to know if those airband receivers (to listen to atc communications) are perfectly legal; i heard some story about somebody who had it and disturbed police communications with it. but that seems strange to me; you don't send messages?
And can you hear tower and aircraft speaking, or only aircraft?
Jens