Airband Radio

[Maxflyer]

Does anyone know if an airband receiver can be used onboard if using an earpiece. I know certain equipment is taboo, but I wondered if that covered receivers as well?

[Easy226]

Hi Maxflyer,
I'm not too sure on the answer for the question, however I took and used my airband receiver on a flight last month. On the outbound journey to Palma, I rested the radio on the table and the cabin crew clould clearly see it and did not blink an eyelid at it. However on the way back , I was using the receiver (again with the earphones) and one of the cc. told me to turn it off!
Many Thanks
Dan

[simonhk]

did cc say why you had to turn it off? - just blind "policy" or some other reason:hmm:

[5milesbaby]

A friend of mine a while ago was told not to use his onboard by the Captain as it is a 'receiving unit' that could interfere with the avionics - bit like mobile phones then?

[take_that]

Guys

A receiver is exactly that! I'm no engineer but I believe that it shouldn't make any difference to most aircraft (sure someone will correct me).

5miles baby - A mobile phone however is a receiver and a transmitter. It is the transmitting part that we don't like. It interferes with the radios and other equipment. Take for example your mobile phone in the car or at home. Whenever it changes its local cel or is switched on it will update itself. It is this noise that you will hear through the speakers and what we hear through our headsets. This can be extremely distracting especially when you have more than one mobile updating and in busy airspace.

Personally, I don't have a problem with someone listening to their radio or using GPS. However, I ask that it is turned off for take-off and landing. These are critical phases of flight and I wouldn't want to take any chance that something just MAY set something off or interfering with the instruments.

With regard to the cc on a flight. They may view it that if another pax saw you using it they may get their mobile phone out and start using that or may get distressed thinking that its a remote device for some sort of no good;)

At the ed of the day it's each to their own and some airlines may have different policies on the subject.

[Bealzebub]

No you cannot use it onboard !

The radios fitted in an aircraft are certified and installed in acordance with the relevant approvals. The receiving and or transmitting antennae are built into the aircraft structure.

Your own radio is likely to cause interferrence and as such is a potential source of nuisance and indeed may be downright dangerous.

Those of you posting how no one objected to your use of one, are being nothing short of idiotic ! If your doubts persist telephone the CAA and ask them your question.

If in doubt leave your toys switched off until your off the aircraft, be it radios, laser pens, gobal positioning systems, cellphones, televisions, walkie talkies, etc, etc, etc. If it is approved by the carrier they will almost always tell you in their literature, and then when it can be used. If not don't assume. If life would be truly unbearable for you to spend a few hours without said toy gismo or gadget then ask a crewmember for guidance.

[Spitoon]

Good heavens! I used my newspaper on a flight last week.

It's people like me who just don't understand the complexities of modern aircraft who must be a danger to everyone.

[Maxflyer]

Bealzebub sounds like a very anal retentive schoolmaster I used to have to listen to. I asked a question in what I deemed a polite manner. Most responses were made in the same way, however there is always someone who feels they hold the highground! To all others who posted a reply to my question I say thanks, to Bealzebub I say go and get a life.

[Bealzebub]

No Max, never been a schoolteacher anal retentive or otherwise. I have been an aircraft captain for many years though. This is a professional pilots forum and indeed your question though polite was presumably intended for that audience. You applaude the replies of those whose answers were incorrect though sympathetic to your own question. If you dont want to know the answer dont ask the question.

My reply was the answer of an airline captain. if you want comments from fellow passengers try the SLF forum. As I said if you want a definitive reply phone the C.A.A. As for getting a life I work a demanding schedule and am married with half a dozen kids and all the trials and tribulations that go with that joy. I dont really have the time to take on any more commitments but thank you for your inciteful and no doubt well intentioned advice.

[gingernut]

I'd be a little careful in making the assumption that recievers cannot interfere with other recievers.

Although the risk is small, (and the consequences potentially great), using an airband reciever can set up a cycle of events leading to the production of a high pitched oscillation known as a "birdy" which could potentially interfere with the aircraft radio.

Perhaps a posting on the engineer forum could furnish you with more detail.

It does beg the question, why bother? As a bit of a nurd myself, (often found at the threshold of 06 at Manchester dumbly waving at aircraft), I must say that listening in whilst flying, is taking anorakness to the extreme isn't it ?

[GlueBall]

Many inflight entertainment systems feature a VHF listening channel,...where interested pax can listen in on cockpit Com 1 radio traffic. :ooh:

[tyro]

Gingernut,

"I'd be a little careful in making the assumption that recievers cannot interfere with other recievers."

So would I, and I pay for my flying by designing gory digital bits of mobile phones.

Most modern VHF receivers (e.g. car radios, scanners) work by generating a radio frequency which is almost the same as the one they are trying to receive. Inevitably some of this signal leaks out of the receiving aerial. This radio pollution is picked up by other receivers in close proximity. If this polluting signal is sufficiently strong, it will decrease their sensitivity to intentional signals. Despite the interfering signal in the cabin being very weak compared to an intentional transmission, its effect is disproportionate. (The inverse square law for electromagnetic radiation seriously tilts the scales in favour of a weak but nearby signal over a strong and distant signal.)

So unless you know just how leaky your radio receiver is, it's only safe to assume that it might interfere significantly with the aircraft's receiver.

Having said all that, I've never heard of interference caused by a GPS or radio (excluding mobile phones) operated in the cabin.

[bornflyer]

Hi,

Im also not an engineer, but i guess Receivers can also interferre because of its oscillations, though very weak. U can check this out by putting two receivers together then start tunining one of them, at some frequency u will notice that it will start interferring with the other and u will hear a whistling sort of a noise in the other receiver.


Thanx

[RUDAS]

Im afraid as far as i know, scanners are totally banned for use on board in flight. In fact, the South African Airways inflight magazine actually specifically mentions that scanners and recievers are not permitted.

Sad, but true...

[paulo]

Every time something like this gets asked, someone pops up and claims that "it is not allowed.". (beelzebub in this case)

In reality, the answer comes from a mixture of the local regulations / operator policy / commander discretion. To claim that there is a global rule is nonsense.

In short, ask when you get on.