SBS-1, Did a search but nothing... so here goes

[Deal or No deal]

Having had a quick browse through the legality of a scanner, I wonder what applies to tracking a/c in real time with this box??

Did a search for 'sbs', 'sbs-1' and basestation' and nothing so thought I'd give it a shot..

I've seen it it action tracking a/c over 100 n/Miles and a/c on the ground in real time and wondered what the legality of this is???

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

I personally believe that it is illegal under the WT Act just as using a receiver to monitor the air bands is illegal. SBS receives signals on frequencies for which authority to monitor cannot be obtained by a member of the public. However, there is virtually no chance of being prosecuted in this country - that's my opinion too.

[BOAC]

An interesting topic: Please try to keep all commercial links off the thread or I will need to either delete them or close it.

As HD says, an interesting 'legal challenge' brewing here.

Typical Screen shot here (http://callsigns.xs4all.nl/Mode-S%20ADS-B/showplaatje.htm)

[Clarence Oveur]

When I got my RT licence I had to sign a form stating that all transmission were confidential, and that I was only allowed to reveal the content to persons so authorised. There was even a reference to the paragraph under which I could be prosecuted.

These days RT, ACARS and everything else that is transmitted seems to be monitered by cyber peeping toms. I wonder how they would feel about having their phone at work tapped 24/7 by whoever.

[llondel]

The law takes a pragmatic line on it all - if you monitor stuff other than broadcast or amateur radio (and now CB, I think) but never act on the information received (including not telling anyone else) then there's no way they can tell you've done it. ATC and marine band are grey areas because at some level people who aren't currently qualified pilots or sailors might be listening in as part of self-training with a view to doing formal qualification.

Part of the problem is that the authorities have been very lax in taking action - remember the old mobile phone stuff with recordings of royalty? Several people should have been prosecuted for that but strangely none were. A poorly or inconsistently enforced law is useless, either it should be scrapped or the state should take it more seriously.

I've always worked on the principle that if I say it on the radio, someone's going to hear it and possibly take note. Therefore there are things I won't say on the radio.

[Curious Pax]

When SBS-1 first came out a number of sites like the one BOAC links to appeared, with screenshots updated in real time. However in the space of a week all the UK-based ones (that I knew of) were taken off air. Messages on them suggested that officialdom had had a quiet word along the lines that broadcasting such things would lead to trouble if they didn't stop it.

Non-UK sites still seem to operate, but presumably the laws are different in those countries.