tmmorris
6th Sep 2006, 07:08
I know that using a handheld receiver to pick up airband frequencies is technically illegal but mostly tolerated. But...
I've recently bought an ICOM IC-R5 receiver, because as well as VHF airband it can receive UHF (and lots of other things). The military airfield I fly out of has its ATIS only on UHF and telephone, so previously in the air I haven't been able to get the ATIS inbound. They're used to this.
Now I can plug my ICOM into the music input of the audio panel and receive UHF frequencies in the air. So yesterday, for example, I picked up the ATIS inbound and was able to say on my first call that I had information F. (And I can get the Brize ATIS to get their QNH flying over their zone on a FL, for example.)
Nobody queried it, but do you think eyebrows might be raised in the tower? Would I be more likely to be shopped for doing this than the plane-spotter in the adjacent carpark?
Tim
I've recently bought an ICOM IC-R5 receiver, because as well as VHF airband it can receive UHF (and lots of other things). The military airfield I fly out of has its ATIS only on UHF and telephone, so previously in the air I haven't been able to get the ATIS inbound. They're used to this.
Now I can plug my ICOM into the music input of the audio panel and receive UHF frequencies in the air. So yesterday, for example, I picked up the ATIS inbound and was able to say on my first call that I had information F. (And I can get the Brize ATIS to get their QNH flying over their zone on a FL, for example.)
Nobody queried it, but do you think eyebrows might be raised in the tower? Would I be more likely to be shopped for doing this than the plane-spotter in the adjacent carpark?
Tim