Internet ATC Freq's you can listen too

[zerotohero]

Does anyone have any links you can listen to live ATC from London over the internet?

[Scott Diamond]

There's a thread in 'ATC Issues' forum with the law on listening to ATC in the UK, suggest you read up on it. :ok:

[AnthonyGA]

Try http://www.liveatc.net.

However, you won't find any UK ATC on the site, because of legal restrictions in that country. Lots of American ATC, though.

[zerotohero]

thats just gay!

the uk is far too gay these days

[Ian Brooks]

What ?

Ian B

[simonchowder]

Why? do spotters have some god given right to monitor ATC radio transmissions?, id actually introduce even more draconion restrictions on the ability of the knapsack brigade to eavesdrop on people doing their job.

[Avman]

Simonchowder, what a totally inane post! First of all I don't believe any spotter thinks that it's a God given right to begin with. VHF scanners have been available in the UK since at least the sixties when I had one. My general interest in aviation together with many hours of fun listening to my scanner influenced me to seek a career in ATC. Nothing wrong with listening to ATC. The big no-no is publicising what you hear. That's what some idiots choose to forget for the sake of 5 seconds of fame!

[Tarman]

I'm not a spotter, but I have listened to ATC since I was a boy. Because of this, when I was training for my PPLH a few years ago, my ability to communicate on the radio was well in advance of fellow students and even now as a private pilot I have a far greater understanding of ATC than most of the guys flying for fun. The radio part of the PPL course for both fixed and rotary is a major concern for some students and previous experience of listening to ATC transmissions would be very helpful.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<Nothing wrong with listening to ATC.>>

Quite wrong, Avman. To monitor radio transmissions for which you do not have authority contravenes the WT Act - it's all laid down in a "sticky" in the ATC Forum I believe. That's one offence. Publishing what you here is another offence.

Plainly, during your ATC career, you haven't had some silly boy playing at being air traffic controllers on your frequency or you might feel differently!!

[Panop]

Strange that just about only the UK and various totalitarian states seem to find this activity an issue. 99.9999% of listening, which is and has been widespread for over 40 years, results in no harm at all and is interesting and educational to those concerned.

Naturally any harmful misuse of such information and certainly any illegal radio transmissions are to be condemned and prosecuted but it is hard to see how an enthusiast listening would be of any concern to any pilot or controller - after all their radio transmissions are hardly top secret (except in a tiny minority of UHF military calls which are much harder to monitor anyway) and we are talking about open channel calls that can be heard by many others and not private conversations.

Radios for this purpose have long been available in most western countries, including the UK, and I would be interested to know how many genuine safety or security issues their use by enthusiasts has caused.

I for one, have listened, on and off, for many years to such radios and it has done nothing but confirm my belief in the safety of ATC and flying in general and has given me an insight into areas of aviation that I would probably have otherwise missed.

The UK WT Act is a leftover from bygone days and could do with an overhaul IMHO.

[eastern wiseguy]

HD....I have no problem with LISTENERS . I agree that the malicious transmitters need stomping down on.

How the heck could you enforce a no listening policy?. It really is a dinosaur of an act!

Maybe they should all be doing this (number 13)

The world's strangest laws - Times Online (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article2251280.ece)

[Avman]

HD, what are you on about? I was talking about listening, not transmitting.

[Edited to keep the peace following a PM from HD] ;)

[phineas]

Are people with pilot’s licenses allowed to listen on their days off?

[boeing_eng]

Ah good old HD!.....You really need to give the sermons on air band listening a rest old boy!;)

As for nuisance transmissions…..Stuck mikes and pilots selecting the wrong box etc cause far more problems in proportion to someone who may have managed to get hold of a transceiver (although obviously anyone who does illegally transmit on one deserves the book thrown at them!)

[WindSheer]

I'm not a spotter, but I have listened to ATC since I was a boy. Because of this, when I was training for my PPLH a few years ago, my ability to communicate on the radio was well in advance of fellow students and even now as a private pilot I have a far greater understanding of ATC than most of the guys flying for fun. The radio part of the PPL course for both fixed and rotary is a major concern for some students and previous experience of listening to ATC transmissions would be very helpful.

I was the same.....my first lesson was quite funny. I asked my instructor if I could handle the radio...he was a bit taken back.
Needless to say we struck an instant friendship as he was amazed at the standard of my RT.

:ok:

[boe777]

Why? do spotters have some god given right to monitor ATC radio transmissions?, id actually introduce even more draconion restrictions on the ability of the knapsack brigade to eavesdrop on people doing their job.


Please give yourself a break " have a kit kat ", we can understand if the knapsacks have FIM-92 Stringers... these guys love Aircrafts and the avionics, they are in now way being hindrance to people doing their job.. HOW ?.

[magpienja]

Got to say listening to ATC since I was a lad of 13 in the 60s (vhf skymaster) now 56 has given me a very good grasp of aviation VHF in my later in life ppl activity's, I remember when we used to trek to ringway in the 60s spotting we had to take our airband radios down into the comms section room under the tower to have them passed as ok to use at the airfield,

Saying all that I know its still technically illegal,

These morons who tx with illegal handheld do need making a very serious example of though,

Handhelds transceivers seem far to easy to get hold of IMHO.

Nick.

[Groundloop]

Give HD a break. All he did was state what the law in the UK ACTUALLY is ie he corrected Avman's statement by pointing out that technically there is something "wrong" in listening to ATC. The fact that the law is never enforced is a separate issue.

And what the h*ll is this new yoof speak use of "gay"?!:ugh:

[Avman]

I didn't make my statement in context of the law. It was a personal opinion with regard to, and only to, listening. Anyway, matter closed now.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

I'm appalled at the rudeness I received from one individual in a PM about this thread. I have never intentionally been rude to anyone on here. I simply stated facts, as I always try to in PPruNe.

I have been involved with radio communications both professionally and in my hobby for 50+ years and I hold the radio regulations in high regard. The fact that one abuses them is nothing to be proud of. Sadly, it's the culture nowadays, just like the loonies who drive at 100mph on the motorways... "It's OK, everyone does it"..... until they kill someone. IMHO abuse of the radio spectrum has increased dramatically and I'm just glad that I am out of operational work before something bad happens. I have experienced the results of kids playing at being controllers and it's very scary..

[Sobelena]

Heathrow Director, you are correct about the law. However, I'm not entirely sure that you are reading other posts objectively and in context. People unlawfully transmitting is a very serious issue, but, not withstanding the legal issue, a seperate one to that of simply listening in for for private consumption..