listening in some few miles away...
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Join Date: Nov 2004
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listening in some few miles away...
is there any scanner receiver that i can listen clearly too whilst at home with a very good good clear enough reception?.
my last scanner, a bearcat 105 was only good enough when i was actually at the airport. very clear.
once home, a few several miles away, its was so faint.
is there something better, as if like i was at the airport?.
sometimes i see aircraft flying over my home, i think on missed approaches, and would like to listen in on both sides.
thank you.
my last scanner, a bearcat 105 was only good enough when i was actually at the airport. very clear.
once home, a few several miles away, its was so faint.
is there something better, as if like i was at the airport?.
sometimes i see aircraft flying over my home, i think on missed approaches, and would like to listen in on both sides.
thank you.
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First point - be truly aware that it is illegal a) to listen to airband transmissions, and b) to publish anything you may hear.
With that in mind, scanners are generally of poor quality when compared to professional equipment costing many thousands of pounds. They are particularly susceptible to receiving strong signals from stations to which they are not tuned. Hence, if you are listening to a weak signal and a police car drives past whilst its radio is being used, your scanning may be "swamped" and the weak signal will disappear. Local FM radio and even CB or amateur radio transmissions may block the receiver too.
Next point. VHF reception is, generally, "line-of-sight". This means that if the transmitter is over the horizon from you (about 21 miles or more), or there are large building in the way, the signal may be severaly attenuated or lost completely.
Matters can be improved by having an outside aerial high up and in the clear, but the other side of the coin is that if you feed a cheap scanner with a very efficient antenna it will pick up many more signals resulting in intereference to the signals you are attempting to receive.
With that in mind, scanners are generally of poor quality when compared to professional equipment costing many thousands of pounds. They are particularly susceptible to receiving strong signals from stations to which they are not tuned. Hence, if you are listening to a weak signal and a police car drives past whilst its radio is being used, your scanning may be "swamped" and the weak signal will disappear. Local FM radio and even CB or amateur radio transmissions may block the receiver too.
Next point. VHF reception is, generally, "line-of-sight". This means that if the transmitter is over the horizon from you (about 21 miles or more), or there are large building in the way, the signal may be severaly attenuated or lost completely.
Matters can be improved by having an outside aerial high up and in the clear, but the other side of the coin is that if you feed a cheap scanner with a very efficient antenna it will pick up many more signals resulting in intereference to the signals you are attempting to receive.
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You can buy cars and drive them at 100mph, which is illegal. You can buy knives and guns and harm people, which is illegal. Similarly, you can buy radio equipment which is illegal to use.
Go to the ATC forum and read the "sticky" about listening to UK ATC communications. You are prohibited from listening to any radio transmissions for which you do not have proper authority.
Go to the ATC forum and read the "sticky" about listening to UK ATC communications. You are prohibited from listening to any radio transmissions for which you do not have proper authority.
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HD, Just would like to correct you on the fact its illegal listening into ATC. (Can't believe I'm doing this to you as well 
)
Diverting attention to this thread: http://www.pprune.org/atc-issues/206...tions-law.html
Its not illegal to own and listen into ATC in the UK as long as the device cannot transmit and the information within isn't transmitted via the internet live or any other way. I have been, as well with Malaysian28, stopped many times at LHR and LCY by police who have seen the device and have actually talked about aircraft themselves. If it was illegal and listening into ATC right in front of them, why were we not arrested?
) Diverting attention to this thread: http://www.pprune.org/atc-issues/206...tions-law.html
Its not illegal to own and listen into ATC in the UK as long as the device cannot transmit and the information within isn't transmitted via the internet live or any other way. I have been, as well with Malaysian28, stopped many times at LHR and LCY by police who have seen the device and have actually talked about aircraft themselves. If it was illegal and listening into ATC right in front of them, why were we not arrested?
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Iranair 777. Sorry, but it is you who are mistaken. I quote from that "sticky":
Although it is not illegal to sell, buy or own a scanning or other receiver in the UK, it must only be used to listen to transmissions meant for GENERAL RECEPTION. The services that you can listen to include Amateur and Citizens' Band transmissions, licensed broadcast radio, and weather and navigation broadcasts.
It is an offence to listen to any other radio services unless you are authorised by a designated person to do so.
That quite clearly states that only certain transmissions may be monitored unless you are properly authorised and it is not possible for an ordinary member of the public to obtain such authority.
I know the police, well most of them, turn a blind eye to spotters using radios. All I was pointing out was the law as it stands, in the shape of the Wireless Telegraphy Act.
May I suggest that you look at this link and read it very carefully:
Guidance on Receive-Only Radio Scanners | Ofcom
Although it is not illegal to sell, buy or own a scanning or other receiver in the UK, it must only be used to listen to transmissions meant for GENERAL RECEPTION. The services that you can listen to include Amateur and Citizens' Band transmissions, licensed broadcast radio, and weather and navigation broadcasts.
It is an offence to listen to any other radio services unless you are authorised by a designated person to do so.
That quite clearly states that only certain transmissions may be monitored unless you are properly authorised and it is not possible for an ordinary member of the public to obtain such authority.
I know the police, well most of them, turn a blind eye to spotters using radios. All I was pointing out was the law as it stands, in the shape of the Wireless Telegraphy Act.
May I suggest that you look at this link and read it very carefully:
Guidance on Receive-Only Radio Scanners | Ofcom
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What I am about to ask is extremely stupid?
[QUOTE]The services that can be listened to under the definition of general reception are:
(Sorry for all the questions, I am usually compared a Three year old who asks 7,000 questions a day)
[QUOTE]The services that can be listened to under the definition of general reception are:
- licensed broadcasting stations;
- amateur and citizens' band radio transmissions; and
- weather and navigation transmissions
(Sorry for all the questions, I am usually compared a Three year old who asks 7,000 questions a day)
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With that in mind, scanners are generally of poor quality when compared to professional equipment costing many thousands of pounds. They are particularly susceptible to receiving strong signals from stations to which they are not tuned. Hence, if you are listening to a weak signal and a police car drives past whilst its radio is being used, your scanning may be "swamped" and the weak signal will disappear. Local FM radio and even CB or amateur radio transmissions may block the receiver too.
I got a WIN108 for my Christmas in the 90s and it didn't have any issues and picked up Scottish Control base stations all across Scotland from my home in Ayrshire. Local airports on less powerful transmitters were more line of sight. My best scanner was a Yupiteru VT225 which had amazing reception but is now sadly unavailable. You might not need an aerial if you get a good handset. What HD says about the law, and he often quotes it is technically true. I think that the world has moved on and the precedent for TV news to use such transmissions frequently in items means that it appears that the powers that be have no interest in applying the law in that way.
There are a HUGE number of laws on the statute book that have not been used in years and may well never be used again. I think the world has moved on a little bit since then.
Does someone have a link to anyone in the UK ever getting prosecuted for this common activity? I suspect there is a CPS guideline which would see this not being in the public interest to pursue.
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Skipness One Echo. I don't dispute your last couple of paras, but I always feel bound to warn inexperienced people of the law and possible dangers. It is a total tragedy that the radio spectrum is no longer policed in this country. Anyone can do virtually what they like and radio dealers do not warn customers of the legal side of their purchase - of course not; they're just interested in lining their pockets!
I would not agree with your first comments because I have seen scanning receivers from when they first became available right up to modern equipment and they all suffer from overload or breakthrough to a certain degree. If you hang a hundred quid wide-band scanner on a big antenna then don't expect the sort of performance you'd get from more expensive equipment dedicated to particular band(s). Comparing my Fairmate HP-2000 with some of my amateur equipment really shows up its shortcomings. Commonsense must dictate that a little box covering 1000 mhz of bandwidth must be a compromise, which it is.
I would not agree with your first comments because I have seen scanning receivers from when they first became available right up to modern equipment and they all suffer from overload or breakthrough to a certain degree. If you hang a hundred quid wide-band scanner on a big antenna then don't expect the sort of performance you'd get from more expensive equipment dedicated to particular band(s). Comparing my Fairmate HP-2000 with some of my amateur equipment really shows up its shortcomings. Commonsense must dictate that a little box covering 1000 mhz of bandwidth must be a compromise, which it is.
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Does someone have a link to anyone in the UK ever getting prosecuted for this common activity?
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HD I agree actually. The two sets I quoted were £160 and £250 in the 1990s and air band specific. I'm not sure they build them that good anymore. Jack of all trades, master of none with some of the new ones.
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I love my Yupiteru MVT-7100.
Superb airband reception (with long telescopic or dipole).
It also covers the shortwave bands and has USB/LSB modes so you can hear aircraft crossing the oceans around the world.
Not built anymore but definitely the best portable scanner I've used. Got mine from eBay.
TrafficPilot
Superb airband reception (with long telescopic or dipole).
It also covers the shortwave bands and has USB/LSB modes so you can hear aircraft crossing the oceans around the world.
Not built anymore but definitely the best portable scanner I've used. Got mine from eBay.
TrafficPilot
