listening in....
 

:) -hello i'm new to this site & just wanted to ask if you can listen in on LHR atc on the net. many thanks. :ok: ...

No chance - is is illegal in the UK.

You can just get away with listening with your own radio but it is illegal to tell anyone else what you heard. Therefore to rebroadcast in the net would fall into this category.

many thanks. cheers.:)

Why is it illegal? Most of the major news networks are tuned in plus there are a lot of "spotters" with airband radios who listen in all the time.

<<Why is it illegal? Most of the major news networks are tuned in plus there are a lot of "spotters" with airband radios who listen in all the time.>>

It's also illegal to exceed 70mph on motorways, but most drivers do it!

DanL just out of interest, having read the ofcom section of the thread, how have you come to the conclusion

from the ofcom website

Dan L,

We've been over this a lot in the last couple of days. It IS illegal. The fact that no one bothers about it is irrelevant to your statement.

If you practice discretion then it will continue to be ignored probably, it's not a big deal, but the law still stands. Bear in mind that a schoolboy doesn't set the laws of the land or judge on what is and isn't legal. That's down to the authorities, such as OFCOM (you've been given the links already several times). Readers should take their view as the correct one, not your flawed assertions.

BTW, I'd estimate that 90+% of drivers break the motorway speed limit. Very few are arrested or stopped from doing so. Must be legal then ??

thanks for the quick and cheeky reply, however back to the legislation, how have you come to the conclusion that its not illegal.

Maybe this should be a new 'sticky'....

It is illegal to listen to the airband, but UK authorities tend to turn a blind eye.......

So, is it illegal even if you hold an RT license? :E :suspect:

All those who require a definitive answer should read this, which although being suitably confusing:D does offer an email link if you wish clarification.
Edited to include this link which quotes Section 5(1)(b) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949

which

"makes it an offence if a person "otherwise than under the authority of a designated person", either:

"(i) uses any wireless telegraphy apparatus with intent to obtain information as to the contents, sender or addressee of any message whether sent by means of wireless telegraphy or not, of which neither the person using the apparatus nor a person on whose behalf he is acting is an intended recipient"
This means that it is illegal to listen to anything other than general reception transmissions unless you are either a licensed user of the frequencies in question or have been specifically authorised to do so by a designated person. A designated person means:

a. the Secretary of State;
b. the Commissioners of Customs and Excise; or
c. any other person designated for the purpose by regulations made by the Secretary of State.

or:..."

a further email link is available on that site.

Snigs - YES!!! Licence holders are only entitled to use the radio equipment for which they are authorised whilst in the course of carrying out their duties. For example, an airline pilot is authorised to use radio whilst he is flying and carrying out his duties, but he is NOT entitled to go home and listen to the air bands. The same applies to air traffic controllers. As for why scanner users are not prosecuted it's all down to money and the disgusting state of this country. There used to be effective policing of the airwaves but, alas, no longer.

Dan L - for someone who claims to be a "wannabe pilot" you need to accept facts and to understand that on here there are many professional people who know what they are talking about. When/if the time comes for any airline interview... if those on the other side of the desk saw your postings on here they probably wouldn't invite you into the room!

HEATHROW DIRECTOR ..... as to why scanner users are not prosecuted etc. etc. etc. I can remember , before I worked in ATC back in the sixties one could go to Manchester Airport or Ringway (aaah) and use an air band radio on the old viewing terraces above the apron IF one had had the radio checked over in an office at the base of the tower ! Nothing really to do with the state of the country , in my opinion . As I remember , it was illegal to listen-in then also .

I guess this must be like growing/using hash. Perfectly legal to buy the component parts, totally illegal to use them.

So, it's illegal to listen to ATC, but OK to buy a radio that allows you to? :rolleyes:

I've visited ATC before, should I have closed my ears? :p

I do hope some of the individuals in the ATC forum are not reflective of the ATC community as a whole. The "if you are interested in our job, p*ss off" attitude is not constructive!

zed3

Think that happened about the time that airband receivers became widely available (Volstatic - anyone else remember them?). I seem to recall that EMA had a similar policy. Most sets didn't cause any problems but there was a cheapy converter available that you stood next to your medium-wave broadcast receiver. The box down-converted airband sigs to a frequency that could be picked up by the broadcast receiver, but in the process emitted enough RF to present a real hazard to ATC communications. The powers-that-be came down very hard very quickly on the importers.

HD:

Do you have a reference for this as I don't find these words in the regs.

As far as I am concerned my RT licence gives me authority to use a radio on the airband in the manner described here. Has this ever been found to be otherwise ?

And as a recreational PPL I don't have any "duties" anyway !

WHBM

If you look on the ATC Issues Forum and look under the 2 Questions thread some kind soul has provided a link to the rule and regs. I'm too much of a computer dinosaur to link it myself!!

Hope it helps.

Rej

If it's so vital that non-licensed users don't overhear ATC frequencies, why not use digitally encripted radio similar to that used by GSM/TETRA (I'm referring to the encryption, not the mobile system itself)?

OK so the answer is cost and compatibility, in which case, why the fuss about people listening to a broadcast on an un-encrypted network, so long as the equipment used by listeners does not degrade the service?

Nice sweeping statement there. Care to expand on that. There has been countless threads on the legalities of scanners and listening to ATC frequencies. And if you're referring to certain comments in a thread over there at the moment, perhaps you should go back and read them AGAIN, and have a think about why they have been written.

I draw you to this thread. Read the second and third lines. Says it all really. Something like that gets quoted in a paper, or a journalist thinks "Yeah, I've got a spare couple of hours, where's me scanner". And believe me, Halo wouldn't have the luxury of being able to contact them to put them straight (as in this case). Also, some controllers are very easy to recognise over the R/T, and it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to work out who they are.

They say a little information can be a dangerous thing.