Author Topic: Bringing scanner on plane?  (Read 14552 times)

Offline will123ab

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Bringing scanner on plane?
« on: January 06, 2005, 07:50:10 PM »
Do the  airlines let you bring a scanner onboard a plane? I am gonna be flying soon and I was thinkin it would be cool if I could listen to my plane during the flight...I highly doubt they let you but I thought I would ask just to be sure... If not on the plane, do they let you listen in the gate area?



Offline Hopkins

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Re: Scanner on plane
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2005, 08:53:01 PM »
You can bring it on to the plane, but you cannot use it.  To my knowledge, no US airline allows you to use any radio-like device on a plane.

I've never had any problems using it in the gate area.

If you're flying on United, you can always plug your headset into the seat arm and tune in channel 9!

Offline Jason

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Bringing scanner on plane?
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2005, 09:45:25 PM »
Unfortuanately it is against FAA and FCC Regulations to use it altough people do use it in flight and on-board.

Hopkins, is it still channel 9?  After 9/11 I couldnt not get it anymore and heard they stopped doing it.

Offline Hopkins

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Channel 9
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2005, 10:11:23 PM »
It's still operational across the fleet, but turning it on for any particular flight is at the discretion of the pilot.  Many people have reported listening since 9/11, so you must have just been on a flight where the pilot felt uncomfortable using it.

Offline will123ab

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Bringing scanner on plane?
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2005, 06:19:16 AM »
Does the scanner cause any problem to the plane and what are the penalties if caught? (I probably wont do this, I am just a bit curious. I would never want to do any harm to the aircraft).

Offline Jason

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Bringing scanner on plane?
« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2005, 07:18:44 AM »
I do not believe it does any harm to the aircraft, but it is against FCC and FAA Regs so it makes it a federal crime... :?

Offline Hopkins

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Harm to aircraft
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2005, 09:06:24 AM »
I believe the theory is that any radio device (even a scanner, which is only meant for receiving) emits some RF.  It is possible that the RF emitted by the scanner could gum up the radios the pilots are using to communicate with ATC or for navigation, and that would be bad.

I would imagine that the chances of it actually happening are low, but not nil.

Offline will123ab

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Bringing scanner on plane?
« Reply #7 on: January 07, 2005, 03:56:12 PM »
Okay, I  dont think I'll be listening to i onboard.