airtraffic

Author Topic: Listening in your own country ??  (Read 479 times)

Offline daba1955

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Listening in your own country ??
« on: August 23, 2024, 15:31:05 UTC »
Hi, new here, and have a question that I think I know the answer to....

I live in the UK, and there are no listings for UK airports on the app.

Is this because you are not allowed to listen to ATC in your own country?, and does this apply globally?

TIA



Offline daba1955

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Re: Listening in your own country ??
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2024, 15:47:06 UTC »
Ok, I should have read the FAQ first, the answer is in there....

Why don't you have any feeds from the UK?

It is illegal to provide air traffic control feeds from within the UK due to an outdated law that originated back in 1942. The antiquated law states that although it is not illegal to sell, buy or own a scanning receiver in the UK, it must only be used to listen to transmissions meant to be broadcast to the general public.

OfCom (the U.K. regulatory authority for communications) has stated on numerous occasions: "It is an offence to listen to any other radio services unless you are authorised by a designated person to do so."

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 authorized to do so by an authorized person. This is clearly a law that needs to be updated in light of the many educational uses for listening to aircraft communications. Furthermore, the original reasons for this law have long since become irrelevant.

Let's hope this law gets modified - there has been at least one online petition aimed at attempting to get some attention but it does not seem to have had much of an effect on Ofcom. If you are a UK citizen, please contact your MP and see if they can help make an exception to this law.


Now I know ....

Offline SkyViking

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Re: Listening in your own country ??
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2024, 07:09:12 UTC »
The irony to your question, living in the UK, is there is more aviation passion and interest in spotting and aviation in general that the UK should be the one place in the world that the enjoyment of listening to ATC, via this site or any other should be a given.  I bought my first airband radio in London back in the early 80's and a few more thereafter also from the various aviation stores, the main one being the Aviation Hobby Shop in West Drayton. 

The fact that at any one time if you visit a UK airport, not just the busy LHRs, GATs or MANs, there may be several enthusiasts or spotters with radios listening to various ATC freqs. and enjoying the love of the hobby.  Whether it be spotting, taking pics or just sitting on a lawn chair watching peacefully, landings and takeoffs, without KGB type authorities bothering you because you are holding a radio.  The only time police or security get concerned is when "we are parked on sides of roads we shouldn't be" or private parking areas.  For the most part it's unwarranted crowd control and concerns of potential terrorist harm by individuals that have no interest in the enjoyment of aviation but more so to inflict harm, and I fully support the authorities to be concerned and intervene.

But back to the question at hand, the UK should be the one place in the world where almost every airfield should be able to broadcast feeds over the net.