Air band receivers

[Deathstalker]

Hi

I'm a really big aviation freak, and i'm sure most if not all of you on this forum are . As this is my fist post on this forum i will keep it sweet and short. A while back I bought myself an air band receiver, before all the confusion around if it's legal or illegal to own one. So my question to you is, am I as an aircraft spotter allowed to listen (not transmit) to aircraft at International airports?

Thank you

[John.com]

Hi

I'm a really big aviation freak, and i'm sure most if not all of you on this forum are . As this is my fist post on this forum i will keep it sweet and short. A while back I bought myself an air band receiver, before all the confusion around if it's legal or illegal to own one. So my question to you is, am I as an aircraft spotter allowed to listen (not transmit) to aircraft at International airports?

Thank you

Hi Deathstalker!

Tread VERY carefully here! My understanding is that they are only legal IF you have an ICASA license for the device.

Before switching it on without a license take some time to read through the 35 pages of the Julian Swift case AVCOM: Update on Julian Swift Court Case (JNB) in which he was arrested and spent years in and out of court, effectively bankrupting him!

Also, this topic of AVCOM is a good read: AVCOM: So its official then ? - Airband Receiver needs licence.

If you need the ICASA application form please PM me your email address and I will send it to you.

BTW: You may also want to take note of the implications around RICA, which throws another spanner into the works (this is from page 35 of the Julian Swift topic on AVCOM): "Fourthly, in terms of RICA 2000, it is illegal for any person to intercept any communications of which he/she is not party to such conversation. In exceptional circumstances, a person can intercept any communications of which he/she is not party if one of the people give him/her such authority to intercept it". If you read into this a little deeper it begs the question: Over and above the ICASA license, do you need permission from the respective ATCs you may be listening in to? And/or the pilots who are tranmitting?

Cheers,

John

[Deathstalker]

Hi John

Thanks for the reply on my post. I found the information that you supplied on the Julian Swift case really helpful. I'm going to start with my SPL shortly(next year) so there will be no need for you to send me the forms for the ICASA license as I will be doing a radio license when I start with my ground school, but thanks for the kind offer anyway.

Fly safe

[John.com]

Hi John

Thanks for the reply on my post. I found the information that you supplied on the Julian Swift case really helpful. I'm going to start with my SPL shortly(next year) so there will be no need for you to send me the forms for the ICASA license as I will be doing a radio license when I start with my ground school, but thanks for the kind offer anyway.

Fly safe

You are most welcome!

Just realise that there are two licenses you need: one is YOURS, as a radio operator, and the other is the RADIO, so ICASA!

I was merrily going along with MY radio license thinking everything was good, only to realise 18 months down the line after reading about it here on MLers that I needed to license my RADIO with ICASA!

Good Luck!

[D2O]

Unfortunately the law does not allow even pilots to have airband receivers. They are illegal in ICASA's eyes.
The only way is to license a handheld airband transceiver as a "spare" for an aircraft, and you'll also need to prove you're a pilot and have passed the radio exam in order to possess it.