Airline pilot radio messages interupt 97.3FM
Discussion
When listening to LBC radio on 97.3 at home the broadcast is regularly interupted by what seems to be radio conversations between airline pilots and air traffic control. Why is this? Surely I shouldn't be able to listen in to their conversations on a cheap FM radio on a commercial station frequency? I don't and catch these messages, they just interupt what I listen to and to be honest it's getting really annoying now.
I live about 20 miles from Heathrow and am not on an obvious flight path. We can't even see planes overhead most of the time when this happens and if we can they are tiny so its not as if the planes are flying low over the house.
I live about 20 miles from Heathrow and am not on an obvious flight path. We can't even see planes overhead most of the time when this happens and if we can they are tiny so its not as if the planes are flying low over the house.
Civil aircraft use VHF/FM frequenceies beyond the normal radio station frequenceies. Normal radio usually operates between 85 to 108 Mhz, Airband will be from about 108 to 137 Mhz.
On odd occasions, usually due to weather conditions, you can get reflective signals on a higher frequency coming in further down the bands. So, you could have an aircarft using 118.5 being picked up on 97.3.
On odd occasions, usually due to weather conditions, you can get reflective signals on a higher frequency coming in further down the bands. So, you could have an aircarft using 118.5 being picked up on 97.3.
This is from a few years ago but it's not just you it happens to
http://www.pprune.org/atc-issues/147858-london-atc...
General opinion - get a better radio.
http://www.pprune.org/atc-issues/147858-london-atc...
General opinion - get a better radio.
FraserLFA said:
You could get a Digital radio fairly cheaply so you don't miss your favourite shows.
Thanks for all the suggestions of getting a better radio, very helpful. If you could all club together and get me one for xmas that would be appreciated.It's an ipod doc/cd player radio by Sony so wasn't cheap at all.
Also DAB is not available in our area at the moment so that option is out.
The chat is pretty dull, lots of tango oscar foxtrot type stuff and details of altitudes and flight directions.
Bugeyeandy said:
This is from a few years ago but it's not just you it happens to
http://www.pprune.org/atc-issues/147858-london-atc...
General opinion - get a better radio.
that article mentions Uxbridge which is about 10 miles away so I guess its a problem in my area.http://www.pprune.org/atc-issues/147858-london-atc...
General opinion - get a better radio.
I wouldn't be too tempted to go DAB anyway even if you could get it, I struggle to get a decent signal on lots of channels that I can pick up ok on a normal FM radio.
Just read your post about it being a Sony unit, maybe it's faulty as their stuff is generally quite well made. Also worth popping a post up on AV Forums see what they suggest.
Just read your post about it being a Sony unit, maybe it's faulty as their stuff is generally quite well made. Also worth popping a post up on AV Forums see what they suggest.
Bugeyeandy said:
I think that's why people are suggesting you get a better radio, does it happen to the radio in your car too or is it just this one radio?
It does it on all three radios I have in the house, a Sony, Panasonic and a Philips so I don't think one brands' quality is a reason.I haven't ever sat in the driveway of my house listening to the radio so no idea if it happens there but out driving it doesnt affect the car radio.
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