Airband Piracy

[PHOENIX_SCANNER]

I have found that what seems to be a local warehouse is using 123.05 for business and was wondering if anyone else has run into anything like this. On my drive home I often get a hit on that frequency at a certain location and I hear them about picking up pallets, unloading trucks, etc. It does appear to be AM not FM so I am thinking they are using airband transceivers.

 

[KD9KSO]

Intermod.

You'd have to be a total ignoramous to buy an aviation band radio system and not get caught using it without a license or the proper usage.

 

[CalebATC]

Intermod.

You'd have to be a total ignoramous to buy an aviation band radio system and not get caught using it without a license or the proper usage.

I'd agree, but the AM really gets me... I'd ask someone else in the area to try, and try a different radio and see if they both do it.

 

[PHOENIX_SCANNER]

Hmmm. I should try it will more than one scanner, good point. But I've been scanning long enough to tell when something isn't intermod and I really don't think it is. I'll have to verify...

 

[b7spectra]

Could it be an IF you are hearing? I recall that earlier scanners had problems in the 154 range from 133 aviation when you had a 10.7 IF.

 

[WA1ATA]

If it's an image from a 10.7MHz IF, then the transmitters would be in the 2 meter ham band at 144.45.

A very strange case. My guess is that aircraft transceivers are relatively expensive compared to MURS, FRS/GMRS, and even bootleg marine VHF handhelds.. That make it even stranger.

Do both sides of the conversation sound like they are fixed/office locations? Or do they sound like people with portable handhelds. I've never heard of an airband handheld.

 

[gewecke]

If it's an image from a 10.7MHz IF, then the transmitters would be in the 2 meter ham band at 144.45.

A very strange case. My guess is that aircraft transceivers are relatively expensive compared to MURS, FRS/GMRS, and even bootleg marine VHF handhelds.. That make it even stranger.

Do both sides of the conversation sound like they are fixed/office locations? Or do they sound like people with portable handhelds. I've never heard of an airband handheld.

Standard and icom both make NAVCOM portables.
Then there's Vertex and their VXA-10

n9zas

 

[KD9KSO]

I used to fly with an A-21 as a backup.

 

[PHOENIX_SCANNER]

Listened again tonight with a different scanner and got the same thing. It sounded like one guy at a desk giving orders, and two other guys pulling orders and loading trucks for him. This did not sound like ham activity at all, business chat for sure. I've heard the same thing, on the same AM frequency with both my Pro-43 and Pro-106, two entirely different creatures of course, so now I am even more curious. Maybe I'll make a bit of extra time soon to figure out who they are.

Do aircraft ever use this frequency? If so would I be wrong in assuming aircraft flying overhead would hear the transmissions?

 

[ilgrant]

Aircraft definitely use it. It is used by pilots when they have plans to land at an airport where there is no ground control. Google the frequency you have or search for UNICOM.

I'd definitely be doing some fox hunting to find out what's going on.

Listened again tonight with a different scanner and got the same thing. It sounded like one guy at a desk giving orders, and two other guys pulling orders and loading trucks for him. This did not sound like ham activity at all, business chat for sure. I've heard the same thing, on the same AM frequency with both my Pro-43 and Pro-106, two entirely different creatures of course, so now I am even more curious. Maybe I'll make a bit of extra time soon to figure out who they are.

Do aircraft ever use this frequency? If so would I be wrong in assuming aircraft flying overhead would hear the transmissions?

 

[bryan_herbert]

123.050 is used nationwide by helipads and heliports. In Arizona, the only licensed user of that frequency is Evergreen Air Maintenance Center at Marana Pinal Air Park in Marana. The last couple days you have had some ducting in your area and although Marana is 50+ miles from Phoenix, it is possible you were picking them up. Assuming that is indeed them.

 

[ilgrant]

Bryan has a good point about the skip. Makes fox hunting a little more challenging.

 

[rfradioconsult]

Start with the FAA regional office, they will respond much more quickly and if needed will get the FCC involved. They don't take kindly to pirate operation of the air band.

 

[PHOENIX_SCANNER]

After looking at this more, I realized that you can pick these things up pretty cheaply on ebay. I guess it is possible that someone saw a deal for 3-4 of them and picked them up for use at their business, not thinking about the fact that they might be heard from aircraft for up to 30-40 miles away. I have absolutely heard piracy on the marine band, and was told by a guy at Best Buy that a lot of the street racer guys use them because they work better than the cheap GMRS radios sold there (used to watch out for cops). This makes me think it's possible people will pirate any band if they find cheap radios that work well. Makes me wonder. Time for more listening.

 

[CalebATC]

After looking at this more, I realized that you can pick these things up pretty cheaply on ebay. I guess it is possible that someone saw a deal for 3-4 of them and picked them up for use at their business, not thinking about the fact that they might be heard from aircraft for up to 30-40 miles away. I have absolutely heard piracy on the marine band, and was told by a guy at Best Buy that a lot of the street racer guys use them because they work better than the cheap GMRS radios sold there (used to watch out for cops). This makes me think it's possible people will pirate any band if they find cheap radios that work well. Makes me wonder. Time for more listening.

I can't believe they would do it for airband though. And the portables are not cheap at all, GMRS, FRS, marine, CB, and MURS are much cheaper, and you can still run five watts with most of those.

Hope they know they are about to get busted! I bet that isn't a nice knock at the door, or a very cheap fine!

 

[gewecke]

It could be what I refer to as "honest ignorance"? We had a local factory on a gmrs repeater output doing the same thing,and they really didn't know any better...until they were educated!

73,
n9zas