What's the legality of this? I was thinking of doing something similar but with POCSAG but from what I can tell it would be illegal because of ECPA(Electronic Communications Privacy Act)
Explicitly legal. ECPA has an carve out for listening to aeronautical radio traffic:
18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(g)(ii)(I/IV):
"It shall not be unlawful under this chapter or chapter 121 of this title for any person to intercept any radio communication which is transmitted by any station for the use of the general public, or that relates to ships, aircraft, vehicles, or persons in distress;... or by any marine or aeronautical communications system."
The ones recorded in the US probably are legal to listen to and the ones in the UK probably are not. I think I remember reading somewhere that it’s not legal to record ATC in the UK. IANAL SIUKRTCL
tjohns|11 months ago
18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(g)(ii)(I/IV):
"It shall not be unlawful under this chapter or chapter 121 of this title for any person to intercept any radio communication which is transmitted by any station for the use of the general public, or that relates to ships, aircraft, vehicles, or persons in distress;... or by any marine or aeronautical communications system."
outworlder|11 months ago
lxgr|11 months ago
But so were analog mobile phones and pagers, and in some countries, even receiving unencrypted voice ATC radio isn't legal.
willyt|11 months ago
jcims|11 months ago