Freesound Forums

Can you upload Air Traffic Control Transmissions sample?

I'm no lawyer, but it probably depends how you are recording the transmissions. For example the terms of use from the website say this:
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3. RESTRICTIONS

3.2 copy, store, edit, change, prepare any derivative work of or alter in any way any of the tracks streamed through the LiveATC.net Services without giving credit to LiveATC.net as the source of the original material;
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But if you are recording from your own scanner I believe that would be acceptable.

But if you are recording from your own scanner I believe that would be acceptable.

Well I got my own Airband radio. I got 2.

Hi,
I decided it would be smart for me to look into this further and it does seem like recording air traffic control stuff is in fact illegal without permission, like most conversations. It seems to depend somewhat where you live though.

USA Legal

1. Illegal to monitor cellular phone transmissions
2. Illegal to monitor cordless phone transmissions
3. Illegal to monitor scrambled/encrypted signals
4. Illegal to monitor SCA signals
5. Illegal to monitor voice paging signals
6. Illegal to monitor remote radio-TV broadcast signals
7. Illegal to monitor outside residence in a few states
8. Illegal to monitor by convicted persons in a few states
9. Illegal to monitor in vehicles in some states
10. Illegal to manufacture cellular-capable receivers
11. Illegal to modify to receive cellular signals
12. Illegal to import cellular-capable receivers
13. Illegal to use as an aid in commission of crime in most states
14. Illegal to use information heard for personal gain
15. Illegal to disclose or publish information heard to third party (for signals which are NOT "readily accessible to the public"

United Kingdom Legal

1. Illegal to listen to any signal other than "general reception transmissions" (i.e. TV, AM/FM radio, CB, HF, ham?) unless licensed or specifically authorized by Secretary of State
2. Illegal to disclose information heard to third party
3. The general consensus of the monitoring population is that you can listen to pretty much everything and won't be bothered EXCEPT for police transmissions! Don't get caught by police with a scanner...even just having their frequencies programmed into memory will land you in jeopardy.

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/publication/ra_info/ra169r7.pdf

Thats Ridiculous! According to that UK list, you can't communicate to a 3rd party what you just heard on the radio....

what do u mean by 3rd party?

I'm just reusing their terminology from point #2 of the UK list. It seemed to me that taken literally, this law is not even being specific about sharing a recording or some mechanical representation. It is worded even more simply than that.

I did hear an anecdote that a british member of parliment one time, while commenting on shortwave 'numbers' stations said something to the effect of "..even if such stations exist, you should not be listening to them, they are illegal to intercept by any means"

This is just my opinion, but if I were to make recordings myself from available ATC radio transmissions or otherwise, I would use them however I saw fit.

My cousin captured some SW numbers stations in his nightly scanning, and you bet we're going to use them for music and general entertainment.

The laws about intercepting ATC and other services such as the police are not at all interested in copyright but State Security. They are catch-all/black-and-white laws, as are most security provisions, so that suspects cannot argue they were undertaking innocent activities in a Court of Law. If somebody gets prosecuted for publishing such recordings it's not likely to be for copyright infringemant but for security reasons, even if it's obvious that nobody was going to be endangered by the publication, but simply so as not to set a precedent that could be used in the defence of spys, terrorists or criminals when they are bought to trial.

What about the plane spoters who do videos at airports with planes Take offs and landings and playing the ATC on there airband radio?

hyderpotter
What about the plane spoters who do videos at airports with planes Take offs and landings and playing the ATC on there airband radio?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1252898/British-plane-spotters-facing-years-Indian-prison.html