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Airband Frequencies


woody

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Woody,

Ian White - V23b came up with these a little while ago.

For a pilot legally to operate a radio from a hang glider or paraglider, he must comply with the law in three areas:

• The radio transmitter must be of a type approved by the CM.

• The glider operator or owner must have a station licence for that radio. These can be obtained by writing to: WT Radio licensing, Directorate of Airspace Policy, K6 Gate 6, CAA House, 45 - Kingsway, London WC2B 6TE, by telephoning: 0207453 6555, by e-mailing: radio.licensing@dap.caa.co.uk, or from their web site at www.caa.co.uk (search for ‘hang glider’).

• The pilot must either possess a Flight Radiotelephony Operator’s (BiT) licence or must only use the following

frequencies:

— 118.675 MHz. This is a dedicated paragliding and hang-gliding frequency which can be used anywhere in the UK

FIR, up to and including 5000 ft AMSL.

— 129.9 MHz, 129.95 MHz, 130.1 MHz, 130.125 MHz and 130.4 MHz. These are sport aviation frequencies, and their users include parachutists, balloon pilots and sailplane pilots.

— The International Distress Frequency, 121.5 MHz. This frequency can be used to alert the emergency services.

Among the station licence conditions is the requirement that operator must exercise strict radio discipline and that the procedures must I based on those set out in the CM publication CAP 413

120.900, 130.100, 130.125 and 130.400 Gliders

129.975 Gliders (to mobile field units)

122.475 Hot Air Balloons

130.525 and 129.900 Parachutes

129.825 Microlights

118.675 Hang/Paragliders

Hope that helps.

Edited by Guest
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I never realised that you could use an airband radio legally without an operators licences. It obviously wouldn't help with talking to ATC but it would be nice to be legally able to communicate with other pilots.

Is the station licence a formality or do you have to prove understanding of Radio procedure/pass an exam?

Or am I misunderstanding the whole thing?

Cheers

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The station license is a 'pay your fee and fill in a form' type thing. The hiccup with that is that your radio must be included on the list of sets with type approval, which most of the current ones around, including the ICOM A6 & A24 are not.

The operators license however is rather more involved, but not impossible by any stretch of the imagination. Go and have a chat at your local flying school, they might let you study for and take just that isolated exam.

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  • 11 years later...
  • 1 year later...

I learnt in the UK with Andy Moon at www.planespeak.com

All done and dusted in a day, he specifically tailors the day for Paramotor pilots if possible, but my class had 2 paramotor pilots, one balloonist and a gyrocopter pilot. We all wanted a days lessons finishing with both exams to get our radio telephony license.

The license cost through CAA is expensive, the air-band handhelds are expensive (don't think BAOFENG prices!!!), but now each time I fly I let my local glider airports know I'm in the air "Powered paramotor one, operating out of Wootton Wawen, en-route to Alcester at 1000 feet". If the control tower is in operation that day they reply that they will let other air traffic know we are in the area.

I've also called up hot air balloons on their frequency and asked for permission to fly closer. At first they ask me to stay 100m away and never fly above them (they have a huge blind spot upwards), but after they have seen my control, the local Virgin pilot, says "Hi Mark, come as close as you want". I tend to then move further away and pull a few wing-overs and spiral dives for their passenger amusement. Several times I've landed with the balloon and shared the champagne!

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 years later...

Tagging along with this conversation

i too very interested 

As paramotor trike launch only any way I can legally use 118.675 would be ideal especially if I don’t need exams and fees

safety being paramount think it would encourage more to have if only for rx rather than rx chat line

baufang £30 special takes care of flight chatter

would definitely like to be legal though but for what range we have on handhelds is it ott

 

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You can certainly listen on 118.675 without problem, without transmitting no one is going to know.
To transmit legally you would need to do the FRTOL course and pay for the CAA license once passed.

Sorry, that's the way it is.
I did transmit without authority a few times but the controller always knows as you don't have the grip on correct terminology and responses.
I am glad I went with the course and license, I can use airband now wherever I am.

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's a one day course, with some homework reading before you go, but expensive; The cheap amateur radio does not transmit on VHF AM (AIRBAND), but it is possible to do the "amateur radio FOUNDATION" course online, which now allows you to transmit in the air using VHF at 0.5W. That is plenty for line-of-site use, you can speak to the ISS like that! The amateur radio frequencies will never get through to the control tower though!!!!

 

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  • 1 month later...
On 6/4/2024 at 5:37 PM, Mark Pugh said:

It's a one day course, with some homework reading before you go, but expensive; The cheap amateur radio does not transmit on VHF AM (AIRBAND), but it is possible to do the "amateur radio FOUNDATION" course online, which now allows you to transmit in the air using VHF at 0.5W. That is plenty for line-of-site use, you can speak to the ISS like that! The amateur radio frequencies will never get through to the control tower though!!!!

 

I cant get my radio course booked in for some time yet as there is no availability.  Are there any good YouTube videos explaining the basics for a paramotor pilot? Basically just calling up in the correct way to let the local airfield know if my intentions.  I dont fly from an airfield but fly in a mandatory radio area. Any tips would be appreciated. 

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