Talking On The Wrong Band Cost This Radio User £10,000

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[gordonwelcher]

Why would the free banders choose to operate in the 130 kilohertz of the 6.6 megahertz aircraft band when there is plenty of other spectrum available.

[PhantomWoIf]

6670KHz LSB is a monitoring and calling frequency to the freebanders, like 27555KHz USB, for decades already, 3475KHz LSB is another one. There are SDR receivers online, you people can tune in sometimes to hear. 1600 - 1700 AM is used by music freebanders.

[makarov]

Here in America we CB'ers talk SSB LSB on channels 36, 37, 38, 39 &40. Occasionally I will both hear and talk to a Ham who comes down to talk with us there. Last week I talked to an amature radio operator in the Netherlands on 27.385MHZ! It was a thrill! We are so very numerous that the government simply leaves us alone to our hobby talking. We stay in these channels so as not to encroach on the AM'ers on the other channels. Everybody's happy over here. If you've got the "ears, " check 27.385 on a day path to the States. Someone from here just might call you up!

[notmenotme]

0:41 “The Magistrate ordered him to forfeit all of his transmitting and supporting equipment”.
I bet later that day, all his friends and relatives had a lot more radio kit. Even his mum who has no idea what it is.

[timgtm]

So the guy could afford over £7000 of radio equipment, yet couldn't pay more than £80 a month for the fines? Similar financial smoke and mirrors exists in this hobby today. Remarkable isn't it! Good video. 73.

[alfo]

Interesting video Lewis. Reminds me of when I used to SWL, I heard 'Emerald Radio International' (Irish pirate station?)Tx'ing on the 6Mhz Air band, back around 1992. They had a phone number for music requests which I called!. Had a lovely chat with a bloke who was oblivious to frequency allocations or aircraft! I pointed him to a nearby 'Broadcast' band! I presume the air band attracted abuse because it was so quiet and had decent propogation?

[michaelturner]

I can still remember a squeaky on a 2M repeater singing "Who's afraid of the DTI" to the tune of Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf by Henry Hall.

[carlashby]

Another quality video Lewis thank you.

[researchcapt]

Messing with aeronautical frequencies puts people lives at risk.

[MGOF]

Echo Charlie usage seems even more pointless in the UK when they implemented the 3 tier licencing system for amateur radio in the UK.

[Aengus]

There's a lot to be said for passive monitoring. It's only when you stick your head over the parapet by broadcasting do people get into trouble.
I do understand the temptation mind you. "A friend of mine in the 80s" turned an FM bug kit into an automated dance music station. Keeping the Tx in the mW range the fun was making huge Tx antennas & driving around town to see how far you could push a signal.
It's amazing how far & how clear (he said) you could push under .5W with the right ant.
But, in those days, it was a magazine article on pirates in London getting visits from the Home Office (that made him) have a "Oh b*gg*r moment & pull down the yagi & hide the little 2cm x 4cm FM bug that'd started (his) obsessive antenna building / mapping of coverage ect.
But as for this video. Talking on aero allocated bands and possibly disrupting people's safety is s whole different to thing! Reckless in the extreme!

[tonermaloner]

echo Charlie is quiet these days, just a few french operators on 86 meters.

[mfx]

I dealt with a 6MHz pirate job where a dog walker found a box hidden in woods next to the M25 with a cable running off to a motorway equipment box, this caused a bomb scare that closed the motorway for several hours at peak rush hour.

[Bartok_J]

That bit of the spectrum around 6.6MHz has been used as a pirate amateur band for many decades. Certainly, I used to listen back in the 1970's when most operation was AM, with operators using homebuilt or WW2 surplus equipment like 19 and 62 sets. There was even an "EC Club" and operators could send QSL cards via a box number in West Ealing. Later, operation switched to SSB as better off CBers would buy radios like the FT101 and re-crystal 10 metres to 11m, and 40m to 45m. An Italian firm even manufactured a transverter, the TR45, to enable a multimode CB to operate on 45m. In more recent years, I've even heard packet radio and slow-scan TV.
Why this was known as the "Echo Charlie" band is anybody's guess. I've heard various explanations, none of which sound very convincing. ;-)

[boilerroombob]

Well done Lewis another first class video

[OctavMandru]

One has to wonder why did he put up the effort to become a HAM when the whole idea is to become more conscious about your actions. He could have been a pirate and that's it.
Must be a lack of proper education, I suppose

[acestudioscouk-Ace-GACE]

Interesting video, thanks. I first got my ham licence in 83 and remember meeting another ham who chatted to me for a while and when he thought I was safe, quietly told me he was a 6meg pirate, in the same tones that other guys used to show you dodgy porn. I could never understand why a licenced ham would want to pirate on 6MHz but he was by no means unique.

[FastAsFunk]

Good video Lewis, thanks. Anyone transmitting illegally on airband is an absolute donkey and deserves to have the book thrown at them.

[datasilouk]

Interesting. I know someone who was fined for using a marine radio to talk from his house to the harbour. Although he was a fisherman and only communicating with his son.

[Subgunman]

There are currently radio pirates utilizing the little used US Navy Comms satellites. They are primarily from South America. I am surprised that the navy has not disabled their satellites since they have switched to other networks.