Aviation Handheld Radios

[R.Perry]

Maybe I'm looking at this all wrong. I don't have a hand held radio, nor do I plan on purchasing one. I have no need to listen to ATC, or pilots. Even when I was crop dusting when I was moving from one area to another I flew a minimum of 500 feet and 1000 over populated areas. So if a drone if flying at 400 feet it is no concern to me nor should the drone pilot be concerned about other aircraft. The only exception would be if the drone pilot is flying close to and airport and flying in the vicinity of the approach or departure and if he is he isn't doing it legally.
I think some people are attempting to make drone flying a bit more complicated than it is. Lets face it, we need to keep visual contact with our drones, we need to watch the airspace around where we are flying, and stay out of the way of other aircraft. You really don't need a radio to do that, that's just my take on it.

 

[Terry Ketron CFI-I]

Not sure if "budgets" play in role in your decision making or not, but you can buy an inexpensive police scanner (not necessary to purchase a 'digital' scanner) that has the air band on it and you can program it to scan all of the local air band frequencies where you will be flying and you can 'monitor' the air traffic. New they are under a $100. Used on e-bay for as little as $25 to $30 occasionally.
You really should not transmit unless you are transmitting from a manned aircraft. In the U.S. the call sign you use is associated w/ a manned aircraft. I agree that it would be good to transmit your location on the area frequency and perhaps that is something the FAA (or FCC) should consider allowing.
As a flight instructor, when I would solo a student I often watched from near the runway w/ an aviation HT radio handy in case any of my students felt the need for additional guidance during that first solo flight. I never had to use it but I would have if there had there been a need to quell someone's unexpected anxiety. That would have been an 'emergency' of sorts. Any transmission is acceptable and legally allowed in an emergency.
Below is a link to a new scanner that I would recommend for $99.95 that receives the aviation frequencies. No I don't get a commission.

For your background information my 'voice of authority' comes from the following experience.
News photographer since 1967 - Ham Radio operator since 1976 - listening to scanners since 1973 - currently own - six scanners / 2 digital.
Licensed Pilot since 1983 - Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor and Advanced Ground Instructor since 2002 (for last 14 years.)

LINK to inexpensive scanner that receives air band... $99.95
Uniden Bearcat BC75XLT Police Scanner | ScannerMaster.com

 

[Clinton Carman]

I use the Icom IC-A14 VHF Air Band transceiver. It has a decent range and does what I need it to!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003EN1VDK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Rodger]

Maybe I'm looking at this all wrong. I don't have a hand held radio, nor do I plan on purchasing one. I have no need to listen to ATC, or pilots. Even when I was crop dusting when I was moving from one area to another I flew a minimum of 500 feet and 1000 over populated areas. So if a drone if flying at 400 feet it is no concern to me nor should the drone pilot be concerned about other aircraft. The only exception would be if the drone pilot is flying close to and airport and flying in the vicinity of the approach or departure and if he is he isn't doing it legally.
I think some people are attempting to make drone flying a bit more complicated than it is. Lets face it, we need to keep visual contact with our drones, we need to watch the airspace around where we are flying, and stay out of the way of other aircraft. You really don't need a radio to do that, that's just my take on it.

Respectfully point taken. I purchased my radio when I was studying for my Part 107. I was trying to get a handle on Airport Operations. I found it very interesting to hit the local Class "C" Airport at lunch time, have my sandwich while listening to air traffic. i would listen and make an assumption as to which runway and direction an Airplane was going to land and found it satisfying when my thoughts were correct. IN any event I would think that if one was doing some photo assignment at an Airport it would be essential to let the Tower contact you via radio on the event of an emergency. Other than that one would not be essential in our normal every day activities. Although, mine has an excellent GPS that I use to check my position in regard to Airspace on my Sectional.

 

[S F Ogden]

I fly a lot just barely outside of airport Class E to surface (E2) and have a pending authorization request for inside the the E2. Like Terry suggested, I use a 'police scanner' at all times on the CTAF/Unicom frequency so that I'm aware of local traffic. Several times I've heard military & private traffic announce their approach to the area and then fly over my location (outside the E2) at what appeared to me to be very low altitudes - so low that I'm glad I knew they were in the area and got on the ground. I had the "should I announce my position/operations" conversation with someone I know who is an airport manager of a fairly busy airport and is both private pilot and part 107 licensed. His comment was that airplane pilots are pretty busy during take-off/landing, have a lot going on, and likely don't need to be distracted by UAS operations that are supposed to be out of their way/non-factor anyway. I feel better simply listening to my scanner for situational awareness to help me stay out of the way. In my airspace authorization request I offered to announce myself if they (FAA) want me to but otherwise I intend to be out of sight, out of mind.

 

[BigAl07]

LINK to inexpensive scanner that receives air band... $99.95
Uniden Bearcat BC75XLT Police Scanner | ScannerMaster.com

I'm pretty sure that's the exact same one we "monitor" with as well.

 

[Chris Scharf]

There is no FCC License required for an Aviation Band Radio "on-board" an aircraft.

Remember the courts and ALJ's have to look at the legislative intent of the Rule/Law when the specific statute is in question. The relevant question to ask, is why the FCC eliminated the requirement for an FCC license on board an aircraft. The simple answer is / was for "increased safety" of all aviators by encouraging pilots to be in radio communication with each other and with ATC. I'm not a lawyer, but I don't see any enforcement action coming against a certificated UAS Pilot making a necessary transmissions on an Aviation Band Radio either pursuant to a requirement in an FAA Waiver or such as transmitting to communicate with other "real" pilots of low flying aircraft on a designated frequency such as 02 in Southern California. Like yours, mine is an opinion as there is no case law / guidance on this yet. I'm comfortable in our use of Aviation Band Radios for my agency at this point, but YMMV. BTW we use ICOM A25N radios.

Well I have an FCC license for broadcast from my years in the radio business. So I have that going for me. But I don't want to be the shock jock of the air band! I really just want to listen to any chatter and stay off the mic.

 

[Boefinator]

Well I have an FCC license for broadcast from my years in the radio business. So I have that going for me. But I don't want to be the shock jock of the air band! I really just want to listen to any chatter and stay off the mic.

I agree, the only reason that we would be on the radio anyways is ATC direction or in direct comms with a pilot of police helicopter to coordinate a scene handoff.

 

[Zzzoom3]

If you are a private pilot, you are "trained" in radio communications. If you are operating in controlled airspace, two-way radio communication is a flight safety issue as far as I am concerned.

When I apply for a Part 107 waiver pertaining to airspace utilization, I include language stating that I will "monitor" tower frequency or unicom.

When I contact the tower to request authorization for a flight, I state that I will monitor tower frequency. Telling them this 1 item always makes them feel more comfortable. I also confirm the "call sign" I will be using (usually last 4 of my registration number). No ATC personnel is ever going to have a problem with operators who are working with them in a professional manner.

I have never needed to transmit on frequency but would never hesitate to do so in a situation where I felt it was necessary

 

[Florida Drone Supply]

I use the Yaesu FTA 750 L as well. It has an excellent GPS that is spot on. I use that for my Sectional Coordinates. The only disappointment is that there is no case for it.

View attachment 324

I am pretty sure this is the one we use as well. Picked it up when I was getting my Private Pilot license to backup the one in the plane. Very dependable.

 

[philsmith76]

I too listen to a handheld tuned to the Unicom of my local airport. It is a huge help to situational awareness. It is easy to get the hang of pilots calls and a understanding of exactly where they are. I added the use of a scanner tuned to local frequency in my approved night waiver. If that helps.

 

[MtManDavey]

2 items that may be useful...

Item 1: I just checked with local Class D airport ATC, and asked about keeping in communications with them during commercial drone flights in their airspace, which covers almost all of the small city where I would be working. The response:
Register for specific operations with FAA.gov under sUAS operations, at least one day prior to expected operations
Call the tower by phone the day of the operation, with time, location, maximum height and call letter assigned to the drone
If 2 way aeronautical radio available, monitor the tower frequency and answer only if called by them or if emergency procedure needed
Finish the job, continue monitoring for a reasonable time afterward.

This entire procedure makes sense to me. Manned aircraft have airspace priority always, but I find it logical to not be on the air when there is a continual stream of air traffic, both for the sake of pilots in approach or departure of this facility, but also for the sake of ATC, who's job it is to maintain safety above all, and not be distracted by unnecessary radio traffic.

Item 2: There is a small Class E airpark on the edge of the town where I live and have some traffic in and out. The airport manager requested that when I am going to operate within 5 miles of his facility, I simply give him a phone call to let him know when and where, as well as any other useful info which he may need to provide manned pilots on their approach/departure. If no answer on his phone, leave a message to the same effect, which I have done when in flying photo mode within his airspace.

I am about to order a hand held Icom A-14 Air Radio for monitoring any and all traffic areas of interest, and connect with ATC under conditions described above. I don't need VOR or other Nav/Aids, comm will do the job and having used Icom amateur radios for many years, I know how they operate and how well they perform. For the price, Icom and Yaesu are hard to beat.

 

[AH-1G]

The original question was communication at Unicom 122.8 airfield, they do not have ATC. Of course when at an ATC area you do not communicate directly on radio.
I have landed many times at Unicom airports where the only communication is the pilots themselves. So If I'm at Chattanooga Sky Harbor airfield in Oklahoma flying my drone near by, I hear someone coming for landing / takeoff or just buzzing around I will notify my location so not to surprise anyone. Out in that part of the county I use to fly NOE and I mean very low NOE! If some one was flying a drone I would like to know where they might be so I could avoid any situations. You can hear planes but many times you can't see them. The are crop dusters to contend with also.

 

[Flying Horse]

Having a HAM radio License. I know there are oddels of regulations regarding radio (anything). But sometimes there are no license's required. FRS no one dose GRMS, suppose to, but many don't. CB.? Free for all. But yacking on frequ's reserved for air craft? Could be considered jamming with out identifying. ( At least I would assume ) I fly in a rural area with mountains and fair size hills. The police dept buzzes through using it as a short cut, Fire "anything with wings", is usually zipping about and we have a local contactor that but in a helo pad in his back yard, who pops up over the ridge line. I hate surprising these guys. Lattley the military guys have been practicing with Osprey's . I just don't want to surprise any of these guys & girls and want to let them know I see you I'm at 300-400 ft. I'm staying here. But can I ? Legally? I know the glider guys are yacking , don't see no ID tag with them. And hitting one of them? Croaksville. There must be a license associated, but what?

 

[Dave Pitman]

I believe you need to be sitting in an aircraft in order to transmit legally on airbands. Monitoring is encouraged.

 

[Skyworks Aerial]

Having a HAM radio License. I know there are oddels of regulations regarding radio (anything). But sometimes there are no license's required. FRS no one dose GRMS, suppose to, but many don't. CB.? Free for all. But yacking on frequ's reserved for air craft? Could be considered jamming with out identifying. ( At least I would assume ) I fly in a rural area with mountains and fair size hills. The police dept buzzes through using it as a short cut, Fire "anything with wings", is usually zipping about and we have a local contactor that but in a helo pad in his back yard, who pops up over the ridge line. I hate surprising these guys. Lattley the military guys have been practicing with Osprey's . I just don't want to surprise any of these guys & girls and want to let them know I see you I'm at 300-400 ft. I'm staying here. But can I ? Legally? I know the glider guys are yacking , don't see no ID tag with them. And hitting one of them? Croaksville. There must be a license associated, but what?

No license. But a word if you don’t mind. I’m Part 61, General class Ham, and of course 107. As a First AD in the film world I’ve had to communicate with camera helicopters from my hand held, but that’s work on a coordinated freq. What you’re thinking of is not the best idea. In the drone world, we have to see, avoid and give way to manned aircraft at all times. That responsibility is all ours! If I were flying my plane and heard a drone pilot pipe up on my frequency close by, trying to figure out where that speck was would would send my blood pressure to a new record, and might make me divert unnecessarily and possibly dangerously. In my humble opinion, the only acceptable reason for a drone operator to speak on an air band would be an emergency warning to manned aircraft that there was a flyaway. It would then be up to the pilots of those manned aircraft to divert if they felt it necessary. My advice is to monitor for better situational awareness if you want, but don’t talk.

 

[rangemaster728]

I went down this goat trail about a year ago...

The FCC has no idea regarding drones and aviation handheld radios...their standard position is an aviation handheld is usually employed as a backup radio by a pilot if his comm radio fails.

While there are instances where a handheld can be used on the ground these are reserved for ground support crews at airports, glider chase crews, etc...not UAVs...and these uses are limited to very specific frequencies and they have specific FCC licenses issued for these purposes.

The FCC makes it almost impossible to get a station license for a UAV pilot; in attempting to fill out an FCC Form 605 (Quick-Form Application for Authorization in the Ship, Aircraft, Amateur, Restricted and Commercial Operator, and General Mobile Radio Services) they don’t know specifically if we could be issued a license without an aircraft tail (N-) number and refer us back to the FAA. I’ve had multiple discussions with the FCC on this issue.

Of course while having an N-number for the UAV might make it easier for the minions at the FCC to process an application they still may not issue a license as it is not a manned aircraft.

In an ‘unofficial’ conversation I had with the FAA I posed this question:

“I’m a Part 107 Remote Pilot...and a Part 61 pilot as well; I am also an FCC licensed engineer. I have an aviation handheld I use to monitor UNICOM, CTAF, etc. as an additional safety method to be aware of manned aircraft in the vicinity of our UAS operations.”

“I’m aware that on FAA approval for operation in certain classes of airspace there is a provision for communicating with ATC if it’s spelled out in the waiver or COA - but the FCC will not issue a station license under those circumstances. What do I do??”

The FAA official indicated that there have been some internal discussions with the FCC regarding this but they (the FCC) have been difficult to deal with - they (the FCC) don’t understand the utility of a commercial UAV pilot being able to communicate quickly with the pilot of a manned aircraft or ATC.

So I then posed this question:
“Current regulations for both the FAA and FCC allow the pilot-in-command (or a radio station operator) to deviate from any of the rules if there is a clear danger to life and/or property...and the pilot/operator needs to submit a report to the Administrator detailing the incident after the fact if specifically requested to do so. IF there is a safety-of-flight situation where the UAV pilot must communicate with a manned aircraft or ATC under these circumstances what would the FAA’s position be?”

Note I’m not addressing declaring your aircraft position ‘in the blind’ (you manned aircraft pilots know what I mean)...but an actual situation where it is essential to talk to an aircraft for an imminent safety reason.

The FAA response was “If it’s an imminent safety-of-flight situation with a manned aircraft I’d have no problem with using the transmitter.”

This is my position as well; as a manned aircraft pilot I know how to run a radio and would not hesitate to use the PTT button in such a scenario.

Example: A private pilot is flying low over a town where you are engaged in a survey or photo mission and is headed towards your UAV.

“Cessna over (insert location) this is UAV Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (or whatever the last three letters of you registration number is); we are 1 mile at your 10 o’clock at 400’ AGL. Aircraft is marked with white strobes...please state your intentions so we can avoid a traffic conflict”.

Obviously you will immediately try to descend but do not have the performance of even a Piper Cub.

Of course this is no guarantee that the other pilot is even on the same frequency.

 

[Flying Horse]

No license. But a word if you don’t mind. I’m Part 61, General class Ham, and of course 107. As a First AD in the film world I’ve had to communicate with camera helicopters from my hand held, but that’s work on a coordinated freq. What you’re thinking of is not the best idea. In the drone world, we have to see, avoid and give way to manned aircraft at all times. That responsibility is all ours! If I were flying my plane and heard a drone pilot pipe up on my frequency close by, trying to figure out where that speck was would would send my blood pressure to a new record, and might make me divert unnecessarily and possibly dangerously. In my humble opinion, the only acceptable reason for a drone operator to speak on an air band would be an emergency warning to manned aircraft that there was a flyaway. It would then be up to the pilots of those manned aircraft to divert if they felt it necessary. My advice is to monitor for better situational awareness if you want, but don’t talk.

Got it. Always better to check than to disturb. I usually let people in the area know when I'm going to fly, then there more fascinated than peeved. Just want to "check" my bounders and be able to inform other novice drone operators. Once I left the 12 oz size drone a got into the 2 LB. size? With 3,000 foot range? I didn't want to be a buy it, and fly it type. And at the rate there selling these things? Thanks for the info. Blue Sky's.

 

[Flying Horse]

I went down this goat trail about a year ago...

The FCC has no idea regarding drones and aviation handheld radios...their standard position is an aviation handheld is usually employed as a backup radio by a pilot if his comm radio fails.

While there are instances where a handheld can be used on the ground these are reserved for ground support crews at airports, glider chase crews, etc...not UAVs...and these uses are limited to very specific frequencies and they have specific FCC licenses issued for these purposes.

The FCC makes it almost impossible to get a station license for a UAV pilot; in attempting to fill out an FCC Form 605 (Quick-Form Application for Authorization in the Ship, Aircraft, Amateur, Restricted and Commercial Operator, and General Mobile Radio Services) they don’t know specifically if we could be issued a license without an aircraft tail (N-) number and refer us back to the FAA. I’ve had multiple discussions with the FCC on this issue.

Of course while having an N-number for the UAV might make it easier for the minions at the FCC to process an application they still may not issue a license as it is not a manned aircraft.

In an ‘unofficial’ conversation I had with the FAA I posed this question:

“I’m a Part 107 Remote Pilot...and a Part 61 pilot as well; I am also an FCC licensed engineer. I have an aviation handheld I use to monitor UNICOM, CTAF, etc. as an additional safety method to be aware of manned aircraft in the vicinity of our UAS operations.”

“I’m aware that on FAA approval for operation in certain classes of airspace there is a provision for communicating with ATC if it’s spelled out in the waiver or COA - but the FCC will not issue a station license under those circumstances. What do I do??”

The FAA official indicated that there have been some internal discussions with the FCC regarding this but they (the FCC) have been difficult to deal with - they (the FCC) don’t understand the utility of a commercial UAV pilot being able to communicate quickly with the pilot of a manned aircraft or ATC.

So I then posed this question:
“Current regulations for both the FAA and FCC allow the pilot-in-command (or a radio station operator) to deviate from any of the rules if there is a clear danger to life and/or property...and the pilot/operator needs to submit a report to the Administrator detailing the incident after the fact if specifically requested to do so. IF there is a safety-of-flight situation where the UAV pilot must communicate with a manned aircraft or ATC under these circumstances what would the FAA’s position be?”

Note I’m not addressing declaring your aircraft position ‘in the blind’ (you manned aircraft pilots know what I mean)...but an actual situation where it is essential to talk to an aircraft for an imminent safety reason.

The FAA response was “If it’s an imminent safety-of-flight situation with a manned aircraft I’d have no problem with using the transmitter.”

This is my position as well; as a manned aircraft pilot I know how to run a radio and would not hesitate to use the PTT button in such a scenario.

Example: A private pilot is flying low over a town where you are engaged in a survey or photo mission and is headed towards your UAV.

“Cessna over (insert location) this is UAV Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (or whatever the last three letters of you registration number is); we are 1 mile at your 10 o’clock at 400’ AGL. Aircraft is marked with white strobes...please state your intentions so we can avoid a traffic conflict”.

Obviously you will immediately try to descend but do not have the performance of even a Piper Cub.

Of course this is no guarantee that the other pilot is even on the same frequency.

Ya I talked to these guys ( The FCC) on other radio matters. Its like a bad translation from Chinese, to French, to poor British English . It usually just doesn't make any since . So I find it is best to noodle in the real world with those already there. Common since "always" comes to the surface. Thanks for your replay.

 

[Flying Horse]

I believe you need to be sitting in an aircraft in order to transmit legally on airbands. Monitoring is encouraged.

Yup, your right. Me popping up on a known frequency would more upset and peeve the regular users than serve any real purpose. I think I just use a scanner to listen to the area operational frequency's. And just get out of the way.