Permit to use aircraft radio frequencies on ground

We have a small consulting company that owns an airplane that is used
for business trips. From time to time it would be useful to be able
to contact the airplane from our office which is not located on any
airport. What do we need to do to get authorization to install an
aircraft band radio at our office and use it to contact the company
airplane?

Thanks...

C. J. Clegg wrote:


We have a small consulting company that owns an airplane that is used
for business trips. From time to time it would be useful to be able
to contact the airplane from our office which is not located on any
airport. What do we need to do to get authorization to install an
aircraft band radio at our office and use it to contact the company
airplane?

Thanks...

Cell phone.

WE covered this subject in excruciating detail just before Oshkosh last year
when we were trying to figure out how to contact Jay Honeck at his aviation
motel in Iowa City.

Google on a few of these things and see if the thread doesn't pop up
anywhere. ANybody got a better pointer?

Jim


"C. J. Clegg" wrote in message
...


We have a small consulting company that owns an airplane that is used
for business trips. From time to time it would be useful to be able
to contact the airplane from our office which is not located on any
airport. What do we need to do to get authorization to install an
aircraft band radio at our office and use it to contact the company
airplane?

Thanks...

"William W. Plummer"
wrote:

C. J. Clegg wrote:


We have a small consulting company that owns an airplane that is used
for business trips. From time to time it would be useful to be able
to contact the airplane from our office which is not located on any
airport. What do we need to do to get authorization to install an
aircraft band radio at our office and use it to contact the company
airplane?

Thanks...

Cell phone.

I agree...Radio's are finicky things and are difficult and
expensive to arrange so as to work well for all ranges but Cell
phones are so reliable now that I'd say that's the way to go for
your operation. Much cheaper too. They're very handy for the crew
themselves to use for weather info, calling to lay on fuel,
hangar space, servicing...etc etc...by far the best choice I'd
say...
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

In article ,
C. J. Clegg wrote:

We have a small consulting company that owns an airplane that is used
for business trips. From time to time it would be useful to be able
to contact the airplane from our office which is not located on any
airport. What do we need to do to get authorization to install an
aircraft band radio at our office and use it to contact the company
airplane?

Thanks...

In a nutshell, you need to get a ground station license from the FCC,
for which you need to demonstrate that your proposed use falls within
the guidelines. Try the FCC web site for more info...

http://wireless.fcc.gov/aviation/fctsht4.html
http://wireless.fcc.gov/aviation/grnd.html

If these don't answer your questions, give them a call. In the past,
I've found the FCC folks to be very helpful about stuff like this.

Or, are you talking about being able to stay in touch with your aircraft
no matter where it is? If so, you probably want to look at ARINC...

http://www.arinc.com/products/voice_...dio_svc/domest
ic.html

On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 09:03:26 -0500, Roy Smith wrote:

Or, are you talking about being able to stay in touch with your aircraft
no matter where it is? If so, you probably want to look at ARINC...

Good evening, Roy.

Actually, the main objective is to be able to contact the plane within
50 or 75 miles of base. But, I'll look at that ARINC. Might have
definite possibilities.

For those who suggested a cell phone, believe me I'd love to be able
to do it, but it ain't legal (it's against FCC rules), and anyway, it
doesn't work very well more than a few thousand feet above ground
because the cellular antennas are designed to keep all radiation down
low.

CJ

C. J. Clegg wrote:

On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 09:03:26 -0500, Roy Smith wrote:

Or, are you talking about being able to stay in touch with your aircraft
no matter where it is? If so, you probably want to look at ARINC...

Good evening, Roy.

Actually, the main objective is to be able to contact the plane within
50 or 75 miles of base. But, I'll look at that ARINC. Might have
definite possibilities.

For those who suggested a cell phone, believe me I'd love to be able
to do it, but it ain't legal (it's against FCC rules), and anyway, it
doesn't work very well more than a few thousand feet above ground
because the cellular antennas are designed to keep all radiation down
low.

CJ

Well, CJ, I wouldn't want you to pass up a good thing because of
incorrect info so perhaps you should check out about this
'illegal' thing. They have cell phones installed in the seat
backs of some commercial airliners for the use of passengers
(I've seen them but haven't used one) so they sure aren't
illegal,

I believe that they use a different tower/receiver plan setup
specifically designed for long range (high) cell phones.

I'm quite familiar with VHF/HF aeronautical radios and I cannot
imagine anything handier for what you propose than cel phones.
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

Gord Beaman wrote:
Well, CJ, I wouldn't want you to pass up a good thing because of
incorrect info so perhaps you should check out about this
'illegal' thing. They have cell phones installed in the seat
backs of some commercial airliners for the use of passengers
(I've seen them but haven't used one) so they sure aren't
illegal,

These are not cell phones. They are attached to a ship-board
communications system which uses a satellite link (or possibly dedicated
ground stations) to patch you through to the terrestrial phone network.
Different system completely from cell phones.

Gord Beaman wrote:
[...]
'illegal' thing. They have cell phones installed in the seat
backs of some commercial airliners for the use of passengers

Those ain't cell phones (where would you find a cell phone tower e.g. in the
middle of the Atlantic anyway?) but satellite phones.

jue

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 02:55:16 GMT, Gord Beaman
wrote:

Well, CJ, I wouldn't want you to pass up a good thing because of
incorrect info so perhaps you should check out about this
'illegal' thing. They have cell phones installed in the seat
backs of some commercial airliners for the use of passengers
(I've seen them but haven't used one) so they sure aren't
illegal,

Good morning, Gord.

As others have mentioned, those phonse aren't cellular (I didn't know
that they were actually satellite phones but it makes sense that they
would be). I have used those phones once or twice and while they are
quite expensive to use, they do work rather well and are a lot better
than nothing if you have to get in touch with the ground from an
airliner.

There are also satellite phones that work in private airplanes but
that's a rather expensive option too. I already have the radios and
antennas I need and if I can license one of them as a ground station
from our office, I can do everything we need to do for only the cost
of the license.

Cellular phones are definitely illegal, no question about it, for use
in airplanes that are not sitting on the ground. This is from FCC
rules, not FAA, though FAA has their own rules.

Note also that there are also Personal Communications Service (PCS)
phones, such as Sprint PCS, that are erroneously referred to as "cell"
phones but are not; they work in a different service (the PCS service
rather than the cellular service). Those phones ARE legal to use in
airplanes. Unfortulately they often don't work well in airplanes, for
the same reason that cellular phones usually won't work well ... the
ground station antennas are designed to keep all of the radiation low
to the ground and minimuze the radiation that goes out above the
horizon, so if you're much higher than about 2000 feet or so, it's
hard to get a connection.

Also, I have been told (not sure if this is true) that both cellular
and PCS ground stations have the ability to detect how far away you
are from the station, probably by sending out a signal and measuring
the time it takes to get a reply, and if you're beyond some limit (35
miles was mentioned), they won't let you connect.

CJ