[aprssig] Balloons, Ham Radio and APRS in UK

[Dave Baxter]

Sadly hear in the UK, we are even as fully licenced amateurs,
expressedly prohibited from putting ANY Ham TX gear in ANY airborne
"vehicle"......   It's all in the licence booklet, the BR68.

Several people have in the past tried to get an exception for this sort
of thing, but as "Amateurs", no way!

If your friend has signed up to the RSGB, he should lobby them, to in
turn lobby the government here.  But, we are a small and crowded
country, and with a very busy airspace, way more air traffic than even
in the busy parts of the USA.

Using a cellphone may work, but I've been told several times by friends
in that industry, that if a cellphone is "seen" by too many cell sites
(as it could be if airbourne) it could be blocked from accessing the
system, as that too is very busy, and they just don't want the extra
traffic..

Compared to the USA, here, I think there are over 1 1/2 times more cell
phones, than heads of population!!!  For example, I have 3!  One for
work, one personal, and a third for sometime portable net access.  Two
are usualy active at any one time.
 
Dave G0WBX.