'Pirate radio puts aircraft in danger'

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/

by Anthony France 

Hundreds of plane passengers' lives were put at risk by a pirate 
radio station broadcasting on the same frequency as air traffic 
control operators, it has emerged. 

The pilot of a jet which was coming in to land at Heathrow last 
week warned that his instructions from ground control were being 
drowned out by dance and garage music from a transmitter in south 
London. 

He was forced to switch to a back-up frequency in order to continue 
talking to air traffic control, and managed to land the plane safely. 
Yesterday, Telecoms Minister Stephen Timms backed the battle against 
radio piracy by joining enforcers in a raid on a south London tower 
block. 
Mr Timms said: "Pirate radio stations are threatening public safety 
every day. Their illegal broadcasts run the risk of disrupting 
essential radio services like air traffic control and emergency 
service communications. People's lives may be put at risk. 

"Most of the radio stations' transmitters are very crude and even 
when they are supposed to be broadcasting on one frequency they 
often are not." During the incident on 25 August, which the minister 
revealed yesterday, the pilot complained of interference coming from 
the Battersea area as he made his final descent towards Heathrow. 

Pilots coming in to City Airport in east London have also complained 
of music in their headphones. 

Accompanied by Mr Timms, journalists and photographers, the 
Radiocommunications Agency carried out a raid on the boiler room on 
the 16th floor of Bannerman House in Lawn Lane, Vauxhall. 

Two pirate radio stations broadcasting 


under the names Vibes 93.8FM and OlSkool 103.4FM have been known to 
operate from the block of council flats. 

Barry Maxwell, director of the Radioc o m m u n i c at i o n s Agency, 
said: "You can imagine how difficult it was for the pilot as he was 
about to land to have music blasting over his instructions. Actions 
like this mean that they cannot get vital messages at a time when 
they need them. 

"It is very dangerous and we need to clear these radio stations 
from the frequency. Many of the transmitters used cost about 
£300 and are very unstable, which means that the frequency drifts 
from one place to another. 

"We are fighting a constant battle against the pirates. Our team 
of radio engineers undertake difficult and dangerous work in making 
the airwaves safe but it's not only about raids and seizing equipment. 
We have people who also pursue not just the pirates but their 
suppliers and those who work behind the scenes." 

Mr Maxwell added that " interference with aircraft is very rare and 
we take the matter seriously when we receive complaints". The agency 

estimates there are up to 80 pirate radio stations operating in London, 
but finding those responsible is difficult. Most radio studios are 
miles from their transmitters, to which they are connected via a 
microwave link. 

Nearly 1,500 raids are carried out on pirate broadcasters each year 
of which around 90 per cent are in the Greater London area. 

The maximum penalty for running a pirate radio station is an unlimited 
fine and up to two years in prison. 

During the raid on the flats in Vauxhall, enforcement officers from 
the Radiocommunications Agency used steel cutters to remove metal 
transmitter boxes from their mounts in the boiler room. 

Most transmitters have an output of 100 watts which enables pirate 
stations to broadcast across an area stretching between 10 and 12 miles. 

Copyright Associated Newspapers 2002 http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/