ATC Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the questions I get the most about listening to live air traffic control. If your question isn't covered here, drop me a line and I'll add it.
How do I actually listen?
Open the ATC page, click any airport in the list, and you'll land on that feed's listen page over at LiveATC.net. Hit the play button on their embedded player and the audio starts streaming. Works in any modern browser on any device — no plugins, no downloads, no accounts required.
A feed says "offline" or has no audio — is it broken?
Individual LiveATC feeds are operated by volunteers running receivers near each airport. From time to time a receiver goes down (power outage, internet outage, the operator is on vacation, the FAA changed a frequency, etc.). When that happens the feed will be marked offline.
If your first pick is dead, try another feed at the same airport (most major fields have separate Tower / Ground / Approach / Clearance feeds), or pick a different airport from the list. Tower feeds at large hubs almost always have a backup running.
Why can't I hear both sides of the conversation?
You're not hearing things, and there's no software bug. Most LiveATC feeds come from a single receiver located somewhere near the airport — not from inside the tower itself. The controller's transmitter is high-powered and reaches the receiver loud and clear. Some aircraft, especially small ones on the ground or far away, have weaker transmitters that the receiver can't pick up. So you get half the conversation: every word from ATC, but only the aircraft within range of that particular receiver.
You'll often hear ATC say things like "Cherokee 5-niner-uniform, say again" — that's the controller asking the aircraft to repeat themselves because the aircraft was weak at the tower, too. The half-conversation problem affects controllers more than you'd think.
Why isn't my airport listed?
The list on the ATC page is a curated set of recommended feeds, not the full LiveATC catalog. There are well over a thousand more airports covered. Go to LiveATC.net and search by ICAO code or city name to find your local field.
If your airport isn't on LiveATC at all and you live nearby, consider becoming a feed provider yourself — LiveATC publishes setup instructions and supplies receiver hardware. It's a free public service that lots of local pilots have set up over the years.
Can I listen from outside the US?
Yes — LiveATC is reachable from anywhere in the world. The restriction isn't on who's listening; it's on which airports can be carried. A handful of countries (United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Iceland, India, New Zealand) have laws against rebroadcasting their ATC frequencies, so LiveATC voluntarily doesn't host feeds from those jurisdictions. Everywhere else is fair game.
Is it legal to listen to ATC in the US?
Yes. ATC voice is broadcast unencrypted on VHF and there is no FCC or FAA rule against listening, recording, or sharing the audio. LiveATC has operated that way since 2004.
Can I listen on my phone?
Yes — open m.liveatc.net on any phone browser. Same content, mobile-friendly layout, no app required. (LiveATC does have official iOS and Android apps but those are paid downloads. The mobile site is free.)
I want to actually understand what they're saying. Help?
The fastest path is the VASAviation YouTube channel. They take real ATC exchanges, sync them to radar replays, and put subtitles on screen so you can see the phraseology and the corresponding traffic picture at the same time. After a few hours of that, raw LiveATC will sound a lot less foreign.
For systematic study, work through our reference library and the FAA's Aeronautical Information Manual — Chapter 4 is the radio communications chapter. It's free.
What about military or NORDO traffic?
LiveATC covers some military airports and joint-use fields. For dedicated military operations and unusual specialty feeds (air shows, search-and-rescue, ferry operations), Broadcastify's aviation section sometimes carries things LiveATC doesn't. Different volunteer network, slightly different coverage map.