Let Your Ears Have Wings

If you intend to purchase a scanner to monitor aircraft, make sure you know exactly where you will be likely to use it, and that if you wish to use it mobile, that is, in a vehicle, it includes AC-DC power operation. Otherwise, you will possibly be restricted to home listening, and you’ll be forced to outlay on a second scanner or a tunable portable receiver for use away from home.

In this equipment guide, we will lay down some basic common ground rules for receiver selection. Both tunable receivers, hand-held crystal-locked fixed-channel and programmable scanning receivers are covered. In this programmable category, we look at both ‘base type’ receivers, and hand-held portable models.

When selecting a tunable receiver, ensure the set is small and portable, has excellent sensitivity (from between 1. 5 to 0. 5 microvolts) and good selectivity. Selectivity means the ability to separate stations that are on adjacent channels. Make sure the radio is powered by cheap and easily-obtainable batteries, such as penlights, or ‘C’ size, and that it is able to tune the entire 108 MHz to l36 MHz VHF aviation allocation, not just 118 MHz to 136 MHz.

The set ideally should contain a squelch control enabling you to silence the receiver when stations are not transmitting. Examples of good tunable sets include the Patrolman series available at Tandy Electronics stores. You may be able to purchase, a good second-hand unit advertised in any of a number of publications. An exception to the ‘squelch control selection rule’ is. the 1lmall, light and excellent tunable receiver, the Dick Smith D-2836radio. Although it doesn’t have squelch, the set is not noisy between transmissions, and you’ll probably never notice the lack of control. This receiver is low-priced and has excellent sensitivity.

• Price range for tunable sets is between $30 and $200. But if you do decide to buy a tunable set valued at nearly $200, stop and think seriously about abandoning this idea -and purchasing a programmable scanner. Even if you don’t buy new, if you choose carefully, there are some excellent used scanning receivers constantly coming onto the marketplace.

When buying a programmable scanner, make sure that the digital readout is easily read, and that the unit is small enough to fit under your vehicle dashboard, or perhaps in the space behind your driving seat, for mobile operation. Ensure the sensitivity and selectivity are excellent. It needs to be able to be powered from AC or DC, and tune the entire Airband, 108 to 136 MHz. In addition, the ability to tune the VHF Hi-Band, which is 148 MHz to 174 MHz, and the UHF and UHF-T Bands, between 450 MHz and 512 MHz would prove very useful to your airband monitoring due to numerous company two-way channels on these bands, including transport vehicles, engineering, ramp passenger handling, catering and the like.

The set must be easy to programme, and be capable of accepting an external antenna plug. Ideally, these sets are priced between $200 and $500. I stress again that we are not necessarily advocating the purchase of new receivers, as we have become aware of many good second-hand units on the market, as individuals upgrade their own equipment. Examples of good programmables are the AOR AR2001, which is not subject to unwanted image frequencies (double the IF of the set, and which plague some other receivers!), and the Realistic Pro-2002, Seiko SC-7000, JIL SX-200, and the Regency MX-7000. This last-mentioned receiver has an incredible frequency range (uninterrupted) of 26 MHz to 1100 MHz, or 1. 1 Gigahertz!

With the purchase of HF, or Shortwave Communications Receivers, it is vital that the set have either digital readout, or direct analogue readout, and that this must be easy to read, and that a setting no more than one kilohertz from the desired frequency you have selected be obtainable during the ‘dialling-up’ process. The receiver must have a clarifier control, also known as a BFO, for resolving SSB, or single-sideband mode transmissions. All aircraft HF working is now on SSB. Ideally, receivers should include an ANL, or Automatic Noise Limiter, an AGC, or Automatic Gain Control, an antenna trimmer, with which to ‘tune’ the antenna being used, and the set should be both very sensitive and selective.

Look for good-sounding audio from the speakers that are built into the sets. Avoid ‘tinny’ sounding receivers if you are not planning to use an external speaker for monitoring. If you are planning to plug an external speaker into your receiver, make sure there is provision for this on the set. The receiver should most definitely be able to use an external antenna. You will need an antenna connection or jack, regardless of whether you are planning to use a long wire, a HF beam, or one of the whip-type active antennas, which have their own power supply and preamplifier.

Some quality HF receivers are the National PanasonicRF-3100, the ICOMIC-R71A andR70models, the Yaesu Musen FRG-7 (this unit ideally combined with a Gilfer GAR-7 digital readout outboard unit), the FRG-7000 and FRG-7700. The latter is the current top-of-the-line from Yaesu, and includes full digital readout facilities built into the receiver. Thereis the KenwoodR-1000, superseded by the R-2000, theDrakeR7, andtheJRCNRD-515,NRD-92andNRD-93. In addition, the JIL SX-400 has full HF capability, and also can be used on the VHF and UHF bands. The Bearcat DX-1000 is a move by the manufacturers of the Bearcat VHF/UHF scanning receiver (Electra Corporation of USA) into the programmable HF scanning receiver market. It includes simple tuning facilities through direct access keyboard controls, and has full micro-processor digital technology. The radio tunes 10 Kilohertz (Khz)to 30MHz continuously.

For those interested in obtaining any of these radios, some companies who may be of assistance to you are listed now:

1. Vicom International, 57 City Road, SouthMelbourne3205, Vic. Phone(03)626931. This company is represented NSW also, and Old, SA, WA and Tasmania.

2. Tandy Electronics and Dick Smith Electronics Stores, Australiawide.

3. Sideband Electronics, 22 Clark Street, Crows Nest NSW 2065. Phone (02) 438 4191.

4. Eastern Communications Centre, 168 Elgar Road, Wattle Park Vic. 3128. Phone (03) 288 3107.

5. Emtronics, Campbell & ElizabethStreets, Sydney NSW 2000. (02) 2110988. This company doesn’t refund in cash(so choose carefully!)

6. Timeplus, 55 Sydney Road, Brunswick Vic. 3056. Phone (03) 380 4942.

7. Amateurs’ Paradise, 144 Scarborough Street, Southport Old. 4215. Phone (075) 32 2644.

8. G. F. S. Electronic Imports, 17 McKean Road, Mitcham Vic. 3132. Phone (03) 873 3777.

For persons wanting crystals cut for their hand-held scanning receivers, contact C. M. Crystals, 27 Hawthorn Road, Kilsyth Vic. 3137. Phone(03) 725 5415. Make sure you tell them the name and model number of the receiver you are operating and wish to have the crystals cut. Otherwise, they may use a formula for another type of set and you may not get the frequency you desire!

Until our next update of Let Your Ears Have Wings, ·enjoy the Airband Action as it happens through one of the most exciting mediums ever discovered . . . RADIO!