Aircraft Radio Communications Receiver

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The communications between commercial aircraft and the ground can be interesting, amusing and sometimes even disturbing. However radios that receive the approximately 220MHz to 400MHz band commonly used for aircraft (both military and commercial) are not easily found. And scanners can be complicated, large and expensive. With an easy to build circuit such as this one, everyone can enjoy listening in on these conversations.

Schematic

Parts
Part R1, R3 R2 R4 R5 R6 C1, C2, C3, C6 C4 C5 C7 C8 D1 Q1 L1 L2 ANT1 MISC Total Qty. 2 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Description Substitutions 47K 1/4W Resistor 10K 1/4W Resistor 4.7K 1/4W Resistor 5K Linear Taper Pot 2.2K 1/4W Resistor 0.001uF Ceramic Disc Capacitor 2.2pF Ceramic Disc Capacitor 1pF Ceramic Disc Capacitor 15uF 15V Electrolytic Capacitor 18pF Variable Capacitor 1N82 Diode 2N918 NPN Transistor See Notes 1.8uH Inductor Approx. 18 Inch Wire Antenna PC Board, Wire, Knob For C8

Notes

1. The circuit originally appeared in the Think Tank column of the Sept. 1995 issue of Popular Electronics. 2. L1 is made by winding 2 turns of 22 AWG magnet wire on a 5/32 drill bit. This inductor can be modified to shift the frequency range of the circuit. 3. The antenna can also be placed at the anode of D1 if overload is a problem with it connected to the emitter of Q1 4. R5 adjusts regen and thus sensitivity.

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Comments
Add A Comment anonymous aircraft communicationAircraft Radio Communications Receiver Wednesday, January 25, 2012 11:45:58 PM I have a gmrs twoway radio it keys from 110.9 to @36.5 MHz. Will anybody hear me in a airplane. If they are not to far away my call is k6cal I am in San Jose CA Norman (KA1GUK) Aircraft Radio Communications Receiver Wednesday, August 17, 2011 5:05:40 PM One thing I forgot to mention in my previous comment was that the 2N3904 transistor will not work at 400MHz, but the SF245 transistor used in the Czech circuit will. The 2N3904 transistor will work fine in the audio stage, however. Norman (KA1GUK) Aircraft Radio Communications Receiver Wednesday, August 17, 2011 4:37:48 PM Please see the circuit at: http://krysatec.benghi.org/phprs/view.php?cisloclanku=2006033102 It's in the Czech language, but you can translate it and the schematic does not need any translation. The ideas of using a front end buffer and an audio amp stage can help this type of receiver circuit quite a bit. I like the circuit on the above website, but the values of the coil and tuning cap need to be changed to tune the newer air band. I'm not sure what else may need to be changed at this point to accommodate the higher frequencies. anonymous Aircraft Radio Communications Receiver Monday, March 07, 2011 12:25:51 AM it does really work? Federico Colombo Aircraft Radio Communications Receiver Thursday, August 12, 2010 12:53:00 AM I biuld this circuit but I receive no signal (yet)... I used a 2N5179 instead of 2N918. 1N34A instead of 1N82. And a C7 of 22uF (not 15uF). The other parts are same as needed. Do you have any comments about these replaces?. Thank you very much. anonymous Aircraft Radio Communications Receiver Tuesday, April 27, 2010 12:34:35 PM I built it and works! I replaced 2n918 with a 9018 with a frequency transition of 1100 mhz! I made L2 with 28 turns of 0,6 mm wire on 7mm drill bit , 1.6 cm long. Also a diode 1n34 works fine! Don Hill Aircraft Radio Communications Receiver Saturday, October 17, 2009 12:48:32 PM My research indicates that the 1N82 is a germanium diode from the fifties. A 1N34 should work as a replacement. A normal silicon diode will not work well as a Germanium diode has a 0.3V forward drop and a silicon diode has a 0.7V forward drop. anonymous Aircraft Radio Communications Receiver Wednesday, July 29, 2009 5:40:37 AM does it work? 1s4 Aircraft Radio Communications Receiver Friday, July 17, 2009 9:24:00 PM for air band i am using a 3.5 turn coil of wire on a 3/8 in. coil form the wire is 22ga. mohammed shafeeq.p Aircraft Radio Communications Receiver Tuesday, July 14, 2009 1:07:34 AM its really fantastic opertunity to see this circuit & to create it The last 10 comments are currently shown. Show All Comments. Back To Circuits Page | Mail Me | Search Add A Comment