Listening to airband frequencies
 

Hi,
I just bought a radio scanner (radioshack pro-83) and want to listen to
airband frequencies, however, I cannot find any on the airband. I tried
doing the scan, and even tuning to specific ones, like Boston ATC and
whatnot, but cannot hear anything.

Other frequencies, such as Police/Fire I hear just fine. I am
approximately 10 miles away from a major airport.

Am I doing something wrong, or I really have to be close to the airport
to hear them on the scanner?

Thanks.

Kind regards,
george

10 miles. I would have thought you'd hear things OK.

You'd be better scanning or tuning to the specific frequencies the airport
uses. Do an Internet search for the airport and the frequencies it has.
Best start would be the approach or departure frequencies, particularly at a
time you have aircraft operating over or near your home. You can try
control tower and ground frequencies later.

However, eliminate the distance question for a start. Grab a list of the
frequencies and go to or near the airport and make sure you are receiving
them there. Once you're confident with the scanner at close quarters, try
again from home.

--

Dave S

"Pred02" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,
I just bought a radio scanner (radioshack pro-83) and want to listen to
airband frequencies, however, I cannot find any on the airband. I tried
doing the scan, and even tuning to specific ones, like Boston ATC and
whatnot, but cannot hear anything.

Other frequencies, such as Police/Fire I hear just fine. I am
approximately 10 miles away from a major airport.

Am I doing something wrong, or I really have to be close to the airport
to hear them on the scanner?

Thanks.

Kind regards,
george

Hmm.. I cannot hear any frequencies on the airband. I tried tuning into
many of the local frequencies, but even with the search function on the
airband I cannot hear anything. There is a blank noise on 125.0, other
than that nothing. The scan function works fine with tunning to weather
and police/fire frequencies, but nothing for airband.

I suppose I am doing something wrong. I have the Pro-83.

Any suggestions?

kind regards,
george

"Pred02" wrote in news:1124752412.873051.266350
@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Hmm.. I cannot hear any frequencies on the airband. I tried tuning into
many of the local frequencies, but even with the search function on the
airband I cannot hear anything. There is a blank noise on 125.0, other
than that nothing. The scan function works fine with tunning to weather
and police/fire frequencies, but nothing for airband.

I suppose I am doing something wrong. I have the Pro-83.

Any suggestions?

Around Boston there must be quite a few active freqs.
Things to consider:

* All air comms are AM
* In search, use 25 khz steps [or 12.5 or 50] from 119 to 140 mhz
* You might hear only the aircraft side on the transmissions at 10 miles with
a rubber duck antenna.

Still, during any day you should have no problems finding active freqs as
aircraft travel to and fro.

Nothing on the airband around my house. Perhaps I am using the scanner
the wrong way or something, when I search the airbamd 108-134. Perhaps
I will drive closer to the airport and try to get some frequencies over
there to see if it works at all.

But I bet I am doing something wrong.

Pred02 wrote:
With the squelch set all the way clockwise, it scans the entire band
without finding anything. If I put the squelch all the way
counterclockwise, it stops the search as it finds static. Perhaps the
squelch should be set differently?

George, the usual way to set the squelch is to start all the
way clockwise (fully on), begin scanning, and slowly turn the
squelch anti-clockwise until you hear noise--that is, until
the squelch is below the ambient noise level. From that point,
turn the squelch back clockwise enough to make the noise stop,
plus just a bit more.

With the squelch set all the way ON, as you had it, only a
very strong nearby signal will be enough to break the squelch,
so this may well be why you aren't hearing anything yet!
Good luck!

_______________________________________________
Ken Kuzenski AC4RD ken . kuzenski at duke .edu
_______________________________________________
All disclaimers apply, see? www.duke.edu/~kuzen001

With the squelch set all the way clockwise, it scans the entire band
without finding anything. If I put the squelch all the way
counterclockwise, it stops the search as it finds static. Perhaps the
squelch should be set differently?

Thanks,
George

Well, yes. I thought I gave you some suggestions. To repeat:

"You'd be better scanning or tuning to the specific frequencies the airport
uses. Do an Internet search for the airport and the frequencies it has.
Best start would be the approach or departure frequencies, particularly at a
time you have aircraft operating over or near your home. You can try
control tower and ground frequencies later.

"However, eliminate the distance question for a start. Grab a list of the
frequencies and go to or near the airport and make sure you are receiving
them there. Once you're confident with the scanner at close quarters, try
again from home."

Did you try this?

--

Dave S

"Pred02" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hmm.. I cannot hear any frequencies on the airband. I tried tuning into
many of the local frequencies, but even with the search function on the
airband I cannot hear anything. There is a blank noise on 125.0, other
than that nothing. The scan function works fine with tunning to weather
and police/fire frequencies, but nothing for airband.

I suppose I am doing something wrong. I have the Pro-83.

Any suggestions?

kind regards,
george

On 23 Aug 2005 07:31:21 -0700, "Pred02" wrote in
rec.radio.scanner:

Nothing on the airband around my house. Perhaps I am using the scanner
the wrong way or something, when I search the airbamd 108-134. Perhaps
I will drive closer to the airport and try to get some frequencies over
there to see if it works at all.

But I bet I am doing something wrong.

Search from 118.0 to 137.0 in 25 KHz increments.

Make absolutely sure you are using AM modulation and not FM, NFM or WFM.

If you keep it going for long enough you *must* hear something eventually,
unless you scanner is broken.

Regards

Peter

"Pred02" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,
I just bought a radio scanner (radioshack pro-83) and want to listen to
airband frequencies, however, I cannot find any on the airband. I tried
doing the scan, and even tuning to specific ones, like Boston ATC and
whatnot, but cannot hear anything.

Other frequencies, such as Police/Fire I hear just fine. I am
approximately 10 miles away from a major airport.

Am I doing something wrong, or I really have to be close to the airport
to hear them on the scanner?

Thanks.

Kind regards,
george


Hello Predo,

My 83 was deaf in the airband until I switched from the stock antenna to a
Diamond RH77CA.

The telescoping antenna that Radio Shack caries may also work as well. I did
notice that if you have the stalker turned on with the Diamond ant, you get
a lot of false captures. I would try the RS antenna, and if that doesn't
work you can always return it.

Good luck...