Airband Receivers

[Lawyerboy]

Wasn't sure whether to put this in Questions or whether I'd get a better response here - I reckon here, but no doubt I'll get moved if required.

Anyway, I'd appreciate some advice please. I'm thinking of getting an airband receiver, partly because I want to bone up my RT, partly because I want to listen to Stansted's ATIS on the way to my home airfield, and partly because I have a roof terrace under the approach to 27L at LHR.

I don't have a great deal to spend, nor do I see the need for a transceiver (not planning on making any calls), but I do want something that's going to work. Transair have what appears to be a fairly decent offering, and the Maycom AR-180 Airband Radio looks like a good bet to me (it's only £79), but I'm uninitiated; any views?

Ta muchly
LB.

[Evo7]

I've got a Maycom for the same sort of reasons. Very good IMHO. Icoms are better, but cost more.

I've just answered a question about the Maycom in Questions, so if you search there you should find more info

[CBG]

Funny that - I too used to live under the flightpath for LHR 27. I was on Seagrave road in Earls court. Where is your roof terrace?

When I was learning to fly and after talking to Lyneham and not understanding a thing they were saying to me I quickly bought an ICOM 22 something, the one with the VOR included. It cost me a bit but I never regretted the expense (used it in Africa in June after electrical problem in the AC). Get a transceiver and carry it in your flight bag. You never know!

I actually bought mine on a business trip in California (though it would be cheaper than at Transair in London. As it happens it was not!). Anyway. shortly after I bought it I found myself at Bakersfield airport, managed to get the tower frequency, turned the thing on...and the first call I heard was a mayday call from a guy who had an engine failure on finals (or final, whatever). He made it!

I am told that the many cheap receivers don't tend to last too long.

A roof terrace under LHR and your home airfield near Stanstead? Where do you fly from?

[rotorcraig]

I bought a MayCom AR-108 for simiar reasons - was a bit worried that being smaller / cheaper than alternatives it may not perform.

No such problems - it out performs the larger units of some of my flying colleagues, and I can listen in to both sides of my local FIS RT traffic despite being 10-15 miles from the airfield.

[Keef]

There has been a fairly recent thread on this, but I'm hopeless at finding old threads.

Basically, anything with dial-up (synthesised) tuning should be OK. A dial with a string moving a pointer across the scale will NOT do the job.

There are receivers around the £80 mark that will do the job - for example, go to http://www.wsplc.com/ click "Products", "Airband", "Airband Receivers".

Any of the Maycoms or the Yupiteru would do the job for you.

BUT if you are going to get a PPL and fly regularly, I'd go for a transceiver NOW. The Icom is the one I'd choose. Indeed, the one I did choose, and use quite a bit. Saves a lot of palaver calling for startup clearance at those places where you need to.

[Circuit Basher]

I used to have one of these AOR 'tune in anything' jobbies that was great (but cost £300) until some light fingered toe rag lifted it one day!

As a replacement, I bought the AR-108 and have had it ever since (bought rechargeable batteries with it as well). It's a great set - only drawback is due to the size, the speaker struggles to cope when being used in an environment with a lot of background noise. If you turn up the wick too far, it gets distorted. It fits in a shirt pocket and, as you say, is great for listening to ATIS or monitoring tower / approach frequencies when you're trying to assess how busy things are and whether to go for circuits or get out of the zone!

I've heard good things about the Icom; it's robust but expensive and a bit dated these days. Sportys Pilot Shop also sell Tx/Rx which may be a bit cheaper, but are US manufactured which makes warranty claims a bit more complex!

[Lawyerboy]

Thanks all, very informative. I've just found the thread on Questions too, thanks EVO7.

Whilst I'd like to go for something a little more robust and (perhaps) useful later on like the ICOM-A22 I can't really justify that sort of outlay at the moment, so the Maycom AR-108 it might just be. My only concern would be speaker quality, but I suppose you gets what you pays for, and I can always get an earpiece.

By the way, CBG, I live in Spitalfields, which is just under the right turn onto final for a/c coming in from LAM and BOV. A bit further out than you used to live. I fly out of High Cross, an unlicensed field just north of Ware in Herts, and fly down to Stapleford for a touch & go before and after each lesson. Takes me about an hour to drive up to the airfield.

[dublinpilot]

I have the maycom too. Can't hear the dublin atc, but can hear the pilots talking to them. I'm about 8 miles from airport.

Speaker is not much of a problem. However I got an adapter to convert my speaker jack on my DC headset to a mini jack, and plugged that into the maycom. Clarity is much clear, and just like it sounds in the plane!

[rotorcraig]

Well, this thread has put the mockers on my AR-108 ... went to use it this evening and the batteries (Duracell) have leaked, trashing the unit. Get "PLL ERROR" on display and/or white noise but no RT :(

Maybe it's not OK to leave non-rechargeables in when using mains adaptor?

So, I need to replace ... but looking at Waters & Stanton (Keef's link above) I wonder whether I should shell out an extra £30 on the FR-100? Anyone able to compare / contrast with the AR-108?

[Keef]

Hi Rotorcraig.

I don't know the AR-108, but does it have a memory backup battery? I can't see it having a PLL error because of a trashed battery case, unless it chewed up the main circuit board as well.

Remove backup battery, wait ten minutes (cup of coffee, etc), then replace all and try again.

Worked with my vintage Sony ICF2001.

[Land After]

rotorcraig

Duracells should not leak & I think there's even a g'tee to cover equipment damage on the pack. The problem may well be with the mains adapter - I don't know the set, but I suspect it may charge the batteries at the same time as powering the set. Trying to recharge normal batteries is a bad thing that can lead to arching, sparking, death and destruction.


Lawyerboy

Don't rush off and buy a brand new scanner - there may well be 2nd hand items available in the club, ebay, pilot shops or radio shops. I was made an offer I couldn't refuse when asking about the best tcvr for a flightbag on this board. You never know who's reading. (NB mine is an Icom, working very well and not for sale!)

[Danza]

If you want to splash out a bit more money I've got an Icom IC-R2, it's about £150. But it's well worth it, full frequency range, lots of memory storage banks, lots of scan functions etc. and it's tiny! (guess I just love gadgets a bit too much;) ).

[Wycombe]

If you're not looking for a transceiver, and want a good scanner I would recommend the Yupiteru MVT7100 - about £210 currently, I believe, but a very good piece of kit.

I've had mine for about 3 yrs - will store 1000 freqs (in 10 banks), has good reception and will fit in a coat pocket, or flight bag.

I learnt an awful lot about RT procedures (including how not to do things ;) ) before I learnt to fly from years of listening in to my local airfields

Ok, anorak off now (but, seriously, my instructor actually asked me once how I knew so many of the standard calls so well, in the early stages of my training, so it must have helped)

[rotorcraig]

Keef, thanks for your suggestion:

"Remove backup battery, wait ten minutes (cup of coffee, etc), then replace all and try again."

Tried that, didn't work, but then left everything disconnected for a week. Was just about to order a new unit today but thought I should have one last try before I did ... unit appears to be working fine now :cool:

Cheers,

RC

[Captain Rodders]

If you want to buy

Maycom AR-108 is £65.99 in central Leicester

CR

[Lawyerboy]

Funnily enough, just seen it for sale for £62 from some mail order place, but postage is £6. Still haven't quite convinced the good Mrs LB (being She Who Holds The Purse Strings) of the, er, need for it yet, but I'm working on it.

[sennadog]

This is going to be interesting. I've just bought a Maycom AR - 108 so I've left it on in my office to see if subliminally I can improve my RT.

I'll let you know.:D