Park Air - AM Scanner

[SeanStevens]

I found a Park Air scanner at the weekend (Model 16W). It looks a bit like this:

http://www.radiopics.com/Air%20Band%...cs%2016WSS.htm

Ian and I got it working and all seems fine...... But, it doesn't find any aircraft



It has an array of 8 crystals, varying frequencies, but nothing current that might be used in my area, which is Bristol, possibly Birmingham, even Cardiff.

Has anybody had any success recently listening in on aircraft?

Has anybody got any crystals they could lend/swap/sell me? I'd like to 'capture' a live aircraft just the once to see the scanner work.

As mention, Bristol and Birmingham frequencies would be good (EGGD, EGTG, EGFF, EGBB).

http://www.militaryairshows.co.uk/freqairport.htm

I will list my current 'spare' crystals to see if they are of any use to you.

SEAN

[peteratnith]

Hi Sean, you might have difficulty finding crystals, but if you have a signal generator try injecting into the crystal socket with no crystal fitted. Look up the chart for your local airport and find the ATIS frequency. This is a continuous transmission giving weather etc. Assuming your RX is a single conversion superhet with an IF of 10.7 Mhz, you will have to inject 10.7 Mhz above or below the incoming signal. My local ATIS is 129.575 Mhz so the local osc. signal would be 140.275 or 118.875. If there are any crystals present, look at the frequency marked on them. Many receivers use crystals 1/3rd of the local osc. frequency followed by a tripler, so your sig gen should be tuned to 1/3rd of the calculated frequency. I,m making sweeping assumptions about the Park Air receiver (single conversion, IF 10.7) Maybe someone knowledgable may respond.

Peter

[SeanStevens]

Thanks Peter, here is some more data on the receiver.

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/trio_kenwo_9r_59ds.html


With the sig gen I can at least find out what crystals would work to pick up local airports - thanks for your help



SEAN

[Herald1360]

Originally Posted by SeanStevens

Thanks Peter, here is some more data on the receiver.

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/trio_kenwo_9r_59ds.html

Takes you to a Trio 9R59DS receiver.....

There's a snippet of info here that tells you crystal frequencies:

http://www.vk2bv.org/radio/park.htm


And a bit of history:

http://www.northropgrummaninternatio...k-air-history/

[Radio Wrangler]

That shows the crystal is tripled and is BELOW the RF channel, but gives an odd IF of 10.07MHz. This could be a result of someone's typo on a calculator, or the unit could have an uusual IF

David

[majoconz]

I bought a Redifon R499 receiver that required 10 crystals to cover the HF aircraft frequencies. The final price of the crystals would have been excessive to say the least.

I bought one of these kits...

http://www.pongrance.com/ddfc-cc.html

..which you can programme with 10 frequencies and IF offsets. Full details on the website. Works very well.

Suitable pluggery makes a brilliant external VFO for my drifty TS120V!

[SeanStevens]

Well, thanks to peteratnith, (suggesting the injection tecnique) Ian and I heard 'voices' for a very short duration - I cannot remember what frequency we were injecting.

I think I need to find a scanner that works here in Bath - find a current frequncy in use here, then purchase the appropriate crystal.

Anybody around here got Airband capability?

SEAN