Furthest distance you have picked up airports/airplanes?

[Rt169Radio]

Hello, I was wondering what is the furthest distance you guys n gals have picked up airport and/or airplane transmissions? I know everything depends on the weather, antenna setup and height, type of coax and radio etc. etc.

I myself can sometimes get plane transmissions up to 100 miles away from my house.

 

[prcguy]

I carried on a conversation with an aircraft until it got 330NM or 389 statute miles away. The aircraft had punched in my location as it flew directly overhead then out over the ocean on the way to Hawaii at 34,000ft altitude. We could have gone further but it was getting boring. I was using a 5w radio and a 1/4 wave whip on a vehicle.

 

[chrismol1]

By far the NASA806 high altitude research U2/ER2 @ 60,000 with the P3 below on 123.375. Hundreds of miles before it began to fade

 

[AI7PM]

Space Shuttle count? "700 miles downrange" call and I was hearing them on a handheld.

 

[scanmanmi]

I heard a Pan Pan out of Toronto (~300 miles). I also saw the Russians were doing a space walk so I got on the radio and I actually heard them speaking Russian.

 

[vagrant]

I receive aircraft ADS-B transmissions 250 NM away and I am using 50’ of RG6, which is not the best choice of coax for 1090 MHz. As to voice using AM or ADS-B signals, much depends on the aircraft altitude.

 

[eorange]

By far the NASA806 high altitude research U2/ER2 @ 60,000 with the P3 below on 123.375. Hundreds of miles before it began to fade

Was that a random catch while scanning, or were you parked on 123.375?

 

[RidingDownUnder]

I heard a commercial airline pilot on 14MHz who was ã Amateur Radio operator talking to some VK’s years ago before I got my ticket. I can still remember him saying he was at ã altitude of 38,000’. He also had a US accent. I forgot his position but I think he might of been between east coast US (SFO/LAX) and Sydney Australia (YSSY) at cruising altitude.

 

[RidingDownUnder]

I heard a commercial airline pilot on 14MHz who was ã Amateur Radio operator talking to some VK’s years ago before I got my ticket. I can still remember him saying he was at ã altitude of 38,000’. He also had a US accent. I forgot his position but I think he might of been between east coast US (SFO/LAX) and Sydney Australia (YSSY) at cruising altitude.

Sorry that’s supposed to be West coast US not East coast.

 

[dlwtrunked]

Hello, I was wondering what is the furthest distance you guys n gals have picked up airport and/or airplane transmissions? I know everything depends on the weather, antenna setup and height, type of coax and radio etc. etc.

I myself can sometimes get plane transmissions up to 100 miles away from my house.

Some math... take the square-root of the altitude in feet. Multiply that by 1.23 to get the line of site distance in miles. Use 1.4 instead of 1.23 to get what many consider to be the service range (a little further due to propagation effects). And that range of seeing airborne aircraft is common. A 30000 ft aircraft will often be seen at 240 miles for example. If you have high a high receive antenna, add that same calculation to the one above to estimate range. For airports, it will depend primarily on local terrain (commonly 15-20 miles except when unusual atmosphere, ducting, aids) when one of the antenna is unusually high (like on a mountain top) and then can be much further.

 

[chrismol1]

Was that a random catch while scanning, or were you parked on 123.375?

Waiting on 123.375 as mentioned on this forum. Anytime I see the NASA on ADSB Exchange in the region it'll be the highest thing other than balloons

 

[jwt873]

I have an ADS-B receiver as well.. I've logged them out to 250 NM. I also sometimes listen to aircraft cruising at above 36,000 feet. When they enter the local traffic control zone, they check in with the controller assigned to look after the zone,

The frequency for our zone in central Canada is 120.500 MHz. It's a huge area, (from Northern Ontario to the Alberta border). When I hear a plane announcing it's callsign, I'll spot its location on Flighradar24. I've heard planes as far as 300 miles out.

 

[Rt169Radio]

Couple of nights ago I just picked up a airliner coming from the west coast headed to Boston about 150NM away from my house. Not bad I think

 

[KPMDWhistler]

By far the NASA806 high altitude research U2/ER2 @ 60,000 with the P3 below on 123.375. Hundreds of miles before it began to fade

I live near KPMD and I can never seem to figure out what freq the ER-2 switches to after "Joshua Approach", I can never seem to get a clear enough signal to hear what Josh approach is saying.

 

[alcahuete]

I live near KPMD and I can never seem to figure out what freq the ER-2 switches to after "Joshua Approach", I can never seem to get a clear enough signal to hear what Josh approach is saying.

While climbing? It's either 369.9 (Center-wide Tactical) or the actual sector frequency. But which sector they get switched to depends on the direction of flight, etc.

 

[KPMDWhistler]

What and where do I find the sectional frequency? Is it on aviation charts?

 

[alcahuete]

Some are on charts, most aren't. Here are the LA Center frequencies: Los Angeles (ZLA) Air Route Traffic Control Center Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

It is difficult to say what exact frequency they go to, because it depends on the direction of flight. Sector 3, 4, 17, 18 are good bets after Joshua Approach. High altitude, another crap shoot. Or they could just stay on the tactical frequency 369.9, which is often the case. Just depends on what the pilot wants.

 

[Rt169Radio]

Space Shuttle count? "700 miles downrange" call and I was hearing them on a handheld.

Now that you said that, does the ISS count as a aircraft? Lol, if so that's the longest distance I have ever received then on my radios.

 

[prcguy]

Now that you said that, does the ISS count as a aircraft? Lol, if so that's the longest distance I have ever received then on my radios.

ISS would be a spacecraft. If your going to count that I've talked 22,300mi many times. And at least once with about .05 watts.

 

[dlwtrunked]

Now that you said that, does the ISS count as a aircraft? Lol, if so that's the longest distance I have ever received then on my radios.

Polar orbiting environmental (weather) satellites (POES) in the 137-138 MHz range have orbits about twice as high (~520 vs. 254 miles) and are easily heard. sit on 137.1, 137.22 or 137.9125 for a day. Straight overhead, the distance to the ISS is about the same as that to and extremely high aircraft on the horizon. But the POES will always be higher. But I monitor with other equipment communications from geostationary satellites at an altitude of about 22,000 miles.