HF Aircraft Freqs...just for fun

[ka3jjz]

would the Grundig Yachtboy 400PE that was mentioned above be a good radio to start out with for HF as far as aviation goes? I'm looking for something cheap to start out with until I get used to everything...

It'll do, to a point. If you look at the URLs that were given above, you can easily see that you'll quickly run out of memories. But as a starter, it's not a bad choice. In an older Passport to World Band Radio, it's rated 3.5 stars and editor's choice - so go for it.

73s Mike

 

[CSL126]

The only reciever listed on the Radioshack website is the Grundig Yachtboy 100PE. That's the only one I see anyway? does anyone have a URL that they can send me? And will the 100PE work for recieving aviation, because my local Radioshack has it in stock...

 

[K2KOH]

No, becaise the 100 PE does not do sideband...you need to have SSB to listen to aviation frequencies. Have fun

 

[Alain]

My favorite freq was 8.942 MHz. When I was working graveyard years ago, I used to come home at 3 or 4 AM, turn on the R 71-A and listen to Vietnam; that was really exciting. Probably my best DX catch was one stormy evening I was listening in on the 5 Mhz band and hooked up with a 747 just departing Seattle. His destination: Rio de Janeiro!

I followed him throughout the HF band until I could no longer hold my eyes open! Another DX catch from the aero band [11 MHz] was a UPS 747 leaving Stockholm, Sweden heading for the states.

I was living in an apartment in San Diego at the time. I had "geometrically" fastened a 100' roll of stranded copper wire to the ceiling; first, around the perimeter of the ceiling and gradually winding it towards the center. Connected a short 8' length of Belden 9913 from the ends to the R 71-A.

Just goes to show, you don't need anything elaborate or expen$ive top get great reception...

Alain

 

[OutPost]

International Captain of Days Gone By

I flew the DC-8, DC-10 and B-727 on international flights around the world. We often would tag up with a Ham operator somewhere and they would ask us what our callsign was...hmmm, I just gave then the tail number. One time over the Pacific, I was talking to a guy in his RV in Australia and after about 15 minutes, a flight engineer in a Singapore Airlines 747 read me the riot act about using the radio without a license. I told him that as captain of this aircraft, I have a radiotelephone license that says I can operate any radio in this aircraft...and it doesn't say anywhere as to what frequencies I cannot transmit on. (Wasn't sure...but told him that anyway).

I happen to sell a video called: "The Mighty DC-8 Stretch Jet" 86 minutes and NTSC (Not PAL). There's three flights into Tokyo, Hong Kong, and London. The Tokyo flight shows us talking to Honolulu and Tokyo Control on 10033 and 89r something. Take a look at: http://www.dc8.org/store/bertrand/videos.php

It's a great video and the only one of it's type in the world. You will see both myself and my first officer giving position reports on HF. You can hear all communications well in the video. Instructions for purchase is available and I ship around the world. Thanks