Ever wonder what those airplanes in the sky are really saying to the control tower and to each other? Well now you can find out with the compact K8TND PlaneTalk VHF Airband Receiver for the 108-136MHz AM VHF band, or the 6m amateur band option. This is a good kit for the beginner, casual builder, or seasoned builder that would like to introduce and mentor a youngster to radio, electronics, or just listen to the aircraft traffic. Listen to the sample .mp3 file below and you will see what this receiver is capable of 100 miles away from the closest metropolitan area. To keep it as simple and easy to build as possible, a sensitive regenerative circuit is used, which will easily pick up the radio transmissions from aircraft and nearby ground controllers. All you need in addition is a pair of headphones or earbuds, simple antenna, and a 9V battery. Board size is 3.50″ x 2.50″, and the current drain on a 9 volt battery is less than 10mA, so you will have many hours of listening fun on a single battery.
It is powered by a snap-in 9V battery on the board, a female BNC connector for the antenna, and 3.5mm jack for the earbuds or headphones. The kit uses all through hole components. Tools required are a soldering iron with a small tip, rosin core solder, small side cutters, and can be easily built in a couple of hours, depending on your experience. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most difficult, this is rated at 2. It can be assembled in a single evening or maybe a little longer, if you are explaining as they build it. The 9v battery is not included.
Please let us know how you get along with this project. All comments will be carefully reviewed.
Click here for the assembly manual
Listen to .mp3 from the receiver
A glossary of Pilot/Controller speak
Plans for an inexpensive indoor/outdoor antenna