aircraft frequency converter to go with the flex-1500

[WA9WWW]

I was wondering if any hams had built an aircraft converter(108-136 mhz) to use with the flex-1500? I would like to make one but have no experience. Any recommendations or references? Thanks Paul WA9WWW email spinrow@centurylink.net

[NA0AA]

Try Ramsey Electronics, they might have a kit that would do the job.

But surely a cheap scanner would be just as effective?

[KO6WB]

Or perhaps a Fun Cube Radio Dongle; http://www.funcubedongle.com/.
You may have to wait until they are stocked once again or maybe find a domestic dealer that has them.
This is even cheaper than a scanner.
If you're determined to make your own then all you have to do is get a UV916 TV tuner and follow the directions here to make it work; http://hem.passagen.se/communication/uv916rec.html. The difference between what he has done and what you need to do is simply connect the Flex-1500 as the IF and eliminate the SAW filter. You're just going to use the tuner IF out and use the Flex-1500 as the IF section. You can set the TV tuner to one frequency and vary the Flex-1500 tuning to move around the aircraft band or you can vary the UV916 tuner and keep the 1500 set as the IF on a single frequency in the 30-40Mhz range. If you do some more thinking you'll find that this approach will also give you 2 meters, 220Mhz and 420-450Mhz amateur bands as well as the military ground to air frequencies from 225-400Mhz. There's a whole lot more out there this project will do for you.
If you need further assistance let us know
73
Gary

[NA0AA]

Wow, that looks like a fun item to experiment with and mayble I'll order one, but I was thinking that for AIR band, AM use, a used, old style non-digital scanner can probably be had for under $50 and it won't tie up his PC.

But I have to admit that the FCD looks like a great idea and plenty of fun for other applications.