AIRBAND RADIOS - WORTH A LISTEN (VHF Only)

 Hello and Welcome Back... I'm a huge fan of Aviation, and over the years, I have used various radios to listen to VHF aircraft with. 

While most aviation dedicated radios are fairly expensive, I have come across 3 main radios that I use for listening to my local airport.

So I thought I would list my Favorite '3 radios' that are worthy of years of Aviation listening.

 

1. YAESU VX-6 

This was a surprise. Built solid with a metal body, the Yaesu VX-6 is a Amateur Radio that does Shortwave, Marine band, Amateur radio bands (obviously) and Airband.

Unlike the cheap Baofengs that claim to receive Airband, the Yaesu VX-6 is clear and loud in reception and volume 

It comes with a rechargeable battery and can be used with 2 AA battery's if need be (will need to buy battery cradle).

For antenna, I'm using a dedicated airband antenna that i picked up from somewhere (i think it was South Eastern Communications) but any SMA-male antenna will fit. 

Highly recommend this radio.. 

edit - backlit keypad & 'busy' light is a excellent touch (above)
 

 

2. UNIDEN 396XT

While the Uniden 396XT may no longer pick up PSN, (Public Safety Network) it still is a excellent scanner radio for Airband. The radios sensitivity on AM is excellent and is powered by 3 AA batterys. I recommend the Panasonic Enloop Pro (2450mh) for many hours of listening. 

Antenna I use is a Nagoya NA701 / 771 from John at Secomms (South Eastern Communications). The receive is clear & loud. 

Highly Recommend..

Uniden 396XT with Nagoya NA701 antenna (above)

edit - Don't turn the volume up over 8, you will burn out the speaker and they are a pain to replace.

UNIDEN 436PT

My current go-to scanner for everything inc PSN, DMR, NXDN, & Airband. The sensitivity is excellent on AM unlike the SDS100 which is well documented as being 'deaf' on analog (AM). Pair this radio with a good set of battery's (Panasonic Enloop Pro (2450mh)) and a decent antenna like the 'Diamond SRH771', 'Diamond SRH519', 'Nagoya NA771' or 'Nagoya NA701' and you have a almost bulletproof radio with excellent receive on all bands.

edit - screen is highly reflected and is not good in direct sunlight. Don't turn volume up over 8, you will burn the speaker out.

 

So, There you have it.. My list of my fav 3 radios that I use for Airband listening.. 

Hope this helps

Michael Bailey 

 

STRATA LIVING - ANTENNA SUGGESTIONS

 Hello and Welcome Back.. Back when I was living in the Blue Mountains, the world was my oyster in regards to Scanner Antenna placement. 

I had a 3 stage pole that I bolted to the existing TV antenna pole and it worked extremely well. Funny enough, having the pole extended into its full 3 sections didn't work as well as only having 2 sections setup and using the roof as a groundplane.  

The other antenna's were on the metal deck roof and also worked very. I was able to hear V8 Supercars comms at Eastern Creek from Valley Heights.. Not Bad

But sadly, with our greedy landlord who kept jacking the price up $50 each 6 months, it was time to move..

And so, here I am on the Mid North Coast, Love the weather here. Only 5-7 mins to the beach depending on traffic but there was one thing I hadn't factored in when I moved... 

Its a strata villa, meaning you can't have antenna's everywhere without someone complaining.. 

The villa that I live in is governed by Strata, meaning you have to ask everyone in the complex via Strata if you want to do anything.. Its a pain in the arse, but here we are.

So, how do I still enjoy my hobby without my villa looking like a Nato base without alerting the neighbours. 

 

1. TV Antenna

Although directional, its a great start to see whats out there.. Here on the Mid North Coast, the antenna setup is via 2 sets of antenna's. A vertical VHF and a horizontal UHF. Can you guess what antenna is transmitting right next door to the TV antenna broadcast?

If you said PSN, (Public Safety Network) you would be right, and a heap of other goodies..  

 

2. Roof Cavity

The roof cavity is where I have my main antenna. Its a 'Bandspanner' type antenna that sits on a Hi-Mount Camera tripod with the coax following the TV antenna coax. I have disconnected one of the 6 TV antenna sockets and run the scanner coax into one of the TV connector sockets. Nice & Neat.

It works very well. The only small downfall is the roof cavity is lined with silver foil type insulation but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. 

 

3. Deck Frame

This was a surprise. I was looking to expand on my pickup range and noticed that my back deck is metal, including the roof, gate and fencing. Using just a center peace of the coax I connected one side to a screw in the deck and the other to a BNC connector.

I was very surprised the range I was getting especially on Air-band and Shortwave. I still can hit all PSN sites except for 1 but even with the rooftop antenna, it only gets 2 bar signals.

On Shortwave, my Malahit DSP2 comes alive picking up around the world, I might try and do a video to show how good a metal patio deck antenna is. 

edit - just noticed that the framework of the deck is connected to the guttering, so its probably using the guttering as an antenna as well :) 

 

4. Gutter / Fence 

The other way for a inconspicuous antenna is using the metal gutter frame. There's a guy on Youtube that connects his radio up to almost anything metal to use as an antenna, and most times, it transmits and receives some distance away.. Food for thought.

Other options are using the metal outdoor railing if you live in a unit or mounting a antenna near a window ledge. 

So just because you are restricted to Strata or a living in a Unit, most times, if its metal, you can still enjoy scanning as a hobby, you just have to get creative.

One thing now is, I don't freak out now when there's a thunderstorm. I was always worried that the large antenna on a fairly high metal pole would get struck by lighting as it had already struck a tree in the front yard..

Happy Days...  

 

#strataliving

#scannerantenna

#nswradio&communications 

WARBIRDS OVER SCONE NSW

 Hello and Welcome Back... As a aviation lover, i great to see these kind of airshows showcasing some of the most amazing vintage aircraft still flying... Take a look

 

 

Thanks to aviation spotters online for the excellent video

#nswradio&communications 

#warbirdsoverscone 

WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT - BADGERYS CREEK AIRPORT (YSWS) (updated 27/02/2026)

Hello and welcome back.... Badgerys Creek Airport (Sydney Second Airport - WSI) also known as Nancy Bird Walton Airport

Airport Code = YSWS

Situated at Badgerys Creek NSW (postcode 2555), This airport will have no control tower and will be the first in Australia to do so in 2026

Instead, it will have a DAS (Digital Aerodrome Services) which involves having a Data center at Eastern Creek that will run hi-definition cameras / sensors with a little help from AI

The DAS Center (former Hewlett-Packard center) will be situated at the CDC site (Canberra Data Centre) at Eastern Creek (Roberts Rd)

Providers will be CDC (owned by Infratil), Frequentis Australasia & Airservices Australia

 

FLIGHTS Expected to start 9th July 2026 (Freight Flights)

 

FREQUENCIES

Departures - 118.400
ACD (Delivery) - 118.650
Approach - 119.350
SMC (Ground) - 124.050
Cargo Apron Control (Unicom) - 126.575
ATIS (Weather) - 127.000
Tower - 128.100

Qantas Freight - 129.425
Qantas Freight - 130.250
Airservices Aust (Localiser) - 331.400 (Data?)
Airservices Aust (Localiser) - 332.900 (Data?)
Airservices ARFF Station - 412.7875 (Fire & Rescue)
Airservices ARFF Station - 413.0875 (Fire & Rescue)
Airservices ARFF Station - 415.4875 (Fire & Rescue)
Airservices ARFF Station - 415.5375 (Fire & Rescue)
Airservices ARFF Station - 422.6750 (Fire & Rescue)
Airservices ARFF Station - 422.900 (Fire & Rescue)
Airservices ARFF Station - 426.125 (Fire & Rescue)
Digicom Rentals - 462.4500 
SkyTanking Fuel Services - 465.6875

 

DMR TRUNKING NETWORK

DAS Room Technical Equipment B 1
505.1625
505.5625
505.8375
506.0875
506.3375
506.6375
506.9000

DAS Room Technical Equipment B 2
505.150
505.5875
505.850
506.250
506.5625
506.9375
507.325 

 

ORION CAPMAX DMR TRUNKING NETWORK

464.800
465.2125
465.5625
466.3375

462.950
463.225
463.725
464.8125 

 

PSN (Public Safety Network) (site 10032607 / 10030526)
420.2125
420.4625
420.7125
421.2125
421.4625
421.7125 

 

ANTENNA TOWER (below)

#badgeryscreekairport

#nswradio&communications

#westernsydneyairport

#airportfrequencies 

AMBULANCE NSW - FIXED WING (Air Ambulance)

Hello and Welcome Back... Situated in Eveleigh in Redfern, Sydney, The Aeromedical Control Centre (ACC) (Level 2 - 27 Garden St) is where all the fun happens. 

Once owned by Pelair (Pelican Air / REX), Air Ambulance (Fixed Wing) is now owned by Toll Aviation

 

 

FLEET 

Pilatus PC-24 (Pic Above) X 2
King Air B350C

 

FREQUENCY

132.750mhz

 

Personal Note = The PC-24 sound absolutely amazing when taking off.. Most Wicked

 

 

 

SENTINAL DOWNLOADS - AUSTRALIAN & AMERICAN

 Hello and Welcome Back... Just noticed that Uniden Programming Software for Australian Radio Scanners is no longer on their site.. 

So, if you need Sentinal software to backup your UBCD436PT or UBCD536PT, you can find a download link here = https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NTt-U0t2o6l454Uo7xSgZB0qQPdbK93F?usp=sharing

You can find American Sentinal for radios, BCD436PT, SDS100 (also USDS100), SDS150 & SDS200 here = https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-5MN6EJRAOeUMRxQd-PGPvR0ln_D-Bcb?usp=sharing

Inside each folder you will find Microsoft DotNetFX which you may need as well..

To get NET Framework 3.5 (includes 2 & 3) to show, go to Control Panel - Programs & Features - Turn Windows Features On or Off - See Pic Below (Make sure Net Framework 3.5 is checked as it is in the pic below)

Sentinal Software should now install without problems..

Cheers

Michael 

 

VAI Verticon - Arrivals Day 1 & 2

 Hello and Welcome Back... Got some wicked choppers in this, Play Loud

 

 

#helicopters

#nswradio&communications