This passive airband receiver is basically an amplified "crystal radio" designed to receive nearby aircraft transmissions on 121 – 133 MHz frequency. Useful for listening to the pilot transmissions. The input tuned cct ‘L’ is a 2 turn loop, with 30mm diameter measured at 0.15uH on my LC Meter which intercepts RF directly as opposed to an LC cct fed with external aerial. Tuning capacitor is a 30pF Philips Beehive trimmer, with a short length of plastic tube glued – as a tuning shaft. Capacitance runs from 28 to 7pF; which by formula gives a frequency range of 77 – 155MHz. Detector uses a biased 1N5711 (or similar) schottky diode with lowest forward-biassed voltage drop. The two 10M resistors bias the detector diode and the op-amp input near mid-rail for better detector efficiency. LM358 dual op-amp draws less than 1 ma so the battery drain is minimal. Insertion of earphones plug completes supply circuit and acts as an on/off switch. 9V battery fits neatly inside a 30mm x 130mm long PVC tube.
