Can anyone recommend a setup so that we can listen out on the radio while cutting the grass on our field? Don't want our tractor driver to get landed on by mistake!
Can anyone recommend a setup so that we can listen out on the radio while cutting the grass on our field? Don't want our tractor driver to get landed on by mistake!
If you're using a handheld radio or scanner, I'd recommend Plugfones:
https://www.plugfones.com/
They combine foam ear plugs with ear buds. They also have silicone plugs (like earplugs for shooting).
I use these in my aircraft, they do a nice job of letting you hear the radio (I use a handheld). Friend of mine uses them to listen to music while mowing his yard.
Aircraft radios have 150-300 ohm impedance, almost all other devices require 8 ohm speakers so the plugfones should work.
Ron Wanttaja
Thank you Ron. Is there a scanner or handheld you can recommend? We're starting from zero.
I don't have experience with a wide range of devices; I've got ICOM handhelds and a Uniden scanner.
The scanner is cheaper (it doesn't transmit) but, frankly, there's a high bar in usability. Took me quite a while to just get the thing to listen to 122.8; it wanted to scan. I'm not THAT much of a luddite, but for some reason getting it set up was difficult for me. I keep it in my car as the airport requires us to be listening to the CTAF if we're driving on the taxiways.
A handheld radio won't (shouldn't!) have that problem, as you input the frequency and that's what it listens to. As a plus, of course, it TRANSMITS as well. So if you're mowing and someone calls on short final, you can warn them that it'll be a minute or so until you're clear of the runway.
But, of course, you're looking at higher prices for a handheld transceiver. Personally, for your application, I don't think the make/model will make that much difference. Find the cheapest one and buy it.
Ron Wanttaja
Sporty's has a cheap PJ2 handheld radio with proper jacks, then just get a cheap ASA headset.
Keep in mind that, while the PJ2 has standard headphone jacks, the audio output is STILL listed as 8 ohms, rather than the standard 150-300 ohms of the aviation headset. The standard headset will work, it just means the audio output will be ~6 dB lower. See page 27 of:
http://www.sportys.com/media/pdf/newpj2manual.pdf
Depending on how loud the mower is, the volume to a standard headset may still be adequate.
It's really kind of funny: General Aviation is the only entity that HASN'T switched to an 8-ohm standard. US Military did so in the '50s, but our headset and microphones are still compatible with the 1920s telephones they were derived from....
Ron Wanttaja