Mode Airband

Airband: tower, ground and ATIS voice on several channels at once.

Group	Aviation
Default frequency	118.7 MHz
Default sample rate	2 Msps
In the mode list	AM voice, 118-137 MHz

Step-by-step: Tutorial-Airband

What Airband is

The civil airband is AM voice between 118 and 137 MHz, with 25 kHz and 8.33 kHz channel spacing, used for air traffic control and airline operations.

Frequencies and settings

AM voice, 118 - 137 MHz.

Setting	Value
Start frequency	118.7 MHz
Tuning range of the mode table	108 to 140 MHz
Sample rate asked	2 Msps
Lowest working rate	250 ksps
Channel width	1.6 MHz

OnAir takes any frequency you type; the numbers above are the mode's starting point and the range its table describes. In the app the shortcut label is AM voice, 118-137 MHz.

What OnAir shows

Several 25 and 8.33 kHz channels at once: squelch, scan, priority, activity log.

The mode's own tab has these screens: Channels, Activity, Spectrum. The other tabs (Overview, Receiver, Scan, History) are described on the Main window page.

Tips and caveats

• Checked with generated signals and impairments; recordings of real signals welcome.
• Which radio: Usually yes for narrowband signals: an RTL-SDR tunes roughly 24 MHz to 1.7 GHz at up to about 2.4 Msps. Wide signals such as TV channels need a faster radio, and OnAir says next to the source what the selected radio can do.
• Try it without a radio: most modes include a built-in synthetic test signal, so you can open the screen and try the controls first.
• Receiving and the law: Receiving aircraft broadcasts is legal in many countries, but some restrict listening to or using what you hear. OnAir is a receiver. Check the rules where you live. See Legal.

Related pages

• All modes, Aviation
• Supported radios, Troubleshooting, FAQ
• More in Aviation: ADS-B, Mode S uplink, ACARS, VDL2, VDL4, HFDL, VOR, ILS, NDB, Drone Remote ID, UAT, FLARM, DJI drones