AM/NDB Radio Station database App

J

Jaded

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
May 18, 2012
Messages
8
Location
Michigan
Display Name
Display name:
Jaded
Hello everyone! Just wanted to put a shameless plug for my app. A little about myself, I am a first officer for a regional and part time app developer. I made an app called Plane Radio and it's a searchable database of all the AM radio stations in the US. It sorts the stations by signal strength. Which is a function of distance and broadcasting power. To set your position, you simply input the closest VOR in your vicinity. The stations and also be searched by their genre/format (news, talk, sports, NPR etc...), Sports Team (baseball for now, NFL coming soon before the 2012 season). Anyway I hope you guys check it out and support a starving pilot lol. You can visit http://www.starvingpilotcompany.com to download the app or you can go to the app store and search "Plane Radio". Here are the screenshots. Thanks for your time and please feel free to discuss and give me suggestions on how I can improve its features. I enjoy getting feedback from other pilots.

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From the screen shots, looks like a great app. Too bad AM is old school and the FAA is decommissioning NDBs. Not many aircraft have NDB / AM recievers anymore.

About every aircraft had NDB when I was learning to fly. One could go cross country and not miss the Red Sox game on AM.
 
Does it also take into account all the AM stations that have alternate antenna patterns and different day and night power levels?
 
I put XM in when I took the ADF out. It's much easier to find the ball games now.'
 
I can't really speak for GA since I haven't flown one in years but the only airliner I know of right now that doesn't have ADF installed is the embraer 170/190 series aircrafts. So for airliners it's worked pretty good. Decommissioning NDBs in the US wouldn't really affect the app since its a database of actual FCC AM stations which aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

As far as antenna patterns, I made the signal strength model on the conservative side to compensate for unidirectional and omnidirectional antennas. The database currently is a list of all stations with the assumption of daytime power rating. The next update will have nighttime considerations for signal strength. Again signal strength is a function of radio wave propagation/attenuation based on distance between station and VOR.
 
I like the app! We're launching on a long trip to unfamiliar radio territory in a few days and this is exactly what we need. Mrs. Pilawt has to have her ESPN Radio in the morning. Thanks!
 
Pilawt said:
I like the app! We're launching on a long trip to unfamiliar radio territory in a few days and this is exactly what we need. Mrs. Pilawt has to have her ESPN Radio in the morning. Thanks!
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I'm glad that my app can make your flight even more enjoying/entertaining. Enjoy your trip!
 
Hello everyone, sorry to bring this back from the dead but I just wanted to tell everyone of a recent update I've made with the app... Now you can tag stations and add it to your favorite list and the app is now compatible with the iPhone 5.
 
First Officer?

At least he didn't adorn himself Captain!
 
Have you looked at the NPR app?
 
Any chance you are working on an app update so that I can continue to use what I paid for??? I know this is an old post and app but it sure would be great to get the app working again or at least a spreadsheet or database that was used for the information. Hoping to hear back from you Jaded!
 
Jim Martin said:
Any chance you are working on an app update so that I can continue to use what I paid for??? I know this is an old post and app but it sure would be great to get the app working again or at least a spreadsheet or database that was used for the information. Hoping to hear back from you Jaded!
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He has probably upgraded to captain now and doesn't need any extra money......:lol::lol:
 
Zeldman said:
He has probably upgraded to captain now and doesn't need any extra money......:lol::lol:
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Hopefully he’s upgraded from the regionals at this point!!! But flying B767s now and they don’t have XM but have 2 ADFs!
 
Heck, UALs 737s don’t even have ADFs installed anymore. Useless to me. Any good HF frequencies out there for the western Pacific?
 
I was disappointed when I got my iPhone 7 plus to find out that this app was not able to be used. His website in the original post is still active, so I just emailed the support address to ask about an update. I'm not hopeful, but I'll let you know if I get a response.
 
A little off topic, but does anyone sell just an AM receiver for panel mounting?
 
5QK said:
A little off topic, but does anyone sell just an AM receiver for panel mounting?
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I would just go handheld. A certified unit is going to run you 5K, plus install.
 
I always loved ADF. I grew up with it, and don't ever remember having any of the problems that had been reported with it.
But, I wasn't flying in the Rockies or Cascades.
I remember doing a night flight from Peekskill to Chicago (back in the 1960') with nothing but WLS on the ADF.
 
I learned to fly at Fullerton CA in the mid 1960s. The transmitter of 50 kw blowtorch KFI-640 was two miles from the airport. Navigating back home from anywhere with an ADF was a no-brainer; you could home in on KFI from Mars.
 
I failed my instrument check ride on the NDB approach. After that I really learned how to use it.

However lately all I use the ADF for is late night Mexican music or a cheap strike finder.
 
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