In addition to an aviation enthusiast, I’m a major nerd and an amateur engineer, so I like to modify electronics. I was surprised when I saw this
http://www.make-digital.com/make-look-inside/vol09/?pg=29&liid=cb5f84d1f1&b=2 modification to a standard am/fm radio to allow it to receive ATC. It doesn’t have an amazing range, and requires manual tuning, but I tried it myself, and when I brought it to the airport, it worked. If you have any kind of skill, you should be able to do this. Extremely useful when you don’t have a scanner handy or if you want a cheaper solution.
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