I’m fortunate. I work from home and I enjoy that benefit. If there’s a downside, it would be the noise or lack thereof. It can be energizing to have the subtle din of fellow workers sending emails, making calls, thinking out loud. You know…working.
As I sit in my shop, by myself, too often I’ve succumbed to the deafening silence. While I could stream music from my laptop, I prefer to not tax my bandwidth. Playing music from my cell phone would work as well, but it is also serves as my primary office phone… and I don’t want to miss a call.
For those reasons, and more, I’ve fallen in love with my Air Scan from Sporty’s Pilot Shop.
Depending on my mood, I can easily select any radio station (AM or FM) I care to listen to.
While my home is too far to reliably pick up communications from the nearest airports, I do occasionally pickup an airliner passing overhead on its way into or out of KSEA thanks to the Aviation Interrupt feature.
With Aviation Interrupt activated, the Air Scan continuously scans for aviation transmissions on up to 10 preset frequencies and breaks into those communications, then returns me to what I was listening to before the interruption. That is so cool.
In addition to AM/FM radio, I could easily plop it on the workbench at the airport and listen to CTAF while streaming music via Bluetooth. I can connect music via the aux-in jack or out to a surround sound system.
To be honest, the feature I like best are the Air Scan’s buttons. I appreciate the large buttons that make controlling the unit a snap. I love the sound of our family’s UE Boom wireless speaker, but it frustrating to pair it with my iPhone once my daughter and her friends have rung it out. Not so with the Air Scan. Easy is good.
Well done Sporty’s Pilot Shop.
The Air Scan package includes the Air Scan radio, 110V wall plug, telescoping BNC antenna, and is priced at $139.95.
