A number of years ago, Radio Shack offered a (analog) weather channel radio receiver. It was about the size of a pack of cards. An article appeared in one of the ham radio magazines about modifying it to pick up the 2 meter ham fequencies. To get down to the 144-147 mHz ( 2 meter area), all you had to do was remove 1 little capacitor and make a substitution. I think the cap was somewhere between 1-200 pf, but cannot remember. I gave it a try..it was very simple and was a cheap way of hearing the 2 meter band (I think the Radio Shack weather radio was only around $20.00).
As the railroad bands (160.11 to 161.565) are just below the NOAA Wx bands (162-162.55), I would think it would be very easy to convert a little analog weather radio to recieve the RR frequencies, probably by a capacitor substitution. Radio Shack has a couple of weather radios at aroun $30 and $50. They are, however, digital, so I don't know how hard it would be to convert them to 160 mHz. Anyway, if you could find a cheap or 2nd hand weather radio, it might be an inexpensive method for picking up the RR frequencies.
By the way, if you try this, instead of hearing RR info, you could wind up hearing orders for a "chicken basket" or "taco". I noticed that Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell outlets use 162.2 mHz..not far away from 160.11 to 161.565.
Dick/WA6ZFM
As the railroad bands (160.11 to 161.565) are just below the NOAA Wx bands (162-162.55), I would think it would be very easy to convert a little analog weather radio to recieve the RR frequencies, probably by a capacitor substitution. Radio Shack has a couple of weather radios at aroun $30 and $50. They are, however, digital, so I don't know how hard it would be to convert them to 160 mHz. Anyway, if you could find a cheap or 2nd hand weather radio, it might be an inexpensive method for picking up the RR frequencies.
By the way, if you try this, instead of hearing RR info, you could wind up hearing orders for a "chicken basket" or "taco". I noticed that Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell outlets use 162.2 mHz..not far away from 160.11 to 161.565.
Dick/WA6ZFM
