British Aircraft Audio Samples
From EE Lightning XS458, recorded October 2018
These recordings were taken by connecting the microphone input of my DSLR camera to the headphones ("Tel") circuit of the aircraft via an isolating transformer and level reducing resistors. A single G-Type helmet was connected to the audio circuits to give the amplifier output stage a realistic electrical load, and mask microphone turned off to eliminate external noise. The result is that these are accurate and clean recordings of the exact electrical signatures produced by the aircraft intercom and radio equipment with no external unwanted noise.
This audio was taken form the video using open-source software; Audacity running on Linux Mint.
Audio warning tone; the "Clangers"
For minimal background noise, this sample was recorded using the transistorised A-1961M intercom amplifier, not the PTR-175 radio. This audio warning is known as "The Clangers", which if you didn't know better sounds like some form of disease!
This tone is played into the headset whenever a warning indicator lights up and the "C" (cancel) button hasn't yet been pressed. While the tone is present, the "Attention Getters" also flash. The "C" button cancels the tone, and also the flashing attention getters, but leaves the warning light window illuminated as long as the fault is still present.
PTR-175 radio start up and warm-up
Initially you hear the radio internal rotary inverter spool up, then a few seconds later as the thermionic valve heaters begin to warm up, the audio amplifier begins to work, steadily introducing the background noise / hum.
PTR-175 radio background noise / hum
Always present, but less noticeable when the radio is receiving voice communications, and when engines are running etc... The control panel volume control has no effect on the level of this background noise.
PTR-175 radio frequency change
This is the electrical noise generated by the radio T/R unit physically clunking and whirring, changing frequencies, as sent to the headset.
PTR-175 radio shutdown
The sound of the radio internal rotary inverter spooling down, and everything fading away to silence.
Usage License
These clips can be downloaded by right clicking on the players, and selecting "Save Audio As". Please feel free to use for whatever non-commercial purpose you wish, but do acknowledge this website as the source, as per the terms of the Creative Commons license below:
British Aircraft Audio Samples by Scott Bouchard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.scottbouch.com/aircraft-uk-audio-samples.htm.
Thanks
Many thanks to Russel Carpenter and the team supporting XS458 for giving me the time to make these recordings. See: www.lightningt5.com