Scanner...so many choices?

[badspell68]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a really good scanner that will cover almost everything in my area and be ready fort the future and any changes that might come...as far as frequencies and equipment goes.

I would like a portable that will be able to travel to other areas and be ready to receive anything I come across with a variant of equipment. I would also like all these abilities in a base station.

I am currently in New Hope PA (18938). Any suggestion on scanners?

Thanks in advance!

 

[fourthhorseman]

Well,
Your in Bucks Co PA...

My advice,Go Digital Trunking.
You will get all the analog,analog trunked ,P25 conventional and P25 trunked.
VHF,Hi/Low..UHF Low & High,800MHZ..

For where you are,Id go with a PSR800,436/536HP. at the minimum,a PSR500 or the Radioshack Pro106.

You will hear MilAir,Ham,Aeronautical,Public Safety-Fire/EMS/Police..

Go with a radio that will cover all the bases to start with...You will hear it all!

 

[W8RMH]

I'm looking for a really good scanner that will cover almost everything in my area and be ready fort the future and any changes that might come...as far as frequencies and equipment goes.

If you want to be ready for the future you will need Phase II capability. Uniden HP-2, BCDx36HP, or Whistler 1080.

I would like a portable that will be able to travel to other areas and be ready to receive anything I come across with a variant of equipment. I would also like all these abilities in a base station.

I'm confused. Do you want a portable or a base, or both?

 

[ofd8001]

For a portable, I'd suggest the BCD436. You can download the latest RR database and set the zip code for the area you are in and be in scanning business. You could also get a GPS unit and connect it to the scanner which turns on/off "things" for the area you happen to be in while traveling.

On the base station, that would be the BCD536. It's pretty much the base/mobile sibling of the 536.

Uniden has just released the Home Patrol 2 which is a little easier for novice users. It's a "re-formulated" HP, with the ability to receive P25 Phase II systems. If you are looking for something simpler to use than the x36 mobels, that may be an option to consider.

 

[w2xq]

If you are in New Hope proper, along the river, you may need an external antenna on the house to hear stuff otherwise blocked by the terrain. If you are higher, say higher on Aquetong Road or up toward Solebury, reception should be better. Just don't be disappointed; be prepared to solve reception problems, if necessary. HTH.

 

[mitbr]

I have the bcd 536hp and really enjoy it its a fine radio. It performs very well on simulcast p25 systems.
Oh and welcome to the forums!
Tim

 

[badspell68]

Thanks all!
A radio thats easy would be great, but i dont want to sacrifice features or stations. So a base-station that can recive everything is what im looking for and a portabe that can too.

could you explain hooking GPS to the portable ans are all the radios programable by conecting to a pc now?

 

[trap5858]

At least one of the Bucks County towers is on the New Jersey side of the river. You might still need an external antenna. I use a pro106 in my car with an external antenna and copy Bucks County radio just fine along the river from Point Pleasant all the way to Upper Black Eddy. I also use a bearcat 396XT and GRE PSR 800 with similar results.

PM me if you need assistance.

 

[badspell68]

What would the best portable antenna be on a hand-held-portable unit that will be carried outside a vehicle. Also what is the best base station antenna?

 

[iMONITOR]

A radio thats easy would be great

Any of today's new scanners are going to have a learning curve, and require some reading, trial & error on your part. None of them are what I would call "easy", if you want to use them to their full advantage.

 

[kc2kth]

This month's (November) The Spectrum Monitor ezine, which I just downloaded, has a nice article on the current offerings from Uniden and Whistler. Note the article wrapped up prior to the announcement of the HP2. I'd suggest for the $3 for the download that it's worth taking a look at.

 

[badspell68]

Thanks!

Any input on antennas?

 

[Ed_Seedhouse]

What would the best portable antenna be on a hand-held-portable unit that will be carried outside a vehicle. Also what is the best base station antenna?

These are questions that really have no simple answer. There are just too many confounding factors. Where you live, how far to the signals you want to listen to, how wide a frequency coverage you need, the locations of the signals of interest. And many more. You might think, for instance, that the most sensitive antenna is always the best, but the fact is that often a very sensitive antenna will result in overloading your radio and causing worse performance.

Generally, for a base station, you want the widest bandwidth antenna mounted as high as you can outside your house or apartment. A Discone is often appropriate for this, but not always. But there are situations where a Discone would be exactly the wrong antenna, and situations where it would be ideal but is not feasible.

Sorry, but there is just no easy universal answer for your questions.

 

[trap5858]

It might be best to select a scanner and put it through it's paces in the areas where you will want to listen. If you are not hearing what you expect then research antennas. Try it as a handheld, in the car and in the house. Take a look at the ScannerMaster web site to view a wide selection of handheld, base and mobile scanner antennas. Some have reviews.

 

[kc2kth]

I agree with trap here. Truth is unless you are focused on a single band (ie 800 MHz pub service) or trying to minimize interference (ie stubby antenna at a NASCAR event) the stock antennas that came with both my pro-106 and Uniden 436 are really quite good for all around use. I ordered a couple Watson antennas from one of the sponsors here and I saw no difference on either radio from the stock antenna for thie systems I listen to.