Rail scanning?

[ObiHann]

Just a silly noob question (i got lots of these lol), for rail scanning, what type of scanner do you guys use? A standard VHF, a trunked scanner? digital, analog? What would I need to get started? I have a pretty busy rail line near me and a shipping yard, so I figure I would get some decent traffic.

[burner50]

A standard VHF scanner will do just fine. The railband is in the 160-161mhz range. Trunking on the railroad is rare, if not non-existent. There is talk about going digital, but they're not going to use P25 so a digital scanner for the "future" would be a waste.


Check the Wiki for the frequencies. The rail band is "channelized".

Personally I use a IC-208h or Yaesu Ft 1802m for rail frequencies.

[ObiHann]

I have a standard VHF Marine channels 1-85 I think, would that do what I need?

[DDan]

Originally Posted by ObiHann

I have a standard VHF Marine channels 1-85 I think, would that do what I need?

Not exactly cross posting but pretty close. No. Your radio is only usable for marine vhf channels. Check your other thread for details.

[ObiHann]

Ahhhh, I think I get it, marine is chanalized, but a standard vhf scanner uses fq's. Right?

[DDan]

Originally Posted by ObiHann

Ahhhh, I think I get it, marine is chanalized, but a standard vhf scanner uses fq's. Right?

A channel is a "standard" agreed upon frequency. Every "marine" radio in existence will transmit on the same frequency when set to the same channel. Railroads have their own predefined channels.

Scanners can be channelized as well. If your scanner can search the marine band it will also use the predefined channels.

[ObiHann]

I think I'm getting a bit lost in the terminology, but a scanner is rx only correct? no tx? I have a handheld that can rx and tx. So is what were getting at is my handheld marine can work with the channels used on rail? Or are the channels different fq's so this wont work? Sorry again to sound ignorant, just trying to learn.

[burner50]

Originally Posted by ObiHann

I think I'm getting a bit lost in the terminology, but a scanner is rx only correct? no tx? I have a handheld that can rx and tx. So is what were getting at is my handheld marine can work with the channels used on rail? Or are the channels different fq's so this wont work? Sorry again to sound ignorant, just trying to learn.

No. It cannot.

See these Wiki pages:

Marine VHF Channels - The RadioReference Wiki
Railroad - The RadioReference Wiki

Every radio uses frequencies. Your Marine band radio simply has a designated set of frequencies that are labeled along a common scheme.

The Railband is similar using different frequencies, but you're not going to find a "rail band radio" similar to a Marine Band Radio.

Your marine radios are incapable of being reprogrammed for the different railband frequencies.

[ObiHann]

Just read through the wiki, it was very informative, also read about the possible switch to digital (P25?)... I guess my next question is, from what I read, the RRs use UHF and VHF, so I need a uhf/vhf scanner correct? From what I find on stores, most of the more common radios if not digital are trunked. If the RRs use FQs then they are not trunked correct? So, can someone give me a idea of what radio I would need, model# maybe? Thanks again, you guys are great!

[burner50]

Railroads dont use UHF for voice communications, just data...


Almost every scanner would be able to scan both the VHF and UHF bands receiving everything you want to hear.

As far as what scanner to use, It depends on what else you want to do with it, and how much you want to spend.

[DDan]

I just looked and Nova Scotia law enforcement is on a trunked system. At first glance I would want a digital scanner. If you don't want to listen to that then you don't want a digital.

[ObiHann]

I was thinking of getting a BCT-15. Its not digital but from what I gather, it will get me everything in Nova Scotia EXCEPT the police. Though I really want the police, I'm not ready to spend the cash on a digital scanner yet. So even a trunked scanner can be used on standard VHF frequencies?

[DDan]

Originally Posted by ObiHann

I was thinking of getting a BCT-15. Its not digital but from what I gather, it will get me everything in Nova Scotia EXCEPT the police. Though I really want the police, I'm not ready to spend the cash on a digital scanner yet. So even a trunked scanner can be used on standard VHF frequencies?

Yes. A trunking scanner works fine for vhf/uhf.

[wwhitby]

I use my old faithful Relm HS-200 handheld scanner, as well as a Motorola MT-1000 programmed for receive only. In the car, I mostly use my Kenwood TM-733 ham mobile radio.

I don't think we need to worry about digital use on road channels for quite some time.

Warren

[ObiHann]

I'm thinking either a BC15 or a BC246T depending on if I decide mobile not... One of those should give me almost everything I need. To go to everything I need, I would have to get digital, and I'm not ready for that big a investment yet

[rvictor]

Uniden has announced a new model which will replace the BC246T (BC346XT). It is expected to be in the stores at the end of March. There may be good prices on BC246Ts that are left in stock at that time so that you could save some money.

If you wanted to push the budget to digital, there is also a replacement coming for the BCD396T at that time (BCD396XT) which should yield some bargains on the BCD396Ts.

Dick

[NWtoSFO]

The Bearcats ship with a railroad search, don't they? A friend gave me an SC230 that had a railroad search, and I thought I saw it on the BC246. I use a couple of analog Radioshack scanners (Pro97 and Pro162). They're both trunking scanners and work just fine for railroad scanning.

[WisconsinRailfan]

I have tried several different radios, and found the best one for me was the VX-170 + the Diamond RH77CA

[ratboy]

WisconsinRailfan-

I use the same set up, with the SMA version of that antenna. Works really great.

[WisconsinRailfan]

I also use the SMA version on my VX-170 - I should have updated the model number (Diamond SRH77CA). I really like the audio, and the range that I get.