UHF/VHF Mobile

Hi, I'm new here, and I'm gonna be honest, I know nothing about radios (except from a few years of aviation radio experience from an operator standpoint). I'm currently in Air Force pilot training, and I'm looking to set up a UHF receiver/antenna on my truck. I live on base, and would like to be able to listen to the pattern freq's when classmates and I drive out to the approach end to plane watch. I have perfect line of sight to most of the pattern and the tower.

I'm mainly looking for advice on good, not super expensive receiver and antenna models. I have vehicle installation experience, so that won't be an issue. Am I missing any other critical components? Obviously, it'll need to pick up the 225-400 MHz range, and I would like it to also have VHF if possible, as I spend a good bit of time bumming around at civilian airports as well. Transmit capability is not a requirement, but would be nice to have.

Main questions:

Is this even available on the civilian market? (I'm in the military, but not buying for official purposes)
Are there any legality issues? I don't know the first thing about the FCC...
If available, what cost range am I looking at?
Anything else you experts might know that I should consider? "You don't know what you don't know!"

I really appreciate any advice you folks can offer! Thanks!

You probably should check out this page -

Milcom Receiving Equipment - The RadioReference Wiki


If you can find it, this does the job - http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Pro-106 About $200 on Ebay

Are you wanting something handheld, or mounted in the vehicle?

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Sorry, should have been more clear. I'm looking something I can install in the vehicle, like under the dash.

There are numerous receive-only "police scanners" that can scan VHF and UHF frequencies. Most (but not all) can monitor the VHF-AM civil aircraft band (118-136 MHz) and a certain subset of those can also do UHF-AM military air band (225-380/400 MHz). These bands will be called out in the technical specifications, if not in the features listings.

You could do a Google search for Uniden scanners, Radio Shack scanners, etc. You could also check radio equipment vendors like Ham Radio Outlet, Universal Radio, Amateur Radio Supply, Gigaparts, or Amazon.

You might also find some used scanners on ham radio-oriented sites like eham.net or QRZ.com. Look for the Classified or Swap meet sections of the sites.

If you're planning on installing a scanner in your vehicle, you might want to consider an external speaker as well since some of the internal speakers are pretty small (and not too loud). Also, be aware that some states have laws regarding the use of scanners in vehicles.

Good luck, and Thanks for your service!

- John AC4JK

Mobile Aircraft Radio

I would agree with all of the above. I also monitor the civilian and military traffic in my area (Denver, CO). Using an external speaker will add to being able to hear the radio and perhaps a magnetic mount antenna with a 1/4 wave VHF antenna. I've had very good luck using a 1/4 wave antenna on both bands and have heard aircraft as far away as 300 miles (many years ago, hearing a SR-71 declare an IFE talking to ABQ Center while driving east of Denver on a freeway.) Putting in enrouts center freqs and freqs for what ever ranges are near you can be interesting as well...

Good luck and thank you for your service!

I am a long time MilCom monitor, both VHF (118-144) and UHF (225-400), and use a Radio Shack BC-780XLT scanner and a Comet SBB-2NMO antenna with a mag mount, and as a previous poster said, an external speaker for clarity. I have the radio and speaker mounted under the dash of my truck. The radio and speakers are widely available on eBay, and the antenna is available from ham radio dealers such as Amateur Electronic Supply, R and L Electronics, and many others. Your total cost should probably be around $225-$250 for everything. It's a really good radio for MilCom use. Enjoy!
Mike M.
Casper, Wyoming

Well I guess I wasn't thinking - it's a UNIDEN BC-780XLT, not a Radio Shack unit. I guess that probably qualifies for a claim of a SENIOR MOMENT!!
Mike M.
Casper, Wyoming

I'm with all of the above get you a scanner radio that will pick up the band you want to hear and a scanner antenna..........

Get the BCT-15X

AFdriver go find a BCT-15X and program it with the VHF and UHF freqs for the base you'll have what you want. Trust a former airman.

I'd second the BCT-15X attached to a good mobile speaker. Please don't cheap out on torn old cb speaker from the 60's.

Although the Uniden is very good, you ARE on a base, which can be a dense RF environment at times, and some scanners - as good as they may be - have wide front ends compared to commercial radios designed for a single band. So if you encounter desense, intermod, images etc (no matter what you end up choosing), you may want to consider either the vhf or uhf version of these between the antenna and the scanner:

Scanner Bandpass Filters | PAR Electronics | Filters for the commercial 2 way market, MATV, FM broadcast, laboratory, marine industry, amateur radio, scanner and short wave listening enthusiasts

Both are excellent.