looking for a hand held
- Thread starter jig66
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W8RMH
Feed Provider Since 2012
The BC125AT is a great suggestion and a solid scanner.
To add to that, ANY basic scanner will work for monitoring mainline rail traffic.
Check your local Craigslist and pawn shops if you are looking to get one cheap.
A big factor in rail scanning is the antenna. Once you decide on a scanner, I'd suggest getting a good replacement antenna to hear traffic further down the line.
Probably the best one out there is the Diamond RH77CA. They can be found for sale online with a google search.
To add to that, ANY basic scanner will work for monitoring mainline rail traffic.
Check your local Craigslist and pawn shops if you are looking to get one cheap.
A big factor in rail scanning is the antenna. Once you decide on a scanner, I'd suggest getting a good replacement antenna to hear traffic further down the line.
Probably the best one out there is the Diamond RH77CA. They can be found for sale online with a google search.
I dont normally recommend those lower end radios on amazon but i did have good RF reception with the Baofeng UV-82HP radios when i was testing one out.
So if your looking for a good cheap little receiver thats an option.
So if your looking for a good cheap little receiver thats an option.
N5TWB
Member
You can really increase the performance of any handheld by connecting it to an outdoor antenna. A simple quarterwave cut for the railroad band is easy and cheap to manufacture yourself.
I highly suggest not using a scanner, and instead buying something like the Yaesu FT-270R, which while being a ham radio, is capable of receiving across the appropriate range for the railroad. An actual radio will always receive better than a consumer scanner. Combine this with a AAR (rail) band specific antenna like those from DPD Productions and you'll have a great and really effective set-up. Links are below.
https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-010076
DPD Productions - Railroad Base & Mobile Antennas: TrainTenna, Voice Communications, ATCS, Data
https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-010076
DPD Productions - Railroad Base & Mobile Antennas: TrainTenna, Voice Communications, ATCS, Data
Thanks for those links and model numbers .
.I don't know which forum I should post in but I also want to listen to all three county sheriffs ....OHP in my area....and posible aircraft as I'm under flight path from Tulsa to STLouis / Kansas City. Is one hand held possible ??
And do I need to ask questions in aircraft forums....Jim
.I don't know which forum I should post in but I also want to listen to all three county sheriffs ....OHP in my area....and posible aircraft as I'm under flight path from Tulsa to STLouis / Kansas City. Is one hand held possible ??
And do I need to ask questions in aircraft forums....Jim
Yes. One handheld can do all of that.
You will have to check the database to see if your three sheriffs and OHP are using a digital system or if they are analog.
If they are digital, you will need a more expensive scanner to hear them. If they are analog, any basic scanner will do.
Looks like many county agencies in your area are using the Oklahoma Wireless Interoperability Network. This is an older trunked system using both Analog and APCO-25 digital. Like my own county system, it is likely scheduled to be upgraded soon as Motorola is planning on phasing out support for this older technology. You may want to look at newer scanners that can handle P25 Phase 1 & 2 as this is what they will eventually upgrade towards.
https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BCD325P2
https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BCD325P2
I recommend using an actual railroad radio. These are the same radios the railroads actually use. They are, however, very expensive. Factoring in the radio, cables, and software, you will need at least $300 if not way more. My recommendation is the ICOM F3161DT or DS. It seems to work fine and is used by many rail agencies. I have an F3161DS... I haven't had it for a long time but when I bring it trackside it seems to work fine as long as heavy clothing doesn't obstruct the antenna. It has 512 channels, so that's plenty to monitor your favorite radios. I also have a friend who has a Motorola HT1250. It has good receiving capabilities... and is often seen as better than the Icom. It has 128 channels and is analog only (unlike the ICOM which can receive NXDN digital as well).
For monitoring, scanners are almost always preferred due to ease of programming, and how quickly they can scan compared to commercial radios.
If you're not electronically inclined (it's okay, not everyone is), then I would discourage anything other than a basic scanner. Fancier ham and commercial rigs get difficult to program and on some the only option for programming is with a computer interface. A great basic scanner is the Uniden BC125AT.
Most non-scanner receivers scan at 30 channels/second or slower. I've tested my Uniden BCD436HP to scan at just over 80 channels/second. IIRC the scan rate on the BC125AT is similar. The built-in speakers in most handheld scanners are nothing special, but with decent headphones, the audio is quite good. There's not much benefit to paying triple (or more) for a receiver that scans more slowly and has minimal audio quality difference when you compare with the same headphones.
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