I'm going to assume that you'll want to listen to the general-aviation air-bands on both sides of the pond. In that case, the newer 8.33 khz spacing may become a deciding factor, since many scanners in the $200 price range don't do 8.33 khz, just 25khz spacing in the 108-138 mhz range.
I know that 8.33 khz spacing is used more in Europe, but I'm not too up to date on the current status in England. You may want to check that out.
Also, is mil-air (uhf) important to you, or are you just interested in General-Aviation? The bands are similar worldwide.
With that in mind, here's what I'd recommend you look into in the approx $200 range:
Icom R5 - it has 8.33 khz spacing, will do mil-air as well, but may not be an ideal receiver to hook up to a loft-antenna in case it overloads. The oem rubber duck is ok to start with. However, if you do attach an external antenna, you are dealing with an sma-connector, so I'd suggest using an sma-bnc adapter to take the wear and tear off the sma connector itself. Then you'd need an external speaker, etc for fixed station use. That might get a bit unwieldy. It also isn't very loud, so expect to use headphones when out and about.
Uniden 346XT - this also does 8.33 khz spacing but NOT the military-air bands. So, it might be just enough with 8.33 khz spacing for general aviation use here and over there. Just don't use the trunking features and whatnot. Great build, a REAL belt-clip, and loud enough that you can walk around with your friend on the tarmac and listen to the tower as he does his outside pre-flight.
Radio Shack Pro-137 "race-scanner" aka a rebadged Uniden that looks much like the 346/396 series. Same durable build and great receiver. It does more than racing, and is easily turned into a great General Aviation scanner, which is what I've dedicated mine to. Just don't use the racing features. Again, you'd need to get an sma-bnc adapter to take the wear off the connector when switching frequently to a loft antenna. Loud enough not to need an external speaker like the rest of the Uniden 346/396 series etc. Includes both the regular sma-connector duck and a "stubby" small duck for close-in operations.
HOWEVER - with the RS Pro-137 (really a Uniden in disguise), you WON'T be able to do 8.33 khz spacing, so your listening may be limited to the US where much of the comms are still at 25khz spacing. Or perhaps what you want to listen to over there is still at 25khz spacing and you'd be ok. You'd have to check on that. Like the 346, it also does NOT do miltary-air uhf.
Also, the 137 is a breeze to program. This may or may not be an issue for you like the 346xt or the 230, which have extensive dynamic programming (essentially a 3-tier system, unlike the older bank/channel setup like the 137.)
Uniden SC230 - also good, but limited to 25khz spacing, and may not have as loud audio as say the 346XT or Pro-137. Also does NOT do mil-air. Seems to include both a regular duck and a stubby duck for close-in operations - AND it appears to be a BNC antenna connector, which might take more wear and tear if you change to your loft antenna frequently. So between the 137 and the 230, perhaps a toss-up.
All the Unidens have the typical rubber duck cut for around 156 mhz, and is good enough to get started, (the 137 and 230 include a stubby as well) however a higher quality antenna may be just the ticket, like the Diamond RH77CA, or it's sma-cousin.
So with an approximate $200 budget, it really comes down to:
1) Is 8.33 khz spacing a real concern for me right now? If so then the R5 or the Uniden 346XT are contenders.
2) Are you interested in military-air ops as well? In this case, just the R5 will do - but in reality you probably would want an external antenna, and the R5 may not take to that too well.
3) Will a super-small, light, do-it-all unit like the R5 be ok, but may not be ideal for fixed-station use on the desk with a loft antenna? (movement, overload, etc, unless you like playing with attenuators)
4) Is 25 khz spacing ok for now? If so, you may be able to get away with the rebadged Radio Shack Pro-137 racing-scanner put to GA monitoring. OR, your 230E model (If it is the Uniden SC230) is also limited to 25khz spacing.
5) Is audio output level a big concern when outside? If so, then the R5 may not cut it, especially if you are hanging out with a pilot on the tarmac.
6) If alpha-tagging is important, the R5's limited amount of characters might not be enough. Both the 346XT / Pro137 / 230 have enough characters to actually be very useful for alpha-tags.
I know the excitement of listening to GA freqs once you've had a taste of being up in the air!
