Radios similiar to BC 780XLT

[kmacka]

I'm hoping some of you guys can help me with something. I kind of sick looking for 780XLT's and I want to know of another radio that basically has the same features of the 780. I want to use the radio mainly for milair comms. I know the 780xlt is great for milair as well as the rs 2052, but the 2052 has some issues with am, which the 780 does not. Can anyone let me know of a good radio, like the 780, which handles milair comms (am). Thanks.

 

[fredclausen]

I have an old BC895XLT that is great on all airbands.

 

[brandon]

Nothing beats the BC780XLT, but the BC785/796D are very similar.

 

[morfis]

I'm hoping some of you guys can help me with something. I kind of sick looking for 780XLT's and I want to know of another radio that basically has the same features of the 780. I want to use the radio mainly for milair comms. I know the 780xlt is great for milair as well as the rs 2052, but the 2052 has some issues with am, which the 780 does not. Can anyone let me know of a good radio, like the 780, which handles milair comms (am). Thanks.

Maybe not an option you've considered - in the UK people have been ditching their 780s recently as there is a view that things like the BCT15 is the new "best thing since sliced bread". As a result the price for decent second-hand 780's has dropped quite a bit (though they are still generally expensive in comparison to US radios due to the bizarre 200% markup used by UK robbers on new radios)

 

[ka3jjz]

I have an old BC895XLT that is great on all airbands.

Unfortunately the 895 doesn't quite have the front end the 780 does - and here's a real biggie for the milair stuff - it can't do 138-144 Mhz in AM mode - only in FM. It's newer cousin, the 898 can. How good the 898 is on milair I haven't heard much about as yet.

It's been rather widely reported that the 785 and 795 doesn't have quite the sensitivity and overload resistance the 780 does (and yes, I've seen reports that say the opposite), so YMMV. Everything I've seen suggests that the BCT15 is at least as good on milair as the 780, and I would imagine the 996 would be as good - at least from the reviews done from Larry Van Horn on MT and a couple of others. The BCT15 is a heckuva lot less expensive than the 996, so if you don't need digital, and can do with some 4100 less memories, the BCT15 would be the way I would go.

There are so many other places to look for used 780s besides EBay and here; hopefully you've also been looking at places like Universal, HRO and other sites that sell used gear.
The 780 is a fine scanner, and they are hard to find used - but if you've given up on a 780. there are alternatives

73s Mike

 

[scannersnstuff]

my thought's on this subject.although i'm not a big air communication's listner except for helicopter's.i had 2 bc780's and sold them when i purchased my bct-15.i live across the water from ny on the jersey side.i used to be able to un-squelch my 780 and pick up the ground control at jfk ever so faintly but readable.since i switched to my bct-15 i get somewhat of an overload from a powerfull fm transmitter about a lttle over a mile from me.this has happened on several vhf aircraft frequencies but not all.sometimes i don't think the bct-15 is the superior receiver that it's been portrayed as being.i like/love several thing's about it more than the 780.one of the big thing's is the audio.it is far superior than the 780's.i still wish that i had kept one of the 780's.i have been thinking of swapping my
2052 out in the 780's place and putting it on the attic antenna.i heard the 2052 overload's also.

 

[ka3jjz]

Yeah, the newer DMA radios just don't seem to have the front end resistance to overload the older 780s did - your experience is definitely not unique. Fortunately there are several companies - like PAR electronics - that sell filters, but one would think that after paying that much, you wouldn't need them. But facts is facts - new designs aren't always the best when it comes to today's more urban areas. 73s Mike

 

[kenisned]

What would a 780 go for?

I have one that i use for monitoring fire/ems...really all I monitor.

I would upgrade it (it's my fourth line scanner used at work only), but didn't think I would get anything for it and not enough to help me upgrade.

Perhaps a trade? I only want uniden and need trunking.

Let me know what you think?

Thanks

 

[iMONITOR]

Unfortunately the 895 doesn't quite have the front end the 780 does - and here's a real biggie for the milair stuff - it can't do 138-144 Mhz in AM mode - only in FM. It's newer cousin, the 898 can. How good the 898 is on milair I haven't heard much about as yet.

73s Mike

The Uniden BC898T works very well for MilAir, and anything else it covers. Having the larger control panel makes it great for on-the-fly signal hunting. It's lack of alpha tags causes this model to be overlooked, but software, and a computer fixes that.

 

[RPSINFOMAN]

Try picking up a 780xlt on Ebay. There great radios and there are usually several available. They also hold there value very well and command top dollar.

http://cgi.ebay.com/UNIDEN-Bearcat-...ryZ40980QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem