What Is Your Favorite Equipment For Federal Monitoring and Why?

[JASII]

As posted above, what are you favorites radios/receivers/scanners for federal monitoring and why? I just picked up a Uniden SDS 100 a week or so ago. I did both the DMR and NXDN upgrades. As it turns out, I have heard federal communications in analog, APCO P25, DMR and NXDN.

I really wasn't expecting NXDN on any federal frequencies, but my local VA Medical Center does, indeed, have some NXDN activity.

I have heard quite a bit of DMR on postal frequencies. I will have to check closer to see if it is MOTO TRBO Capacity Plus or other variants, but it is certainly DMR modulation.

There is definitely APCO P25 activity near me and much of it is encrypted. Needs to say, I am very pleased that the Uniden SDS 100 mutes encrypted audio.

Analog federal activity seems to be more the exception, rather than the rule, in my area.

I have given some thought to the AOR AR-DV1. (I just saw that it now decodes Tetra traffic channels. The database shows that the refinery near me is using Tetra. I certainly wouldn't buy the AOR AR-DV1 just to monitor the refineries' Tetra system, but if I did have one I would probably try it just to see how it sounds.)

Does anybody happen to know if AOR ever added encryption mute to the AR-DV1?

Anyway, lets hear it, what is your favorite equipment for federal monitoring and why?

 

[ecps92]

I rely on a few different radios.

from Home the RS Pro-2005/6 Series for the Analogs as PL is not needed for my well known locals.

Mobile - BC898T - allows me to have pre-programmed search bands of 137-144, 148-150.8, 162-174, 380-400, 400-420 and lock out the birdies.
And is the best for mobile use - hits those telemetry channels quickly, where the newer radios miss them

Home/Mobile - GRE-500/600 for the P25 once found during the 898 searches.

And to rule out an IMAGE or INTERMOD an Amateur Radio [Yaesu - flavor] as any of the scanners tend to have image issues

So far, I have relied on friends to handle the DMR on the Feds, altho with more Cruise Ships going DMR, I do need to find a decent one to capture/log the various flavors of DMR/TRBO being used when they visit the port of Boston

 

[devicelab]

Hard to beat the TRX-1... support just about every mode and doesn't require extra license fees. It has the best record features despite a few buggy aspects to that -- which can be fixed with other software. The audio quality isn't the best but it's good enough for most applications.

The TRX-1 does have a pretty wide open front-end. If using external antennas I would highly recommend bandpass filters where possible and/or notch filters for NOAA or VHF Paging -- that just depends on your local area.

A true commercial VHF/UHF P25 radio (with AMBE+2) is a good option. I have a Kenwood TK-5720 in my SUV and its P25 audio quality is excellent.

Lastly a decent SDR (e.g. Airspy Mini or Airspy R2) is also great at picking up signals across the entire band quickly. After a bit of training you can pick up what's happening within seconds and find those missing signals. It's especially good if you're close by a facility but you're not sure of the exact frequencies in use.

PS. My Uniden 996P2 with close call has come in handy at times too. It's not the greatest detection ever but it works pretty good.

 

[bearcatrp]

Picked up a Icom R30 a couple months ago. Great portable receiver but no DMR. Picks up P25 phase 1 great. Use allot on air. Use my 436 for P25 too. Once I get my shack set up, my 780 will cover air, 436 to cover P25, and the R30 will cover the rest. Almost sold the 436 but will keep it for the DMR. Icom R30 comes with NXDN. Still learning the federal frequencies.

 

[TailGator911]

At home I set parameter frequency searches on my Icom R8600 for federal and when I am out and about I have done the same with my TRX-1 and SDS100. Favorite for searching this band? Absolutely my R8600. Pulls in distant DX like nothing else. What a radio. More and more DMR showing up in my area and it's disappointing that Icom did not include DMR on the 8600. For that, my TRX-1 takes the cake, decodes DMR better than my Unidens even tho it's not supposed to. I had my TRX-1 searching the fed freqs a couple weeks ago and caught a DMR conversation on the base (I live about a mile from the main gate at Wright-Patterson AFB) but do not know who it was. They were asking directions and I knew from the directions given that they were on the base near the annex. Most of the base is full encryption so I am wondering if it was someone making a delivery or something. Unfortunately, I did not jot down the frequency for later research. I just know it was in the 460uhf band. But, to answer the OPs question - without a doubt my best radio for seeking out federal frequencies is my Icom IC-R8600.

(PS) I am still learning this radio, and it is taking some time. Without a doubt the most complex radio I own now. But, I love it.

JD
kf4anc

 

[prc117f]

R&S EB200 I am catching all kinds of stuff I would miss, low power stuff, burst transmissions etc.

 

[batdude]

been monitoring on/off for the better part of 35 years. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING - i have ever used compares to the AirSpy SDR and SDR# with the Vassili scanner plug in for sweeping and finding federal stuff.

 

[iMONITOR]

BCT15X & BCD996P2, analog and P25.

 

[N1XDS]

536HP, XTS 5000R VHF/UHF and 7550E.