BC895XLT: BC895XLT Performance

[IC518]

Greetings!

So, I bought a SDS100 last year and it has experienced the infamous antenna issue that makes it so I have to be proximal to a P25 site in order to copy and conventional is just impossible. It will be sent back for refurbishment once funds are sufficient.
But what I really wanted to share about was the BC895XLT that I recently purchased from FB Marketplace for $25.
Yes, it's elderly and the LED display is weak. But with the small mag mount antenna, which I perched atop the fire escape on the roof of my apartment about 25 feet vertical of the radio itself, I can copy Dutchess County Fire from Albany, NY and whole lots more! Even when the SDS was a baby fresh out of the box, that sort of performance wasn't even on my radar.
I am fairly new back into this hobby after a 25 year hiatus, so there are so many things that I don't really know or remember. If anyone has any comments or feedback, I would greatly appreciate it!

Cheers!

IC518
Albany, N.Y.

 

[kg4ehv]

The BC895xlt is a keeper, one of my faves. I use it for local stuff and it never lets me down.

 

[scanman1958]

Keep that puppy and use it. I have a 895 and a 898T. Love them both. Still work. At one time I was using them for VHF DX listening back before the VHF freq splitting by the FCC. 160 miles was common at night here in the midwest.

You are 100% correct that the VHF reception on the SDS100 is useless. I always use my older scanners for VHF listening because I have to.