Best Aircraft Monitoring Scanner

[prcguy]

There are a lot of different aircraft frequencies where I live and some airports have several ground freqs, approach freqs, departure freqs, and different helicopter freqs for the same area, etc. I don't like waiting very long for traffic, I like it to run continuously or I get board easily.
prcguy

Austria.Yes but you can control them by an Serial Cable!
Why do you want scanning around? I stay at a Freq. for the Day and waiting for traffic.god that the chance here to 230V.

 

[gewecke]

There are a lot of different aircraft frequencies where I live and some airports have several ground freqs, approach freqs, departure freqs, and different helicopter freqs for the same area, etc. I don't like waiting very long for traffic, I like it to run continuously or I get board easily.
prcguy

Same here, as there's just too MUCH to listen to out there. . 73, n9zas

 

[Uplink]

I go through a lot of radios. Being an aviator. and a ham, I'm extremely picky about AM aircraft reception I look for sensitivity, AM audio quality, and a nice quiet squelch tail, I recommend Uniden BC355 and Radio Shack PRO-136, amazing aircraft reception and quality, and not expensive either.

If your a ham, the Icom IC-208H and IC-2200H mobiles have an extraordinary AM receiver inside. I haven't found anything that beats it, but just don't have the controls of a normal scanner. Funny thing is it's just an "extra" feature, most amateur FM mobiles won't even do AM/aircraft, and the receiver in that series mobiles is way better the receiver inside Icom's Commercial series aircraft mobile transceivers.

 

[FedFyrGuy]

You can pick up a RS PRO 2052 relatively cheap on eBay. I've used several for commercial and MilAir frequencies with an external antenna. Solid performance on both VHF-AM and UHF-AM. I'm sure there are a dozen or so other new and used scanners with similar performance. I've also used the RS PRO 18 handheld for the Signal Stalker feature on the aircraft frequencies and also have a BC345CRS sitting on my desk that chatters civilian and MilAir traffic all day long. No need to spend a fortune. Just my two cents.

 

[krazybob]

You can pick up a RS PRO 2052 relatively cheap on eBay. I've used several for commercial and MilAir frequencies with an external antenna. Solid performance on both VHF-AM and UHF-AM. I'm sure there are a dozen or so other new and used scanners with similar performance. I've also used the RS PRO 18 handheld for the Signal Stalker feature on the aircraft frequencies and also have a BC345CRS sitting on my desk that chatters civilian and MilAir traffic all day long. No need to spend a fortune. Just my two cents.

Thank you both for your replies. I lived at an altitude of 6,250 feet above sea level. I have an 85 foot Tower with standoffs available. On the top I have a 440 receive antenna and down the side I have a 23 foot 2 m antenna for use as the backup site for my repeater. I put in a Tuff Shed and ran for in ABS Underground for the hard line. I can easily do the same thing for the aircraft band. What are the users here tried to sell me a legitimate professional aircraft band antenna and unfortunately it was destroyed in shipping. All I have at this point is a discone.

I have about 20 Uniden BC780XLTs, 785s and 796s but the problem with them is that they have poor audio recovery on AM. I'm sure that I could use a West Mountain radio Clear Speech DSPs that would not only increase the audio level what would remove the static to a large extent. But I'm really just a casual listener and over $200 for the Clear Speech DSP it's pretty pricey. I even purchased a Bendix King Aviation handheld and sound it's reception with an external antenna was no better than a Uniden. Really the point I am making here is that at my altitude in with my resources I can hear aircraft for hundreds of miles. I'm a hundred miles away and can even hear LAX ground.

Are any of these models that you both mentioned better with their audio recovery then a Uniden? I have a Yaesu FT 8900R quad-band amateur radio mobile unit. I actually have several. They kick *** on the air banned! But I can't see spending $399 how to put a transceiver in just to occasionally listen to airplanes taking off.

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[prcguy]

Bob, if you want to drive down here to the flat lands I'll sell you my Antenna Products DPV-39 dual band VHF/UHF aircraft antenna. Its too big to ship.
prcguy

Thank you both for your replies. I lived at an altitude of 6,250 feet above sea level. I have an 85 foot Tower with standoffs available. On the top I have a 440 receive antenna and down the side I have a 23 foot 2 m antenna for use as the backup site for my repeater. I put in a Tuff Shed and ran for in ABS Underground for the hard line. I can easily do the same thing for the aircraft band. What are the users here tried to sell me a legitimate professional aircraft band antenna and unfortunately it was destroyed in shipping. All I have at this point is a discone.

I have about 20 Uniden BC780XLTs, 785s and 796s but the problem with them is that they have poor audio recovery on AM. I'm sure that I could use a West Mountain radio Clear Speech DSPs that would not only increase the audio level what would remove the static to a large extent. But I'm really just a casual listener and over $200 for the Clear Speech DSP it's pretty pricey. I even purchased a Bendix King Aviation handheld and sound it's reception with an external antenna was no better than a Uniden. Really the point I am making here is that at my altitude in with my resources I can hear aircraft for hundreds of miles. I'm a hundred miles away and can even hear LAX ground.

Are any of these models that you both mentioned better with their audio recovery then a Uniden? I have a Yaesu FT 8900R quad-band amateur radio mobile unit. I actually have several. They kick *** on the air banned! But I can't see spending $399 how to put a transceiver in just to occasionally listen to airplanes taking off.

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[krazybob]

Bob, if you want to drive down here to the flat lands I'll sell you my Antenna Products DPV-39 dual band VHF/UHF aircraft antenna. Its too big to ship.
prcguy

Wasn't it you that tried to sell me that one before and UPS trashed it? My memory is not so good these days. I've got one upstairs at the ferrite beads were destroyed from one end of the other. And if you wouldn't mind, where is down here? I'm up near Big Bear. I don't really monitor MilAir but if the price is right I mean I suppose. I just looked it up and you did offer to sell me one before and UPS trashed it. You were such a gentleman you wouldn't let me pay you for it. Stand-up guy!

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[prcguy]

That was me. I have the big dual VHF/UHF air band version that's at least 8ft long. $75, LA Harbor area.
prcguy

Wasn't it you that tried to sell me that one before and UPS trashed it? My memory is not so good these days. I've got one upstairs at the ferrite beads were destroyed from one end of the other. And if you wouldn't mind, where is down here? I'm up near Big Bear. I don't really monitor MilAir but if the price is right I mean I suppose. I just looked it up and you did offer to sell me one before and UPS trashed it. You were such a gentleman you wouldn't let me pay you for it. Stand-up guy!

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[krazybob]

That was me. I have the big dual VHF/UHF air band version that's at least 8ft long. $75, LA Harbor area.
prcguy

That sounds like a really good deal for me but that's an awfully long drive from Big Bear. Can I think on it for a little bit? The price sounds good then that would mean I have 18 antennas on my roof. LOL. No kidding people's. Now that San Bernardino County Sheriff's department has gone encrypted I got a bunch of radios and antennas that aren't getting used but only kind of work on aircraft band.

Do you realize how long ago this thread was started? Somebody responded to it today or yesterday and got it all fired up again which is cool! There's new radios out there. I'm kind of liking the whistlers but as far as I know ProScan doesn't control them. That's what I was thinking about when I meant for my 85 foot Tower. I got Wi-Fi over to it and I could run it remote.

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[krokus]

Are any of these models that you both mentioned better with their audio recovery then a Uniden? I have a Yaesu FT 8900R quad-band amateur radio mobile unit. I actually have several. They kick *** on the air banned! But I can't see spending $399 how to put a transceiver in just to occasionally listen to airplanes taking off.

That makes me wonder if the CCR version/clone receives it well.


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[prcguy]

I have a TYT 9800 and AM aircraft sounds good, similar to my Yaesu 8900. I'f I'm going to monitor some aircraft specific stuff I'll usually program it into a couple of Motorola URC-110 radios that have scan and sometimes a couple of MBITR hand helds with vehicular mounts and external speakers. Those radios sound really good on AM.
prcguy

That makes me wonder if the CCR version/clone receives it well.


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[krazybob]

That makes me wonder if the CCR version/clone receives it well.


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I hate this speech to text.

I was able to pick up a West Mountain radio clear speak DSP on eBay this week. I use one on my HF rig and it really doesn't number! Far better than the built-in DSP. It even works on FM. It's not supposed to because noises am based. But it in fact does work on FM. It'll bring up a noisy signal quite well.

More to the point, I have quite a few Uniden radios that have low audio recovery that this will improve. The Ft 8900 are is excellent on audio recovery and sensitivity but I can't see dedicating a transceiver to casual monitoring. Plus setting up scan list is not quite the same as an actual scanner. It my high elevation above Southern California I hear a lot of traffic! The DSP will just mean I can hear traffic further out with less noise.

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[SMBaugh2]

uNIDEN BC125 AT HANDS DOWN.

 

[krazybob]

Yes, the TYT 9800 is very similar to the FT-8900. I don't know about the air band but I'm sure you do!

I got my West Mountain Radio Clear Speed DSP unit in from eBay today and what a difference!!! Turns out the one I got is the newer version with the variable filter rather than the presets. That unit works great on my HF rigs but this is the better. I snagged it for only $100. A little pricey but there was competition. I also have a log periodic so I can turn it anywhere I want but the discone works OK for now. Gotta watch my marble money for the moment. I may be buying an antenna soon.