Commercial radio that will scan all 97 AAR channels.

[iMONITOR]

Is there a commercial radio that will scan all 97 of the railroad channels?

I have been using Motorola CDM and M1225 radius radios for some time now, and I love the quality of reception over a regular scanner, but they are restricted to 16 or 24 channels for scanning.

Is there a radio out there with similar performance to a CDM that can scan all 97? A bonus would be one that doesn't require special software to program. I have a good receive site and I'd like to be able to scan all the channels just for fun to see what I can receive.

I don't care if the scan rate is slow. And yes I know about NXDN, I don't feel that will happen on the road channels any time soon, and that is a debate for other threads.

Thanks!

GE Quest Railroad Clean Cab VHF (148-174Mhz) Radio 12R Series II 50W Train

GE Quest Railroad Clean Cab VHF (148-174Mhz) Radio 12R Series II 50W Train | eBay

These 50W VHF (148-174Mhz) units are programmable radios that are pre-loaded with all AAR radio frequencies and also have 432 channel capacity. Units will require a 12 volt DC power source capable of handling up to 50 watts of power.

www.ebay.com

Description :

GE Quest Railroad Clean Cab radio, model number 12R Series II. These 50W VHF (148-174Mhz) units are programmable radios that are pre-loaded with all AAR radio frequencies and also have 432 channel capacity. Units are in great shape and come complete with programming cable, programming software and DC power cord. Units will require a 12 volt DC power source capable of handling up to 50 watts of power. If you have any questions, please contact us.

 

[gary123]

Astro Spectra or any APX will load them all in. I agree with many posters. there is no need to have all of them in a single unit unless you are travelling huge distances. The local 10-20 frequencies are sufficient. You could maybe add in some of the stronger distance frequencies or frequencies used before the train transitions to/from your local area.

FYI radios tend to have slower scan rates. They have superior receivers but they are not intended to be a scanner.

 

[wa8pyr]

Personally I couldn’t see the need to scan all those channels. Even in the busiest of locations there are only about 20-30 channels in use at any given time. And that’s a stretch.

A properly programmed radio for a certain area will give better results ( no missed traffic etc).
With zones, etc there’s plenty of flexibility for setting up a scan group for many places.

I use an Icom ID5100 in my truck and it works like a champ. I have specific zones set up for the railroad hotspots I visit regularly, but I also have a zone with all 97 "standard" channels in it, for scanning while I'm driving from Point A to Point B. Works great, scans very fast, and I don't miss anything I need to hear.

Of course, when I get to the hotspot of my choice, the manly radio (either Motorola or Icom railroad model) comes out to monitor the location-specific channels.

 

[cbehr91]

I use an Icom ID5100 in my truck and it works like a champ. I have specific zones set up for the railroad hotspots I visit regularly, but I also have a zone with all 97 "standard" channels in it, for scanning while I'm driving from Point A to Point B. Works great, scans very fast, and I don't miss anything I need to hear.

Of course, when I get to the hotspot of my choice, the manly radio (either Motorola or Icom railroad model) comes out to monitor the location-specific channels.

How's the receive performance compared to "the manly radio"?

 

[wa8pyr]

How's the receive performance compared to "the manly radio"?

I'm pretty impressed with the 5100. it works very well, is quite sensitive and selective.

Comparing it to the manly portables is kind of an apples to oranges comparison since the 5100 uses an NMO mount antenna on top of the truck and the portables are usually on my belt or sitting on the tray on the side of my lawn chair, but the 5100 and the portables usually hear the same stuff pretty well.

 

[w2xq]

Is there a commercial radio that will scan all 97 of the railroad channels?

I have been using Motorola CDM and M1225 radius radios for some time now, and I love the quality of reception over a regular scanner, but they are restricted to 16 or 24 channels for scanning.

Is there a radio out there with similar performance to a CDM that can scan all 97? A bonus would be one that doesn't require special software to program. I have a good receive site and I'd like to be able to scan all the channels just for fun to see what I can receive.

I don't care if the scan rate is slow. And yes I know about NXDN, I don't feel that will happen on the road channels any time soon, and that is a debate for other threads.

Thanks!

It isn't commercial but the Yaesu VX6-R ht will easily cover the AAR channels in one group. I used it on several Amtrak round-trips between Philadelphia and Denver. Our sleeping car attendants were particularly interested, and the conductors explained terms to us.

 

[ratboy]

I've had an Icom IC-2000/2300(pretty much the same radios) in my vehicles (not permanently) for a long time. Works very well. I have tried many HT's and only the Yaesu VX-170 works in my main railfanning location, which is near the local WX transmitter tower. Every other HT has at least a couple of freqs where you can hear WX mixed in. The dual/tri band radios are a disaster in general, regardless of how much they cost. FMBC and WX grinding all together on 161.070, NS's main channel here. 160.800 is OK though on most of the HT's, but scanning will make your life miserable with it stopping for a few seconds of WX or distorted FMBC

 

[cbehr91]

I've had an Icom IC-2000/2300(pretty much the same radios) in my vehicles (not permanently) for a long time. Works very well. I have tried many HT's and only the Yaesu VX-170 works in my main railfanning location, which is near the local WX transmitter tower. Every other HT has at least a couple of freqs where you can hear WX mixed in. The dual/tri band radios are a disaster in general, regardless of how much they cost. FMBC and WX grinding all together on 161.070, NS's main channel here. 160.800 is OK though on most of the HT's, but scanning will make your life miserable with it stopping for a few seconds of WX or distorted FMBC

I've been a big fan of the Icom 2000 series mobiles for years for railfanning, but between the Vertex VX150/Yaesu FT250 and the VX170/FT270 I always thought the VX150 was more selective. I would never want to scan all 97 AAR channels with any of those radios, though. More than 10-15 channels in a scan cycle and I'd start missing stuff.

I still maintain my recommendation from post #12 of this thread of the IC-R30 is the absolute best receiver for rail and a lot of other things. IIRC, it can scan through the AAR band in under two seconds.

 

[krtz07]

I would say to this day, the Icom V86 is the one of the best radios I owned to receive rail frequencies. However it does seem prone to let some WX frequencies and Pagers into the rail bands at times. It's very affordable compared to what is out there. The R30 is awesome as well but good luck securing one at decent cost as those are now out of production.

I never tried the VX150 nor VX170 as I never could find one. I had a Yaesu ft60r, as it was kinda good, the audio wasn't anyway as good as on the ICOM V86.

 

[merlin]

Just for VHF, I have a MaCom M-7100 with all the rail channels plus all the marine channels,
Weather, and some ham repeaters. all in one radio.
I find I lock out a lot of channels as I am next to a huge yard. The brunt of all the VHF trafic I get.

 

[nickwilson159]

I would say to this day, the Icom V86 is the one of the best radios I owned to receive rail frequencies. However it does seem prone to let some WX frequencies and Pagers into the rail bands at times. It's very affordable compared to what is out there. The R30 is awesome as well but good luck securing one at decent cost as those are now out of production.

I never tried the VX150 nor VX170 as I never could find one. I had a Yaesu ft60r, as it was kinda good, the audio wasn't anyway as good as on the ICOM V86.

The V86 is excellent - better ears than the V80 also currently being offered.

The IC2300H mobile is also fantastic, every bit as good of ears as the 2200H it replaced but with a bit better selectivity.

Nothing beats the R30 though for amateur radios or receivers - it’s an absolute monster on the rail band that has every bit as good of ears as an XPR7550e or an NX-5200, both of which are revered for their fantastic sensitivity.

I did try the R6 as well, and it couldn’t keep up with the R30. It seemed about on par with the V80 in my limited testing on the rail band.

For commercial gear, I’d probably go for a TK-790 right now - they’re good radios and the price is right. XTL5000s are fantastic for rail & their DSP makes a big difference, but they are a little more expensive. NX-5700s are the current king, and their price reflects it - but I have zero regrets buying mine, it’s an amazing unit.

 

[krtz07]

The V86 is excellent - better ears than the V80 also currently being offered.

The IC2300H mobile is also fantastic, every bit as good of ears as the 2200H it replaced but with a bit better selectivity.

Nothing beats the R30 though for amateur radios or receivers - it’s an absolute monster on the rail band that has every bit as good of ears as an XPR7550e or an NX-5200, both of which are revered for their fantastic sensitivity.

I did try the R6 as well, and it couldn’t keep up with the R30. It seemed about on par with the V80 in my limited testing on the rail band.

For commercial gear, I’d probably go for a TK-790 right now - they’re good radios and the price is right. XTL5000s are fantastic for rail & their DSP makes a big difference, but they are a little more expensive. NX-5700s are the current king, and their price reflects it - but I have zero regrets buying mine, it’s an amazing unit.

I did compare the ICOM R30 side by side with the V86, the R30 does have a slight edge in receiving but I had a 155MHZ laird on the ICOM V86 with a Slim Duck Smiley 160 5/8 on the R30. Not too sure if the Antenna played the role in giving it the edge or not. One thing I loved about the R30 is the Bluetooth capability.

 

[wa8pyr]

Just for VHF, I have a MaCom M-7100 with all the rail channels plus all the marine channels,
Weather, and some ham repeaters. all in one radio.
I find I lock out a lot of channels as I am next to a huge yard. The brunt of all the VHF trafic I get.

I use a VHF M7100 also, and get around that issue by creating a zone specifically for the local area that does not include the yard channels.

I've used any number of commercial radios over the years; currently (in addition to a Motorola XTS5000 and Astro Saber) I use an Icom IC4161 railroad version and an IC3400. The 3400 does allow creating a zone with all 97 channels and scanning all of them. Ditto the R30; got one and love it.

 

[Nasby]

I’ve used several Motorola portables including the Jedi series and an XTS500. I’ve found their performance to be just ok. Better than a scanner but not nearly as sensitive as my Icom IC V8 or Vertex VX150. Motorola does perform well in high intermod areas and their volume level is unmatched. They are limited to 16 channels of scanning but that’s usually enough for most areas.

 

[madrabbitt]

the kenwood and icom portables BNSF use CAN scan all. The icoms are easier to use and modify scan lists in the field, but i know i can set a scan list in the kenwood as well.

I havent had an icom in my hands in a while, let me go grab one of the BNSF kenwoods out of my interop box and i'll give you the model number.

 

[madrabbitt]

little embarrassed that it took tools and cursing to get the battery off this thing so I can see the model number, but its a NX-210, which used to be BNSF's standard issue portable until they started using the ICOM's.

It will scan the entire bank if its added to a scanlist.

 

[mmckenna]

NX-210's are solid radios. No, not the 'best' VHF portable, but decent none the less. I purchased about 30 of them for our PD as a temporary (2-3 year) solution many years back. Due to delays and changing projects, it's been 10 years and they are still going. Getting replaced soon. (Moral of the story, "Nothing is more permanent than a temporary solution")

Programming is pretty easy. You can find them used on eBay for decent prices. Lots of accessories as it's the same chassis as the TK-x180 line of radios.

If you don't need/want NXDN, the Kenwood TK-2180 is a solid radio that will do what you want, and available on the used market.

 

[videobruce]

"All 97" Do you scan 1 - 6 in the USA?

Those 6 are for Canada only.

 

[IC-R20]

Be aware that some railroads are using NXDN and others may change in the future.

That's already been debunked on here a few years back. Never going to happen.

 

[videobruce]

Debunked by just who and with what credentials??
"Never" is forever and nothing is forever !