Ditching my Kenwood-K20 FM transceiver for something simpler for basic RR

[TrainsOfThought]

Good afternoon. Newly retired age 60+, I decided to re enter a rail monitoring after 20+ year hiatus. I've been listening to live stream broadcasts lately...I'd like to try getting back to "organic" radio wave reception but realize I'm 20 years out of time and feel like Rip Van Winkle as I study changes to radios and the business.

I have a bunch of Realistic/Radio Shack Pro-2006 era bases (LOVED these and the handhelds of the time) plus my Cushcraft Ringo/Diamond gear in storage but no current handheld. Since we're 30 miles from the nearest tracks I thought I'd try the much-ballyhooed jump to an easy (supposedly) handheld ham receiver for trackside. I loved the old analog scanners, so easy to program, simple functions and basic. Watching youtube (and trying to decipher the owners manual) I was able to get some RR channels into the Kenwood for a minor scanning plateau and success but this was shortlived. As I usually am with new computers, my dumbass smart phone taking me years to understand (or kids instructing me), big fingers accidentally pushing a wrong button sends the functions lord-knows-where and no success getting back. Try this, try that seems I might have also done a reset and erased what I programed and can't get back to a starting point. The manual is minimal help when it's so complex, looks like a foreign language and I have to juggle between 4 pages back and forth to TRY getting on a learning curve. After a year I decided to call it quits.

I evidently need something simpler, more basic a step up evolution from the analog but easy plain valilla a gray-hair like myself can figure out so I can SLOWLY get a grasp on todays technology. Is everything today as complicated as these hams, or am I just an old fogey and should quit while I'm ahead and save my time and $. Or just put a dedicted RR antenna or my old 2-meter on the roof (pulus high quality coax) and see what I can squeeze from 30 something miles away with what I have...and buy a used vintage analog for trackside for nostalgia and minimalism and some fun. My old rooftop antenna farm was great with dedicated antennas for each radio and superb reception...gosh that was a lot of fun.

Thanks for any words of wisdom.

 

[Echo4Thirty]

I use a TK-2180 handheld (for mobile it would be a TK-7180). It can hold all 97 AAR channels and can scan them all. It can also directly access them. I do not need digital (yet) but the NX-210 is a great choice.

There is the issue with programming them, but its on a computer and just dump the file in.

 

[TrainsOfThought]

I've looked into the commercial business radios for receive-only I used to use the Anne Arundel County gov. complex trunked handheld radios career long before retirement so I'm comfortable handling and using them but we were just click n talk in our agency and didn't get involved in programming/setup. I've obviously jumped-the-shark here and become one of the cliche'd users messing with hams, equipment beyond their means that others have spent a lifetime learning the science and procedures in dedicated education.

I'll likely pick up where I left off, with equipment I am familiar, and (with scads of links) research, TIME and soaking in knowledge from forums like this, work my way up the GRE/Radio Shack/Whistler evolutionary chain getting a grasp on each tech step. Maybe even delve deeper into amateur radio since now I have the time dedicate, study and play. In the meantime I've railroad specialty, marine and coast guard (here on shores of the Chesapeake Bay), surrounded by airfields and airports...lots of analog stuff. PS. Shame there are few scanner clubs like the old Monitoring Times days...I played in those when lived in East Baltimore/Dundalk and the baby-monitor etc stuff you'd pickup was jaw-dropping.

BTW, I'll be placing my Kenwood FM transceiver up for sale online somewhere....if I can ever get it stuck out of whatever non-scanning mode it's in (for future buyer). Lightly used less than 60 hours over the past 2 years w/charger, manual, original antenna + Diamond RH77CA w/connector adapter, Comet M-24BNC mobile mag mount antenna...everything purchased from the Ham Radio Outlet near me in nearby New Castle, DE.

 

[mmckenna]

I think a basic analog only scanner with a good antenna is your best bet. It won't get much easier than that.
The modern ham radios are a challenge to program using the front panel, just too many multifunction buttons. Using programming software for the ham radio would be easier, but still have its challenges.

The Kenwood TK-7180/TK-2180 as well as the NX-210 are good options, but the programming software learning curve can be steep if you haven't done it before. There can be a lot of challenges dealing with acquiring programming software, and making it work with the radio firmware, etc. If you were challenged by the ham radio, it's probably not your best path forward, unless you buy one that's pre-programmed with the AAR channels.

If you were comfortable with the older basic analog scanners, they are easy to find on E-Bay. There's even a few still sold new.

 

[TrainsOfThought]

I think a basic analog only scanner with a good antenna is your best bet. It won't get much easier than that.

Yea, that's the route I've decided to take. We'll see where it goes. I've lived next to RR all my life since a kid in Dundalk, MD (Stanbrook) living next to Bethlehem Steel Sparrows Point Plant, the B&O Sparrows Point Industrial Track next to our house, my dad working at The Plant, my Father-in-Law AND grandfather (former WVA coal miner) too...mom waking me up @ 4AM to take dad to work at the Plant gate so I wouldn't be left alone at home, later married life still in Dundalk, MD and the kicking Class 1 and industrial shortline action. Current circumstances present a CHALLENGE for me a guy at that "certain age".

Thanks Mmckenna...I've enjoyed your posts here on RadioReferance. It's back to the books and track side...and having fun.

 

[AK9R]

By all reports, the Uniden BC125AT is a decent scanner for VHF High like the railroads use.

Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Police Scanner | ScannerMaster.com

Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Police Scanner is a 500 Channels alpha tag-able in 10 banks/50 channels per-bank, the BC125AT includes full VHF and UHF coverage.

www.scannermaster.com

 

[wa8pyr]

By all reports, the Uniden BC125AT is a decent scanner for VHF High like the railroads use.

Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Police Scanner | ScannerMaster.com

Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Police Scanner is a 500 Channels alpha tag-able in 10 banks/50 channels per-bank, the BC125AT includes full VHF and UHF coverage.

www.scannermaster.com

Ditto. While I usually use a commercial radio (Icom) for rail scanning, I have a BC125AT which I use for "grab and go" rail (and especially aviation) scanning, and it works great. If you catch them at the right time they can be found on Amazon for less than $100; got mine brand new on one of those "flash sales" for $85 and free Prime shipping.

 

[N4DJC]

If I had that much analog in my area I’d look at the BCT15X, great RX for rail and air.

 

[hill]

I think their are a few BC125AT for sale in the classified on this site. It's a great analog handheld scanner. It even has a Railroad service search and even I have tried it with have a passenger and freight trains right across a major road from my home. It receives rail radio traffic well, but after trying Railroad I really don't enjoy monitoring them.

I own one which picked up used during the pandemic when new ones couldn't be found. My is was purchased for Mil Air and spends 99% on time on that task when out and about.

 

[amusement]

Purchased BC125AT earlier this year from Ebay, $89 (with shipping). BC125AT combined with a Diamond antenna and an old GRE BNC per-amplifier is a treat. Previously owned many "mature" Radio Shack and Uniden scanner models from the 90's and early 00's.

edit: fixed spelling

 

[top13]

In my area I use an old Motorola HT-1000 (Former RR portable). It is 16 channel radio that a lot of sellers will program all your receive channels for free. They are cheap and have a great receiver. For on the road elsewhere I use a RS Pro-106 which has all of the AAR channels.

 

[rescuecomm]

What about the railroad digital channels?

 

[mmckenna]

What about the railroad digital channels?

NXDN capable scanner, or the NX-210/NX-200 I recommended in post #4. But since it's not a problem where the OP is (his ham radio worked fine) it would be a questionable investment, plus additional programming hassle.

 

[FrensicPic]

What about the railroad digital channels?

Not much out there, even here in Los Angeles so, probably not of too much concern yet. LA Metro Rail is using NXDN. BNSF has a couple of NXDN "yard" channels listed in the DB. The "road" channels are still pretty much analog with no PL.
John

 

[KC2CQD]

I've become fond of the Uniden BCT15X mobile as it's easy to program with either the FreeScan or the ProScan software.
I like the BC125AT handy for quick entry of the known freqs in my area.
One thing the mobile has over the handy is GROUPS!
I have all the local RRs in their own group AND the full AAR Bandplan spread over 3 bite-sized groups (for traveling to a new area and don't know the local freqs). I also split the ATC,PTC,HOT,EOT etc. into it's own place.

73s