Xray
Member
- Joined
- May 24, 2005
- Messages
- 613
Go to alot of airshows and got 2 big ones coming up.
Have done fine with handhelds but I thought it would be nice to get a dedicated mobile that I can run at my truck and carry a mobile around on my hip as always.
Got the Uniden BC355N and wasn't what I expected. No way to enter frequencies, you must browse to the freq, stop it there then go through some process to save it. Worse still, freqs must be lumped into 1 "private" banks, no way that I could see for separate banks for different airfields ot even blue angels vs thunderbirds.
So I figured, why not use the old Pro 2006 ? Great air scanner, simple to program in the field, plenty of separate banks for anything I want.
First problem was, hasn't been run in probably 15-20 years, has just been sitting collecting dust.
So I took it from its long time perch, blew it out and plugged it in - Came to life just fine. Some local PD's still use analog freqs around here so I punched a couple in and they worked fine.
So my problem was, how to use an AC base scanner mobile ?
As you can see from the pic, this scanner was heavily modded [Thanks Bill Cheeks]. One mod I did long ago was to install a DC power jack in back, this was not to use it mobile but rather reduce heat buildup inside the unit. [Short of that, I would have just used a power inverter with the booster and simply plugged it into that, but DC preferred just for the original heat issue]
So the jack was already there, I have a top of the line battery booster with a DC receptacle. Hunted down a cord, plugged it in and this thing works just fine mobile. Already have a nice addon speaker, after I program a few dozen freqs this thing will be good to go, and I am returning the Uniden.
Only problem it has is a somewhat touchy, scratchy volume pot, to be expected after sitting around decades. Operable but annoying, hopefully a blast of parts cleaner will fix it up.
More mods on this thing that I can remember, spent hours and hours installing them back in the day, most but not all controlled with a switch.
Ones I can recall are:
LED S Meter
LED Center tuning indicator
LED Signal indicator
Auto record output [this was great for recording those elusive DEA stings or scant mil air activity, when a signal came on it would set the cassette recorder to record, then shut it off when no signal was present] Even though nothing is hooked up to record you can hear it click on and off with every signal, so I turned it off - Might be useful yet, if I can find that special recorder with remote jack.
Double memory, selectable with a switch. Very labor intensive mod from what I recall, basically another mem chip piggybacked on the stock one, wired up in series to the tiny legs. I think it doubled mem from 400 to 800.
There is more, forgot what they were for, wish I would have made a layout of all I did.
Have done fine with handhelds but I thought it would be nice to get a dedicated mobile that I can run at my truck and carry a mobile around on my hip as always.
Got the Uniden BC355N and wasn't what I expected. No way to enter frequencies, you must browse to the freq, stop it there then go through some process to save it. Worse still, freqs must be lumped into 1 "private" banks, no way that I could see for separate banks for different airfields ot even blue angels vs thunderbirds.
So I figured, why not use the old Pro 2006 ? Great air scanner, simple to program in the field, plenty of separate banks for anything I want.
First problem was, hasn't been run in probably 15-20 years, has just been sitting collecting dust.
So I took it from its long time perch, blew it out and plugged it in - Came to life just fine. Some local PD's still use analog freqs around here so I punched a couple in and they worked fine.
So my problem was, how to use an AC base scanner mobile ?
As you can see from the pic, this scanner was heavily modded [Thanks Bill Cheeks]. One mod I did long ago was to install a DC power jack in back, this was not to use it mobile but rather reduce heat buildup inside the unit. [Short of that, I would have just used a power inverter with the booster and simply plugged it into that, but DC preferred just for the original heat issue]
So the jack was already there, I have a top of the line battery booster with a DC receptacle. Hunted down a cord, plugged it in and this thing works just fine mobile. Already have a nice addon speaker, after I program a few dozen freqs this thing will be good to go, and I am returning the Uniden.
Only problem it has is a somewhat touchy, scratchy volume pot, to be expected after sitting around decades. Operable but annoying, hopefully a blast of parts cleaner will fix it up.
More mods on this thing that I can remember, spent hours and hours installing them back in the day, most but not all controlled with a switch.
Ones I can recall are:
LED S Meter
LED Center tuning indicator
LED Signal indicator
Auto record output [this was great for recording those elusive DEA stings or scant mil air activity, when a signal came on it would set the cassette recorder to record, then shut it off when no signal was present] Even though nothing is hooked up to record you can hear it click on and off with every signal, so I turned it off - Might be useful yet, if I can find that special recorder with remote jack.
Double memory, selectable with a switch. Very labor intensive mod from what I recall, basically another mem chip piggybacked on the stock one, wired up in series to the tiny legs. I think it doubled mem from 400 to 800.
There is more, forgot what they were for, wish I would have made a layout of all I did.