Icom R20

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caydo7

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I was looking into buying this scanner...I understand that this unit has no trunking feature (analog or digital) What can i pick up in the nyc area between 1300 -3 gigz? This Freq range is what caught my attention with this radio. The radio also says "blocked cellular USA" ,,,does this mean a tech can unblock this band or is the band not included with this radio? Sorry for the newb questions...<new to the hobby.

Thanks
 

trap5858

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The R-20 is a good handheld radio. I am not sure what it will receive in the NY area beyond aircraft, marine and possibly some police and fire. I am sure taxi cabs or delivery trucks might be a possibility. I used to own one but found it very limited for public safety monitoring.

I would spend some time looking into what might be in those upper frequency ranges before purchasing such an expensive radio.

Also note that there is a very steep learning curve with this radio and the cell coverage on USA models is permanently blocked.

Good luck-
 

caydo7

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thanks for the feedback

i guess im going to buy a digital scanner and a sw instead of the combo. Any ideas on a good table top SW radio? I was considering the IC R75 ..any thoughts?
 

phillyred79

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The IC-R20 is a fantastic radio as what it is intended to do which is a wideband receiver. Definitely consider a digital scanner for the NYC area. Radioshack's PRO-528 is pretty decent and you can find them for under $200. You can probably find one used for $100 on eBay. I use one along with my R20 and I have all my listening desires fulfilled! Oh, and if you want an unblocked (cellular coverage enabled) just do a search on eBay for 'unblocked ic-r20' and you can have one shipped to you from Japan. The manual is in Japanese, but the menus on the radio are in English.
 

jonny290

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r20 is a bit of a niche radio, dual watch is great and SHF coverage means that you can play with low microwave stuff, if you're so equipped. Awesome, though, and I definitely want one, with the voice recorder thingy.
 

Hooterville

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phillyred79 said:
The IC-R20 is a fantastic radio as what it is intended to do which is a wideband receiver. Definitely consider a digital scanner for the NYC area. Radioshack's PRO-528 is pretty decent and you can find them for under $200. You can probably find one used for $100 on eBay. I use one along with my R20 and I have all my listening desires fulfilled! Oh, and if you want an unblocked (cellular coverage enabled) just do a search on eBay for 'unblocked ic-r20' and you can have one shipped to you from Japan. The manual is in Japanese, but the menus on the radio are in English.

Is there even anything to hear in those Cellular frequencies anymore with all the phones being digital now?
 

W4KRR

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Hooterville said:
Is there even anything to hear in those Cellular frequencies anymore with all the phones being digital now?

I have an unblocked R20. I have never heard an analog cell phone call on it. There's just so few analog cell phones left these days, and as time goes on, analog cellular will eventually be dropped completely. I got the unblocked version mainly because Icom begins the cellular block at around 867MHz, which cuts out some public safety channels in the USA. However, once rebanding is complete, this will be a non issue.
 

Hooterville

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W4KRR said:
I have an unblocked R20. I have never heard an analog cell phone call on it. There's just so few analog cell phones left these days, and as time goes on, analog cellular will eventually be dropped completely. I got the unblocked version mainly because Icom begins the cellular block at around 867MHz, which cuts out some public safety channels in the USA. However, once rebanding is complete, this will be a non issue.

I know they are two different animals but which receiver do you like best, the IC-R20 or the BCD396T ?
 

W4KRR

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Hooterville said:
I know they are two different animals but which receiver do you like best, the IC-R20 or the BCD396T ?

You're right, they are completely different. The IC-R20 doesn't do trunking or digital, but the receiver is very sensitive. However, I prefer the BCD396T because of the trunking and digital capability, and the memory design. If you live in an area where you don't need trunking or digital, the R20 may suit you just fine.
 

Lodis

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W4KRR said:
<--snip--> I prefer the BCD396T because of the trunking and digital capability, and the memory design. If you live in an area where you don't need trunking or digital, the R20 may suit you just fine.


Another great feature of the BCD396T that makes it a must is the Close Call which enables it to detect and tune into nearby analogue transmissions (if they are strong enough). This is such a useful feature and adds alot of value to the receiver. for example if a nearby (analogue) radio user keys up you should be able to (under reasonable conditions) instantly tune into the frequency they are using. You can also leave the radio to silently log all nearby frequencies.
 
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