Inexpensive HT to listen to airband

[uzelessknowledge]

I have an SDS100 and while it’s great for digital it’s not great for my county airport. Planes can be just overhead and still miss part of the transmission or it’s just not clear.

Do I just get a BC125AT to listen to air?

What I was considering was a cheap HT like a Radtel RT-470x or a Talkpod A36Plus.
I know these are cheap but would they give me any better enjoyment listening to air over my SDS100?
Reading some other posts showed some good results with the RT-470. I saw a post saying the RT-890 was safer than the Talkpod but I’m not looking to transmit.

Thanks

 

[dispatchgeek]

Spring for the BC125AT. I've heard very mixed reviews on the cheap HTs and their AM performance. I've got two BC125ATs, one which was previously dedicated to Civil and MilAir. It did a heck of a job in a challenging RF environment. I've run my SDS100 and BC125AT side by side for airshow traffic-The 125 blew the SDS100 out of the water on AM.

 

[uzelessknowledge]

Thanks @natedawg1604
I just had a thought. I have an old BC235xlt. I don’t know how good they are on air. It just has a dead battery. I’d have to source a new one.
So new, small and purpose specific unit or try to reuse what I have.
The BC125 is small and light I think.

 

[uzelessknowledge]

Thanks @natedawg1604
I just had a thought. I have an old BC235xlt. I don’t know how good they are on air. It just has a dead battery. I’d have to source a new one.
So new, small and purpose specific unit or try to reuse what I have.
The BC125 is small and light I think.

Thanks @dispatchgeek

 

[ctadam12]

SDS100? Probably your antenna. Try a VHF band antenna, before purchasing another scanner. SDS100 is the Cadillac of scanners.

 

[SA_tx_88116]

I have an SDS100 and while it’s great for digital it’s not great for my county airport. Planes can be just overhead and still miss part of the transmission or it’s just not clear.

Do I just get a BC125AT to listen to air?

What I was considering was a cheap HT like a Radtel RT-470x or a Talkpod A36Plus.
I know these are cheap but would they give me any better enjoyment listening to air over my SDS100?
Reading some other posts showed some good results with the RT-470. I saw a post saying the RT-890 was safer than the Talkpod but I’m not looking to transmit.

Thanks

I’ve seen a video where boy and a scanner tried the sds100 with a metal whip antenna and it worked great antenna link:https://www.amazon.com/outstanding-Telescopic-Antenna-Section-Connector/dp/B07D32NNKF/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=373RPA5J1KN2Y&dchild=1&keywords=sma+telescopic+antenna&qid=1600478246&sprefix=sma+tele,aps,254&sr=8-3&linkCode=sl1&tag=dajwoleanea08-20&linkId=aca3b66addc84b84c7fa26762dfc390b&language=en_US

 

[jaspence]

The BC125AT is one of the best choices for the money. The Icom IC-R6 is also very good and small, but the lack of a full keypad complicates easy use compared to the125.

 

[cptinsano918]

I use a BC75XLT for airband. Just get a good antenna.

 

[tvengr]

I just had a thought. I have an old BC235xlt. I don’t know how good they are on air. It just has a dead battery. I’d have to source a new one.
So new, small and purpose specific unit or try to reuse what I have.
The BC125 is small and light I think.

The BC235XLT does not cover the military air band. The BC125AT does.

 

[ctadam12]

Is MIL in the "clear"? I've never heard MIL.

 

[jaspence]

General military air can be monitored in most cases, even in some serious situations.

 

[mass-man]

Milair is very much in the clear...bases with a tower, comms during refueling, airshows, etc. While not as prolific as civilian comms, when you do snag a milair hit it is usually pretty interesting. Lots of milair info here on RR.

 

[uzelessknowledge]

I’ve ordered an RH77CA. I’ll see how this works out.
Recommended here.
Airband-specific antennas for a casual scanner user: worth it?

 

[uzelessknowledge]

RH77CA for the win. Has improved not only vhf but also public service trunked systems. Awesome antenna.