I am thinking about getting a new scanner but only looking at paying about $250. I mostly listen to Trunked Fire and Ems freq’s but also listen to fire in the 400 MHz range. I also listen to aircraft and military band. I am mostly an amateur but want a scanner that I could sort of grow with. Also what antenna would you recommend I will need to keep it indoors since I live in an apartment on the bottom floor. Thank you for the help.
Looking for a new scanner
- Thread starter MAN99
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Where you from. I have a 96 digital scanner for sale for 200.00. It is for local sale only. South Jersey of SE PA.
qlajlu
Silent Key
Welcome to RR.com, MAN99.
As AlabamaRS says, not much any of us can do without more information. Most important is your location so I urge you to return to your User CP (the left side of the second blue bar from the top of any page if you are logged in) and edit your profile to include your location (city and state) as you were requested to do in the material e-mailed to you when you registered. Once you fill in your location it will automatically show in each of your posts. Many of the questions you will have, and their answers, are going to be location specific and without having your location showing you will be asked over and over again what it is. So fill it in now and be done with it.
Right now I'm in Tucson, AZ but will be moving to Alameda County CA in about a year or so.
Which one?
I am thinking about getting a new scanner but only looking at paying about $250. I mostly listen to Trunked Fire and Ems freq’s but also listen to fire in the 400 MHz range. I also listen to aircraft and military band. I am mostly an amateur but want a scanner that I could sort of grow with. Also what antenna would you recommend I will need to keep it indoors since I live in an apartment on the bottom floor. I am currently in Tucson, AZ but will be moving to Alameda County in about year. Thank you for the help.
I am thinking about getting a new scanner but only looking at paying about $250. I mostly listen to Trunked Fire and Ems freq’s but also listen to fire in the 400 MHz range. I also listen to aircraft and military band. I am mostly an amateur but want a scanner that I could sort of grow with. Also what antenna would you recommend I will need to keep it indoors since I live in an apartment on the bottom floor. I am currently in Tucson, AZ but will be moving to Alameda County in about year. Thank you for the help.
rvictor
Member
If the database is correct, it appears that analog would be adequate for the Tucson area, but that the Alameda County area is heading toward digital. In order to find a digital scanner in the price range that you've indicated, you're going to need to find something used rather than new.
You mention an interest in monitoring aircraft and military. If you want to monitor the milair band, make sure that any scanner you buy not only covers that band, but also that it is capable of monitoring that band in AM mode. Some scanners include the frequencies, but can't be set to monitor them in AM and are therefore not of any use for milair.
Dick
You mention an interest in monitoring aircraft and military. If you want to monitor the milair band, make sure that any scanner you buy not only covers that band, but also that it is capable of monitoring that band in AM mode. Some scanners include the frequencies, but can't be set to monitor them in AM and are therefore not of any use for milair.
Dick
Thank you for the help. Which scanner would you recommend that can cover them?
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
Either the older Uniden BC296 or BC796 should do the job, although this is something you should ask about in the Arizona forum. The only downside is that if there are any 380 mhz military trunk systems in your area, neither of these scanners would handle them.
Our wiki has extensive details on both of these scanners - here are the links (anything in blue)
BC296D - The RadioReference Wiki
BC796D - The RadioReference Wiki
However being on a bottom floor in an apartment is going to limit you severely in terms of how far away you will be able to hear things. Probably the best bet will be a mag mount antenna on a large metallic surface such as an air conditioning unit or refrigerator. The same can be said of using a 2m/440 handheld in the same locale.
You might also consider taking advantage of this...
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/SEARM_Scanner_Club
73 Mike
Our wiki has extensive details on both of these scanners - here are the links (anything in blue)
BC296D - The RadioReference Wiki
BC796D - The RadioReference Wiki
However being on a bottom floor in an apartment is going to limit you severely in terms of how far away you will be able to hear things. Probably the best bet will be a mag mount antenna on a large metallic surface such as an air conditioning unit or refrigerator. The same can be said of using a 2m/440 handheld in the same locale.
You might also consider taking advantage of this...
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/SEARM_Scanner_Club
73 Mike
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sjlamb
Member
I would post this in the AZ Forum so that you can receive local advice from others in your area. Of primary concern would be not just which radio will work with the systems currently in use in your area but, also which will continue to serve you after your proposed relocation. Other locals can clue you in on the possibly of proposed radio system changes that could render the radio that you buy today, useless in your locale next year.
Think in terms of not just will work for you now but, will continue to provide you the coverage that you need in the future.
Please do not repost the same question in multiple forums. I have merged two threads and since you did not specify which scanner I merged them into the new users forum.
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
But does NOT cover milair out of the box - and even if you use Win96 to open it up, you never know if the sensitivity will be any good or not. It's simply not designed for it, and it's impossible to know without trying it.
73 Mike
Thanks
Thanks for the help.
Thanks for the help.
Eng74
Member
Go with the 346XT. Great analog trunk tracker and it is only $214 from Scanner Master. You can spend the extra cash on an antenna.
Thanks for the suggestion. I am starting to think I may need to spend the extra money and get a digital one since ALCO the Alameda County dispatch will be going to digital soon. Does that sound better or will that be so far in the future that it wont really matter? Has anyone heard about them switching to digital?
Eng74
Member
The last thing I heard was they were going to do a digital system with Contra Costa County and some others. I still think it is in the planing stages. If you do want to go ahead and go digital go with the 396XT. The GRE PSR 500 is good but if you take it into San Francisco there is too much overload even with the Att set on the global. On the other side of it I can pick up San Francisco in when I am in Foster City and the Unidens don't show a signal. I admit it I am a radio junkie. I don't change batteries when they die, I just change radios.
rvictor
Member
I own a Uniden 396XT and a Uniden 346XT. If you can swing the cost, the Uniden 396XT is a great scanner and will cover the digital as well as the milair stuff. The lesser price Uniden 346XT is also a great scanner, but is analog only and does not cover the milair band.
Check in the California forum for info on the timing of the various systems' shift to digital.
Dick
Thanks for the advice. Ive been looking at the 966XT since it will cover everything also. I just dont want to buy a analog scanner and move to Alameda and have it be uselss. Thanks again for the help.
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