So from searching it appears the BCT15X is the preferred MIL AIR Scanner guys are using ? Is that correct ? All my stuff is only 108-174 for AM so looking to upgrade. No interest in handhelds or SDR (have many of both).
Mil Air Scanner
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reconrider8
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That's prob the easiest to find and yes it's good
dispatchgeek
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I ran a BC-125AT handheld permanently plugged in for a while on an external antenna. It did a heck of a good job. However, I recently upgraded to a BCT-15X. I am absolutely blown away. You certainly will not be disappointed with the 15X
iMONITOR
Silent Key
I've owned numerous BCT15X scanners over the years and they perform great for civilian, commercial and Military Aircraft monitoring. However I've since then switch to the BCD996P2 because in some locations some Mil-Air communications also occasionally use P25 digital to communicate with various law enforcement and fire departments. But if your needs are only for 108-174 AM you should be all set with the BCT15X.
Thanks. Most of the MIL air that I'm looking for is above 174 so thats my focus. I'll get a 15 ordered up.
samcken
Member
What makes the 15X better than the 125? Is it a guaranteed improvement or is it another case of location, location, location? (As far as mil air goes.)
reconrider8
Member
I think they are both on point with each other the 125 being a handheld and the 15 being more of a base
wtp
Member
jeep,
some milair stuff does happen in the 118 to 137 and the snowbirds were reported on 116.0 many years ago.
but there is also some on 137 to 144 and 148 to 150.8 in AM so check the radio if it can do it.
and yes the 225 to 380 is where a lot of it is but some say they keep the old 380 to 400 in anyway.
some milair stuff does happen in the 118 to 137 and the snowbirds were reported on 116.0 many years ago.
but there is also some on 137 to 144 and 148 to 150.8 in AM so check the radio if it can do it.
and yes the 225 to 380 is where a lot of it is but some say they keep the old 380 to 400 in anyway.
I occasionally still use my Pro93 and 95's for air and marine if I am out. I always wanted a 15x but I don't think it can do 225 to 400 in under 2 seconds like an sdr can.
I want the 15x as its a base/mobile model. It will be mounted in a rack in my office and want to be able to see display. I have handhelds and use them for scanning when not home.
cms1528
Newbie
Please forgive my lack of knowledge on this subject but I have an interest I assure you. Does the 15X record transmissions or is the software attached to it? Thank you for the help.
It does not record. Mine will be piped into a logger.
eorange
♦RF Enabled Member♦
The 15x is my main mil air scanner and it does great, but it's not immune to the "the more you scan, the more you miss" syndrome, which is common when scanning mil air.
I have 2 NORAD freqs that are of interest, so I use a 2nd different scanner dedicated to just those. Many times I've heard extended chatter on that 2nd radio while the 15x just scans right on by without stopping, although sometimes it does stop. They both use the same model of antenna, so that's not a factor. The point is, keep your freq list count in check. Overall it does great on mil air but like anything else you have to know the limitations.
The 15x doesn't record audio, bur the Icom R30 does.
I have 2 NORAD freqs that are of interest, so I use a 2nd different scanner dedicated to just those. Many times I've heard extended chatter on that 2nd radio while the 15x just scans right on by without stopping, although sometimes it does stop. They both use the same model of antenna, so that's not a factor. The point is, keep your freq list count in check. Overall it does great on mil air but like anything else you have to know the limitations.
The 15x doesn't record audio, bur the Icom R30 does.
iMONITOR
Silent Key
ProScan software runs on a PC and can be used to program, control, log and record reception activity from the BCT15X and many more scanners.
proscan.org
ProScan
Computer Aided Scanning Software for the Uniden BC125AT BC250D BC296D BC346XT BC346XTC BC780XLT BC785D BC796D BCD160DN BCD260DN BCD325P2 BCD396T BCD396XT BCD436HP BCD536HP BCD996P2 BCD996T BCD996XT BCT15 BCT15X BR330T SDS100 SDS100E SDS150 SDS200 SDS200E UBC125XLT UBC126AT UBCD160DN UBCD260DN...
I have found that a good antenna, a band pass filter and the BCT15x is a great setup for Milair. Having said that the 125 is convenient out and about but not with the stock antenna. For recording I would step up to a BCD536 or 436 first. For logging only use ProScan or Freescan software. Remember with all scanning it’s location, location, location.
I'm thinking of getting a BCT15X as well. Looking at the specs the scan rate is listed as 100 channels per second while the search rate is listed as 300 steps per second but then it says at 5 kHz step only. If I'm understanding this correctly, and my math is correct, it would take 1 minute and 43 seconds to search the milair band from 225 to 380 mHz. Does this sound about right ? And you really can't change the searching step size ?
I have a BC125AT and it has the same problem, they have the milair band set at 12.5 kHz steps instead of 25 kHz. There doesn't seem to be a way to change the step size, so takes twice as long at 80 steps per second, 2 minutes 35 seconds to search 225-380.
What SDR are you using ? How does SDR reception compare with a standard radio like a BCT15X ?
Just curious what NORAD freqs you monitor ?
I have a BC125AT and it has the same problem, they have the milair band set at 12.5 kHz steps instead of 25 kHz. There doesn't seem to be a way to change the step size, so takes twice as long at 80 steps per second, 2 minutes 35 seconds to search 225-380.
What SDR are you using ? How does SDR reception compare with a standard radio like a BCT15X ?
Just curious what NORAD freqs you monitor ?
I seem to recall reading somewhere that a digital radio like the 536 does not perform as well on analog bands like milair 225-380.
dispatchgeek
Control channel goes "brrrrr"
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I cannot speak for the 436/536 series, but I can agree to this statement. BC125AT and BCT15X beat the tar out of my SDS100 on the same antenna every time. Then again, different tools for different jobs.
Ubbe
Member
One of the differences in the updated X model are that step size can be set in its bandplan setting.
/Ubbe
For those incredible scan speeds, airspy. Right now I am using an airspy mini and have also used nooelec so it's slower due to only seeing 2.4mhz at a time. I believe @mancow who discovered this was using a 10mhz airspy. This is the thread he started. 225-400 in 1.5 seconds. The best MilAir setup I've encountered yet.
I cant compare to a 15 x as I never had one but if you play with all of the filtering settings in Sdr# the signals clean up nice. Local stuff is pretty clear.
As far a freqs, I set up scan ranges in sdr for 118 - 137 and another for 225 - 400. One or both can be selected at a time.
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