Motorola radio question

[SouthernRailFan]

I purchased a motorola handheld 2 way for receive only to monitor the railroads AAR channels. My question is do 2 way radios have the same signal range as scanners or are they less, and I also monitor the FEC and they only pick up within a certain distance like its on a repeater but i pick them up just fine from far distances on my old base scanner. I know CSX dont use repeaters i dont think, is that why u can hear them for good distances, thanks for any info.

 

[mmckenna]

I've personally found that a good commercial radio tends to have a better front end than a scanner. They will filter out crud a lot better than a wide open scanner, and a commercial radio will often have better sensitivity. Of course I haven't used a scanner in years, I just use my commercial radios with a receive only personality. It should work just fine for what you are doing.

Motorola MT2000 are a great choice for rail monitoring, 99 channels, so you can add it all. Programming can be a challenge, but usually if you know the right people, you can find someone that can do it for you.

 

[N2ICV]

Just don't expect your commercial radio to scan as fast as a scanner. They're not designed for that.

 

[jhooten]

One of the good things about being in a club that has a service monitor is being able to compare radios. My PRO-106 is just as sensitive at 150 as is my HT1000 and on 450 as is my XTS3000. It is no where near as selective but it is just as sensitive.

BTW, since I live 25 miles outside the city this is not as big a problem for me as it maybe for the more urban of you.

 

[mikewazowski]

Motorola MT2000 are a great choice for rail monitoring, 99 channels, so you can add it all.

You're thinking of the MT1000.

The MT2000 can do 160 channels or 255 channels.

 

[mmckenna]

You are correct. Either one would be a good choice, and can be had cheap.

 

[SouthernRailFan]

What would be a good antenna for the Motorola. It came with a 6inch Heliflex 136-174MHZ, but im guessing their is something else out their that would be a bit longer to improve signal and reception.

 

[WX9EMS]

I have found that most commercial radios typically have a sensitivity between .3 and .4 uV. Higher end scanners, (using the BCD396XT for example, per spec sheet) are pretty consistent with the commercial gear sensitivity. Worst two bands are .5 uV, at 174-215.995 MHz and 1240-1300 MHz (12 dB SINAD).

Whereas my BC350A has a sensitivity of .7 uV on 137-174 MHz and on UHF bands, best is 29-54 MHz, which comes in at .5 uV. However, there seems to be a gap between higher end gear vs cheap Wally World scanner (BC350A), most likely due to higher grade components and such.

Selectivity, as mentioned above is where scanners tend to lose the battle.

The above info was found on the internet...so, there is some room for error...my service monitor is having an issue and SINAD is inoperative, otherwise I would measure my BC350A and compare it to the specs.

I use a 16 ch. MT1000 for RR monitoring and it works fantastic, it is a retired UP hand held.

 

[miamimd1]

I use an Icom IC-V8 for monitoring VHF frequencies, this radio is amazingly sensitive down to .15uV.