Nassau County - no scanner yet - which one?

[rc2050a]

Hello all
This is all new to me.
I am interested in purchasing a scanner and live in Nassau County, right outside of Queens. I would like to spend under $250 for a scanner and have my eye on the BC246T, however, I am open to non-portable models as well.
I am interested in monitoring police, air craft, LIRR ( if possible (?) ) , emergency units, etc.
Considering where I live (a busy area) can I get some suggestions on which models would provide what I am looking for?
Do I need to get a trunk tracking unit? Which less expensive models could I purchase ( less than the BC246T, that is ) that would be sufficient?
Thanking you in advance.

 

[SCANdal]

2050,

I'll answer a few of your questions...

- The Long Island Railroad is monitorable by most any scanner as they are operating on conventional railroad channels.

- Yes, you do need a trunktracking unit - at minimum a Trunktracker II (Unidens) / Dual Trunking (Radio Shacks) scanner in order to monitor Nassau's EDACS system.

- Since expense appears to be of concern, have you considered purchasing a pre-owned scanner?

SCANdal

 

[rc2050a]

Thanks SCANdal
Personal preference would be to buy new.

So, I should be fine with the Uniden 898T , then?

 

[nozzlenut83]

The 898T would work but it lacks some features that I find quite useful. One would be alpha tags. The 898T displays the frequency that is active and you have to remember who uses that frequency to figure out who you are listening to. The 246T or the BCT15 (a base model similar to the 246) allows you to assign text tags to the frequency so you can know right away who you are listening to.

Another feature I find quite useful is dynamic memory. When programming trunked systems it can be very useful and you will almost certainly have enough memory for anything you may want to listen to.

Just my two cents. YMMV

The 898T should be fine but the few extra bucks you spend on something a little more feature rich may save you frustration down the road. Of course learning to program and control some newer trunking scanners may also present a challenge.

Hope this helps,
nozzlenut83

 

[rc2050a]

Nozzle
Thanks for the input regarding the 15. For a few bucks more, it seems like it is worth it.

I'll post again after my purchase and set-up.

 

[ka3jjz]

rc, if you do decide to go with the BCT15, I would suggest reading this article first - at the bottom is the links for each of the 'Easier to Read' manuals. I would bookmark the BCT15 version. You will find it helpful

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Uniden_DMA_FAQ

73 Mike

 

[rc2050a]

ka3 - Thank you. I did opt for the BCT15, by the way.

 

[tommyscan]

You may want to begin saving for one of the newer digital models. Reason being,police and surrounding agencies will more than likely switch to digital which the bc15 cannot do. Great sales on pr096 and uniden will drop the 396t soon,I am sure. So good luck and happy monitoring!!!

 

[w2lie]

The BCT-15 is a great scanner.. I own several scanners that are setup in my shack to do specific listening needs.. Examples:
BC898T - Nassau County Fire
BC785D - Suffolk County Fire
PRO-2051 - Nassau County Police
and I can go on and on....

But, my BCT-15 holds MOST of what I need thanks to its Dynamic Memories. A nice addition is the Groups setup with-in the Systems settings. I can lock out a lot with just a few buttons.
Example - Nassau County has a fire. Maybe in your neck of the woods its the 4th or 7th battalions. I can unlock the entire Nassau FD system, and Lock out everything except Countywide, 4th Battaliion and 7th battalion because I have each battalion setup in their own group inside of the NCFD System Key. The BCT-15 has enough memory for me to program most of my listening area, but it allows me to quickly tune only the small corner of the county that I am interested in (instead of locking out 90 channels of a bank to fine tune my preferences for what I'm trying to listen to)

If you are new to scanning, I would strongly suggest an easier to use radio, but if you are a quick learner, you won't be sorry. The BCT-15 is a great rig.
If you need any help programming it, try the link in my signature.
Happy Scanning and Happy New Year