New and need help choosing a handheld radio.

[experimental_pilot]

Hello,
You have a great site! I have been looking for a good handheld scanner that can get as many civil and military(Air) freqs. as possible. More civil than military because I probably wont be able to hear very much since I live a while away from the closest base.

I am about 14.3 miles away from CYYZ in Toronto, ON. There are lots of obstructions like buildings, houses etc... When I look outside I can see the traffic inbound for CYYZ as it turns on to final.
Hopefully I can get HF, VHF and UHF.
My price range is about $100-$150.

Hope you can help and if you need more information to help me just let me know.




Thanks alot!


Jesse

 

[mciupa]

Hi Jesse,

Since you are from Toronto, you may want to go over to Radioworld
on Steeles Ave W. and take a look at this radio.

http://www.radioworld.ca/swscan/maycom.php#ar108


Unfortunately, it doesn't receive HF , but it is in the price range that you
stipulated. ($ 129 )

BTW, I'm a fellow Torontonian :wink:

 

[experimental_pilot]

Hey mciupa,
Will the AR-108 get me any military freqs.?
What about the radio shack ones? Im willing to pay a little over $150.

 

[SAR923]

Check out the Yaesu VR-120. You can get it for around $US 100 and it covers HF, VHF, and UHF air band frequencies. It doesn't have single side band so the HF air frequencies won't do you much good but it covers a wide freqency range, it's tiny, and does a pretty good job for the price. The AR-108 only covers the VHF air band and weather and I don't think it's really what you want.

 

[slicerwizard]

Since you are from Toronto, you may want to go over to Radioworld
on Steeles Ave W. and take a look at this radio.

http://www.radioworld.ca/swscan/maycom.php#ar108

And if he decides he doesn't like the AR-108, he can't return it. It's dual conversion - don't know what crap it might pick up in the big smoke.

I might suggest something like a used Pro-43 or similar; at least he'd get mil-air.

BTW, I'm a fellow Torontonian :wink:

So add it to your profile...

 

[John_M]

The Pro-97 would be a good choice. Milair and TrunkTracker III. Everything but Digital. You could find one on Ebay.

 

[experimental_pilot]

The only Pro 97 I could find on Ebay was CDN $224.75.

Its so hard to choose from so many radios!!

Hopefully I can get Single Side band HF and 25KHz steps.

Aren't Pro-43's old? I dont want to get a used pro 43 and then have problems getting it to work.

How about a Pro 46? How much would that cost?

How good are these Yaesu radios?

Sorry for all the questions

 

[John_M]

I would save my money and get a Pro-97. For $224.75
Canandian that price is pretty good. Aren't there RadioShack stores in Toronto, so you don't have to pay the shipping?

 

[slicerwizard]

Aren't Pro-43's old? I dont want to get a used pro 43 and then have problems getting it to work.

They still work fine - depends on how the owner treated it. But by all means, get something newer if you want.

How about a Pro 46?

Dual conversion - Yuk.

Uniden built - Yuk (they were yuk back then - full of air).

No mil-air - WTF?

You sure that's what you want?

BTW, I might be talked into lending out an old '43...

 

[Al42]

Hopefully I can get Single Side band HF and 25KHz steps.

For under USD$200? And 25 KHz steps won't do you very much good with SSB - you need tunable (or at least very small steps - like 25 Hz. Even 100 Hz steps will only get you close, not right on.)

 

[mciupa]

experimental_pilot , you may wish to contact Peter Ivakitsch who
has this great website www.canairradio.com.
See what he would recommend for an aviation scanner . Browse through his site if you haven't already, it's pretty cool 8)

 

[experimental_pilot]

Thanks for that link mciupa. I sent an email to him.

What do you guys think of icom radios? What are their prices like?


Also how long do the batteries last in the radio(rechargable)? I might want to get an extra battery.

 

[eyes00only]

SPORTYS.COM

Jerry

 

[TeRayCodA]

Sporty's does'nt carry anything that will receive MIL-AIR,anymore
They discontinued the JD-100 a couple of years ago.

 

[eyes00only]

Sporty's does'nt carry anything that will receive MIL-AIR,anymore
They discontinued the JD-100 a couple of years ago.

Darn, your correct .


Jerry

 

[experimental_pilot]

slicerwizard,
Could you give me the specs. for the Pro-43?

I've been doing some research and Im going to start another thread with my better description of what I need and the radios I know of.

Are Icom radios any good?




Thanks.

 

[slicerwizard]

Published specs are at

http://home.ica.net/~phoenix/wap/Pro-43/