New to RR.com - i think i am over researching a radio to purchase

[RMull53]

Newb with minimal understanding of radio/scanners. with that being said, i was in EMS for 8 or so years, that was 10 years ago. i still like listen to my local police and fire/ems on the radio since most of my friends/family still run. with that being said, i purchased the Baofeng UV-5R last year and it did what i needed it to do. i programmed it myself with some software and by programmed it, i mean i added like a dozen or so channels that i knew i wanted to listen to and it turned out just how i thought it would. Now, im looking to upgrade my handheld for a few reasons, 1. i want to explore more frequencies of other counties in my area, i want better range reception, and also added to it, is aviation. i am an aviation enthusiast, and i take my daughter to Philly International to watch planes take off and land. so i thought this would add to the entertainment. yes i know i can stream that on my phone for free, that is fine, but i wanted to try this route first. AND i used to have a BC355N in my car, so i would also like to add a car scanner back into the mix as well.

SO, the questions are, without breaking the bank, roughly looking at $150 - $200 for both, if possible, but when it comes to digital and analog, im clueless. who's transmitting on what signals. which radios will work for what i want to listen to. any other questions for me that might help decide which route to go, im here to help. so let the recommendations begin.

much appreciation in advance.

also, there is so much to this website under the forums section, i wasnt quite sure which sub forum it should go under, if it needs to be moved or posted elsewhere, please let me know.

 

[RaleighGuy]

Where are you located so we can take a look at the radio systems in use, that's the best way to get recommendations.

 

[RMull53]

South east PA - near Philly - I'm in Delaware County. I'd like some of the Chester county fire/EMS and aviation frequencies when I said the surround area.

 

[RaleighGuy]

Chester County is using a P25 Phase 2 simulcast system meaning you will need a digital radio that can recieve Phase 2. The fact that it is simulcast means most radios other than the UNIDEN SDS series may have issues recieving the signals.

Chester County Emergency Services Trunking System, Chester County, Pennsylvania

Chester County Emergency Services Trunking System Profile

www.radioreference.com

Delaware County appears to still be analog according to the database, so you shouldn't have a problem with them.

Delaware County, Pennsylvania (PA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Delaware County, Pennsylvania (PA)

www.radioreference.com

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Hi there neighbor, welcome aboard! I grew up in Delco and currently reside in Montco. As mentioned above, Delco is still analog UHF but they've been taking bids from vendors to upgrade their aged radio system (long overdue, might not happen until years down the road) With that said you'll be able to pick up Delco's current radio frequencies with any receiver of your choice. Regarding Chesco, you won't be able to pick them up unless you're a few miles from the county border as they employ a Harris simulcast trunked radio system: Surrounding counties also simulcast their sites: Montco, Berks, Bucks, etc but unfortunately they also encrypt their law enforcement as seems to be the trend now with new radio systems. No scanner can pick up encrypted transmissions but for now, Fire & EMS are "in the clear". The Uniden SDS100 or 200 would be the ideal scanner of choice to track these systems due to their mitigation of simulcast distortion, one of the most discussed topics/problems on these forums. I'm well versed on the radio systems of southeast PA and so are the folks on the Pennsylvania Radio Discussion Forum. Best wishes on whatever you decide to purchase!

 

[Reconrider]

If you don't care about being tied to a computer to listen to it, I suggest looking into the SDRs. They're pretty cheap compared to the sds100/200.
I have the sds100 and it's an amazing device I really do recommend it for everyone dealing with simulcast issues.

That said, you can get a 40$ kit on amazon, a 25$ program(help with setup is free) and you'll be going along in a few days - the downside is you can't take it unless you have the whole computer/laptop with you.

 

[Markb]

I would give this a good look:

P25RX Digital Police Receiver

It seems to be getting solid reviews so far. I am on the waiting list to purchase one. There is a thread here:

Blue Tail Technologies - P25RX P25 Phase 1/2/DMR Receiver With Bluetooth Audio Support

For the price of the latest digital scanner, you can buy two of these and an airband receiver....

 

[RMull53]

ok so far all of this has been very informative. i appreciate everyone's input thus far. lets say i leave out the chester county listening out of the picture, what are the recommendations then? that just means aviation frequencies and delco police/fire/ems. also, id like to get a portable radio and a hardwired vehicle radio, so i need one recommendation for each.

 

[HM1529]

Even though you won't be able to hear all activity in the county, you can get some fire/ems from Chesco via the VHF broadcasts that they operate. 159.735 rebroadcasts East and Central Fire. 159.600 rebroadcasts West Fire.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

ok so far all of this has been very informative. i appreciate everyone's input thus far. lets say i leave out the chester county listening out of the picture, what are the recommendations then? that just means aviation frequencies and delco police/fire/ems. also, id like to get a portable radio and a hardwired vehicle radio, so i need one recommendation for each.

If you have no plans to ever monitor P25, get a Uniden BCT15X for your vehicle. I owned just about every Radioshack portable manufactured in the 2000's and they worked just fine on Delco. Now I'm a Uniden fanboy. See the very detailed Uniden wiki here for a breakdown on their scanner line. Focus on the analog-only or no-trunking portables

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

My opinion:

For trunking I use a Uniden BCD536HP. It is pretty much dedicated to monitoring my local public safety systems. I don't find the user interface very friendly for making changes or monitoring conventional frequencies. So having all those bells and whistles does not make for a very easy to use receiver.

For conventional channels I have an older direct entry type scanner. In my case a Uniden MR8100. It is easy to use, but is sort of a rare beast and is a mobile. If you are specifically scanning the aeronautical channels I would look for something simple to use and with a decent AM demodulator. You might try "Sporty's", And also check the airband scanner boards for user recommendations.

I have other more specialized receivers, but they are not portable!