Which Reciever Would you Recommend

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Cuda61

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I am thinking on upgrading my reciever equipment and I would like some input from you experts if you do not mind.
I am thinking about getting a Icom R-7000 (if I can get a nice one that works) Or getting one of the new Icom PCR-1500 Units, if they do work as good as advertised.
The main frequencies I want to monitor are 108-136, 240-290 AM Air Traffic and 144-450 Amature Repeaters.
Any input you guys have would be nice. Thanks
 
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nexus

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The Icom F-7000 is a Commercial HF Radio. It will only receive from 500 khz to 30 mhz. And it's a transceiver, not a receiver.

If you want something that works really well in the Military Aero band (225mhz to 400mhz AM) and of course really good in the Civil Aviation band, my suggestion would be to find a working Uniden BC-760. The 760 was considered one of the best receivers for military aero recpetion. In fact there are several hobbiest out there who do mostly mil-air listening and they have several 760's sitting on their desk. It's not a production model any more so you'll have to buy used, but if you get a working one you'll be happy. And of course they work great on VHF amateur frequencies.

And the 760 can be controlled & programmed via a PC, if you use the Butel control software and a standard DB9 serial cable.
 

morfis

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nexus said:
The Icom F-7000 is a Commercial HF Radio. It will only receive from 500 khz to 30 mhz. And it's a transceiver, not a receiver.

Though he mentioned the R-7000 which is a wideband scanning receiver. Not the best icom wideband made.

The PC-R1000 or PC-R1500 both work well on the spectrum you say you want to monitor. They would be more expensive than one of the Uniden models that are so popular in the USA. The BC-760 and BC-780 both got good reviews though neither come close to the Icoms or AOR in my experience.
Think on the wider implications of your choice for monitoring flexability as well...do you want something that is going to be limited to use on your desk (R-7000 isn't really suitable for mobile use)? Would a top quality handheld like the R-20, AR8200, DJ-X2000 give more flexability? All three perform well on your spectrum of interest.

Think hard about exactly what you want and might want in the near future. Try and get to use each of the models you are considering if possible.
 

hsdtech

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The radio shack PRO-2052 is a dual trunking scanner with MilAir and of course all the other bands. Excellent base scanner and it is on closeout at R.S. right now for $99. Not bad for being originally priced around $370.
 

ka3jjz

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I think Nexus meant the BC780, not the 760 - I think the 760 was an old low end Bearcat (at that time) that didn't cover milair. The 780 is far and wide considered the top dog in the milair gaime. The R20 is not a real strong choice for milair, as it loses sensitivity in part of that range.

I've seen a few 780s on this board and elsewhere go for about USD200 or USD225 or thereabouts. I've kicked myself because right now money is pretty tight, drat!

We have a wiki page that lists a lot of scanners and receivers that are milair capable; reviews from Strong Signals and EHam are linked as well as any other Wiki page that happens to cover that receiver. While the reviews aren't milair specific, they are good enough to give you a good feel for the pros/cons on each. I would start here...

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

These scanners will also hear 2m/440 amateur repeaters and civil air with little difficulty.

73s Mike
 
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eorange

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I have the Icom R-7000 receiver. It actually is a very good radio for sensitivity and coverage. Having a real VFO knob is a nice thing, and kind of weird when you're using it to flip through 400MHz public safety (how many radios can you do THAT on?).

But I wouldn't recommend it as a base scanner. Slow, not much memory, and difficult to program by hand. I usually park the R-7000 on a key frequency while the BC780 does the main scanning.

By the way, see my avatar for an actual frequency readout from the R-7000. :)
 

FrankJ

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I agree with Erik. My 780XLT does an awesome job for Milair. I use a PRO-43 handheld when I want portability, but the 780XLT is my main workhorse. I used to have an Icom R-7000 and 7100 but I wouldn't recommend them for scanning or searching. I just made a homebrew dipole cut for the VHF and UHF milair bands. I use it indoors taped to a wall in a spare bedroom. Does an awesome job and was cheap to make!

Frank
 

Cuda61

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Thanks guys for the great info and help. If I can not locate a good 780XLT what do you think about the 785D or the new 898T unit. Thanks
 
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eorange

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Sorry, I don't know much about the 785 or the 898. You probably already know this, but see what's been said about those in the Uniden forum.

Like Frank said, if you can find a BC780, then go for it - you won't be disappointed with the sensitivity in those bands.
 
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Be very sure you want a communication receiver and not a scanner. They are two different beasts. This is particularly pronounced when comparing the older Icom receivers to even the most rudimentary scanners. They simply don't scan well. They scan as almost an afterthought.

In other words if you're expecting it to act like a regular radio shack or uniden scanner you're most likely going to be sorely disappointed.
 

Cuda61

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Well Guys, After all of your great info I got lucky and found and ordered a new BC-780XLT Scanner yesterday. Now I will get the fun of trying it on my Antennacraft ST2 or maybe get a Diamond D-130NJ to see which antenna does the best job. Thanks again for your help.
 

Cuda61

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I found a couple of new ones yesterday looking around on the web. The one I purchased was from a guy that purchased one for his car and another one for the house and never put the one in the car. I must be luckey or he is pulling my leg. I will find out next week.
 
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nexus

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KA3JJZ you're right I meant the BC-780 the trunk-tracking model right before the digital 785 came out. And Morfis, he did say the F-7000 not R-7000, you can see where he edited his entry after I made that post and changed it. thank you.
 

morfis

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nexus said:
KA3JJZ you're right I meant the BC-780 the trunk-tracking model right before the digital 785 came out. And Morfis, he did say the F-7000 not R-7000, you can see where he edited his entry after I made that post and changed it. thank you.

aha, my appologies...how do I see what was edited?

Can't say that I've ever shared peoples enthusiasm for the 780 on milair (I have two bought originally for their trunking ability but used only for monitoring spot frequencies now). Also Unidens are generally too America-centric for my taste (I do understand the commercial reasons for this!). I find my 2042 and Optocom both perform much better than the 780 but both lag behind my AOR and Icom radios.
 

Cuda61

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Nexus you were right about my posting my question as a F-7000 but you must of been replying to my queston at the same time as I was changing it to say R-7000.
I was looking at the R-785 and it looked like it required the $300 digital card as an option.
I was looking into a on a Icom 7100 and the 8500 but they are more than I want to spend on a reviever. So I decided to get the R-780 and see if it is what I looking for.
I have my Kenwood TS-850 Transciever for HF Operations and Yaesu
FT-736R for 2-Meter and 70cm operations along with a Yaesu FRG-9600 reciever.
What I am looking for is something with a better scanning function.
 

nexus

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Cuda61 said:
Nexus you were right about my posting my question as a F-7000 but you must of been replying to my queston at the same time as I was changing it to say R-7000.
I was looking at the R-785 and it looked like it required the $300 digital card as an option.
I was looking into a on a Icom 7100 and the 8500 but they are more than I want to spend on a reviever. So I decided to get the R-780 and see if it is what I looking for.
I have my Kenwood TS-850 Transciever for HF Operations and Yaesu
FT-736R for 2-Meter and 70cm operations along with a Yaesu FRG-9600 reciever.
What I am looking for is something with a better scanning function.

Well I never suggested the BC-785D (as you call it the R-785???)

The Uniden BC-780 and BC-785D are basically the same scanner, only the 785D was the first digital-capable scanner for listening to digital trunking and conventional communications. the Digital card is an OPTION, it is not needed if you're not going to be listening to digital transmissions (Motorola APCO25 Digital) that is. For Military and Civil Aviation, the Uniden BC-780 has been rated as one of the best receivers for those bands. And just about anything is good for ham radio 2meter/70centimeters so no worries there.

So you got a kenwood R-850 and a Yaesu R-736R cool... I have a Kenwood R-450sat for the primary HF and a Collins S-Line, and in the car a Yaesu R-8900R quad band rig and just bought a Yaesu R-60r dualband HT. Trust me you won't go wrong with the Uniden BC-780. Yeah those wideband coverage receivers are overkill for what you're wanting to do.
 
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