I have had my Uniden BC75XLT Bearcat scanner for a year now and it works well in my car with an external 1/4 wave antenna. $80 for the scanner $25 for the antenna both from Amazon. I like listening to the defect detectors and Main line dispatch to train crews.
As a rule, price usually indicates quality, as does name. If you can afford it, Moto or Kenwood is great.
On the other hand, there are some transceivers available to amateur radio operators (and pretty much anyone) under $50. And aftermarket antennas for those radios can improve reception. They can be programmed from the keyboard, or with a computer if you buy the cable.
With any transceiver, make sure you do not transmit on any frequency for which you don't hold a license.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Another option is a good quality radio (Motorola or Kenwood). You can get them programed at the dealer for receive only on the railroad frequencies and have public (no licence required) MURS frequencies with transmit and receive. Might as well get the weather channels too.
If you are going to spend good money for a scanner, get one with a sensitivity of 0.3 or better, which means 0.4 is junk, and 1.0 is super junk. Most scanner advertisements don't list sensitivity because they sell junk. Most good scanners with a good sensitivity manufacturers and retailers are proud to announce sensitivity. The junk manufacturers and retailers want you to be kept in ignorance of sensitivity. Word to the wise ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.
US communications law generally states that you may not use "intercepted" communications for personal gain (ie, making money). An example would be a tow truck operator going to wrecks without being specifically requested.
That's not an issue for a railfan.
Rules about scanners/monitors vary state to state. New York bans any radio "capable of receiving police transmissions," which would pretty much include any radio capable of receiving railroad communications.
As I recall, amateur radio license holders are exempt (a good reason to get your ham ticket!)
Michigan used to ban having a scanner in your car at all (I've heard that meant even in the trunk). That law has been relaxed.
There are websites that list restrictions state-by-state.
Few police agencies are going to go after someone solely for having a banned receiver - usually there's something else going on, too (like trespassing, or traffic violations).
While there is movement toward digital (I believe NXDN will be the techology of choice for railroads), for now, any scanner capable of receiving FM in the 160-161 MHz range will suffice nationwide.
To my knowledge you are allowed to listen in on railroad frequencies, but of course not communicate on them. We have had a number of threads discussing the type of scanner you would need, and how to find and program the frequencies used by different railroads in different areas.
Note that many scanners that can access railroad frequencies are programmable to others, such as police or military, that may be illegal to scan. In some cases it may be the capability, rather than the actual state of programming, that would get you into trouble.
In any case, much of the current radio traffic is going to digital, which is difficult or impossible to receive on a scanner.
There are online services that provide reception of some train-radio communications over the Internet or a telephone (cell-phone) connection. Whether there is coverage for the area you'd want to 'fan' at the time you go, or how complete or expensive the service might be, would have to be determined.
There is also some interest in using train telemetry information for tracking. The Yahoo Group SoftEOT is a logical starting place for you to research what is currently being done both with respect to EOT and DPU signal reception. You may have to build some of the equipment to use in this, but the Group members can assist you technically.
More modern
Is it generally allowed to hear railroad communication in the US or is it only an inofficial way to recognize when trains arrive? When I want to buy such a radio what is generally to recommend?
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