buying advice for scanner

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I am a newbie to this forum and I am in the process of buying a scanner. I understand that both Radioshack and Uniden produce scanners. Can anyone educate me on which manufacturer/model is the best out there? What are the features that I should look into?

Thanks for any help.
Baxter

[dknelson]

They look so much alike, for all I know Uniden builds the scanners that Radio Shack sells.
The best thing I ever did was get a really good antenna for mine.

[Anonymous]

I think DK is correct, Uniden does make Radio Shack's scanners.

The type of scanner you want to buy depends on what you'll be using it for. If you are buying it for the sole purpose of listening to railroads, aircraft, and the like, then you could get away with buying a basic scanner, like a PRO-79. However, if you are wanting to use it to listen to police and fire frequencies, then you'll probably have to buy one that has the ability to scan trunked systems. You can check with your local Radio Shack, they usually know what they're talking about.

[Anonymous]

I love my programmable, 200-channel Radio Shack model, which I've had for two years. I purchased a good antenna to mount on my truck, and it's served me very well. About the only thing I'd do differently is get an antenna that's tuneable to the 160-162 kHz range, which is what the railroads use.

Paul

[RudyRockvilleMD]

I can't tell you whether a Radio Shack or a Uniden Scanner is better. I have a Uniden Bearcat BC 100 XL, and it performs well. Some of the features it has are programmable search, channel lockouts, dedicated channel to tune to a local weather radio frequency. You should get a magnetic base antenna to mount on the roof of your car for good reception while you are driving. You can buy antennas that are tuneable to the frequency bands containing the railroad channels 160 to 162 MHz. A car charging patch cord that plugs into the lighter may be a good accessory, but if your scanner is powered with a NiCad battery you have to be careful because it will charge the battery when it is plugged into the scanner, and plugged into the lighter socket.

[Anonymous]

I HAVE A RADIO SHACK,50 CHANNEL,WORKS GREAT WITH OUT ANTENNA ON ROOF OF MY P/U,& BATTERIES IT USES ARE ( 6) AA,AND THEY LAST A LONG TIME,IF YOU DO GET A ROOF TOP MOUNT ANTENNA,BE SURE TO MOUNT IT IN VERY MIDDLE AS THAT WILL BE YOUR BEST RESULTS,YOU COULD GET SOME SCRATCHES FROM MAGNETIC BASE BUT THAT HAPPENS,DONT PUT ANYTHING BETWEEN MOUNT AND METAL ROOF OF CAR,FOR VERY BEST RESULTS,AND HAVE LOTS OF FUN,RADIO SHACK ALSO HAS GREAT WARRENTY.....AKA HUB

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys for all your help. I end up buying a RadioShack Pro 79 that has 200 channels and some nice features. I will try it out this weekend.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I use an adapter cable that splits the signal from my truck's AM/FM antenna. It works quite well, although I'm sure I sacrifice some range over a specialized separate antenna, but I also don't have to worry about scratches to my truck from a magnetic mount. I also like the fact that the lack of a separate antenna is more discrete and doesn't announce the scanner's presence in my truck. I got the adapter through www.scannerworld.com for around $20.00. Their catalog is on the website, but the last time I ordered, they did not have on-line ordering.

The use of mobile scanners is illegal in some areas, so check local laws befor using in a vehicle. Virginia and Minnesota are two states that do not allow mobile scanners. I'm sure there are others that I'm not aware of. Ron H.

[Anonymous]

For what it's worth (since you've already bought one), last year I splurged on a ICOM R2. It is tiny, and works really well. You can program it with a computer, it has incredible possibilities for scanning. You can actually program it with scan edges; for example, you can tell it the lowest and highest railroad channel freq's, and the step/increment between channels, and it will then scan the whole range of channels.

I really like it, and it's small.

ICOM has a website; for those looking at scanners, check it out.