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How much are scanners?

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Posted by DPD1 on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 1:00 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSF railfan.

I just wi***hat Uniden would bring back the 100XLT.
Allan.


Still have mine. :-) I built a new battery for it... Works good as new. Nice audio compared to the new stuff. The 200 was good too. The features on the new ones are great, but they're getting way too flimsy.

Dave
-DPD Productions - Featuring the NEW TrainTenna LP Gain RR Scanner Antenna-
http://eje.railfan.net/dpdp/
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Posted by RudyRockvilleMD on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 8:56 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSF railfan.

I just wi***hat Uniden would bring back the 100XLT.
Allan.


Allan: I agree with you in part. The problem with the BC 100 XLT was you could onl power it with the nicad battery pack. Some of the newer scanners can be powerd by Alkaline AA Cells or NiMH AA Cells; the latter cells are rechargeable anytime in that they don't have a memory effect. The BC 100XLT featured simple opereation, and while it only had had 100 channels, they were all that were necessary for railfanning.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 5:24 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by breakingbenjamin4444

QUOTE: Originally posted by coborn35

Also, dont get caught up and get one with a radio that your able to talk on, those are reserved for me,lc,ed, and other rr people. Yo uwould have no use, and it costs mor.


Is it against the law for me to talk on a frequency you RR people are using?

From, The name might be Fred


Yes!
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Posted by blhanel on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 5:21 PM
If it's like the one at Rochelle, you'll get knocked off if you've been on it the longest and other people access it to beyond its capacity.
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Posted by chad thomas on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 5:10 PM
The cam at Brooklyn updates ever 1/2 to 3/4 second. Not bad.
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Posted by blhanel on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 5:05 PM
No prob- the reason they do it that way is so that alot of people can download the same feed from the camera at the same time.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 4:50 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by blhanel

QUOTE: Originally posted by breakingbenjamin4444
I like the web cam. My computers too slow though. the pic changes every 5 seconds.


That's not because your computer is slow- it's because the webcam was designed to take only one shot every 5 seconds.

OK sorry

From, the name might be Fred
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Posted by blhanel on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 4:47 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by breakingbenjamin4444
I like the web cam. My computers too slow though. the pic changes every 5 seconds.


That's not because your computer is slow- it's because the webcam was designed to take only one shot every 5 seconds.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 4:44 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by coborn35

Also, dont get caught up and get one with a radio that your able to talk on, those are reserved for me,lc,ed, and other rr people. Yo uwould have no use, and it costs mor.


Is it against the law for me to talk on a frequency you RR people are using?

From, The name might be Fred
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Posted by alstom on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 4:40 PM
My RadioShack scanner that holds 100 frequencies was worth $120.00, although for $30.00 more, you could buy one that holds 1,000 frequencies. I'm not sure if all RadioShacks have em' though.
Richard Click here to go to my rail videos! Click here to go to my rail photos! .........
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Posted by coborn35 on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 4:37 PM
Also, dont get caught up and get one with a radio that your able to talk on, those are reserved for me,lc,ed, and other rr people. Yo uwould have no use, and it costs mor.

Mechanical Department  "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 4:36 PM
I just wi***hat Uniden would bring back the 100XLT.
Allan.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 4:33 PM
OK, Thanks Chad for all your help. Hope to keep in touch.

From, The name might be Fred
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Posted by chad thomas on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 4:29 PM
VHF is short for Very High Frequency 50-220 MHz. Railroad radio is in the VHF band at 160-161.6 MHz
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 4:23 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by chad thomas

And if your really cheep you can use a short wave radio if it gets VHF. But then you can only monitor one channel at a time. But they are more common then scanners and you could pick one up at a garage sale dirt cheap.

What's VHF?

From, the name might be Fred
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Posted by chad thomas on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 2:07 PM
And if your really cheep you can use a short wave radio if it gets VHF. But then you can only monitor one channel at a time. But they are more common then scanners and you could pick one up at a garage sale dirt cheap.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 1:56 PM
And don't forget yard sales, particularly among the older generation. If your community has had retired railmen (yes, I'm using the term from years ago), they or their decedents may want to get rid of the scanner. After all, they can be frustrating to learn and a lot of people just aren't interested in them.

This applies just as much to "base units" as to the little portable jobs.

And for what it's worth, I agree with the hundred dollar-plus guideline. I ordered a Radio Shack at ten-dollar discount and still paid around ninety. It was practically designed NOT to scan RR bands. A week later I ordered a Bearcat BC9 2XLT based on a recommendation here at this site. It was about $25 more but is not so prejudiced against the RR bands (particularly 159 to 161 Megahertz). I used scanners-r-us.com and got about a twenty-dollar discount.

I don't remember the name of the person who recommended that particular unit, but Thank You, Mr. Calabash, wherever you are!
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Posted by railfan619 on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 1:50 PM
Yeah scanners run as cheap as 89.99 but also can go up and beyond 599.99 depending on which kind youwould like to have. Just go to your local Radio Shack and the sales people will help you out.
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Posted by chad thomas on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 1:43 PM
Actualy under a $100 is cheap. You used to have to spend a couple hundred for the cheap ones. They have come down quite a bit in price. If you can't afford that then try e-bay or a local electronics supply, the ones geared tward the hobbyist usually sell used gear. Mabee even a local ham radio supply.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 1:37 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by chad thomas

Radio Shack sells them. You could get one for under a hundred bucks.


Thanks. Wow! $100! That's is a lot. Anywhere I can get them for say 50 Bucks? Sorry, but I'm a bit short on $$. Thanks anyways.

From, The name might be Fred

P.S. I like the web cam. My computers too slow though. the pic changes every 5 seconds.
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Posted by chad thomas on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 1:32 PM
Radio Shack sells them. You could get one for under a hundred bucks.
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How much are scanners?
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 1:28 PM
I hear about some people using scanners to tell if trains are coming, so I really want one. So if you know, can you tell me what the average price is and where I can get them. Thanks

From, The name might be Fred

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