Radio Shack scanners are still good...
If one wanted, they could buy a mag-mount antenna for their roof to improve the reception of the scanner (The Radio Shacks use a BNC connector, so you would have to get one with a BNC on it, FYI)
Phil
If and when I buy another one I'll probly get a Bearcat..I have 4 mind you, FOUR, Radio Shack scanners..2 walkie talkie types and 2 base units,one of which I can longer get repaired..
Have you tried the pawn shops..The last time I looked they had pretty good brands for a 100 bucks..Hope this helps..
For a bargain priced unit how about checking Ebay?
I'm glad you asked this kolechovski, I've been wondering the same thing-actually even more basic but I've been afraid to ask. But I'm gonna do it here and y'all can call me a goober if ya want to: Is a railroad scanner a speacial beast? Or, will any radio scanner do? Is there a set group of frequencies one would scan? I guess what I'm asking is can someone point to a "Railroad Scanning for Dummies" site where I can learn the very fundamentals? Thanks in advance for any information.
Peace,
Doug
I'm pretty much about as new to it as you. From what I know, many just scan frequencies until a broadcast is made, where it then permits the broadcast, then goes back to scanning when finished. I don't know if there are any models that allow you to select frequencies of higher importance or what. For the guys on the forums to be supporting many different types, soem must have advantages over others.
Walkie-talkie types are good for in the field, when you can't be around your car much. This is the type I'm basically want, because I need something I can lug around anywhere. I hate being in this library and always being a bit too late to catch the local come through that I could have caught had I heard the usual radio broadcast while they cross over to the track that runs through town. And now that I think of that, how low can you turn the volume on those? It's be nice to actually be able to listen to it in the library without disturbing anyone...
Car radios are better from what I hear, being more sensitive. I think you can run them off the car battery. I'm not sure how expensive they are.
If you're really dedicated and have the cash, I think there's some type of antenna you can install in your yard and get the best results. One guy told me that you had to get an amateur radio operation liscense (I forgot exactly what it was called) to use it though.
Doug,
Just about any analog scanner will work. Just make sure it can recieve 160-161 MHz. I agree with the suggestion on the roof-mounted antenna. I have a rail-gain antenna (advertised in our favoure magazine) that is tuned to better recieve railroad frequencies and can hear dispatchers talking to a train forty miles away so I have plenty of time to "ambush" it with my camera. When conditions are right, I can hear the crew reply from that far away also.
rrnut is correct..most scanners are all made alike in most cases,they all recieve certain band freqs. Just make sure you get a Hi and Lo band vhf/uhf scanner,it does not have to be the trunking type.As long as you can recv Hi band vhf freqs..If your into listening to other broadcast then by all means you need the trunking type scanner..I dont think they make anything that isnt trunking anymore..If your not into your local police ,fire , aircraft and military listening then a plain ol Hi band vhf scanner will work.. I would get a good magnet type antenna or if you can find one get a roof or trunk mounted ant. for your car and the rubber duckie when your in the field..I dont know if anyone makes any other type antenna except a rubber duckie for field use...Hope I havent given you info overload ! Good luck...
No overload, hehe. That was just what I needed to know. Thanks to all of you for the info. Now to convince the wife that I need one
Radio Trash makes a "tunable" antenna for portables. It has the load coil in between two pull out sections that extend the antenna from 10-40". To boost the gain in the railroad frequencies, you pull out all the extensions above the coil and leave the ones below compressed. It's too much to put in a belt holster, but is tolerable (barely) while holding the scanner in your hand. You get much better reception with this than the average rubber duckie antenna which is typically tuned to 800 MHz (police/fire) frequencies.
If you want to listen in the library, get a set of ear buds or a head set. Almost every scanner made will turn off the main speaker when you plug in a headset of some kind, so only you hear the action.
I'm not out to change minds, but I myself am sorry I bought a handheld scanner. It seems I can do everything with it EXCEPT bring in 160 - 161 MHz, although those frequencies are supposed to be included.
Some people caution against the use of scanning unless they really want to to it big time with a car rig or a stationary set at home. If I knew then what I know now, I'd agree with them and do without. My two favorite viewing shelters have built-in scanners anyway.
kolechovski wrote:Interesting. Is there any kind of return policy on something like that? In case I end up having the same unfortunate results as the above poster? I'd want to make sure I'd get my $'s worth and return the product if it doesn't put out what it should. And what exactly are these different types of antennas? I'm not familiar with some of them.
I don't think you'd have trouble returning a handheld unit to Radio Shack, though you should check with them to see how long a return policy applies -- it might be 30 days or even less. Of course, keep your receipt and manual, etc., for when you return the unit. Perhaps if I'd been able to find a help line, things would have gone more smoothly. I haven't given up on my unit, but last weenend in Rochelle I spent 20 minutes "tuning" it only to have it not scan the desired frequency range.
My two RS "pocket" scanners do just fine with RR frequencies.
If all you're going to listen to is RR's, considering getting a scanner that has at least 100 channels and load it up with all the AAR frequencies. No worries about whether you've got the right channels programmed.
I have an all-band mag-mount antenna that does great for RR freqs as well. To repeat previous suggestions, if you're going all-RR, consider a tuned antenna.
The only difference between some models of Bearcat and Radio Shack scanners is the case. The internals are one and the same.
My usual caveat - know your local scanner laws. Google "scanner laws".
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...
I have a Radio Shack PRO-82 handheld scanner. It is the one that is uaually in stock at every Radio Shack I have ever been in. I believe the current price is $99.99. I could not railfan without it. I also paid $20 for a Smiley antenna that is tuned specifically for the railroad frequencies. Wow..it increased my reception big time! So a complete easy to use easy to carry scanning solution for about $120 (cheaper on eBay or other auction sites).
Jamie
NOTE: The only "issue" I have with this scanner is that it does not pick up the ATCS frequencies, but I can use my cellphone to remotely view my ATCS running at home so it is not a problem. Return on investment for this scanner has been outstanding!
CLICK HERE FOR THE CSX DIXIE LINE BLOG
Jamie:Where did you get the $20 "smiley" antenna?
I have a RS digital Pro 433 in my office (NS 215, the daily Chicago-Jacksonville intermodal is passing thru town as I write this). It works quite well, but I think an upgrade on the antenna would be worth the investment.
In addition to the Pro 433, I have a handheld (in the car) and 2 desktops analogs downstairs stratigically placed. I listen in all day and consider it my biggest form of railfanning. Interesting what you can hear. The range varies by railroad, the NS is good for about 10 miles each direction and CN about the same. For some reason I can pickup CSX a little further, particularly the dispatcher.
A couple of weeks ago my house had a power surge. The first question my non railfan buddy asked was "scanners ok?" Yes.
ed
kolechovski wrote:What's ACTS?
From prior post: "I also paid $20 for a Smiley antenna that is tuned specifically for the railroad frequencies. Wow..it increased my reception big time!"
Yes, where is a good place to buy or order a Smiley-type antenna? I'm optimistic enough to think that I can get my gear up and running and then I'd want to learn the math about wave harmonics and radio reception.
Hi guys, sorry I just now got the notification that someone had replied to my post! Anyway, the antenna I purchased is a 2-meter 5/8 wave "rubber duck" type antenna. Here is a link:
http://www.smileyantenna.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_24&products_id=29
I ordered mine with a BNC connector to fit my scanner and had it tuned to the 160 MHz frequency since that is the closest they offer to the AAR frequencies. I really liked my scanner before this antenna, I REALLY REALLY REALLY like it with the antenna. When trackside, I can hear trains calling signals way farther away (at least 2-3 signals, so maybe 4-6 miles?) than I could before. In fact, I have CSX and NS channnels stored on separate banks on my scanner. Before the antenna, I would just leave both on and I would only hear one or the otherdepending on which line I was fanning. Now, for example if I am on CSX I have to lock out the NS bank because I will pick those channels as well. A very solid investment for $20.00 + shipping. Jamie
I am surprised it hasn't been mentioned...if it has, my apologies..
But I use a 2meter ham radio, a Vertex VX-150...it is built to Mil. Specs...it really is tough as nails, I don't know how many times I have dropped it onto either concrete or asphalt...with barely a scratch on it...
It has wonderful reception...fairly easy to program, once you figure that portion out. No license required to own one.
NscaleMike wrote: I am surprised it hasn't been mentioned...if it has, my apologies.. But I use a 2meter ham radio, a Vertex VX-150...it is built to Mil. Specs...it really is tough as nails, I don't know how many times I have dropped it onto either concrete or asphalt...with barely a scratch on it... It has wonderful reception...fairly easy to program, once you figure that portion out. No license required to own one.
You know, that issue did cross my mind, and thanks for raising it. How does one buy military surplus these days? During the 1980s and 1990s most of the Chicago-area military-surplus stores got chic and changed their name to "Trading Post" and the like. They tend to have no military surplus. The ones that kept their traditional names don't have much in the way of surplus; usually they are into general sports stuff, outdoors stuff. A barg on a field radio is something I'd love to check out. - a.s.
NscaleMike wrote: But I use a 2meter ham radio, a Vertex VX-150...it is built to Mil. Specs...it really is tough as nails, I don't know how many times I have dropped it onto either concrete or asphalt...with barely a scratch on it... It has wonderful reception...fairly easy to program, once you figure that portion out. No license required to own one.
I would caution you to ensure that you don't program any transmit frequencies in it - the radio is, after all, a transceiver (two-way radio). Should a fanning trip go sour, authorities-wise, it wouldn't bode well for you if your radio was capable of transmitting on the railroad frequencies...
Operating a transmitter without a license is a $10,000 fine....
kolechovski wrote:With the Radio Shack PRO-82, what's the best antenna to use with it-the Smiley antenna mentioned or the 2-meter 5/8 wave rubber duck antenna mentioned? Also, out of curiousity, what's the difference between trunking and non-trunking? Thanks.
If you're going to be mobile, look into a decent mag-mount mobile antenna. Beats a rubber ducky all to whatever.
Trunked vs conventional (non-trunked). I'll try to be brief.
Railroads use conventional analog communications. Their signal is identical to FM broadcast stations, but at less power and on different frequencies. In simplex operation (again, mostly used by the railroads) both the base and mobile transmit/receive on the same frequency.
Some conventional applications use repeaters, with the base and mobiles transmitting on different frequencies. Normally the mobile transmissions are repeated on the base radio, meaning that anyone who can talk to the base station can talk to anyone else on the system.
The problem with conventional systems is that you need a different frequency for each distinct user group. That's why you'll see multiple frequencies identified for a specific railroad, each with a specific function (Road, yard, MOW, police, etc). The same principle applies to other radio users such as public safety.
A trunked system uses a relatively small number of frequencies to serve a large number of functional users. This is based on the premise that any one transmission will only last 5-6 seconds on average. Thus you can have 10-12 distinct transmissions in any given minute. It is also based on the premise that not everyone is talking all of the time.
On a trunked system, users are assigned "talkgroups" that functionally are analagous to simplex frequencies. However when a user presses the "push to talk" (PTT) button, a brief negotiation takes place wherein the user is assigned a channel from a pool of channels to transmit on and all other user radios which have selected that talkgroup are notified to listen on another channel. Once the transmission is finished, both channels go back into the available pool for other users to access.
I administer a trunked radio system - we have around 70 active talkgroups and usually 400 active users on just 10 channel pairs (20 frequencies). Our system is running well below capacity.
If you were to listen to a single trunked frequency, you would hear snippets of numerous conversations - DPW once, then police, the the buses, then perhaps the fire department. This is the reason for "trunking" scanners. They are built to sort out the logic involved in trunking and allow you to listen to only the talkgroups you want.
Most early trunking systems were analog - any scanner capable of receiving the frequencies could pick them up, even if they couldn't sort through the traffic. Today the move is to digital (as it will be with the railroads down the road), requiring a digital capable scanner.
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