Hello! Having recently finished my time in the Army I am looking forward to again taking up my childhood passion in all things rail. Might anyone have a suggestion on a good scanner to buy for use in train watching? Your help would be great. Thanks in advance for your help.
I assume you are looking for a mobile or hand-held to train watch. I have a Uniden Bearcat (can’t remember the model exactly) that is mounted under the dash of my car. It’s designed to be very compact (about an inch thick by 5 inches wide) and have room to store about 50 frequencies. It also has several pre-programmed banks for police, fire, air, etc. But just as important, get a good antenna. I have a cellular look-alike scanner antenna mounted on the back window of my car and the reception is really good, much better than the hand-held bearcat I used to have. And it’s very convenient if like me, you just stay in or near your car watching or following trains. And the scanner runs from your car battery so you never have to recharge. Of course, then I had to get a second base scanner for the house, but having the one in the car available at all times was well worth it. Happy train watching! Mark…
Radio Shack has a scanner on sale starting tomorrow for 169.00, 80.00 off the regular price.
You might want also to consider becoming a HAM operater. With a Technician class license you can legally carry a handheld scanner in your vehicle and it also opens up a whole new interesting hobby for you. I am a conductor for the CN and always take my 2 meter radio along with me on trips, several railfans have licenses on the way and its fun chatting with them. Go to qrz.com for information, good luck.