WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

..

Hi scoreed,

One of these should suit you depending on what you want to listen to
http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.store ... duct/D2764
or alternately the next model up which has a few more frequencies
http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.store ... duct/D2765

Presumably since you've been reading these forums for a couple of weeks you know you won't pick up the Police on a scanner?

Cheers
Meg

scoreed wrote:Hey
I have been reading this forum for a couple of weeks but only just decided to register. I am looking to purchase a scanner/receiver to pick up VHF/UHF frequency's. Can you recommend a reasonable priced one, do i need an antenna? or can i use a TV antenna? can you get handheld ones that pick up VHF/UHF frequency's?

Thanks heaps Guys

edit: also where can i buy it from?

G'day Scoreed,

Most scanners will pick up signals in the VHF and UHF bands without too much trouble and you can get scanners in both handheld and desktop varieties.

So it really comes down to how much you want to pay, and what features you consider important.

Picking one scanner as an example, the Uniden 72XLT sold in Dick Smith Electronics, they charge $199 and for that you get:

• A handheld scanner,
• receives 25-88 MHz, 108-174 MHz and 400-512 MHz frequency ranges, (so will do both VHF and UHF that you're looking for...)
• 100 memory channels to store frequencies in,
• scanning through frequency ranges, or scanning through stored memories, and so on...

Other scanners that cost more will have more features, etc.

As for antennas, the one above comes with a small "rubber ducky" type whip antenna, but you can certainly get better ones to mount on the roof of your house, or on your car, etc. You'd just remove the built-in antenna and plug the external antenna in it's place. A good quality external antenna for the house or the car will improve reception.

Hope this helps - do you have any ideas what you might be interested in listening to on your scanner? That might help people recommend certain brands and models that they know works well with those frequencies, etc.


Cheers,

scoreed wrote:do i need an antenna? or can i use a TV antenna?

Yes, you need an antenna A hand-held scanner will come with a basic antenna. A base or mobile scanner might not come with any antenna.

An out-door antenna will work much better for home use. A boot, bonnet or roof antenna will work better for car use. Depends what you are going to listen to, but most stuff you are likely to listen to need a vertical antenna like a general purpose scanner antenna (eg a discone for your home or a whip for your home or car)

You can use a TV antenna for specific purposes. For example if you want to listen to an airport ground station at a fixed location; however you need to mount it so the elements are vertical instead of horizontal for best signal. A TV antenna in its normal orientation could be handy for receiving some amateur VHF and UHF transmissions. Again, you need to know the location because TV antennae are directional.

Dick Smith will have a few options for vertical. Discone will cost you more.

Let us know what you are most interested in

Welcome to WARSUG, by the way

..

scoreed wrote:wow quick response, ok cool. i am looking at the UNIDEN 72XLT VHF/UHF Scanner just wondering whether there is anything in the 806-956MHz band? and what reception would the rubber ducky that comes with it give me?

A chunk of that frequency range is 'ISM' (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) lots of digital stuff. Cordless phones which you aren't permitted to listen to. Regular two-way comms as well. Mostly boring stuff if you ask me I think there's some mobile phone in there as well. Check out this PDF file to see what the allocations are. You will need to do a lot of zooming or print it out in colour A1/A2 format

http://www.radioelectronicschool.net/fi ... ations.pdf

scoreed wrote:am looking at the UNIDEN 72XLT VHF/UHF Scanner just wondering whether there is anything in the 806-956MHz band? and what reception would the rubber ducky that comes with it give me?

Nothing in that band that I've ever bothered trying to tune in anyway

The rubber ducky reception depends on your location vs the location of the transmitters you're wanting to listen to - so what are you wanting to listen to?

..

You shouldn't have any problems tuning Fesa, St Johns etc. The freqs are posted on this site and pretty much any scanner will tune those freqs. Some scanners won't pick up aviation. Make sure which ever one you get can pick up from around 118 to 137 MHz AM for aviation VHF. You are probably going to need an outdoor antenna to pick up Perth airport and Jandakot from your location.

For Hillarys, there is a St Johns repeater in Padbury so that's easy, except SJA is very boring to listen to unless you like selcall tones after each vehicle transmission, and them just saying P1/2/3 to *suburb*. No details at all 99% of the time.

FESA on a hand-held inside you most likely will not get. Canning Mills is the best that I get as long as I'm outside.

Aviation again you really need line of sight, antenna on the roof a must. You will hear aircraft above you, but not hear Approach etc, on land you can't even hear ATIS unless you are above the tree line (I'm on a small hill and still can't hear it even outside).

..

Dick Smith also has a range of scanner antennas that go from about $40 to about $100.

I've got one of these - I think DSE also sell them.
http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php ... ts_id=1335

I have it outdoors and it does very well for VHF (which is mainly what I use the scanner for) and I have no reason to think it won't perform well on other bands too.

That said, I have a Uniden 93XLT handheld which I use in the city if there's stuff I want to monitor and it does well in there with a Scanducky antenna. It likes to have a nice view of the transmitters though (which I do at work).

scoreed wrote:Thinking of getting http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.store ... duct/D2764 that one, will an antenna provide a large enough range for avaition? and can i get an antenna for it and how much will it cost?

Check out the first three antennae on this page http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php ... x&cPath=55