Best scanner brand & model? Handheld or Desktop?

[jamies]

We have several GRMS. Also a vhf marine (for on our river). And I have a handheld aircraft radio as backup when flying. Also a CB that is worthless... maybe if I had a thousand watt amplifier. I also have a sw receiver - one of the older ones, in a (hopefully) emp proof case in a metal cabinet.

We are pretty good for close coms. The grms seem good up to a couple miles line of sight - don't believe those 35 mile claims. Our older FRMS would barely reach across the Colorado River. Maybe a quarter mile max.

But I'd like the ham two meter for a little better local coms, even during "normal" emergencies, and repeater access for what it might be worth.

Maybe eventually a base for long range - though the hobby aspect escapes me. I figure there will be plenty of ham radios if the SHTF. Ham houses are pretty easy to locate with their giant antennas. But you need to know how to make the radios work.

[movintime]

Ham licensing is still a goal of mine. I need to not junk up the airwaves if I'm untrained, etc. Being able monitor things in emergency is good but adding to the help is even more valuable, I think.

Ok, keep this thread going as we all need learn much from one another -- & one day we ALL will need pull together as these potential situations loom possibly larger.

[Nor'Eastah]

Originally Posted by movintime

Ham licensing is still a goal of mine.

I'm quite sure you could pass the Technician's exam right now. If you bother to look through the Study book, you likely could take your General exam at the same time. That's what they told me to do, and I passed.

Don't make it out to be a big project. It isn't. Git 'er done!

[Mike Town]

The best thing going now is the Undien SDS200 desk top and SFS100 hand held. Anybody have these?

[Watchman57]

In choosing a scanner get one that covers 225-430 mhz military/govt band... Icom R6 would also be a good idea...

[Mike Town]

Uniden SDS 100, SDS200

[Nonesuch]

Apart from a scanner, it's handy to have a modern weather radio with "S.A.M.E. Weather Alert" feature. I love how I can limit not just alerts by region, but also by type of alert message.

Originally Posted by Mike Town

Uniden SDS 100, SDS200

+1 this handheld/base unit is a good choice, in part because it has full support for APCO/P25 digital, at least in the areas where P25 hasn't gone to fully encrypted.

[Icy Tea]

I have the C Crane radio, the CC Radio 2E. I had an older model for years that I really liked but it eventually succumbed to old age. I've had this one for several years but I was never able to pick up any ham radio signals on it. Never. I scanned the frequencies and never got anybody broadcasting. I looked up frequencies people supposedly use and there's just dead air.
Do you think it was defective? I get the AM and FM channels and weather channel alerts. Reception otherwise is good. I used to love the older radios ability to get TV channels and have a smaller pocket C Cane radio that had that feature. Then they ended the analog signals and went to digital rendering that feature obsolete.
I'd like to get shortwave although I work nights and wouldn't get much use out of the radio so it would be an expensive and limited usage item. But I might buy another radio. What am i doing wrong with the ham radio channels?

[Nonesuch]

Originally Posted by Icy Tea

What am i doing wrong with the ham radio channels?

Antenna makes all the difference for ham reception. Go big, go high.