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Top Reddit reviews mentioning Radio Scanners:
If you are someone who ever hikes even small amounts, amounts much smaller than this, please, please consider investing in an emergency beacon like this one (Amazon link). When turned on, the beacon reports your position found from GPS through satellite. In other words, even in terrible weather in the middle of nowhere, you'll get the message through. It is an investment, but will very likely save your life if anything happens. I know there is definitely a feeling amongst hikers, sailors, etc, of "I don't need that" or "it's cheating" or "it's too heavy." But, I would never go on a major hike without one.
Often those who do these sorts of hikes are young and don't have a lot of money; if you are a friend or family member of one of those people, definitely consider pooling money together before they embark on a trip. This woman would absolutely still be alive today if she'd had a way to call for help that did not rely on cell service. These tools have gotten so good, so reliable, so lightweight, and so inexpensive that there's not much of an excuse not to have one anymore, especially if you are at risk (an older woman with a back problem on her own on a treacherous section of trail = extraordinarily at risk).
It’s not always the best strategy. this poor lady followed the ‘stay put’ advice and never moved for nearly a month while hiking the Appalachian trail, but ended up dying. She was one mile from the trail the whole time.
If you’re ever traveling somewhere and fear getting lost, it’d be a good idea to buy one of these GPS emergency beacon that can be located anywhere in the world.
I carry a PLB. You just register it with NOAA with your name, address, and emergency contacts and that's it. Several years later you need to send it in for a new battery and checkout.
I've always believed it's an insurance policy on group hikes or backcountry ski or mountain bike trips if somebody gets hurt. I could also help an injured total stranger I find on the trail. 100% of everybody carries a cell phone nowadays, but casual hikers apparently don't know they frequently don't work in the mountains. If somebody does get hurt, have everybody try their cells first before activating the PLB. Different carriers, who knows? They might work.
Downside is there's no two way communication. You can just call for help, but you can't tell them if you're lost, broken leg, having a heart attack, etc. I read somewhere PLBs have a stronger signal than InReaches, SPOTs, etc. so they're less likely to be blocked by trees overhead.
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https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BC125AT-Alpha-Tagged-channels-Lightweight/dp/B00772MR0K/
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If you are planning to attend races even semi regularly, consider buying a scanner and programming it yourself. I now own a BC125AT for $93. Works flawlessly.
Just throwing it out there, but I've found these sticks to be crazily awesome compared to a normal RTL device for ADSB. They have a filter and preamp.
I tested one with a non-ADSB-specific RTL antenna on top of my truck on the second floor from the top of a parking garage (concrete above and below me) in south Denver and heard planes in northwest Nebraska.
I have this KOSS headset, it works great for races at Charlotte, I don't know how much louder Bristol will be.
Heads up, they get pretty sweaty.
I use this scanner with the drivers frequency programmed
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A1VSO9M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
There's like 10 different channels depending on who you want to listen to, what direction they are coming from, if they are in the air or on the ground, etc.
I have one of these scanners in the hangar tuned to CTAF. As long as you have line of sight to the sky and McCarran you should be able all the traffic.
THIS! It is a great little tool!! Be sure to get appropriate adapters like a pl259 double end to connect to your radio or a short cable. My SWR of 12 worked fine and sounded great to the people on the other end but I was only operating at 15w out of a 25w radio and the radio heated up quicker.
Surecom SW-102 Digital VHF/UHF 125-525Mhz Antenna Power & SWR Meter with Ground Plate https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D86IKIQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_AYA0M26WRB03H44ATEG1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
This is a great little scanner. It won't do digital, so it's not a great solution for some of the major urban centers. But for most of the U.S., it works perfectly.
Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Handheld Scanner https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00772MR0K
I know some SDRs can be connected to a Android tablet, and some dongles start at like 30 bucks. But if you just want a scanner there are a ton out there. Here is one on Amazon for just over 100 bucks. https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BC125AT-Alpha-Tagged-channels-Lightweight/dp/B00772MR0K/ref=asc_df_B00772MR0K/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310312694364&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12023356358943720141&hvpone=&hvptwo=&...
Actually the BC125AT at CA$199 there does do CTCSS. Don't know why they don't list it in the description, but you can download the user manual and take a look at the features. Don't know if you'd find it significantly less clunky than the 72XLT though. Can't speak to alternative brands or where to source in Canada, but comparison point is US$109 (pre-tax) shipped from and sold by Amazon US.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00772MR0K
The anchor point for the upper end BCD436HP digital handheld is the lightning deal price from Amazon US from a month or two ago that a number of us jumped on of US$320 before state/local tax and is now US$429. Significantly pricier, but not totally cost prohibitive if you want/need DMR (+$60 more) or P25 Phase 2 capability Both are a reality here in silicon valley, although there's still more than enough analog to keep most people informed / occupied / satisified. YMMV.
Not sure what your budget is, but this is easily exactly what you're looking for if you want to talk to each other.
https://racingelectronics.com/collections/scanners-accessories/products/re3000-gem5-pkg
You could try to save some money by buying the headsets then getting the scanner from amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00772MR0K/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_-1GgFbT4BX2SY
This is the gold standard outside of the RE brand. Others on here will recommend a BaoFeng for like $40, but technically you need to be licensed to operate it. Either way, as others said, you need to program these yourself. RE broadcasts a signal at the track that programs it for you.
Edit: Not sure if you're aware only because you didn't mention it, a scanner receives more than the radio broadcast you can also listen to the drivers/spotters/teams/track officials.
I have the green Radarbox one on a Pi 4b running PiAware with the $10 1090mhz antenna from Amazon. Works perfectly.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K47P7XD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_p-n9Eb4BCNE8K
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HQJKMBD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Z-n9Eb1076H50
Go to faa.gov, you can search any plane by it's N-number (tail number). You can also search by many other ways. Want to see who all has Gulfstream G650's, it will list them all.
What myself and others are saying is that everything about tracking his plane is available to everyone and is not private. Elon, as much as he thinks, can't control what the FAA has publicly has available to the public.
The BC75 may have been replaced by this one:
I had the 75 (lost it!) and the 125 is a nice step up. I can hear the local airport, but the controllers only occasionally. (Line of sight with the transmitters is hard at ground level!) The BC125/BC75 have a simple (very simple!) app to set up the frequencies you want to program in each band. There is a web site called Radio Reference with all sorts of info about various scanners and frequencies, etc.
https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BCD436HP-HomePatrol-TrunkTracker-Programming/dp/B00I33XDAK
I bought it used from a friend that had purchased all the additional licenses for all of the protocols. In my opinion that would be the way to go. Lot of guys are offloading this model for the newer more flashy one.
If you want something super basic and robust as far as customization goes, or you just like to mess with radios, I'd suggest a software defined radio (sdr) where the scanner is controlled by computer software. A very inexpensive setup is (rtl-sdr) which is essentially just a TV tuner modified with software to pick up a very large bandwidth of signals from ham to cb radio given the right antenna. If this is of interest, Google rtl-sdr as well as joining the subreddit. Amazon and eBay among others sell the kits for around $20ish.
For a professional/all in one scanner unit, I'd look at Uniden's line. I can't specifically recommend one or another without knowing needs, but Amazon sells a plethora of scanners by Uniden from handheld to base station. The base station variety don't really require a PC to program like gmrs radios do. Regardless, while more expensive than a UV5R the scanners are more capable at moving through channels quickly to identify active channels or even to monitor one or more channels long term. I'm linking one such scanner by Uniden that appears to be easier to use than a handheld, but look at the linked products as well if another one suits your needs better.
Uniden Bearcat BC75XLT Handheld Scanner: 300 Channels, 10 banks, Close Call Technology, PC Programable, NOAA Weather, Aviation, Marine, Railroad, NASCAR, and Non-Digital Police/Fire/Public Safety
https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BC75XLT-300-Channel-Handheld-Emergency/dp/B00A1VSO9M
Yes, police scanners are available publicly, and are used by by many journalists. You might find some systems that are encrypted, but most aren't.
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https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BCD436HP-HomePatrol-TrunkTracker-Programming/dp/B00I33XDAK/
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This is a great analog handheld that is inexpensive: https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BC125AT-Alpha-Tagged-channels-Lightweight/dp/B00772MR0K/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1WVMDUQL8D90&keywords=uniden+125&qid=1653751300&sprefix=uniden+125%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-1
Check https://www.radioreference.com/ to see if this will work for you.
This is the one I use! Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Handheld Scanner, 500-Alpha-Tagged Channels, Close Call Technology, PC Programable, Aviation, Marine, Railroad, NASCAR, Racing, and Non-Digital Police/Fire/Public Safety. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00772MR0K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_655MY0DP4X9Y6BB2F4N1
I recommend this for a scanner. It can scan into different bands that the UV5R can't. Also that beofeng is extremely slow verses an actual scanner
My area switched to p25 and I bought a BCD436H. All I had to do basically is give it my zipcode and tell it what I want to listen to and it did the rest. Works for me.
I would look into a Uniden Bearcat SR30C $96.00 on Amazon or Uniden Bearcat BC125AT $108.00 on Amazon. If you also plan in listening in to Police and Fire then a scanner that receives digital transmissions will be more expensive. The two models I mentioned are analog only.
I could not find a specific antenna just for airband. This one is not too expensive: https://smile.amazon.com/Anteenna-TW-999BNC-20-1300MHz-Connector-Frequency/dp/B075QCJM6S/ref=sr_1_4?crid=D0M5PMWI03XD&keywords=radio+scanner+antenna&qid=1649341463&sprefix=radio+scanner%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-4
I suspect you may be right about the missed calls - I often only hear the Tower side of the conversation. I wonder if I'm just not tuning into the right frequency to hear both sides. I assumed it had something to do with LiveATCs broadcast.
Do you think there's any advantage to having a desk-mounted unit instead of a handheld? For example I'd bookmarked this one which is similar to the one you'd recommended except not handheld.
Sorry about the ridiculous link…. Anyway, it’s an ADS-B receiver that plugs into your computer so it can receive and decode the location information being transmitted by planes! It’s a system they use to help avoid each other in the skies, and also for ground control to know where they are. Kind of an enhancement to only having radar.
If you’re into plane spotting, you basically need this, or something like it. Just start googling stuff about ADSB receivers. Have fun and good luck!
Something like this will work fine: Anteenna TW-999BNC BNC Male Handheld Antenna Scanner Antenna (20-1300MHz) with BNC Male Connector for Scanner Radio and Frequency Counters https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075QCJM6S/