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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.?
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22 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
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.
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.
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
Check out the Uniden Bearcat BC125AT. Great little handheld scanner. In addition to being able to program it for areas you often frequent, it has a really cool feature that detects nearby frequencies in use... incredibly valuable if you're camping in areas your radio isn't programmed for.
Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Link: https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BC125AT-Alpha-Tagged-channels-Lightweight/dp/B00772MR0K
Also, get your ham license and put a mobile ham radio in your vehicle. They have more power than a handheld, and as long as your vehicle battery is charged, it is always ready to go.
this is so very helpful thank you very much for your detailed answer. i guess i mispoke, to clarify, i want to listen to the entire san gabriel valley dispatch (going from pasadena to duarte). i live in pasadena specifically. so to simplify all this in my mind, i can buy:
Which is the Uniden BC125AT.
and listen to both pasadena and los angeles county police stations? i'm just trying to wrap my head around all of this. once again thanks
Buy a scanner on Amazon and bring headphones. The Racing Radios kiosks have handouts on frequencies, or you can commonly find them online.
This is the one I took to Talladega last year and it worked great.
Please use clean amazon links so your messages don't get caught in the spam filter. Thank you.
https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BC125AT-Alpha-Tagged-channels-Lightweight/dp/B00772MR0K/
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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 got a Uniden Bearcat from Amazon. Not too expensive and gets the job done well.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00772MR0K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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.
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.
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.
If she’s not immediately going to be a pilot but just had an interest in aviation, literally any handheld scanner would work and it saves her from inadvertently transmitting on the frequency she’s listening to.
Something like: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00772MR0K
Having said that, I figure I would throw out this blurb about scanner legalities since I noticed you asked about pounds so I’m assuming you’re in the UK…
> Just like with any issue like this, whether or not you can listen to air traffic control legally depends on where you want to do so. While in some countries such as the United States and Japan, it is perfectly legal to listen to the airband frequencies, in other countries – such as United Kingdom and Germany, it is illegal. > > That said, even in countries where listening to air traffic control is technically illegal without a license, there might be cases where it’s tolerated. For example, in the United Kingdom, it is not uncommon to see people listening to airband scanners openly even at airshows.
You should be able to pick up train frequencies with a simple scanner. I used to be a photojournalist in Massachusetts and the train frequencies around here weren’t trunked or encrypted. (Just in case you’re not familiar, trunked frequencies need a trunk tracker scanner which are more expensive and encoded ones need the code. A lot of police departments have switched over to encoded frequencies which you need to file and FOIA request to get)
This is a pretty basic scanner that I used to have. It’ll take you an afternoon to program in all the frequencies and tags because you have to use the dial and buttons but it’s only like $100 and it’ll take AAs rather than a rechargeable battery and it’s got a headphone jack.
And the website Radiorefrence.com is your best friend if you’re looking for scanner frequencies and info. For instance here are the train frequencies here in Massachusetts.
But if you’re looking for something simple to get your feet wet, it looks like the app Broadcastify offers live train frequencies. I haven’t fully explored it but it’s an option.
Hope this helps!
If you're only looking to listen in on the aviation frequencies, you just need an airband scanner. Something like the ones linked below (haven't used either myself though).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00772MR0K/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=
https://www.sportys.com/air-scan-ii-radio-with-aviation-interrupttm.html
You could also try LiveATC on your phone, provided the coverage is good in the area you're flying in.
Please use clean amazon links. https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BC125AT-Alpha-Tagged-channels-Lightweight/dp/B00772MR0K/
Or, because Amazon entirely ignores the first section of the URL...
https://www.amazon.com/Inflatable-Windup-Albatross-with-glowing-LED-eyes/dp/B00772MR0K/
Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Handheld Scanner. 500 Alpha-Tagged channels. Public Safety, Police, Fire, Emergency, Marine, Military Aircraft, and Auto Racing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00772MR0K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_sUJNTSjzqMbyx
uniden bc-125at, can't recommend enough for the price point
This is the particular one I have. They're quite fun if you're frequently bored.
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