Thank you for your great video. In the United States the Coast Guard uses Ch. 22A (157.100 simplex) for search and rescue after the initial contact on channel 16 (156.800).
One of my favourite HTs for scanning is the Quansheng UV-K6 with modded firmware. It has 200 channels, and the mods give it AM and USB anywhere between 18 and 1300 MHz, so even wider-band than the 125. The people behind the fiemware I use have released a CHIRP module so programming the extra functions is availible. The modded firmware also gives it fast scan of around 6-7 channels/second. All for 35 dollars usd!
How hard is it to mod to get the expanded range from 18 to 3000? Just looked up the unit on Amazon, and as you said, it's dirt cheap. I may have to get one.
I really enjoyed this video. I own the Uniden 125XLT and 75XLT and both are really good. 100% agree with the 125XLT recommendation... it's a shame that it only has 500 channels! You can extend the battery life by using better rechargeable batteries than the ones supplied, for example NiMH batteries with a rating of 2700/2800mAh. Don't charge them in the scanner though; treat yourself and buy a nice external smart battery charger. There have been horror stories of batteries overheating, plastic melting, fire risks etc. The Baofeng frequencies in the video belong to the BF-888S UHF model, and these are quite popular in my part of the UK (West Sussex). I've heard far more 'stuff' on those than on the US FRS/GMRS frequencies. It might be worth programming the default 'test' frequencies of the ever-popular UV-5R into your scanner as well. Finally, keep your eyes open when you are out and about. The organisers at a local car boot sale were using PMR446 until recently, and I overheard them moaning about other people using 'their' channels. I noticed soon afterwards that they had switched to a different model of Baofeng. With its distinctive red stripe, a few Google searches revealed that it was a UV-S9. Further research on Google and UA-cam revealed what the half-a-dozen test frequencies were. The next time I went to the boot sale, I had no trouble finding them just above 440MHz! I suspect this kind of thing goes on a lot more than most people realise. 73 to you all 🙂
On FRS, in the Netherlands they are actually legal to use. They have the same status as PMR446. Probably because lots of people, US tourists included, use them anyhow.
Quansheng UVK5 with mods is a pretty effective scanner imo. I prefer the uniden obviously but with AM fix mod using a firmware like Egzumer, the very cheap Quansheng is pretty good for air and UHF/VHF scanning. Usb C and good battery life too!
Mine cost me not much over $30 prison colony pesos landed. (Aussie dollaridoos) It’s one of those _projects_ I must get around to, but it’s a neat radio out of the box. Used it for listening to air and and scanning analog comms. Haven’t QSOed on it just yet, though I did program a couple of repeaters Great value
@@tee_m I’ll have to give it a go. Got a few projects on the bench. Have to fix the preamp switches in the Xiegu X108G now that I’ve had the chips for a few months, but had other priorities. The Minister for Finance, Entertainment and Shoes has said I need to _Fix or Flick_ all the _projects_ Got some nice sounding tube guitar amps now, thanks to her _motivation_
Mostly FM because of "cheap" gear. Standard Horizon actually still makes an analog UHF Marine portable (at least as of 2022 when I last looked). But one has to be relatively close - under 10 miles - because the radios are 2-4 watts, handheld to handheld
@@baronedipiemonte3990 I monitor ships in Sydney Harbour. The local ferries use the shipboard UHF frequencies on FM but almost all cruise ships use DMR. Many of the cruise ships have onboard repeaters, I guess using a leaky feeder system. They use the 457MHz frequencies as input and the 467MHz as repeater output, or vice versa.
Also, don’t forget the Uniden 75XLT, which is basically the same as a 125xlt just without the alpha-tagging, and around £50 cheaper than the 125xlt. But I have to say I totally agree that the 125xlt is a solid little scanner and perfect for those new to the hobby. Good performance and easy to program.
Great idea for a video Lewis. I have the US version of the 125. I keep mine loaded with the frequencies of different US Air bases in each of the banks. I even have the frequencies of RAF Lakenheath, Mildenhal, Brize Norton, and Coningsby. They use those frequencies here too.
I heard some crane operators here in Leeds last summer on 456.4625 mhz. It was at night time I think on a Saturday night. The crane operator had a scouse accent. He was shouting at his mate that he can't see F all out the window and he needed his colleague to guide him.
Pro-38 (10 channels); Pro-95 (1000 channels, but my unit has developed some problems); BCT15X (over 1,000 channels programmed, all sorts of services covered); BCD396XT (programmed same as 15X). Now if I could only find the time to listen...
G'day Lewis. Thanks for the great video & for trying to keep scanning alive. I'm from Australia 🇦🇺 VK3ECS & have been in the scanning, SWL & general Radio scene / hobby since the late 70's when there was heaps to listen to & no scanning sire or lists around information was just shared between trustworthy mates & friends. Then come books & lists which sort if took some of the fun or the challenge away from finding that elusive frequency. Then come dial up bulletin boards which put the hobby even more out there but the hobby still continued. Then come the early days of the internet & that started the beginning of the end ( in Australia ) anyway. As technology caught up & things started to go digital & there simply either weren't the scanners capable of receiving digital or if there were they were incredibly expensive & had to be imported from the U.S. & thus people started dropping off the hobby. Then come Trunking & again there simply were not the scanners ( in Australia) capableof receivingTrunking & by the time there were more people left the hobby as digital & Trunking were simply to much for some ( or a lot of people) Then the death Nell for Australia 🇦🇺 was when technology finally caught up after 9/11 happened & all (99.9%) our police forces & a lot of ambulance & fire services went encrypted. Thoes that are left are so far flung that they can only be heard by less than a hand full of people. Yes there are shopping centres & shopping centre security but then they are either digital & boring or they are using PTTOC. There are a few bus companies in the capital cities & major regional that have some form of "Two Way Radio" but again they are either digital, Trunking wity very few left on Analogue with a lot of bus companies going over to commercial PTTOC & who wants to listen to a bus company anyway boring as. Just about all of our major Australian train services have long gone to GSMR so they can't be heard any longer. And so that leaves Marine, Amateur & Aero, with Marine being 99% simplex unless you are by the coast & by a major capital city there's nothing much to hear. With Amateur that only appeals to a very small tiny portion of scanner hobniest & again unless you are near a repeater ( & even then they can be hit & miss) there's nothing much to be to heard there. Which brings me to Aero now don't get me wrong Aero "voice" can be interesting to listen to & I spend a lot of time listening to it (A) if that's your thing & (B) you are within cooee of a major airport or within range of an enroute transmitter but a lot of Aero AM frequencies are simplex at local airports & so unless you are within range you are not going to hear much. In Australia even Aero is going in part digital we are in the early stages of implementing OneNet which see' s pilots receive take off & Landing clearance electronically like wise enroute weather is all done by Acars or CPDLC & yes I know you can receive Acars but that's a hole another discussion. Then there's Pocsag but again this is vanishing at a very rapid rate as technology evolves. Basically both the Net & technology including mobile phines have all but just about killed scanning. And so to end is scanning dieing, yep it sure is, I think ( In Australia) it will continue but only with the truley dedicated & only in a very tiny percentage of people for which I am one & that's only because I am an amateur & have other communications interests like SW, MW & utility listening & DXing & the net & other costs as some of your other videos have shown in the past is even slowly killing that with tye mass shut down of MW & SW stations either for good or going internet only. Thanks & keep up the great work. Look forward to maybe catching you on the Air one day. Rgs Wayne VK3ECS.
Excellent video, scanning is a brilliant hobby. The Uniden 125 is an excellent bit of kit with either a high gain whip antenna or the Moonraker scanner antenna with four different antennas to cover a wide spectrum.
It was a great hobby in the 80s and 90s, now all people hear is aircraft, marine, amateur and PMR. There is nothing else and they all get boring. Don't waste your time and money. Mobile phones killed off PMR companies in 1994, shared repeater use vanished. Low cost radios for shop security are mostly digital now. Why would you want to hear aircraft or marine! Everything else of interest is digital and encrypted so you will never hear it.
@@Bond2025 yeah I had a few scanners and CB radios in the 80s/90s and just stumbled on this video. Can’t imagine how boring this must be now, although the tech is “better” the adoption is not!
I have had scanners here in the US since the 1970's, when scanne🎉rs were limited with crystals or early programming. Five years ago I had the expensive Uniden SDS 100 scanner, which while quite versatile I have sold. Now at home I have a Uniden Bearcat base scanner, the Tracker 885, which covers digital frequencies, though not encrypted, and CB AM, with US NOAA Weather frequencies. I receive Police, Fire, EMS and DOT. It cost US 400.00 and has an SD Card to update it with an app on the PC. 73 de W2CH Ray New Hampshire.
Still using my yupiteru 7100, sadly not much to hear where I am but I'm lucky enough to hear a few zello live streams such as most CG channels and airport workers, plus obviously the towers etc.
Thanks RM. Just another Great Video full of Great ideas and Radios. Take Care and Radio On****P.S. I just got a Baofeng UV 17r, What a Great Little Radio. ******
I have the BC 125 scanner. it works very good. used it years now. I did find some better AA battery's. made in Japan NiMH 2500 and 3000 MAH . they do run longer but had to change settings in the scanner to charge longer. using the Moonraker MRW-125 antenna works very well. I have the Talkpod A36 as well. that has a extended battery for that. runs all day and most of the night. I have the US GMRS version and it still receives all over. even air band. I put the Nagoya NA-771 antenna on it and works better than stock antenna. also the Talkpod A36 has something like close call . had to set it from chirp to change top red button to turn that on. it works. even the PL tone comes up. I live but a 1.25 meter ham repeater and the A36 received it just fine. I un locked my A36 and it transmits all over except air band. now I have to get the tri-band antenna so I can use the 1.25 meter transmit in the US we have that ham band. you may need to up date firmware on Talkpod to get that feature. mine came with the new firmware. video's on you tube on this. great video. still lots to listen to. 73's
@@bielanski2493 Yes, to protect their corruption. There are few reasons to encrypt call traffic, criminals still know what channels you use if they want to locate you by strength, and there are special tactical channels which are encrypted if actual security is needed.
I have an ICOM R20 which I bought from UK more than 10 years ago. Also I have the exact discone antenna shown at the beginning of the video, you can assemble and dissemble it very easy, also bought from UK. IC-R20 is quite old nowadays, it does not support digital modes.
Would you not opt for an AOR 8200 mk3 second hand? I know they break the £150 of the Uniden, but they've been the analogue king for the 2 decades i've been scanning. I also have the ICOM ic-r20 too. I've had that for nearly 20 years. Also a top notch unit.
A key difference between these two units is that the Anysecu transmits, and the Uniden does not. I'd like to hear more about the specs and quality of the transmit function. (I'm in the US, and I'm thinking about getting a GMRS or similar license. I do NOT intend to transmit without a license, on any frequencies where one is required.)
I obviously don't know anything about how radio licenses work in the UK, but at least in the US you don't need a license for FRS in the UHF band or MURS (Multi Use Radio Service) which is a 5-channel VHF band.
7:41 Very true on the GMRS Lewis, but I don’t think the frequencies are correct because FRS/GMRS starts in 462MHz. I know that people often buy Baofengs or Retevis radios and knowingly use FRS/GMRS because they know it’ll be quieter than 446, or more innocently buy a set of Walkie talkies on an American cruise to use at sea. It’s a complete lack of education on their part when they bring them home and use them when camping. I’ve been listening on these GMRS freqs for a while, and have heard a fair bit of chatter. Not too big of a deal on low power, but it’s widely acknowledged among hobbyists that the Fire Service still have the Analogue allocation, and that FRS/GMRS channel 2 (462.5875) overlaps a portable fire service site repeater, and channel 4 (462.6375) overlaps a fixed site repeater. I’m not sure if those knowingly using FRS on programmable radios have the ‘honour among thieves’ to leave these frequencies alone, but I doubt it. Best thing to do for anything you don’t have a licence for is disable TX, or set the duplex to ‘off’ to avoid any accidental PTT.
UnidenUBC125XLT chews through battery life which if you want to leave it running in the background during your day makes it unsuitable for its task. So only really useful for short durations. It also struggles to bring in weak signals on uhf even with a better antenna. Saving up for a whistler.
Surprised not to see any talk of SDR dongles. They are super cheap and really powerful listening tools. Plus you get the added benefit of a waterfall display to see where people are talking.
I want to get into scanning as it's an itch I've always wanted to scratch, so I bought an SDR dongle - although I'm not very I.T. literate. Nothing! So I bought another, different make because I thought I had bought a couple of duff dongles but it's obviously something that I'm doing (or not doing)? Anyway, I've decided to opt for the 125XLT because it's something I can 'see' and hold!
Thanks Lewis, I really love watching your videos. I'm from australia where scanning isnt illegal and I have gotten into arguments with people that say it is, I have an email from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) which says in detail that scanning in Australia is legal. Here in NSW I can scan the PSN, Public Safety Network, a P25 Phase 2 Trunked System. Which has NSW Ambulance, NSW SES, Rural Fire Service and NSW Fire and Rescue, which makes for good listening, however police are encrypted. Another thing is I live on the border of Victoria which means I can also scan the Victorian Regional Mobile Radio Network (RMR), which has VIC SES, VIC CFA etc. Which is also fun to listen too. Ambulance in rural victoria called RAVNET, still seem to be analog. I'm proud to live in a country where scanning is legal. I use a uniden ubcd436-pt for scanning trunked and have a host of amateur radios I use everyday for, ofc, amateur use. Keep up the good work.
i had the uv k5 then went uvk5 8 ,,,,, nothing to listen to so went to a uv5rH alot better ,,,,,,,, but nothing but pmr446 and local tip to listen to round here,, think my next radio will be the Baofeng DM 1702 see if there is anything on DMR
I still have several scanners around. Most analog but a couple "digital". The best one scans trbo, lnr and a few others older modes. It trunks as well. I never figured out the trunking mainly because I have nothing around to listen to that's worth setting it up. After all the emergency services went to p25 here I don't use them except rarely when I find one and say, oh yeah my scanner. Still plenty of signals around that are analog but nothing I really care to hear.
Are there any small indoor antennas that would cover all these ranges?I live in a flat and tend to search the SW bands late at night when I'm in bed.I've no real experience other than hanging a wire across the room and wrapping one end round fitted aerial thats on the set.
The Icom IC-R6 is only $50 more than the Uniden. Once you decide spend $150USD for the Uniden you might as well spend $200USD for the Icom which is a wideband receiver. It goes from 100khz to 1300+Mhz! It really makes the Uniden pointless. The Icom is smaller, faster, receives FAR MORE bands, and what is 50 bucks when you are already paying 150?
Does the Anysecu support USB-C Power Delivery (PD)? Meaning, can you use a USB-C power supply from a MacBook or similar device that supports fast charging. Many budget devices do not support PD because the manufacturer does not provide a terminating resistor which signals the PD charger to provide normal 5 Volts supply. Instead, the charger provide no voltage at all.
Get a Quansheng UV-K6, flash with the latest Egzumer firmware, and you'll have a radio capable of receiving from HF to high UHF, with AM, USB, FM and WFM, dirt cheap too. The only limitation is the number of channels it can keep.
Alright mate, hope you had a fab crimbo? Brill video as ever. Just picking your brains.... I've got a 125xlt which is my go to but wanted to pick up an anysecu after watching this as an addition. Cant find anywhere in the UK selling them?? Where did you pick yours up?? Cheers, Chris 👍🏻
Honestly a Portapack or other SDR+computer/phone solution makes the best portable scanner today. The analog-only stuff is fun but already very dated. At least you can use your phone or pc to decode digital from analog audio, but at that point why not integrate them to allow better snr and datarate?
Hi what steps do you put on when you want to listen to airband i have mine on 6.25k its comming in very bad and sound out of tune i am trying out the radtel RT-780 cheers good video
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:01 📻 *Introduction to Radio Scanning and Equipment Options* - Overview of budget-friendly options for VHF and UHF scanning. - Recommendations for affordable scanning equipment. - Discussion about the Uniden 125 and alternative budget radios. 01:24 🌟 *Features of Anku UV A37 Radio* - Introduction to the Anku UV A37 as a budget-friendly scanner alternative. - Key features and specifications of the Anku UV A37. - Comparison with traditional scanners like Uniden 125. 03:01 🔋 *Comparing Battery Life and Channel Capacity* - Comparison of battery life between Uniden and Anku radios. - Analysis of channel capacity and scan speed of both devices. - Discussion of coverage and frequency range. 05:05 📡 *Active Spectrum Frequencies and Usage* - Overview of active portions of the radio spectrum. - Guidance on finding activity using budget radios. - Explanation of commonly known and published analog frequencies. 08:02 🚒 *Fire Ground and Marine Band Frequencies* - Details on fire ground and marine band frequencies. - Discussion on the legality and licensing requirements for transmission. - Description of specific frequency ranges for emergency services. 11:10 🗣️ *PMR 446 and Other Communication Frequencies* - Explanation of PMR 446 and its usage. - Insights into various communication frequencies and their users. - Discussion on the nature of these allocations and typical users. 13:46 🏗️ *Supplier Light Allocation and Special Event Frequencies* - Introduction to the supplier light allocation for radio use. - Overview of frequencies used by television companies and event organizers. - Final thoughts on using budget radios for scanning. Made with HARPA AI
sdr's are good, but limited to being a base system, with a handheld scanner you can take it out and about to air shows or big shopping parks and listen in..
Hey people, is there a 'standard' solution to looped recording of rhe audio? So that if i hear something i want to keep i can press a button and capture the last minutes?
Hi does the Anysecu UV-A37 have an AM detector for Airband, how would you rate it on Airband e.g does it distort on strong signal etc ? best regards Alan
If you're not transmitting and on a budget, there are a myriad of options in the $20-$30 range to be had. The cheapest popular option might be the BaoFeng UV-5R but beware there are a great number of very similar and sometimes performance-wise very dissimilar radios all called BaoFeng UV-5R. Buy from a shop with customer reviews. Seems the largest issue with these is some of them have monster amounts of harmonics on Xmit and are quite dirty. Lots of design revisions result in lots of different performance levels out there under the same name, but they're still worth every penny for a cheap receiver if you ask me. Ditch the stock antenna and upgrade that part to boost the performance.
Don't bother, you are 30 years too late! There is nothing interesting to listen to, only aircraft, marine, amateur and the odd shop security radio if not DMR. Absolute waste of money now. There are NO secret frequencies!
I have lived in Devon on the coast for the past 20 years after moving from West London absolutely fock all down here to listen to unless you have a huge external Ariel.@@darthgardner
You know my uncles tv useto be able to pick up a cellphone tower signals on a tv channle there was video brotcasting of a local channle and the audio of the celluar tower. Any ideas how a tv arial could accidentaly tune in to a celluar tower?
@@tee_m I have the UV5 running the IVJ 2.6 (India Juliet Victor) firmware, with a SMA to BNC converter to attach a Yaesu airband rubber duck antenna. The AIrband reception is now massively improved.
Doesn't matter that much as you will not hear anything of interest. RG213 is fine as an aerial high up without obstruction is more important. You need to consider what you will be listening to and make sure the aerial covers the frequencies.
Buy your boafeng , unlock it and listen to what you want. problem solved. They can not tell what you listen to on the open waves. You only have to watch what you transmit on.
Happy Christmas Lewis. Great video. Didn't realise there was still a far bit to listen to. I have an old GRE PSR - 275 I bought from Maplin on the A6 many years ago. The slides you had on the screen are they available online? 73
in the US 160 - 162ish MHz is allocated for railroads.
162.400 - 162.575 is the 7 NOAA weather broadcast channels in the US.
Thank you for your great video. In the United States the Coast Guard uses Ch. 22A (157.100 simplex) for search and rescue after the initial contact on channel 16 (156.800).
I live in a rural area without much action, so I'm perfectly happy with my old Baofeng, which is half the cost of the Anysecu.
Same here, so I use a Baofeng.
One of my favourite HTs for scanning is the Quansheng UV-K6 with modded firmware. It has 200 channels, and the mods give it AM and USB anywhere between 18 and 1300 MHz, so even wider-band than the 125. The people behind the fiemware I use have released a CHIRP module so programming the extra functions is availible. The modded firmware also gives it fast scan of around 6-7 channels/second. All for 35 dollars usd!
How hard is it to mod to get the expanded range from 18 to 3000? Just looked up the unit on Amazon, and as you said, it's dirt cheap. I may have to get one.
you can do it from a web based updater its a doddle
@@silverladderAZ
There are UA-cam videos for how to mod that radio. I'm not sure about finding the firmware though @@silverladderAZ
what FW you used?
@@K3m0n the egzumer v. 0.21
I really enjoyed this video. I own the Uniden 125XLT and 75XLT and both are really good. 100% agree with the 125XLT recommendation... it's a shame that it only has 500 channels! You can extend the battery life by using better rechargeable batteries than the ones supplied, for example NiMH batteries with a rating of 2700/2800mAh. Don't charge them in the scanner though; treat yourself and buy a nice external smart battery charger. There have been horror stories of batteries overheating, plastic melting, fire risks etc. The Baofeng frequencies in the video belong to the BF-888S UHF model, and these are quite popular in my part of the UK (West Sussex). I've heard far more 'stuff' on those than on the US FRS/GMRS frequencies. It might be worth programming the default 'test' frequencies of the ever-popular UV-5R into your scanner as well. Finally, keep your eyes open when you are out and about. The organisers at a local car boot sale were using PMR446 until recently, and I overheard them moaning about other people using 'their' channels. I noticed soon afterwards that they had switched to a different model of Baofeng. With its distinctive red stripe, a few Google searches revealed that it was a UV-S9. Further research on Google and UA-cam revealed what the half-a-dozen test frequencies were. The next time I went to the boot sale, I had no trouble finding them just above 440MHz! I suspect this kind of thing goes on a lot more than most people realise. 73 to you all 🙂
On FRS, in the Netherlands they are actually legal to use. They have the same status as PMR446. Probably because lots of people, US tourists included, use them anyhow.
Quansheng UVK5 with mods is a pretty effective scanner imo. I prefer the uniden obviously but with AM fix mod using a firmware like Egzumer, the very cheap Quansheng is pretty good for air and UHF/VHF scanning. Usb C and good battery life too!
Mine cost me not much over $30 prison colony pesos landed. (Aussie dollaridoos)
It’s one of those _projects_ I must get around to, but it’s a neat radio out of the box. Used it for listening to air and and scanning analog comms. Haven’t QSOed on it just yet, though I did program a couple of repeaters
Great value
@@MidlifeRenaissanceMan stick Egzumer mods on it. Pretty much 2 clicks from a browser and it'll be modded! Won't even clear your saved channels.
@@tee_m I’ll have to give it a go. Got a few projects on the bench. Have to fix the preamp switches in the Xiegu X108G now that I’ve had the chips for a few months, but had other priorities.
The Minister for Finance, Entertainment and Shoes has said I need to _Fix or Flick_ all the _projects_
Got some nice sounding tube guitar amps now, thanks to her _motivation_
I've seen here on YT that there's new upgrades for the Quangsheng that allows it to receive SW and USB/LSB
@@baronedipiemonte3990 yeah, it's a pretty fun thing for rx all over the spectrum. Not for tx!
10:47 the marine UHF frequencies are used extensively for onboard ship comms. They are FM or DMR usually.
Mostly FM because of "cheap" gear. Standard Horizon actually still makes an analog UHF Marine portable (at least as of 2022 when I last looked). But one has to be relatively close - under 10 miles - because the radios are 2-4 watts, handheld to handheld
@@baronedipiemonte3990
I monitor ships in Sydney Harbour. The local ferries use the shipboard UHF frequencies on FM but almost all cruise ships use DMR. Many of the cruise ships have onboard repeaters, I guess using a leaky feeder system. They use the 457MHz frequencies as input and the 467MHz as repeater output, or vice versa.
Also, don’t forget the Uniden 75XLT, which is basically the same as a 125xlt just without the alpha-tagging, and around £50 cheaper than the 125xlt. But I have to say I totally agree that the 125xlt is a solid little scanner and perfect for those new to the hobby. Good performance and easy to program.
I used to have lots of fun with my Icom IC-R2 when I lived in a high location, but now we live in a bit of a valley and it's harder to find much here.
Thanks, Lewis. I enjoyed that. Very informative for me at least. 👍
Quansheng better: 1) After modded firmware scanning speed is super fast. 2) There are 2 scanning banks (Scan list)
3) SSB functionality 4) AM receiver
FWIW: I seldom do it myself, but I LOVE listening to Aircraft frequencies.
*I ❤️ AVIATION*
3:22 If your Uniden’s batteries are Chinese and dated 2009, that might account for only getting four hours use out of a charge.
I just purchased a uniden sds100. Still learning tge in and outs of it.
Great idea for a video Lewis. I have the US version of the 125. I keep mine loaded with the frequencies of different US Air bases in each of the banks. I even have the frequencies of RAF Lakenheath, Mildenhal, Brize Norton, and Coningsby. They use those frequencies here too.
I heard some crane operators here in Leeds last summer on 456.4625 mhz. It was at night time I think on a Saturday night. The crane operator had a scouse accent. He was shouting at his mate that he can't see F all out the window and he needed his colleague to guide him.
Is there a list of these in the open well known frequnices in csv ?
I'll check these out. thanks
Pro-38 (10 channels); Pro-95 (1000 channels, but my unit has developed some problems);
BCT15X (over 1,000 channels programmed, all sorts of services covered); BCD396XT (programmed same as 15X).
Now if I could only find the time to listen...
G'day Lewis.
Thanks for the great video & for trying to keep scanning alive.
I'm from Australia 🇦🇺 VK3ECS & have been in the scanning, SWL & general Radio scene / hobby since the late 70's when there was heaps to listen to & no scanning sire or lists around information was just shared between trustworthy mates & friends.
Then come books & lists which sort if took some of the fun or the challenge away from finding that elusive frequency.
Then come dial up bulletin boards which put the hobby even more out there but the hobby still continued.
Then come the early days of the internet & that started the beginning of the end ( in Australia ) anyway.
As technology caught up & things started to go digital & there simply either weren't the scanners capable of receiving digital or if there were they were incredibly expensive & had to be imported from the U.S. & thus people started dropping off the hobby.
Then come Trunking & again there simply were not the scanners ( in Australia) capableof receivingTrunking & by the time there were more people left the hobby as digital & Trunking were simply to much for some ( or a lot of people)
Then the death Nell for Australia 🇦🇺 was when technology finally caught up after 9/11 happened & all (99.9%) our police forces & a lot of ambulance & fire services went encrypted.
Thoes that are left are so far flung that they can only be heard by less than a hand full of people.
Yes there are shopping centres & shopping centre security but then they are either digital & boring or they are using PTTOC.
There are a few bus companies in the capital cities & major regional that have some form of "Two Way Radio" but again they are either digital, Trunking wity very few left on Analogue with a lot of bus companies going over to commercial PTTOC & who wants to listen to a bus company anyway boring as.
Just about all of our major Australian train services have long gone to GSMR so they can't be heard any longer.
And so that leaves Marine, Amateur & Aero, with Marine being 99% simplex unless you are by the coast & by a major capital city there's nothing much to hear.
With Amateur that only appeals to a very small tiny portion of scanner hobniest & again unless you are near a repeater ( & even then they can be hit & miss) there's nothing much to be to heard there.
Which brings me to Aero now don't get me wrong Aero "voice" can be interesting to listen to & I spend a lot of time listening to it (A) if that's your thing & (B) you are within cooee of a major airport or within range of an enroute transmitter but a lot of Aero AM frequencies are simplex at local airports & so unless you are within range you are not going to hear much.
In Australia even Aero is going in part digital we are in the early stages of implementing OneNet which see' s pilots receive take off & Landing clearance electronically like wise enroute weather is all done by Acars or CPDLC & yes I know you can receive Acars but that's a hole another discussion.
Then there's Pocsag but again this is vanishing at a very rapid rate as technology evolves.
Basically both the Net & technology including mobile phines have all but just about killed scanning.
And so to end is scanning dieing, yep it sure is, I think ( In Australia) it will continue but only with the truley dedicated & only in a very tiny percentage of people for which I am one & that's only because I am an amateur & have other communications interests like SW, MW & utility listening & DXing & the net & other costs as some of your other videos have shown in the past is even slowly killing that with tye mass shut down of MW & SW stations either for good or going internet only.
Thanks & keep up the great work.
Look forward to maybe catching you on the Air one day.
Rgs
Wayne VK3ECS.
Isn't the quansheng uv5 the better choice due to mods with 18 to 1300mhz coverage incl a rough kind of ssb and all for 15-20quid...
Excellent video, scanning is a brilliant hobby. The Uniden 125 is an excellent bit of kit with either a high gain whip antenna or the Moonraker scanner antenna with four different antennas to cover a wide spectrum.
It was a great hobby in the 80s and 90s, now all people hear is aircraft, marine, amateur and PMR. There is nothing else and they all get boring. Don't waste your time and money.
Mobile phones killed off PMR companies in 1994, shared repeater use vanished. Low cost radios for shop security are mostly digital now. Why would you want to hear aircraft or marine!
Everything else of interest is digital and encrypted so you will never hear it.
@@Bond2025 yeah I had a few scanners and CB radios in the 80s/90s and just stumbled on this video. Can’t imagine how boring this must be now, although the tech is “better” the adoption is not!
I have had scanners here in the US since the 1970's, when scanne🎉rs were limited with crystals or early programming. Five years ago I had the expensive Uniden SDS 100 scanner, which while quite versatile I have sold. Now at home I have a Uniden Bearcat base scanner, the Tracker 885, which covers digital frequencies, though not encrypted, and CB AM, with US NOAA Weather frequencies. I receive Police, Fire, EMS and DOT. It cost US 400.00 and has an SD Card to update it
with an app on the PC. 73 de W2CH Ray New Hampshire.
I think most police radios are encrypted.
@@filippocorti6760 Yes, that is often true today. However, I still hear some police departments on my scanner.
Still using my yupiteru 7100, sadly not much to hear where I am but I'm lucky enough to hear a few zello live streams such as most CG channels and airport workers, plus obviously the towers etc.
Thanks RM. Just another Great Video full of Great ideas and Radios. Take Care and Radio On****P.S. I just got a Baofeng UV 17r, What a Great Little Radio. ******
I have the BC 125 scanner. it works very good. used it years now. I did find some better AA battery's. made in Japan NiMH 2500 and 3000 MAH . they do run longer but had to change settings in the scanner to charge longer. using the Moonraker MRW-125 antenna works very well. I have the Talkpod A36 as well. that has a extended battery for that. runs all day and most of the night. I have the US GMRS version and it still receives all over. even air band. I put the Nagoya NA-771 antenna on it and works better than stock antenna. also the Talkpod A36 has something like close call . had to set it from chirp to change top red button to turn that on. it works. even the PL tone comes up. I live but a 1.25 meter ham repeater and the A36 received it just fine. I un locked my A36 and it transmits all over except air band. now I have to get the tri-band antenna so I can use the 1.25 meter transmit in the US we have that ham band. you may need to up date firmware on Talkpod to get that feature. mine came with the new firmware. video's on you tube on this. great video. still lots to listen to. 73's
The 125xlt will give massively improved listening time with 2800mAh batteries.
Here in Florida, a lot of analog radio has gone digital. Not much to listen to except weather or air band sadly.
Yep and encrypted
I like Uniden's Close Call feature it's really handy.
I had a Realistic hand held ( Tandy ) one around the early 90s and mostly listened to the Police . Some of the call outs were crazy.
so you understand why cops moved to secure VHF :)
@@bielanski2493 You could also find them on a FM radio at one point . Yes they had to go secure for many reasons .
I still do using a trunked ratio system. It's fun and should remain public.
@@bielanski2493 Yes, to protect their corruption. There are few reasons to encrypt call traffic, criminals still know what channels you use if they want to locate you by strength, and there are special tactical channels which are encrypted if actual security is needed.
Ah, I recall those days . . . And my coveted mimeographed 10- Code list. (Grin)
Hey could you put links to the products please thanks love ur channel my late father was into this stuff trying to learn
Interesting, informative & education as always Lewis. Many thanks for your time & trouble producing these video's.
really enjoyed your video on scanning
I have an ICOM R20 which I bought from UK more than 10 years ago. Also I have the exact discone antenna shown at the beginning of the video, you can assemble and dissemble it very easy, also bought from UK. IC-R20 is quite old nowadays, it does not support digital modes.
Would you not opt for an AOR 8200 mk3 second hand? I know they break the £150 of the Uniden, but they've been the analogue king for the 2 decades i've been scanning. I also have the ICOM ic-r20 too. I've had that for nearly 20 years. Also a top notch unit.
A key difference between these two units is that the Anysecu transmits, and the Uniden does not. I'd like to hear more about the specs and quality of the transmit function. (I'm in the US, and I'm thinking about getting a GMRS or similar license. I do NOT intend to transmit without a license, on any frequencies where one is required.)
Haha I've still got a president Lincoln. I loved it when I was busy on the "11 meter"
You reading my mind? I was looking for some frequencies to put in my fathers radio.
I obviously don't know anything about how radio licenses work in the UK, but at least in the US you don't need a license for FRS in the UHF band or MURS (Multi Use Radio Service) which is a 5-channel VHF band.
UK has 1/2 watt UHF PMR (446Mhz) which is license free & their equivalent of U.S. FRS
7:41 Very true on the GMRS Lewis, but I don’t think the frequencies are correct because FRS/GMRS starts in 462MHz.
I know that people often buy Baofengs or Retevis radios and knowingly use FRS/GMRS because they know it’ll be quieter than 446, or more innocently buy a set of Walkie talkies on an American cruise to use at sea. It’s a complete lack of education on their part when they bring them home and use them when camping.
I’ve been listening on these GMRS freqs for a while, and have heard a fair bit of chatter. Not too big of a deal on low power, but it’s widely acknowledged among hobbyists that the Fire Service still have the Analogue allocation, and that FRS/GMRS channel 2 (462.5875) overlaps a portable fire service site repeater, and channel 4 (462.6375) overlaps a fixed site repeater. I’m not sure if those knowingly using FRS on programmable radios have the ‘honour among thieves’ to leave these frequencies alone, but I doubt it.
Best thing to do for anything you don’t have a licence for is disable TX, or set the duplex to ‘off’ to avoid any accidental PTT.
another top video, thanks! BTW, having KG tone on this computer, i can say that the guys talking at the 12:45 minute mark, are using 250.3Hz tone🙂
UnidenUBC125XLT chews through battery life which if you want to leave it running in the background during your day makes it unsuitable for its task. So only really useful for short durations.
It also struggles to bring in weak signals on uhf even with a better antenna.
Saving up for a whistler.
Good video. Cheers!
What about SDR setups as a scanner?
Surprised not to see any talk of SDR dongles. They are super cheap and really powerful listening tools. Plus you get the added benefit of a waterfall display to see where people are talking.
Because the videos comparing cheap handhelds to scanners.
Not SDR’s
@@RingwayManchester Fair enough, my brain went immediately to budget ways to get in to scanning lol Great video as always!
I want to get into scanning as it's an itch I've always wanted to scratch, so I bought an SDR dongle - although I'm not very I.T. literate. Nothing! So I bought another, different make because I thought I had bought a couple of duff dongles but it's obviously something that I'm doing (or not doing)? Anyway, I've decided to opt for the 125XLT because it's something I can 'see' and hold!
452.425 used to be my local constabulary back in the day
I got the uniden 3600xlt for Christmas and love it.
Thanks Lewis, I really love watching your videos. I'm from australia where scanning isnt illegal and I have gotten into arguments with people that say it is, I have an email from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) which says in detail that scanning in Australia is legal. Here in NSW I can scan the PSN, Public Safety Network, a P25 Phase 2 Trunked System. Which has NSW Ambulance, NSW SES, Rural Fire Service and NSW Fire and Rescue, which makes for good listening, however police are encrypted. Another thing is I live on the border of Victoria which means I can also scan the Victorian Regional Mobile Radio Network (RMR), which has VIC SES, VIC CFA etc. Which is also fun to listen too. Ambulance in rural victoria called RAVNET, still seem to be analog. I'm proud to live in a country where scanning is legal. I use a uniden ubcd436-pt for scanning trunked and have a host of amateur radios I use everyday for, ofc, amateur use. Keep up the good work.
I've considered purchasing that Uniden scanner although it's quite pricey. I end up listening to FRV on broadcastify online.
@@calibre_au6183 it is a great scanner. When I'm in Melbourne I listen to SES - Metro and FRV on the MMR.
i had the uv k5 then went uvk5 8 ,,,,, nothing to listen to so went to a uv5rH alot better ,,,,,,,, but nothing but pmr446 and local tip to listen to round here,, think my next radio will be the Baofeng DM 1702 see if there is anything on DMR
I still have several scanners around. Most analog but a couple "digital". The best one scans trbo, lnr and a few others older modes. It trunks as well. I never figured out the trunking mainly because I have nothing around to listen to that's worth setting it up. After all the emergency services went to p25 here I don't use them except rarely when I find one and say, oh yeah my scanner. Still plenty of signals around that are analog but nothing I really care to hear.
Which one would you suggest to listen in on the fire emergency and police in the United States in pennsylvania?
Are there any small indoor antennas that would cover all these ranges?I live in a flat and tend to search the SW bands late at night when I'm in bed.I've no real experience other than hanging a wire across the room and wrapping one end round fitted aerial thats on the set.
Moonraker Skyscan MKII is a decent indoor aerial that covers most of VHF/UHF. It has a magmount so can be used mobile static as well.
I'm tossing up between this chinese unit and the Talkpod..
Are these lists available in a spreadsheet or csv somewhere?
The Icom IC-R6 is only $50 more than the Uniden. Once you decide spend $150USD for the Uniden you might as well spend $200USD for the Icom which is a wideband receiver. It goes from 100khz to 1300+Mhz! It really makes the Uniden pointless. The Icom is smaller, faster, receives FAR MORE bands, and what is 50 bucks when you are already paying 150?
Quansheng UVK5 with egzumer have pretty fast Channel scanning, maybe about 10-12 ch/sec
Does the Anysecu support USB-C Power Delivery (PD)? Meaning, can you use a USB-C power supply from a MacBook or similar device that supports fast charging.
Many budget devices do not support PD because the manufacturer does not provide a terminating resistor which signals the PD charger to provide normal 5 Volts supply. Instead, the charger provide no voltage at all.
I'll keep the old aor 8600 then nice one lewis
I've just purchased the unidentified can you recommend a decent arieal thanks
Get a Quansheng UV-K6, flash with the latest Egzumer firmware, and you'll have a radio capable of receiving from HF to high UHF, with AM, USB, FM and WFM, dirt cheap too. The only limitation is the number of channels it can keep.
hi can you use an sdr and what would recommend
What was the make of that mobile antenna? Crzy kool
Ive got back into scanning through your channel... thank you.
Alright mate, hope you had a fab crimbo? Brill video as ever. Just picking your brains.... I've got a 125xlt which is my go to but wanted to pick up an anysecu after watching this as an addition. Cant find anywhere in the UK selling them?? Where did you pick yours up?? Cheers, Chris 👍🏻
Honestly a Portapack or other SDR+computer/phone solution makes the best portable scanner today. The analog-only stuff is fun but already very dated. At least you can use your phone or pc to decode digital from analog audio, but at that point why not integrate them to allow better snr and datarate?
I bought an mduv380 and put opengd77 on it works very well as a scanner decoding dmr .
Can’t really drag a SDR, antenna and a laptop round the garden with you all day now can you
Hi what steps do you put on when you want to listen to airband i have mine on 6.25k its comming in very bad and sound out of tune i am trying out the radtel RT-780 cheers good video
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:01 📻 *Introduction to Radio Scanning and Equipment Options*
- Overview of budget-friendly options for VHF and UHF scanning.
- Recommendations for affordable scanning equipment.
- Discussion about the Uniden 125 and alternative budget radios.
01:24 🌟 *Features of Anku UV A37 Radio*
- Introduction to the Anku UV A37 as a budget-friendly scanner alternative.
- Key features and specifications of the Anku UV A37.
- Comparison with traditional scanners like Uniden 125.
03:01 🔋 *Comparing Battery Life and Channel Capacity*
- Comparison of battery life between Uniden and Anku radios.
- Analysis of channel capacity and scan speed of both devices.
- Discussion of coverage and frequency range.
05:05 📡 *Active Spectrum Frequencies and Usage*
- Overview of active portions of the radio spectrum.
- Guidance on finding activity using budget radios.
- Explanation of commonly known and published analog frequencies.
08:02 🚒 *Fire Ground and Marine Band Frequencies*
- Details on fire ground and marine band frequencies.
- Discussion on the legality and licensing requirements for transmission.
- Description of specific frequency ranges for emergency services.
11:10 🗣️ *PMR 446 and Other Communication Frequencies*
- Explanation of PMR 446 and its usage.
- Insights into various communication frequencies and their users.
- Discussion on the nature of these allocations and typical users.
13:46 🏗️ *Supplier Light Allocation and Special Event Frequencies*
- Introduction to the supplier light allocation for radio use.
- Overview of frequencies used by television companies and event organizers.
- Final thoughts on using budget radios for scanning.
Made with HARPA AI
Great video as ever, but how you don't get naffed off by some of the idiotic comments is beyond me.
What about SDR ? How do they compare to purpose build scanners ?
sdr's are good, but limited to being a base system, with a handheld scanner you can take it out and about to air shows or big shopping parks and listen in..
@@AndrewSvonja There is SDR Software for Android.
Does the IC-705 give a wide receive coverage to pickup all these bands?
Wish we had PMR in the US.
Hey people, is there a 'standard' solution to looped recording of rhe audio? So that if i hear something i want to keep i can press a button and capture the last minutes?
The Anysecu is not available in the UK.
Are these frequency lists available as a PDF?
Hi does the Anysecu UV-A37 have an AM detector for Airband, how would you rate it on Airband e.g does it distort on strong signal etc ? best regards Alan
Hi there any think I can listen to an or digital 860to 956mhz just brought my first scanner thanks😂 Emma
Would love to hear your recommendations on a beginner’s radio for someone starting the hobby !
If you're not transmitting and on a budget, there are a myriad of options in the $20-$30 range to be had. The cheapest popular option might be the BaoFeng UV-5R but beware there are a great number of very similar and sometimes performance-wise very dissimilar radios all called BaoFeng UV-5R. Buy from a shop with customer reviews. Seems the largest issue with these is some of them have monster amounts of harmonics on Xmit and are quite dirty. Lots of design revisions result in lots of different performance levels out there under the same name, but they're still worth every penny for a cheap receiver if you ask me. Ditch the stock antenna and upgrade that part to boost the performance.
Don't bother, you are 30 years too late! There is nothing interesting to listen to, only aircraft, marine, amateur and the odd shop security radio if not DMR.
Absolute waste of money now. There are NO secret frequencies!
These days you'll get static and not much else, don't bother.
our police etc are still in the clear up in FNQ - I brought 6 x UV k5 8's did the mod - they are perfect for the price.....
Is there any software for the Uniden 125 compatible with Mac?
That is what I used to use with nato2000 Turner Expander zetagi b300p
I didn't realise there was a UHF marine band. no wonder you've never heard anything, all the ships only have VHF radios!
In the Netherlands, scanner listening is as good as dead. There is very little to hear :-( It is all digital now days, even the shops in the area.
Used to listen to a lot back in the 80's and 90's and it was great fun, but pretty boring these days.
I have lived in Devon on the coast for the past 20 years after moving from West London absolutely fock all down here to listen to unless you have a huge external Ariel.@@darthgardner
For a cheap ($20-25) "scanner" I cannot recommend enough a modded quangsheng uvk5/6, 5r, 5(8) (they're all the same) running a custom firmware
7:00 is that building in Swinton (Salford)?
If not there’s one that looks nearly the same.
Well spotted
You know my uncles tv useto be able to pick up a cellphone tower signals on a tv channle there was video brotcasting of a local channle and the audio of the celluar tower. Any ideas how a tv arial could accidentaly tune in to a celluar tower?
What is the Base/Mobile version of that specific uniden scanner?
Is this similar to the quansheng uv-k5?
With mods, the Quansheng outperforms the Anysecu/Talkpod featured here. Have personally tested both on AM and UHF/VHF.
@@tee_m is this the GitHub mods?
@@tee_m I have the UV5 running the IVJ 2.6 (India Juliet Victor) firmware, with a SMA to BNC converter to attach a Yaesu airband rubber duck antenna. The AIrband reception is now massively improved.
@@roberthilton2824 hear really good stuff about IJV, must give it a go some time. Been using egzumer.
@andyf104 uses the same fix I think, so quality should be identical.
Think I’ll stick with my Realistic Pro-26
Isn't scanning illegal in the UK?
Of course
Buy 2800h rechargeable batteries what i use in my unhiden radio
So can you actually build a radio?
No links to the radios?
Google
@@RingwayManchester that's a great answer for someone who can actually see what you're saying. However, I am unable to see in a link would be helpful
can i ask what is the best coax cable for home scanners .. rg213 , lmr 240 ish
Doesn't matter that much as you will not hear anything of interest. RG213 is fine as an aerial high up without obstruction is more important. You need to consider what you will be listening to and make sure the aerial covers the frequencies.
@DDR2024 I've got scanking 2000 . Connected to uniden 370 clt . Thanks . Aircraft .marine mil hams So forth . My coax cheap crap so needs upgrade
Buy your boafeng , unlock it and listen to what you want. problem solved. They can not tell what you listen to on the open waves. You only have to watch what you transmit on.
Got any good frequencies to listen too?
@@silverandblackentertainment depends on where you live. Go to Radio Reference you area's frequencies are listed.
whats that antenna on top of that car?
Discone broadband antenna.
Uniden at ~3:17: uses NiMH not NiCad batteries.
You didn't link the program makers video Lewis!
I did Ralph at the end screen :) I’ll put it in the description
@@RingwayManchester Thanks Lewis!
Happy Christmas Lewis. Great video. Didn't realise there was still a far bit to listen to. I have an old GRE PSR - 275 I bought from Maplin on the A6 many years ago. The slides you had on the screen are they available online?
73