[MilCom] New Scanner

[Ken]

IMHO any of the new 5000+  memory channel scanners are NOT very good for 
monitoring known/typical Military Aero, ATC, & base support frequencies; 
especially IF you like to follow the specific aircraft as it changes to 
various ATC freqs etc....
There's no way to easily go to a specific frequency that you have programmed 
in these new scanners.

With the older scanners with fixed memory if you forget the channel you have 
the frequency in, when you input the frequency via the keypad the radio 
scanner will beep and give you the channel to tune the radio to.

I do agree that the newer scanners allow you to program in ALL the military 
frequencies (ATC as well as potential other command/control, air/air etc), 
whether active or not in your particular geographic area.  Although with so 
many of these freqs programmed you might miss brief radio transmission 
activity anyways....

So if you like to explore & find new military/military aero frequencies, go 
with the new radio scanners BUT if you want to monitor the known, use one of 
the older radio scanners -- much easier to use with very little frustration. 
The new radios can be very frustrating to operate & you do need a computer 
programming package (software & cable) to program this equipment with the 
least amount of "technical pain" versus the older equipment.

Ken



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Larry Van Horn" <n5fpw at brmemc.net>
To: <milcom at mailman.qth.net>; "John Denney" <den8yzc at woh.rr.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2007 6:22 AM
Subject: Re: [MilCom] New Scanner
...snip..snip..
> IMHO -- There is just not enough memory slots to do a proper spectrum 
> survey if you are working your area milair spectrum for the "first time." 
> You have over 6200 possible frequencies in use in your area. And that is 
> just in the 225-400 MHz portion of the spectrum. That is before we add in 
> the 138-144/148-150.8 MHz aero freqs and, of course, the active civilian 
> air freqs that may have milair activity from time-to-time .But it does 
> work great as a second scanner in the shack loaded with known active 
> stuff, but getting to that point with this as your only milair rig can be 
> a chore.
//snip...snip.....