[Scan-DC] UHF Mil Question..

[ka3jjz at NETSCAPE.COM]

 These aren't stupid questions, but they are interesting...
 
--- dehmmy at gmail.com wrote:
Question 1:
  Is there any way for me to build a simple to moderately difficult
kit that will upconvert my VHF frequencies to UHF milband? OR, is it
more efficient/cost effective to  splurge on a UHF capable scanner as
I don't have a whole lot to spend. My feeling is the latter however I
would like to hear your input.
================================
 To be perfectly honest, I haven't seen any such kits in quite some time (that doesn't mean they don't exist, of course). I would check Hamtronics or Ramsey ... however, such kits are generally not for the beginner, and depending on how they're constructed, may need additional instruments for alignment and measurement purposes.
Therefore, yes, a dedicated UHF milair scanner is probably the best way to go.
================================
Question 2:

If I were to get a milcom capable scanner, what do you all recommend
as far as sensitivity and resistance to outside RFI etc etc.

I would also like to be able to receive APCO-25 as well living in DC
everything seems to be digital and such!
================================
A more difficult question, since you didn't mention a price range. P25 capable scanners are, unfortunately,
quite pricey - I'd wait for something to show up on the RadioReference boards, Strong Signals, ect. or perhaps await a clearance sale. I would certainly want to avoid a BC250D or BC785D as they will not be supported by Uniden when rebanding takes place.
Also neither the PRO96 nor the PRO2096 does well in the milair band, when opened up using the Win96 software. They simply weren't originally made to work in this band, so their sensitivity here is questionable at best. Some folks find it's acceptable, others not. 
The BC296 and BC796 are P25 and milair capable, however, as mentioned before they're pricey. If you find one at a reasonable price - maybe about USD400 or lower - it's worth taking a good hard look at it. Both seem to perform pretty well as milair scanners as well as P25 decoding.

I wouldn't recommend the BCD396, quite frankly, if you're new to scanning; I've seen a plethoria of folks who buy this scanner and get lost - and frustrated - very quickly. The way the scanner allocates channels out of a common pool (the so-called Dynamic Memory Architecture) is somewhat difficult to understand, and with all
the other bells and whistles, I have a feeling newcomers get overwhelmed.  Of course, it too is quite pricey. 

However, if you're willing to do without P25, the Military Monitoring Wiki at RadioReference (there's a link to it on our Intro page) has NUMEROUS scanners that can do the job. The PRO-2006 and Uniden BC780 are both very highly regarded as milair machines, and you can find these at a price much less than a new P25 scanner. The newer BC898 should also be a good milair scanner; however, I understand the owner's manual is horrific; it misses all sorts of details. There are many others; I'd use that Wiki as a starting point. There are reviews and user comments posted in each category. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the PRO-97 and the PRO-2055, as both seem to also be good milair machines, and they too cost a whole lot less than a P25 scanner.
 Keep in mind that GRE/Radio Shack scanners cannot be computer controlled; they support up/downloading only (the PRO-2052 is a Uniden product in GRE clothing, and is controllable. However, it cannot hear the 138-144 LMR band in AM mode without a modification, and you would miss a great deal of the ANG units if this were the way you went). AOR also produces scanners that are milair capable, but from everything I've read, aren't the best when thinking about spurs and overloading.  Icom radios tend to scan rather slowly, so that may also be a concern. Your best bet, clearly, is a Uniden product, or perhaps one of the PRO-20xx models equipped with an outboard circuit so they can be connected to a PC (such as a Opto456 board). 
 Lots to think about here.   73s Mike 

   
 

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