Thanks to Matt Harvey who has posted the following regarding his current airband equipment:
Hi, I have the following airband radios.
Top 3 are1960's Nova Tech Pilot II - analogue, great squelch control and lovely audio.1990's Radio Shack Pro-2036 (made by Uniden), very sensitive, fast scan and good clear audio. Connected to Howes Active Aerial.1990's Yupiteru MVT-7100, very sensitive, audio is not bad. Let down by internal noise appearing in129 - 131MHz range,this makes any stations in this range hard to hear clearly. All the Yupiteru models I've tried seem to have this weakness.Bottom of my list are :1990's Win 108 it is quite hissy once the squelch is open, it gets tedious listening on this set.2006 Uniden UBC 92 XLT I find the squelch is too coarse. The audio is very noisy, similar to the Win 108. Audio power output is too low and cannot drive external speakers very well. I think it would have been better if it had been designed with 4 AA's instead of 2 to provide more useable power.For the future I'm thinking of the Uniden BCT15 which they don't seem to have any EU release plans for.I also need to get my 1960's Shorrock and Gauer's sets working again.Should also mention the best advance I have is not another scanner but my Kinetic SBS-1 Virtual Radar. It has transformed my aviation hobby....Hope this is of interest. Matt.
Thanks for that Matt! always good to hear from readers, I certainly remember having a WIN 108 myself many years ago and more recently, a Yupi 7100. I haven't heard of the Nova Tech Pilot 11? maybe we could coerce you into sending a picture I could post here?
I'm definately interested in knowing more about your SBS-1. I have looked at the maunufacturers website a number of times but not committed to purchasing one yet.
Regards, Mark.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Readers Airband Radios
It would be nice to hear from any readers willing to post about what radio scanner you use and with what antenna etc? My own personal setup as you have probably gathered is a Uniden 3500XLT linked to about 4 metres of coax just running to a telescopic antenna strategically positioned in a certain window where reception is best. Interestingly what has improved reception greatly was the addition of a 'ground plane' piece of wire running vertically downward from the antenna (approx 22" in length) - the addition of this ground plane has had a marked effect on radio reception. Many ground station previously unheard are now coming through loud and clear!
By the way thanks to Nick B. for stopping by the site and leaving a comment.
That's all for now, Mark.
Check Out The Amazon Aviation Bookstore Here!
By the way thanks to Nick B. for stopping by the site and leaving a comment.
That's all for now, Mark.
Check Out The Amazon Aviation Bookstore Here!
Monday, January 22, 2007
The Uniden Debate!
Rob has posted the following comment:
"Sole 3500 importer? I wish! Any comments comparisons yet? I've kept my 330T, but then again my interests are not solely airband."
Seems like you have got yourself another 330T Rob! After having both scanners side by side for several days there is definately a marked improvement in sensitivity on the 3500XLT. I'll give you an example: I'm approx 15nm as the crow flies from East Midlands Airport, if I tuned to the ground frequency (121.9) with the 330T, I could only just pick up the ground controller with the squelch open. On the 3500XLT, the controller is loud and clear and coming through the squelch. Not only that but i am picking up some aircraft requesting pushback and start on the ramp! That's just one example, there are many others where the signal is stronger or a station previously not heard at all is now clearly audible. The example I gave has not been as good since I owned a Yupteru MVT7100 - generally considered to be extremely sensitive, so yes, a marked improvement over the 330T and worth the upgrade in my opinion.
Off topic now, I was listening to London Miliatry this afternoon on 252.875 and a an aircraft callsign: 'typhoon 1' came over the scanner, he seemed very loud and clear so I looked out my window and immediately saw his contrail at 36,000ft heading west, just north of Leicester across the normal flow of northbound commercial traffic, seems he was on his way to fly an approach at Valley then return to Coningsby at 40,000ft. Military 'crossers' are rare over Leicester but not unheard of, most traffic uses the 'Lichfield Corridor' further north over East Midland Airport. Occasionaly there are also c130's, royal flight aircraft and nimrods heading north in the normal commercial corridor northbound. Cheers for now, Mark.
"Sole 3500 importer? I wish! Any comments comparisons yet? I've kept my 330T, but then again my interests are not solely airband."
Seems like you have got yourself another 330T Rob! After having both scanners side by side for several days there is definately a marked improvement in sensitivity on the 3500XLT. I'll give you an example: I'm approx 15nm as the crow flies from East Midlands Airport, if I tuned to the ground frequency (121.9) with the 330T, I could only just pick up the ground controller with the squelch open. On the 3500XLT, the controller is loud and clear and coming through the squelch. Not only that but i am picking up some aircraft requesting pushback and start on the ramp! That's just one example, there are many others where the signal is stronger or a station previously not heard at all is now clearly audible. The example I gave has not been as good since I owned a Yupteru MVT7100 - generally considered to be extremely sensitive, so yes, a marked improvement over the 330T and worth the upgrade in my opinion.
Off topic now, I was listening to London Miliatry this afternoon on 252.875 and a an aircraft callsign: 'typhoon 1' came over the scanner, he seemed very loud and clear so I looked out my window and immediately saw his contrail at 36,000ft heading west, just north of Leicester across the normal flow of northbound commercial traffic, seems he was on his way to fly an approach at Valley then return to Coningsby at 40,000ft. Military 'crossers' are rare over Leicester but not unheard of, most traffic uses the 'Lichfield Corridor' further north over East Midland Airport. Occasionaly there are also c130's, royal flight aircraft and nimrods heading north in the normal commercial corridor northbound. Cheers for now, Mark.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Uniden BR330T
Yes, ok ok I admit it. The keen eyed Robert Davies has spotted my Uniden BR330T up for grabs on Ebay. It really is a great scanner but I'm keen to put the UBC3500XLT along side it briefly (should arrive today) to test out Rob's theory that it is slightly better on VHF/UHF air. Unlike some of you scanner boys (is Rob reading this?) I can't afford to build up a collection of radios. If I want to try a new one it generally involves flogging my existing one to offset the cost as I have a mortgage, wife, two kids, a dog and a hamster to feed ( imagine the violins in the background about now). Anyway you can await my findings on the 'BR330T vs UBC3500XLT'. Maybe it's all a load of rubbish, just maybe, Rob is the sole importer for the UBC3500XLT (the plot thickens). Who knows!
BTW - Graham Duke, are you still out there? Graham has made some great contributions to the site, unfortunately I had serious problems cutting and pasting the last info he sent me on UK airspace changes for some reason? Anyway if your there Graham, please do get in touch.
All the best for now - Mark.
BTW - Graham Duke, are you still out there? Graham has made some great contributions to the site, unfortunately I had serious problems cutting and pasting the last info he sent me on UK airspace changes for some reason? Anyway if your there Graham, please do get in touch.
All the best for now - Mark.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Uniden BR330T vs Uniden 3500XLT (part 2!)
From Rob Davies:
Hello Mark (and everyone else!) If you own a 330T is it worth getting a 3500? From a civ air point of view, the performance variations between the two scanners are at their smallest in this part of the radio band. e.g. If a signal comes in scratchy with one flickering bar on the sig meter on the 330T, the same signal on the 3500 will be solid one bar with a possible flicker into two bars. The listening comparisons also bear this out. The further you move away from vhf air (in either direction) the performance variations can be as much as two solid bars on the sig meter in favour of the 3500 (The difference between unreadable and loud and clear in some cases..) The 3500 has three different selectable bandplans (3 being the most uk centric) It also has Close Call Do Not Disturb - no more dropouts in audio every two-ish seconds with CC DND enabled - downside = CC DND only works when you are not actively receiving a transmission - whereupon if that's an issue revert to the CC Pri mode which is the same as the 330T's sole CC mode. There are more gaps in the 3500's coverage, but I haven't found them yet from a monitoring point of view. If you *don't* already own a 330T buy a 3500 immediately, it's an ABSOLUTE bargain for the price v features - Since the 3500 arrived I haven't used my AOR AR8200MkIII (which is 2.5 times the price of the 3500) Only buy an 8200 if you need the frequency extremes that it covers - The 3500 is better for all the rest. If you *do* already own a 330T find a fellow local enthusiast to compare the 330T against their 3500... or maybe not... it may just be expensive. Just my personal findings and opinions.... Your mileage may vary.... Don't run with scissors... etc etc etc In my case having bought the 3500 I don't regret having done so :-) btw... Alternative review of the 3500 here: http://www.ukmidlandscanner.co.uk/uni3500.htm btw again as I write this the best 3500 price seems to be with Nevada on ebay @ 150ukp with *free* p&p - other vendors charge the same basic price plus 6 or 7 quid p&p. -Rob
Thanks Rob, I will certainly give the 3500 some thought. I do think considering the cost and the features available for airband listeners, it's got to be the best value for money scanner available at the moment. My 'benchmark' scanner has always been the Yupiteru MVT7100 in terms of sensitivity, and I think the Unidens are equal to it but with a lot more features.
Going off-topic now, I turned on the scanner a few nights ago and immediately intercepted a 'pan pan pan' call from an RAF C130 working London (Swanwick) military on UHF - seems he had lost one engine and required a direct routing into Lyneham. being in Leicester, I lost him as he descended towards Lyneham, anybody else catch this? Anyway, cheers for now and do please hit the comments button if you have anything to contribute. Mark.
Hello Mark (and everyone else!) If you own a 330T is it worth getting a 3500? From a civ air point of view, the performance variations between the two scanners are at their smallest in this part of the radio band. e.g. If a signal comes in scratchy with one flickering bar on the sig meter on the 330T, the same signal on the 3500 will be solid one bar with a possible flicker into two bars. The listening comparisons also bear this out. The further you move away from vhf air (in either direction) the performance variations can be as much as two solid bars on the sig meter in favour of the 3500 (The difference between unreadable and loud and clear in some cases..) The 3500 has three different selectable bandplans (3 being the most uk centric) It also has Close Call Do Not Disturb - no more dropouts in audio every two-ish seconds with CC DND enabled - downside = CC DND only works when you are not actively receiving a transmission - whereupon if that's an issue revert to the CC Pri mode which is the same as the 330T's sole CC mode. There are more gaps in the 3500's coverage, but I haven't found them yet from a monitoring point of view. If you *don't* already own a 330T buy a 3500 immediately, it's an ABSOLUTE bargain for the price v features - Since the 3500 arrived I haven't used my AOR AR8200MkIII (which is 2.5 times the price of the 3500) Only buy an 8200 if you need the frequency extremes that it covers - The 3500 is better for all the rest. If you *do* already own a 330T find a fellow local enthusiast to compare the 330T against their 3500... or maybe not... it may just be expensive. Just my personal findings and opinions.... Your mileage may vary.... Don't run with scissors... etc etc etc In my case having bought the 3500 I don't regret having done so :-) btw... Alternative review of the 3500 here: http://www.ukmidlandscanner.co.uk/uni3500.htm btw again as I write this the best 3500 price seems to be with Nevada on ebay @ 150ukp with *free* p&p - other vendors charge the same basic price plus 6 or 7 quid p&p. -Rob
Thanks Rob, I will certainly give the 3500 some thought. I do think considering the cost and the features available for airband listeners, it's got to be the best value for money scanner available at the moment. My 'benchmark' scanner has always been the Yupiteru MVT7100 in terms of sensitivity, and I think the Unidens are equal to it but with a lot more features.
Going off-topic now, I turned on the scanner a few nights ago and immediately intercepted a 'pan pan pan' call from an RAF C130 working London (Swanwick) military on UHF - seems he had lost one engine and required a direct routing into Lyneham. being in Leicester, I lost him as he descended towards Lyneham, anybody else catch this? Anyway, cheers for now and do please hit the comments button if you have anything to contribute. Mark.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Uniden BR330T vs UBC3500XLT
Robert Davies has posted the following comment:
'Well..... I have since bought a Uniden UBC3500XLT (rearrange the following words into a common phrase or saying "money" "than" "sense" "more"). It's even better than the BR330T, initial tests suggest from this location that it is more sensitive on vhf and uhf air than the BR330T, and I always thought *that* was pretty handy ;-) -Rob'
That's interesting Rob, you would think it would essentially have the same 'internals'. I presume your testing them both alongside each other on the same antenna setup etc.
I'd be interested to know if you think the performance increase is worth buying a UBC3500XLT even if like ourselves you already have a BR330T?
'Well..... I have since bought a Uniden UBC3500XLT (rearrange the following words into a common phrase or saying "money" "than" "sense" "more"). It's even better than the BR330T, initial tests suggest from this location that it is more sensitive on vhf and uhf air than the BR330T, and I always thought *that* was pretty handy ;-) -Rob'
That's interesting Rob, you would think it would essentially have the same 'internals'. I presume your testing them both alongside each other on the same antenna setup etc.
I'd be interested to know if you think the performance increase is worth buying a UBC3500XLT even if like ourselves you already have a BR330T?
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Re: Airband Recommendations
Robert Davies has contributed the following:
'Uniden BR330T 'nuff said. I've had mine a couple of months now and rate it very highly for all civ air and mil air. The supplied antenna is excellent for 'on site' monitoring, but I would recommend an upgrade for remote use - tho' that recommendation would stand for *any* handheld scanner. There is a Yahoo! group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Uniden-Close-Call-Euro/ which details using this scanner in a UK/European context. I paid 160ukp delivered for mine btw. Do a search on ebay for BR330T. -Rob '
Thanks Rob - my scanner also! I understand from a previous reader the European version is being released shortly as the Uniden UBC 3500XLT I think. Mark.
'Uniden BR330T 'nuff said. I've had mine a couple of months now and rate it very highly for all civ air and mil air. The supplied antenna is excellent for 'on site' monitoring, but I would recommend an upgrade for remote use - tho' that recommendation would stand for *any* handheld scanner. There is a Yahoo! group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Uniden-Close-Call-Euro/ which details using this scanner in a UK/European context. I paid 160ukp delivered for mine btw. Do a search on ebay for BR330T. -Rob '
Thanks Rob - my scanner also! I understand from a previous reader the European version is being released shortly as the Uniden UBC 3500XLT I think. Mark.
Airband Radio Recommendation Required
A reader has posted the following:
'I am in the market for an airband scanner. Requirements are; Hand held model. Good reception. Replaceable batteries i.e. not rechargeable battery pack.8.33 MHz steps.VHF, UHF and HF with no gaps. Cost irrelevant.Which would you recommend ??'
If you would like to contribute a recommendation, please hit the comments button, thanks. Mark.
'I am in the market for an airband scanner. Requirements are; Hand held model. Good reception. Replaceable batteries i.e. not rechargeable battery pack.8.33 MHz steps.VHF, UHF and HF with no gaps. Cost irrelevant.Which would you recommend ??'
If you would like to contribute a recommendation, please hit the comments button, thanks. Mark.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Yupiteru & Maycom Airband Info...
The following information has ben kindly submitted by Jonathan:
Browsing around this evening I've stumbled across this thread. Hope you don't object to the input.
Certainly the MVT-8000 operates similar to the previous MVT-6000, not identical but as with most of the Yupiteru models they all follow a similar "logic".One of the worst features of the earlier MVT-'s was the fact that the preprogrammed (Japanese) search limits were given various titles that cluttered the keypad area - once the user set there own limits these titles were irrelevant anyway !
I wrote several "English" manuals for the Yupiteru range and whilst my original printed copies have mostly gone I can provide A4 photocopies of my MVT-7000, MVT-7100, MVT-7200, MVT-8000, VT-125MkII & VT-225 manuals should anybody be on the lookout in the future for a nominal charge to cover copy charges, postage and small profit towards a few pints.Browsing around this evening I've stumbled across this thread. Hope you don't object to the input.Certainly the MVT-8000 operates similar to the previous MVT-6000, not identical but as with most of the Yupiteru models they all follow a similar "logic".One of the worst features of the earlier MVT-'s was the fact that the preprogrammed (Japanese) search limits were given various titles that cluttered the keypad area - once the user set there own limits these titles were irrelevant anyway ! I wrote several "English" manuals for the Yupiteru range and whilst my original printed copies have mostly gone I can provide A4 photocopies of my MVT-7000, MVT-7100, MVT-7200, MVT-8000, VT-125MkII & VT-225 manuals should anybody be on the lookout in the future for a nominal charge to cover copy charges, postage and small profit towards a few pints.
My advice would be forget the Maycom. Reception performance aside and unless things have changed since the last batch we received it has one major flaw in so much as when scanning it will remain on the frequency for the duration of the transmission or that set by the user in the "delay" setting. Not ideal really.I'd suggest you go with something like the UBC-72XLT or for a little less money the UBC-30XLT. The latter lacks a conventional keypad and DC input.
regards
Jonathan
info@javiation.co.uk
http://www.javiation.co.uk
Thanks for those comments Jonathan, please do stop by again and feel free to comment. Regards, Mark.
Browsing around this evening I've stumbled across this thread. Hope you don't object to the input.
Certainly the MVT-8000 operates similar to the previous MVT-6000, not identical but as with most of the Yupiteru models they all follow a similar "logic".One of the worst features of the earlier MVT-'s was the fact that the preprogrammed (Japanese) search limits were given various titles that cluttered the keypad area - once the user set there own limits these titles were irrelevant anyway !
I wrote several "English" manuals for the Yupiteru range and whilst my original printed copies have mostly gone I can provide A4 photocopies of my MVT-7000, MVT-7100, MVT-7200, MVT-8000, VT-125MkII & VT-225 manuals should anybody be on the lookout in the future for a nominal charge to cover copy charges, postage and small profit towards a few pints.Browsing around this evening I've stumbled across this thread. Hope you don't object to the input.Certainly the MVT-8000 operates similar to the previous MVT-6000, not identical but as with most of the Yupiteru models they all follow a similar "logic".One of the worst features of the earlier MVT-'s was the fact that the preprogrammed (Japanese) search limits were given various titles that cluttered the keypad area - once the user set there own limits these titles were irrelevant anyway ! I wrote several "English" manuals for the Yupiteru range and whilst my original printed copies have mostly gone I can provide A4 photocopies of my MVT-7000, MVT-7100, MVT-7200, MVT-8000, VT-125MkII & VT-225 manuals should anybody be on the lookout in the future for a nominal charge to cover copy charges, postage and small profit towards a few pints.
My advice would be forget the Maycom. Reception performance aside and unless things have changed since the last batch we received it has one major flaw in so much as when scanning it will remain on the frequency for the duration of the transmission or that set by the user in the "delay" setting. Not ideal really.I'd suggest you go with something like the UBC-72XLT or for a little less money the UBC-30XLT. The latter lacks a conventional keypad and DC input.
regards
Jonathan
info@javiation.co.uk
http://www.javiation.co.uk
Thanks for those comments Jonathan, please do stop by again and feel free to comment. Regards, Mark.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Airband Radio
Chris Thomas posted the following:
'Thanks for the replies chaps! I've found the Maycom one available for £59, but also spotted a Bearcat UBC 105XLT for just ten pounds more, and it had far more buttons so must be better! ;) Does anyone have any arguments for or against these two? Would one be better over the other?'
If you have anything to add please hit the comment link below this post, thanks. Mark
'Thanks for the replies chaps! I've found the Maycom one available for £59, but also spotted a Bearcat UBC 105XLT for just ten pounds more, and it had far more buttons so must be better! ;) Does anyone have any arguments for or against these two? Would one be better over the other?'
If you have anything to add please hit the comment link below this post, thanks. Mark
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