scanner

[carknocker51]

I've got a May rail trip coming up & I was wondering about getting & using a scanner...What type is best?[for the money]...are they legal?I heard you can't have one in your car?where do I find a decent one for the money...I'm thinking it would be nice to have as the train move's along.Are they easy to use & where do I find the right channels?

 

[tp49]

I'm sure others will chime in on this too...

For your needs a handheld would probably be the best for you you can go with a Uniden or with one from Radio Shack. Radio Shack seems to have a better selection of handhelds to fit most price ranges so you should look there first.

If your scanning interest is strictly railroad I would recommend getting a scanner with a minimum of 100 channels so that you can program all 100 AAR frequencies into it. However, if you don;t mind doing some programming on the fly any number of channels will probably serve the purpose.

For frequencies relating to your trip this is the best resource for those from OTOL and can be found here.

As for legality in New York State it is illegal to have a scanner operating in your vehicle without the permission of the police commissinoer in the county in which you are in. Other states are different as California has no such restriction. However, if you use common sense you should be ok, and there is no restriction against using a scanner on the train itself. Some crews frown upon it but if you keep it hidden and use headphones you should have no problems.

 

[Viewliner]

What TP said is correct, I use a Radio Shack Scanner. If you have a sleeper, you don't need headphones in the room, as long as its not too loud, but otherwise (anywhere else on board) you'll need headphones. I personally program the frequencies to the same channels as the AAR, as its easier to do when looking on the sheets from OTOL. A good thing about getting one is you will know what's causing a delay (if any), as a fair amount of conductors don't really provide info on delays, although some do. I'd also reccomend rechargable batteries and an adapter for the outlets.

 

[carknocker51]

Radio Shack it is ; thanks for your help guys.

 

[Viewliner]

Radio Shack it is ; thanks for your help guys.

You're welcome, glad to help. Feel free to ask more questions if you have any.