Railfan gear catalogue
A scanner is the railfan’s early warning: hear a dispatcher or a defect detector up the line and you know a train is coming before you see it. What makes one scanner better than another for this hobby comes down to a few specifications, and most of them are on the box.
Sorted by use, not ranked. We have not tested this equipment ourselves: verdicts come from the independent tests cited on each card, and no brand pays to be listed.
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Uniden · Premium
A rugged, water-resistant True I/Q handheld scanner that decodes P25 and trunked systems and also receives conventional analog channels.
Recommended by the radio community · RadioReference forums, Jun 2018
Photo: Anthonyramos1 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Uniden · Mid-range
A digital handheld scanner with a built-in database of U.S. and Canadian systems that also receives conventional analog channels, including the VHF bands.
Recommended by the radio community · RadioReference forums, May 2014
Uniden · Premium
A True I/Q base and mobile scanner with a 3.5-inch color display that decodes P25 and trunked systems and receives conventional analog channels.
Recommended by the radio community · RadioReference forums, Feb 2019
| Product | Brand | Price band | Independent test | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uniden SDS100 Radio Scanner | Uniden | Premium | Recommended by the radio community · RadioReference forums, Jun 2018 | Suits a railfan who also follows local public safety or a digital system and wants a rugged handheld with a database and strong digital reception. Someone who only listens to analog railroad channels can spend less on an analog scanner and, according to one forum comparison, lose nothing on those channels. |
| Uniden BCD436HP Radio Scanner | Uniden | Mid-range | Recommended by the radio community · RadioReference forums, May 2014 | Suits a listener who wants railroads and local public safety in one handheld and accepts a more complex unit than an analog scanner. Someone who only wants conventional railroad channels can look at a cheaper analog model. |
| Uniden SDS200 Radio Scanner | Uniden | Premium | Recommended by the radio community · RadioReference forums, Feb 2019 | Suits a railfan who wants a base or mobile unit with strong digital reception and a large screen. Someone who walks to the lineside with a handheld, or who only needs analog railroad channels, should look at a handheld model. |
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In the United States and Canada, railroad radio lives in a narrow slice of VHF: 160.215 to 161.565 MHz, the band whose coordinator belongs to the Association of American Railroads. Any scanner that covers 160–162 MHz receives it.
Some models save you the programming: Uniden’s BC125AT, for instance, ships with a preset “Railroad” service bank and covers 137–174 MHz. On a scanner without one, you enter the channels yourself.
Road, dispatcher and yard channels heard trackside are conventional channels — one frequency, one conversation — so an analog handheld that covers the band will receive them. A digital trunking scanner earns its higher price when you also want county, transit or police systems that have moved to trunked digital radio, or when you scan far beyond the railroad band.
A handheld runs on batteries and goes trackside with you; check whether it takes ordinary AA cells or a dedicated pack, and whether it charges over USB. A base or mobile scanner lives at home or in the car and works best with an outside antenna.
The short rubber antenna supplied with a handheld is a compromise across every band the scanner covers. An antenna cut for VHF around 161 MHz is often the cheapest upgrade you can make — it hears detectors that the stock one misses.
Entry-level analog models are programmed channel by channel, on the keypad or with PC software. Higher-end digital models carry a database of radio systems instead: Uniden’s SDS100, for instance, includes the HomePatrol database of known systems in the USA and Canada and lets you set your location by ZIP or postal code, or by GPS — which saves an evening of typing when you travel. Either way, keep a list of the road and dispatcher channels for the lines you visit.
Rules differ by country, state and province, including on carrying a scanner in a vehicle. In the United Kingdom, using radio apparatus to learn the contents of a message you are not an intended recipient of is an offence under section 48 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006, unless you have lawful authority. Read the rules that apply where you live and where you travel before you buy.
Railroads in the United States and Canada use the VHF band from 160.215 to 161.565 MHz, whose frequency coordinator belongs to the Association of American Railroads. Any scanner covering 160–162 MHz receives it.
Not for the railroad channels themselves: road, dispatcher and yard channels heard trackside are conventional channels that an analog scanner covering the band receives. A digital trunking model is worth it if you also want trunked public-safety or transit systems.
It depends on where you are: rules differ by country, state and province, including for scanners in vehicles. In the UK, listening in on messages not intended for you is an offence under section 48 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 unless you have lawful authority. Check the rules where you live and travel.
Every rule and figure in this guide comes from a page we opened and read. Laws change: follow the link before you rely on one.
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