Scanner for monitoring military aviation frequencies?

So I want to add to my plane spotting ensemble and was interested in getting a scanner. Given the large number of spotters here in the forums, what, in your opinion is a good scanner to buy.

It needs to be portable and ideally under $500 US

Thoughts?

a reply to: FredT

Sneak into a boneyard and just find a plane that they left the radios in.

Totally worked in a WEB Griffin novel.

a reply to: FredT

One of my spotter groups was talking about them the other day. They swear by the Uniden 125XLT. I don't know how well it would work out in the wild, but apparently near a field it works really well.

You might be able to build an SDR radio system to listen to aircraft communication.

Apparently it's relatively straightforward to do it for police radios, including trunked systems.

DIY Police Scanner

-dex

I have a 125, great little scanner. Goes through batteries quick but good all around scanner.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: FredT

One of my spotter groups was talking about them the other day. They swear by the Uniden 125XLT. I don't know how well it would work out in the wild, but apparently near a field it works really well.

originally posted by: nepatitan
I have a 125, great little scanner. Goes through batteries quick but good all around scanner.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: FredT

One of my spotter groups was talking about them the other day. They swear by the Uniden 125XLT. I don't know how well it would work out in the wild, but apparently near a field it works really well.

Do you use the standard antenna or an upgrade

Rather than a scanner get a used aircraft radio it scans and is a transceiver. Icom is one that is very popular that is available both mounted or hand held. a reply to: FredT

a reply to: FredT

I use an upgrade (still multi band) but the standard one does just fine.

I don't think commercial scanners could negotiate even simple FHSS or DSSS protocols?
You might not even know a plane is in the area much less get any useable information.
Some of the camo dudes out at area 51 don't seem to mind running open frequencies in their trucks.

a reply to: Cauliflower

We could hear them just fine near Rainbow on a scanner that didn't reach up into some of the upper frequencies.

Here is a good little FAQ to help.

wiki.radioreference.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

There was that scene in the movie "Close encounters of the third kind" where the alien mothership was echoing the investigators communication and the aliens broke the glass in the tower. Kind of an oversimplification of something out of the 1940's for public consumption? A military scanner would be a vital tower accessory near landing strips where you have planes coming into the area using a multitude of different frequencies and or protocols.

a reply to: Cauliflower

Military radios use the same frequencies that non-military radios use. They sometimes use higher frequencies, when they are on their VHF radios, but unless they're using encryption there is no reason that a standard scanner can't hear everything going on. There are plenty of recordings of everything from engine start, to them dogfighting if you know where to look for them.

a reply to: Cauliflower

We hear the military all the time when we are up in the chopper. Depending on airspace they still have to maintain comms with ATC etc.

heck you can even catch SKYBIRD and SKYKING messages if you are on frequency

a reply to: Zaphod58

They wouldn't need a secure channel in many situations, and pilots often repeat stuff in non secure settings anyways.
I do remember seeing a huge 60's era antennae with some kind of optical signal tuning.
There was a sign saying no parking near it except for a guy named Doug.

a reply to: Cauliflower

As long as your scanner will receive the frequencies in use in any given area, there's no reason you can't listen in. It's when they go to frequency agile mode that you're not going to hear a damn thing.

a reply to: FredT

I wish they would have had YouTube and scanners back in the good old days. "For the Alert Force....."

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: FredT

I wish they would have had YouTube and scanners back in the good old days. "For the Alert Force....."

I know, we used to have a Zenith Worldband shortwave when we lived overseas in the 70's and can still remember the numbers stations etc.

The first time I became aware of the whole EAM thing etc, was during the missile launch scene during the Day after LOL

originally posted by: Pyle
Here is a good little FAQ to help.

wiki.radioreference.com...

lol dont go there! Scanners/radios is like owning a boat, its a money pit!

a reply to: nepatitan

I take no blame for people that cant control their hobbies!