The 2018 Holiday Season is underway
Here are 10 scanners radio accessories that I would recommend as a gift for the scanner radio listener on your shopping list.
The list:
10 USB Scanner Cables (USB-1 for the Uniden Scanners)
Uniden’s Serial scanners and handhelds have a special serial adapter on them. The Uniden USB-1 allows you to connect your scanner to your computer for programming. Here is our affiliate link for the USB-1: www.scannerschool.com/USB1
9 Scanner Programming Software
BuTel
I am a huge fan of the software by BuTel. I’ve been using BuTel’s software since my first computer capable scanner and have purchased a copy of the software for every radio that I own that BuTel Supports.
You can purchase BuTel software here – and by doing so, you will also be supporting Scanner School.
ProScan
ProScan is another popular programming software suite that I would recommend. I don’t use ProScan to program my radios ( I have BuTel for that), but i do use ProScan to manage my radios. It does a great job at logging all of the audio to a hard drive and it also logs all of the traffic that my scanner receives in a spreadsheet.
ProScan is also what I use to stream my scanners to both my own audio server and to Broadcastify. I also have virtual displays setup that a users to monitor of my scanners thanks to ProScan. You can purchase ProScan here.
FreeScan
FreeScan is a free scanner radio programming package. It supports programming, audio control, and virtual displays of your scanner. The nice thing about FreeScan (besides the price) is the ability to quickly migrate a programming from one radio to another.
FreeScan is a free download, and you can get the software here
8 Scanner Radio Case
Scanner Master has nylon cases for many handheld scanners, including AOR, Icom, GRE, Radio Shack, Uniden, and Whistler Scanners
You can browse Scanner Radio Cases here.
7 External and Set-Top Antennas
These are my recommendations:
Diamond SRH519
Diamond RH519
6 Printed “Easier to Read” Scanner Manuals
MarksScanners did a great job at rewriting the manual for many of today’s scanners. I think Mark did a great job.
You can view these manuals for free at marksscanners.com
Printed and bound versions can be purchased online at scannermaster
5 Coax
In Scanner School Session 30 we talked about coax. Session 30 breaks down the difference between cheaper coax like RG-58 and RG-6, and the more expensive flavors such as RG-213 and LMR-400.
4 Multicouplers
In Scanner School Session 33 we discussed why you should use a MultiCoupler instead of a splitter.
You can buy Stridsberg Multicouplers here. (these are what I use in my own scanner setup)
3 Power Supplies
In Session 37 of Scanner School, we talked about the benefits of power supplies.
I personally like Astron Power Supplies. I currently have a RS-20M and a RS-35M under my radio desk. But those aren’t the only two in my collection. I have other models by Astron, a few by Radio Shack, and even some other various makes and models.
Click here to take a look at some more power supplies
2 RF Connector Adapters
Every scanner radio ‘junk draw’ should have some RF Adapters. These adapters will allow you to match any coaxial end to any radio.
1 Replacement Batteries
I am not a fan of the batteries that are shipped with today’s scanners. If you need new batteries because you have a new scanner, or because your batteries are now a bit old, I like to use Tenergy or Eneloop batteries in my scanners.
Bonus Gift Cards
I love gift cards.
You can purchase a gift card for your scanner radio fan here:
Please support the Scanner School podcast. Visit www.scannerschool.com/support to see how you can help us. Some of the ways you can support us won’t cost you any additional money!
Links and Sources from this session:
(Some of the above links are affiliate links. Scanner School may earn a small fee, at no additional cost to you, if you use these links to make a purchase. This is a great way to help support Scanner School.)
Bonus Material:
Are you looking for your first scanner radio?
Download our new e-guide, “5 Thinks You Need to Know Before Buying Your First Scanner”. This free PDF is about 30 pages long and has 5 things you should look for, plus a few extra bonus items to make sure you make an educated purchase.
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Podcast Transcription:
(Coming Soon)