Air show scanners

I'm not sure where to post this so if this isn't correct please advise where to post it.
I'm looking to buy a radio or programmable scanner to listen to the Airboss or the Tower at airshows
In attending some shows I fund the announcer doesn't inform people which direction the plane is coming from
Make and model please
TIA

Uniden Handheld Scanner - Black (BC75XLT)
Try this, I have used one and had incredible results, not just with air craft freq's but some fire and police as well. Also look for Pop Communication magazine for ads and reviews. Pop Com frequently runs articles giving the frequencies at air shows. HOWEVER be careful a lot of airport security people have gotten nasty about scanner usage, thinking we might be terrorists. I got stopped by a security guy thinking my receiver only radio could transmit and give wrong or bad info to pilots. Listening to tower comms. is a fun hobby enjoy!

Both Popular Communications and Monitoring Times magazine are no more. There is now a general communications section derived from Pop Comm that is added to the Ham Radio magazine QST. Another good source for frequencies is radioreference.com.

Since you used a descriptive title, the forum has done a mini-search for you. Look at the links at the very bottom left hand corner of this page.
And without images to share, I need to move this thread to "T. Talk".

I called a Uniden dealer and they told me that the BC75XLT will not get the military frequencies. That I need to get a BC 125AT

goldenturtle wrote in post #17192765
Uniden Handheld Scanner - Black (BC75XLT)
Try this, I have used one and had incredible results, not just with air craft freq's but some fire and police as well. Also look for Pop Communication magazine for ads and reviews. Pop Com frequently runs articles giving the frequencies at air shows. HOWEVER be careful a lot of airport security people have gotten nasty about scanner usage, thinking we might be terrorists. I got stopped by a security guy thinking my receiver only radio could transmit and give wrong or bad info to pilots. Listening to tower comms. is a fun hobby enjoy!

Here is also a piece of advice, AF shows do not allow the use of scanners but Navy ones do. Don't ask me why the AF doesn't allow them. The AF shows have some of the stupidest rules. For example, a few years ago at Aviation Nation, no lenses over 300mm was allowed in. This was not the show's rule but some SP thought he would make up his own rule. Trust me there were a lot of pissed people that day. So before you take a scanner to a show, make sure you check the allowable items for that show.

PhotosGuy wrote in post #17193058
Since you used a descriptive title, the forum has done a mini-search for you. Look at the links at the very bottom left hand corner of this page.
And without images to share, I need to move this thread to "T. Talk".

Those links are for film scanners. There are scanner forums on the web and the frequencies are available there too. Some scanners skip over the aircraft UHF band so be sure to get one that covers the frequencies you want to listen to.

^ ^ Agggh! Sorry!

I run a tiny little Icom R5 - it has worked so far for me, listening at both local airports (YPPH and YPJT) and for other radio stuff, water bombers/helitacks during fire season, ground based fire crews, security companies, and motorsport events.

it easily fits in a shirt pocket, and has come in really handy for quite a few jobs.

(can't listen to Police or Ambulance here, Police use an encrypted digital system, and the ambulance use MDTs)

Ontario55 wrote in post #17197989
I called a Uniden dealer and they told me that the BC75XLT will not get the military frequencies. That I need to get a BC 125AT

I just got the Uniden BC125AT. That model has the Military Air Band 225-380 Mhz range that the BC75XLT does not have. It's new enough that I haven't used it near a military air base yet. I might have a chance to get over by Luke AFB in the Phoenix area on Friday & I'm taking the scanner with me to check that frequency range out. I went to the Uniden website & downloaded the user manuals for the 75 & 125 models - that helped me pick the 125. If you pick that one up also download the software & drivers from their website - then you can connect it via USB to your PC and program it via the keyboard versus the tedious keypad and knob programming built into the scanner.