I could go on for ages and ages discussing which scanner / aerial etc. to buy. However, there are some very good books and magazines out there already doing this so go out and read them! What I will do is tell you very briefly what you should look for in a scanner and why.

Check out the links page for manufacturers and retailers web sites.

Buying a scanner

There are some very good scanners now available at fairly reasonable prices. You do not need a £400 set in order to receive your local fire brigade. There are also some very cheap and nasty receivers which you should avoid like the plague.

I always prefer handheld scanners as opposed to base / mobile units as you can take them anywhere. It's no good witnessing a police raid or car chase when your your top of the range scanner is sitting on your bookshelf back at home!

Do not buy

Those multiband receivers advertised mail order in newspapers for about £20 which claim to be able to pick up the space shuttle, aircraft, Radio Moscow, and police bands.

They are cheap and nasty, cannot be tuned precisely (as they do not have digital readout), and will pick up just about any transmission nearby, in addition to the one you want to hear
Instead, spend the extra money and buy a good second hand basic set (see below).

What to look for

Frequency Coverage - is the most important. Try to get at least the following bands :

• 68 - 88 MHz VHF Low Band (Fire Brigades and PMR)
• 136 - 174 MHz VHF High Band (Police Traffic channels and most PMR)
• 420 - 506 MHz UHF Band (Local police and more PMR)

Desirable Also

• 108 - 136 MHz (AM) VHF Aircraft Band
• 900 MHz Cellular Phone Band
• Digital frequency readout is essential
• Squelch control to get rid of background hiss
• Memories - as many as you can get, although I find 50 - 100 more than enough
• Switchable FM / AM mode. Some emergency services use AM in the 152 - 154 MHz band.
  

A Good Basic Scanner 68 - 88 MHz, 136 - 174 MHz 420 - 506MHz   handheld FM only 10 memories search function This is what most people start with and is sufficient for receiving most things with the exception of the VHF aircraft band and cellular phone band. They can be bough new for about £100 - £130 and second hand for about £50 - £70.

A Better Set Up 68 - 88 MHz, 108 - 136MHz (AM), 136 - 174MHz, 420 - 506 MHz, 806 - 960 MHz   handheld or base FM and AM (Aircraft band) 100 / 200 memories programmable search function fixed frequency steps This is popular type of scanner and covers all of the important bands that you will want to listen to. They can be bought for approx. £200 - £250 new and approx. £150 second hand.

The Best You Can Get 500 KHz - 1300 MHz continuous coverage   handheld or base FM / WFM / AM / SSB 1000 memories with alpha numeric tags multiple programmable searches programmable frequency steps down to at least 1 KHz If you want the absolute best then you have to shell out some serious money. A scanner like this will set you back about £300 - £450 brand new or £200 - £250 second hand. It will cover absolutely everything including broadcast bands and the shortwave bands. Alpha numeric tags also come in very handy when you have 1000 memories!