What is your railfan radio?

What type of radio do you railfan with? When I first started railfanning, I had the usual cheap Radio Shack scanners. But I received so much pager intermod from the surrounding mountaintops, it was nearly useless in hear distant trains. T

Through research, I found that the best hand held radios to listen to railroads were amateur radios that ham enthusiasts used.

This led to the Vertex VX150 radio. This provided me with over a decade of reliable use (and for only $79!) This radio died a few years ago on a trip to Donner Pass....so I then purchased its replacement radio, the Yaesu FT250. This is also a great little radio...although I added a Smiley Slim Duck antenna tuned to the railroad bands. Here is a short video of the radio in action.



These are available at Ham Radio Outlet or online via a number of dealers.