Western Railroad Discussion > Relm HS200 Question

Does anyone own a Relm HS200? What's it like and where/how much did it cost?

Thanks

Brian Bundridge

I've had a Relm HS200 for two or three years now and find it the best hand-held scanner that I've owned. For best use, however, be sure to get an antenna (or two) that's tuned to the railroad band--160-161 mHz. With that combination, I pick up signals that I never got with any Radio Shack scanner--I can essentially receive the entire Portland, Oregon area from anywhere in the area that is near the Willamette or Columbia rivers, including transmissions from trains, not just from the dispatcher. The sound clarity is also better than a Radio Shack scanner (I haven't tried the Uniden Bearcats that others discuss when this issue comes up, but my impression is that they are not that different from Radio Shacks). I had to use a Radio Shack scanner last weekend because I'd let the batteries in the Relm drain and forgotten to recharge them, and even with a high quality antenna the experience was frustrating--signals that the Relm would have grabbed with no problem came and went, so that I heard some words and not others and never quite got the entire transmission. I hope that I don't have to do that again.

If you click on the link below, you'll go to a site that advertises a Relm HS200 for $159.99. It's well worth it.


<http://www.scannerworld.com/template.asp?viewproduct=HS200&gt;

Thanks! i've read a couple reviews on them and wanted a railfans experience with it. Been over to StrongSignals.com and noticed that the HS200 goes for as high as $300 whiched turned me down till i looked at the price you gave me. What kind of antenna do you use?

Brian B

I have a couple of antennas that I purchased from Smiley Antennas--a Regular Tuned Duck and a 5/8 Slim Duck, each tuned to about 160 mHz. I use the Slim Duck in the car and the Regular Tuned Duck when walking; it's shorter and almost as good. I also have a Super Stick, tuned to 165 mHz (the closest they could get at the time), which I use with one of the better Radio Shack scanners in a fixed location--it's over a yard long when fully extended (as it needs to be), and in that condition the Radio Shack scanner works OK. I have a link to that company below. However, there have been threads concerning other tuned antennas, and I suspect that many of them would also work very well.


http://www.htantennas.com/

macster wrote:
>
> Thanks! i've read a couple reviews on them and wanted a
> railfans experience with it.

Here's a link to a railfan's experience with the Relm.

http://www.trainweb.org/railnet/rr_radio/rr_radio.htm

And Gary L. Sturm's RR Radio Man Home Page

http://www2.fwi.com/~rrradioman/

has a review of the HS-100 at:

http://www2.fwi.com/~rrradioman/relm.html

> Been over to StrongSignals.com and

Think you mean StrongSignals.net. Review of HS-200:

http://www.strongsignals.net/htm/revhs200.htm

Relm Product Descriptions:

http://www.strongsignals.net/htm/hs100.htm
http://www.strongsignals.net/htm/hs200.htm

> What kind of antenna do you use?

I don't have a Relm (I WISH I did! Search for Relm in this discussion board and you'll see it is well respected) but I use a Diamond Antenna
RH77CA:

http://www.rfparts.com/diamond/hand.html
http://www.rfparts.com/diamond/hand2.html

StrongSignals.Net Antenna page and reviews:

http://www.strongsignals.net/htm/antenna.htm
http://www.strongsignals.net/htm/rev_hant.htm

Mike Kimura

BobB;
Thanks for the info on the Relm scanner. Although I've used Relm FM-VHF 2-way's for years, I've never had a chance to use one of their scanners. I totally agree with you on the "Duck's" from Smiley cut to the 160. mhz freq. They sure do make a difference!
gtirr

I've had an HS200 for about two years now. I use it daily and the battery pack is still giving full power even after constantly charging and discharging!!! It's the best handheld I've ever found that's currently available. By all means, find yourself one. With a good antenna, like mentioned in the previous replies, you will be very happy with the reception.

BTW, I also use the HS200 at home on a base antenna 40 feet in the air. The reception is great. I can hear clearly trains 40-50 miles away as well as hot box detectors in the same range of distance. Here in northern Illinois, the terrain is anything but flat, but this scanner performs that well. One other note, the signal strength meter is a neat feature that is usually only found on two-way radios.

If you were to add a pre-amp to this scanner, I've found it doubles it's reception performance.

L.G.

Thanks for posting the links regarding the Relm Scanner.

I have a couple of friends that search eBay regularly for Regency HX1000s, and they will buy one in just about any condition if the price is right. The HX 1000 is still the best railroad scanner I have ever seen. I have two of them, and they will pick up signals with a rubber duck antenna that my Bearcat BC100XLT will not get even when it is hooked up to a magnet mounted 5/8ths wave antenna tuned to the railroad band on top of my car!

Good to know there is a scanner out there that approaches the old Regency HX series in performance.

- gb -

I've got one (have had it for 4 years), and I am quite happy with it. I've got a Larson 1/4 wave magnet mount antenna. Here in N Texas, I can pick up train radios from 20-30 miles away depending on the terrain. I can pick up Dispatcher radios from 30 - 50 miles at times.

The scanner speaker is the weak link in the chain, so I use a Radio Shack amplified external scanner speaker in the car (great sound).

I have a Regency HX-1000 and the RELM is just as good IMHO. The RELM scanner is made by REGENCY.