you would expect to receive for a good 50 - 100 miles if you are in line of 
sight but usailly the best in a built up area is about 25-50 miles
as for the make & model for a good scanner
i have an AOR AR8000 which covers from 100 Khz to 1950 Mhz
even though the book says it can't (150 Khz - 1900 Mhz)
if you have any further questions dont hesitat to ask someone
I belong to the New Zealand Radio Dx League
do you belong to a listing group ??
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