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police scanner
- Thread starter TonyDedo
- Start date
I bought one of these a few weeks ago just because I had money burning a hole in my pocket. Besides the fact it doesn't cover the 800 MHz band, it's quite good for general use.
I would be interested in a group buy if you get one together. I have no suggestions other then a handheld unit b/c of compactness.
Don't know if they make them but I would also like a unit for my truck that is a scanner plus CB radio.
Don't know if they make them but I would also like a unit for my truck that is a scanner plus CB radio.
The only problem with the scanners sold today is that a lot of agencies are moving to digital radios. Each system is proprietary and requires specific equipment to receive the transmissions. The upper level Radio Shack/Unidens can receive either with an additional board or from the dealer but be prepared to spend in the area of $500 and up. Trunking systems if analog can be received with a cheaper unit but take some setting up to work properly.
Some use on-board encoders that require codes to be transmitted and an on-board decoder but these are less popular with most agencies.
Some use on-board encoders that require codes to be transmitted and an on-board decoder but these are less popular with most agencies.
A group buy is when a dealer or vendor is willing to give a discounted price for a large order. If a member is able to get a deal they post in the members section the discounted price and how many units must be ordered. There has been things like ammo cans, trigger pull scales and really anything people can get a deal on.
You're a paid member - check out the member's section. There are several group buys going on at this moment,(reloading components, EoTech optics, Surefire flashlights, equipment & range bags, and shooting glasses).
Just another benefit of being a paid member of the forum!
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
Yea I joined after mikey told me what it was, Im checkin it out now. Thanks
But he wasn't this morning.
Welcome to the club BDD.
Thanks
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Buy a Yaesu VX-3R for $189 or so. Bearcats are not too good.
One of the biggest problems that you will experience is poor blocking of immediate and adjacent frequencies. You will suffer from bleed-through near NWS and Paging stations.
Sensitivity is not that hot on the bearcats, either.
I also think that they are not reliable and suffer immensely in moist environments.
Bill
We used Yaesu's for our OEM repeater in NJ. I have an FT in my car for years and it works great. However, be aware that to use the features of the radio, you must be licensed which is not hard at all.
But you still will not be able to receive many of the public service band frequencies as the radio will not copy the trunked or digital systems not very common. My FT90 is only so so outside of the ham bands for receive.
But you still will not be able to receive many of the public service band frequencies as the radio will not copy the trunked or digital systems not very common. My FT90 is only so so outside of the ham bands for receive.
Chris
NES Member
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My Icom R-5 is a neat radio. It's a receiver first and a scanner second. What this means is that it's a lot easier to get nice clean reception on just about any frequency and then you can group 10 or so together into multiple 'banks' and just scan the 'bank' you want. I have some nice software and a USB connector to allow easy programming from your PC.
Best of all, for a Bug Out situation, it's small, light, runs a good 24 hours on 2 AA Energizer lithium batteries, or use any AA from rechargables on up. Power port does both power and recharge. It's only a 6v port, but that's an easy adapter to a vehicle, or use a big old Lantern battery for long term listening. Not waterproof, but it's got rubber seals and plugs.
Icom makes several portable models. One even has a TV built in.
While many of the larger public service organizations are going digital, most of your smaller towns and cities are just using UHF or even VHF FM services that are easily listened to. Even if they have higher frequencies in the 800 or 900 mhz range, few are using anything but FM transmissions.
Best of all, for a Bug Out situation, it's small, light, runs a good 24 hours on 2 AA Energizer lithium batteries, or use any AA from rechargables on up. Power port does both power and recharge. It's only a 6v port, but that's an easy adapter to a vehicle, or use a big old Lantern battery for long term listening. Not waterproof, but it's got rubber seals and plugs.
Icom makes several portable models. One even has a TV built in.
While many of the larger public service organizations are going digital, most of your smaller towns and cities are just using UHF or even VHF FM services that are easily listened to. Even if they have higher frequencies in the 800 or 900 mhz range, few are using anything but FM transmissions.
The best radio gear IMO is Motorola. The next contender in line is AOR.
http://www.aorusa.com/main.html
They make the only scanner that Im aware of that covers 500 KHz to 3 GHz, this being the USA cell freqs are blocked. They also make the only scanner (Im aware of) that works with night vison devices.
-John
http://www.aorusa.com/main.html
They make the only scanner that Im aware of that covers 500 KHz to 3 GHz, this being the USA cell freqs are blocked. They also make the only scanner (Im aware of) that works with night vison devices.
-John
We stopped using Motorola years ago. We switched to Kenwood for mobiles and HT's. We found them to hold up as well as the Motorola which you really pay for the name. Unless you really need something highly unusual, they are overpriced. Many think they are a product made in the US but in fact made down in Mexico.
edin508
NES Member
![[shocked]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/007.gif "Shocked [shocked]")
edin508
NES Member
Ham Radio Outlet www.hamradio.com has the AR-8200MKIII BLKD for 569.95 in tax free Salem NH.
I have seen em at 2 way radio installer type places, HAM shops, electronic specialty stores. In Canada they have the cell unblocked models. Course bringing them over the border is bad.
I have seen em at 2 way radio installer type places, HAM shops, electronic specialty stores. In Canada they have the cell unblocked models. Course bringing them over the border is bad.
Twigg
NES Member
Interesting thread
I've had scanners on & off over the years it's a good idea.
Perhaps I'm missing something here but, can somebody explain to me how an audio device "works with" an optical device ?![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
(Other than the obvious advantage - using radio com with NV for surveillance - but a scanner is simply a receiver. )
What's the "compatibility" issue ?
I've had scanners on & off over the years it's a good idea.
Perhaps I'm missing something here but, can somebody explain to me how an audio device "works with" an optical device ?
(Other than the obvious advantage - using radio com with NV for surveillance - but a scanner is simply a receiver. )
What's the "compatibility" issue ?
This question is kinda like "pick out a handgun for my wife" its hard
to answer without knowing what you want to do with it. You can
spend a coupla hundred bucks or less and get by or go all out and
get a whizbang receiver.
A good site with a crapload of reviews, not sure if he updates
it anymore though... but these things don't change radically
that often anyways.
http://www.strongsignals.net/access/content/contents.cgi
to answer without knowing what you want to do with it. You can
spend a coupla hundred bucks or less and get by or go all out and
get a whizbang receiver.
A good site with a crapload of reviews, not sure if he updates
it anymore though... but these things don't change radically
that often anyways.
http://www.strongsignals.net/access/content/contents.cgi
I remember my grandfather had a scanner for a while. We would sit in the living room, watch Benny Hill or the Red Sox and listen to the scannner. then years down the road he got the codes for cordless phones. listening to thoes were more fun than the police or fire.
AHHHHH memories
AHHHHH memories
Garys
NES Member
Good answer. There are a few points to consider though.
Commercial radios such as Motorola do NOT make good scanners. One problem is that they only work on a single band and public safety frequencies are on four different bands currently, with a fifth in the offing.
Whoever mentioned digital scanners is partially right, but the newest generations of digital scanners don't need add in boards. The most prevalent form of digital in public safety is APCO P-25. It's an open source product, which means that any manufacturer can buy the technology. Motorola uses it in all of their digital radios, and Icom and others also offer it. Radio Shack and Bearcat scanners include it. The other format is Pro Voice by MA/Comm and it's not available in scanners. The only system in this area that will be using it is the MBTA system.
Many agencies, such as Cambridge, MassPort, and the Mass State Police use Motorola trunking systems. AOR does not make a trunking scanner to the best of my knowledge. Again, RS and Uniden scanners can decode trunking logic, the others can't.
Yaesu ham handhelds make decent receivers but will not receive either digital or trunked systems.
It's important to know what you want to listen to which is a function of where you are going to be going. Scanners may be of little use, but I'd at least pack a few FRS radios for short range communications. You might consider getting a Ham license and buying a couple of lower end radios as well.
Rich seems to have pretty much abandoned the site, which is unfortunate. However, the place to go now for information is www.radioreference.com. It has free and paid components, not unlike this site. The forums run much along the lines of the forums here and have some good information. Certainly a lot more than I can put into a sort of brief reply here.
Do some research before you decide if and what kind of scanner you want to get. The technology has changed a lot in the last 7 or so years and will continue to do so for a few years to come.
Gary
In the for whatever it is worth cateogry
This was my experience anyway. I'm not a techie
I was in TV news back in the late 80's we got word of this "horrible" new technology that was going to make it impossible for us to monitor police. We actually had meetings with the cops to try and work something out for the news media. What happened was that good old American know how and capitalism quickly figured out how to tap into the technology and within a short time Motorola and plenty of others were making trunking scanners that worked fine. You just had to have more than one of them (back then)
The other thing is that most small and medium town departments are still using bullhorns to communicate and aren't too likely to make the huge investment necessary to switch over to whatever is new.
And the technology will be beaten anyway. There's just too much profit in it.
I live in a small town and have always had a scanner for entertainment value.
This was my experience anyway. I'm not a techie
I was in TV news back in the late 80's we got word of this "horrible" new technology that was going to make it impossible for us to monitor police. We actually had meetings with the cops to try and work something out for the news media. What happened was that good old American know how and capitalism quickly figured out how to tap into the technology and within a short time Motorola and plenty of others were making trunking scanners that worked fine. You just had to have more than one of them (back then)
The other thing is that most small and medium town departments are still using bullhorns to communicate and aren't too likely to make the huge investment necessary to switch over to whatever is new.
And the technology will be beaten anyway. There's just too much profit in it.
I live in a small town and have always had a scanner for entertainment value.
Garys
NES Member
It took Uniden almost ten years to get a trunk tracking scanner into the market and they didn't do the development of the technology. A guy named Greg Knox out of Atlanta did. It took two more years before they added a model that could follow GE's EDACS programming and again, they didn't do the development. Two guys out of western MA did. Whether someone will develop technology to demodulate MA/Com"s Pro Voice or not, I can't predict. If someone can reverse engineer the algorhthims without violating the copyrights, it will probably happen. If not, it won't. Since the vast majority of public safety trunking is sold by Motorola that's where the money is. The other formats are used less often so the pay back is far less.
That's not to mention digitally encrypted stuff, which some agencies are going to. The Feds are going almost totally encrypted, so listening to them will be a thing of the past.
I'm not a techie either, but I do follow scanning technology as it's another one of my hobbies.
Gary
