Scanner noob - freqs to monitor?

[jasons]

On a whim I picked up a Uniden BC346XT scanner to play with. So far I've got most of it figured out (still struggling with trunking but other than that I can program it.) I'm listening to local PD / Fire plus a few local HAM repeaters that I found on the internet. Anyone have any tips on interesting things to monitor? (I'm in Melrose and it's a hand-held so I'll probably need to keep it pretty local.)

 

[Madball13]

NOAA Weather is always good to have programmed.

 

[jasons]

NOAA Weather is always good to have programmed.

Got that one, that's one group that came pre-programmed.

 

[Matt_SERE]

On a whim I picked up a Uniden BC346XT scanner to play with. So far I've got most of it figured out (still struggling with trunking but other than that I can program it.) I'm listening to local PD / Fire plus a few local HAM repeaters that I found on the internet. Anyone have any tips on interesting things to monitor? (I'm in Melrose and it's a hand-held so I'll probably need to keep it pretty local.)

jasons,

Radio Reference is a great source of information and can be addictive.

If you are wanting to listen to Melrose and some surrounding areas I listen to this link while on the compputer and this site:

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?feedId=10569

Good Luck,

Matt

 

[jasons]

jasons,

Radio Reference is a great source of information and can be addictive.

If you are wanting to listen to Melrose and some surrounding areas I listen to this link while on the compputer and this site:

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?feedId=10569

Good Luck,

Matt

Thanks Matt. I sprung for a subscription to the Radio Reference electronic database and downloaded a copy of FreeScan. That should help be with the trunk programming, which is a royal PITA to do on the keypad. (Need to get a USB cable though, I don't own a computer with a serial port anymore.)

I used the "search for news" function and found a couple interesting channels - one that came up as WBZ and that sounded like some sort of roving news photographer guy.

The repeaters are a trip. One dude was talking about the dental floss he found in his pizza.

 

[Matt_SERE]

You are welcome.

You'll be amazed with what you hear above and beyond the dental floss.

 

[drgrant]

Do those Unidens still hiss like mad? Decent scanners, but I hated the effing AF hiss those things used to put through the speakers. You could get a signal from a guy with an HT 10 feet away and you would still hear AF hiss along with the signal. I had a BC200XLT for like a week and then dumped it because I got sick of the hissing noise.

-Mike

 

[JFR2]

Program in the MEMA and DCR (firetowers) statewide. Also, the MedDlight helos.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jasons]

Do those Unidens still hiss like mad? Decent scanners, but I hated the effing AF hiss those things used to put through the speakers. You could get a signal from a guy with an HT 10 feet away and you would still hear AF hiss along with the signal. I had a BC200XLT for like a week and then dumped it because I got sick of the hissing noise.

-Mike

Well it's my first one so I don't have anything to compare to but I was actually pretty impressed by how clear it sounded. The radios we had in the Marines always sounded muddy to me, but not this thing. (Of course that does help with the "radio mumblers.")

 

[Zappa]

Here's a frequency I recently added to my scanner.

123.025 AM

There's not much activity on it, which is what I like, but when it does get busy it's usually interesting.
It's the freq used by the news and police helicopters when they're talking to other aircraft, such as over a big news event when multiple choppers are airborne.

Remember it's AM, but most modern scanners will receive this mode.

 

[Kicker96FS]

So whats a good one to get for a NOOB like me?

I would like to listen to Haverhill fire, ems, police. I noticed in the database that the PD was encrypted, what does that mean? You can't listen to it?

Will they pick up old cordless phones?

State police, NH stuff. All around and I think portable would suit me.

OH! Where would be a good place to buy?

 

[Bolt308]

NO you can't listen to encrypted.
No cordless phones either.
MSP you need a trunking scanner
N.H.S.P. you need a scanner that will do P-25 mode transmissions.
ScannerMaster

 

[Kicker96FS]

I have heard this this was the one to get.