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Scanners

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Turkeytop
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Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Scanners

Post by Turkeytop » Sat Nov 16, 2019 8:32 pm

Are any of you scanner enthusiasts? It's one aspect of the radio hobby I've never tried but might want to introduce myself to.

I don't want to invest a pile of money into it until I see how I like it. If I get an inexpensive, entry level analog unit like the Uniden BC 125 AT, would there be anything I could hear?

I understand that most police and emergency services are now using digital mode.

I live near an International airport as well as rail lines.



Image


https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog ... /0125.html


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

k8jd
Posts: 603
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:35 pm
Location: Commerce, MI

Re: Scanners

Post by k8jd » Sun Nov 17, 2019 2:20 pm

With an analog receiver you can hear mostly the aircraft traffic , Railroads, and some fire departments and small business users that have not migrated to digi systems.
If you live near water with commercial and serious amateur mariners and fisher men, you can hear some traffic on the marine channels. There is some Amateur radio V/UHF FM that is still analog.
If you live near campgrounds you can hear kids screaming into the mic on the GMRS/FRX UHF channels in the summer season.
I currently have three scanners and do a lot of searching the low VHF band for long distance when I hear the ten meter ham beacons coming in.
Have fun.



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Turkeytop
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Re: Scanners

Post by Turkeytop » Sun Nov 17, 2019 4:36 pm

Our place in Florida is about 2 miles inland from the coast. Would a small handheld unit like that pick up any of the marine traffic?


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

kc8yqq
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2018 6:15 am

Re: Scanners

Post by kc8yqq » Mon Nov 18, 2019 6:41 am

TT, you should be able to receive something. Keep in mind there are no restrictions over the water and there aren't any until the signal hits land. I had a portable marine radio in one of my vehicles and it picked up signals from Lake St. Clair/Detroit River in the Plymouth area (some 20+ miles away).

While in Florida, be careful with the scanner in a vehicle as they have scanner laws there. Kentucky is another one. When In MIchigan you may want to carry a printed copy of the law as some police may not be aware the law has changed around 15 years ago.

There is still a lot to be heard in the scanner world, depending on what you want to listen to. I have a Uniden BCT15X in each of my cars and some police/emergency is still in the clear in my commute Jackson/Dearborn (MI). Around Jackson I easily get Lansing/Ingham County where their's is trunked and it's combined police/ambulance. I sometimes get Adrian/Lenawee County as I travel on I-94 north of there.

Some of the other things you can hear are fast food drive-thrus (very limited distance), TV/radio stations production and remotes, airplanes, FRS/GMRS radios (used often in businesses), business (retail stores 2-ways very limited distance) and much much more.

I hope this helps.



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Turkeytop
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Re: Scanners

Post by Turkeytop » Mon Nov 18, 2019 9:49 am

Thanks. I don't plan to use it in the car. XYL gets cross even when I play with the car radio.


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

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WOHO
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Location: 2965 Pickle Rd.

Re: Scanners

Post by WOHO » Tue Nov 19, 2019 1:09 am

Florida has a lot of encrypted police traffic, so even with a digital scanner, you might not hear jack nothing. I would suggest a digital "P25" phase II (two) capable scanner that can also receive DMR. Scanners are much more difficult to program than they were 10 years ago. Whistler has a TRX-1 that does just about everything and then some without spending extra for extra programs like you do with Uniden. The Uniden you show would not get you much more than amateur radio, marine, aircraft and paging as even some railroads are starting to go digital, sorry to say.



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Turkeytop
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Re: Scanners

Post by Turkeytop » Thu Nov 21, 2019 6:33 pm

WOHO wrote:
Tue Nov 19, 2019 1:09 am
Florida has a lot of encrypted police traffic, so even with a digital scanner, you might not hear jack nothing. I would suggest a digital "P25" phase II (two) capable scanner that can also receive DMR. Scanners are much more difficult to program than they were 10 years ago. Whistler has a TRX-1 that does just about everything and then some without spending extra for extra programs like you do with Uniden. The Uniden you show would not get you much more than amateur radio, marine, aircraft and paging as even some railroads are starting to go digital, sorry to say.

So, I think you've talked me out of it. I wasn't planning to sink a lot of money into this venture.


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

tapeisrolling
Posts: 257
Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2004 9:07 pm
Location: go ahead, I'm listening

Re: Scanners

Post by tapeisrolling » Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:49 pm

If you get the urge you could do it online. https://www.broadcastify.com/listen/stid/12



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Turkeytop
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Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Re: Scanners

Post by Turkeytop » Thu Nov 21, 2019 10:08 pm

Never.


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

k8jd
Posts: 603
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:35 pm
Location: Commerce, MI

Re: Scanners

Post by k8jd » Fri Nov 22, 2019 12:27 pm

I have had a portable, handheld analog scanner for decades, like to take it on vacations and search for VHF and UHF traffic,.
I had it programmed for the Marine freqs and in Hawaii and the FL Keys, I heard very little.
On a short cruise I noticed a CB and a Marine VHF radio and asked the pilot how they used them.
The CB radio was for comms with the office, giving departure and arrival at checkpoints. The marine radio was for calling the coast guard if they caught fire or were sinking O N L Y.
Here in MI, near Saginaw Bay, I heard a fair amount of Marine traffic on the inter vessel channels, several , non-commercial, fishing boats reporting on the catch in different areas of tha bay.
The aero band is full of constant traffic , an airctaft flying 5 or 6 miles up can send out that little 10 watt AM signal out hundreds of miles !
Yes !
When i reach my vacation destination , I program the scanner for aircraft listening. You may be able to do it by just pushing buttons, but I use a notebook and chart the Aero band. I search 1 or 2 MHz bites and note down the frequencies with voice traffic, and then afrer I have searched 118 to 136 MHz completely, , I enter the busy freqs in my memory.
Those digital C4FM radios cost a lot more than I want to spend.



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Turkeytop
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Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Re: Scanners

Post by Turkeytop » Thu Jan 23, 2020 10:10 pm

Turkeytop wrote:
Sat Nov 16, 2019 8:32 pm
Are any of you scanner enthusiasts? It's one aspect of the radio hobby I've never tried but might want to introduce myself to.

I don't want to invest a pile of money into it until I see how I like it. If I get an inexpensive, entry level analog unit like the Uniden BC 125 AT, would there be anything I could hear?

I understand that most police and emergency services are now using digital mode.

I live near an International airport as well as rail lines.



Image


https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog ... /0125.html

So. I ordered this today. Supposed to be delivered here Tues. Jan 28.


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

User avatar
Turkeytop
Posts: 8854
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Re: Scanners

Post by Turkeytop » Sun Jan 26, 2020 10:57 pm

I've been reading online reviews for this product. They all rate it highly, but say, for a novice, it will be very difficult to use. Out of the box, it will receive nothing at all. Only scans frequencies that the user has programmed in.

How do I find out what frequencies are in use in my area and for what purpose?


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

kc8yqq
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2018 6:15 am

Re: Scanners

Post by kc8yqq » Mon Jan 27, 2020 6:54 am




User avatar
Turkeytop
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Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Re: Scanners

Post by Turkeytop » Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:55 am

It's something I hadn't expected. It's like a car radio that only tunes the presets. I thought it would be more like TV with an antenna, where the TV searches for the available channels.

This is going to be a steep learning curve for me.


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

k8jd
Posts: 603
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:35 pm
Location: Commerce, MI

Re: Scanners

Post by k8jd » Wed Jan 29, 2020 6:37 pm

What ??
ALL my scanners have a search function where you only have to enter the lower and upper freq limits (takes u forever to search DC to daylight freqs, take one MHz bites to search), Some scanners will enter a freq that is busy into the next available empty channel in the radio, when you search !. Please read the manual thorolughly !



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