Scanner Recommendations?

[Guest]

Does anyone have any good advice about buying a scanner? Any particular specs, brand names, special equip etc.... anything I should know would be greatly appreciated.

[trauma74 111]

Are you looking for a mobile or a portable? Do you want one that can pick up trunked systems? Stay away from Radio Shack brand. Get a Uniden.

[trauma74 111]

Also, a scanner is only as good as the antenna you use for it. Make sure you get a good antenna if you plan on using the scanner in your car.

[Guest]

Are you looking for a mobile or a portable? Do you want one that can pick up trunked systems? Stay away from Radio Shack brand. Get a Uniden.

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I suppose I am looking for one for use in the home. I wouldn't mind one that picks up a trunked system but is that needed in Westchester County?

Again Thank you!

[IzzyEng4 427]

Buy a scanner is not as easy as it was say 10 to 20 years ago since there are so many features.

There are several brands that ar really good but I would stick with Uniden line over Radio Shack though both are good.

Now you have to decide if you want a base, a mobile / bas or a hand held unit. Base are bulky, base / mobiles are good and can be temporarily or permenantly mounted in a car and brought inside, handhelds you can use any where.

Now what do you listen to????? Just low band, high band UHF? do you listen to 800, milcom, air frequencies, marine frequencies, railroad? What about trucking systems and APCO 25 digital systems??? Choices, choices choices!!!! First decide what your area has for current frequencies and also plan for the future as well. Conventional scanners have 10 to 12 bands.

When you start getting into the trunking scanners the price goes way up. As well as the new 700 MHZ band.

There are plenty of scanner and radio websites out there to read up on some stuff that do not get technical. Even go to SCANNINGUSA.COM whihc is a monthly publication for some ideas.

[efdny2003 16]

If you're looking for a base scanner, I've got a couple that I'm looking to sell. One is an 18 channel and the other 16 channel, both come with an antenna and are from the '80's I believe. If you are interested in something simple that has basic features and nothing really hi-tech you can either pm me on Bravo or email me at italianff@hotmail.com

[Jason762 2]

You can't gp wrong with the Uniden BC-780XLT. They actually don't make it anymore, its been replaced by the digital capable scanners, but I don't monitor any digital agencies so this one works great. Like was said earlier the antenna and coax you ise are just as important as the scanner itself. I use the Scantenna by Antennacraft and RG-6 coax. I am pretty far up in CT and am able to monitor most NYC boroughs, 60 control, Putnam 911, some NJ dept.'s, and most of Fairfield county and Litchfield county CT. Whatever scanner you buy make sure it has enough channels to suit your needs. 500 channels may sound like alot but they get eaten up pretty quickly, especially when you use different banks for different times (ex. one bank for local FD only, one bank for FD and PD, one bank for long range listening, etc.) I bought my antenna and coax from http://www.grove-ent.com/ They had a great price and were helpful with questions. Also check e-bay they have a ot of scanner stuff for good prices if you shop around. You should be able to find one for under $200.

[Guest]

Stay away from Radio Shack brand. Get a Uniden.

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I have a Radio Shack one, it picks up great and I even have a wire that runs from the back of it to behind my desk and stuff and connects to a Magenetic bottem antena out my window on my air conditioner. I recomend it. Go with what you want though. I found this one easy to program.

[IzzyEng4 427]

Just to say what Jason said, you might still be able to find a 780 around for $200 or less. I have two since the only digital system we have in the state is CTSP

And I don't want to listen to who I work for lol. They are a good scanner. and the radio shacks I have owne, at least the older ones were good too.

[tunaFish 0]

  I was into scanners a few years back.  It was a Radio Shack handheld and was really nice.  Of course I am just a listener.

I order to have one in your car, don't you have to be "authorized" meaning, being in the "field: of medics, firefighters etc?  I was told years ago, you couldn't carry them around in your car.  Has this changed??  Thanks.  I'd appreciate knowing.

Buy a scanner is not as easy as it was say 10 to 20 years ago since there are so many features.

There are several brands that ar really good but I would stick with Uniden line over Radio Shack though both are good.

Now you have to decide if you want a base, a mobile / bas or a hand held unit.  Base are bulky, base / mobiles are good and can be temporarily or permenantly mounted in a car and brought inside, handhelds you can use any where.

Now what do you listen to?????  Just low band, high band UHF?  do you listen to 800, milcom, air frequencies, marine frequencies, railroad?  What about trucking systems and APCO 25 digital systems???  Choices, choices choices!!!!  First decide what your area has for current frequencies and also plan for the future as well.  Conventional scanners have 10 to 12 bands. 

When you start getting into the trunking scanners the price goes way up. As well as the new 700 MHZ band.

There are plenty of scanner and radio websites out there to read up on some stuff that do not get technical.  Even go to SCANNINGUSA.COM whihc is a monthly publication for some ideas.

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[Porsha911gt3 8]

I order to have one in your car, don't you have to be "authorized" meaning, being in the "field: of medics, firefighters etc?  I was told years ago, you couldn't carry them around in your car.  Has this changed??  Thanks.  I'd appreciate knowing.

In NY as far as today's "field programable" scanners, there is no such thing as being authorized they're illegal to have in a personal vehicle, being in the "field" just gets you on the better side of a cop when he pulls you over and sees it, they usually will cut you some slack if you are in the "field." If you have an old scanner that is not field programable and you only have fire and ems channels, that may be legal, I don't know. Certain people are allowed to have them, such as peace officers and licensed HAM radio operators. Chiefs and officers can have them, but they usually just have radios.

Edited May 9, 2006 by Porsha911gt3

[gpdexplorer 46]

I have a Radio Shack Pro-96.

It can pick up basically any type of system.

As far as legality, I thought it was legal to have in your car because my Greenburgh PD advisors told us that they were only illegal if you were using a scanner to commit a crime.

[Skooter92 7]

And I quote......

397. EQUIPPING MOTOR VEHICLES WITH RADIO RECEIVING SETS CAPABLE OF

RECEIVING SIGNALS ON THE FREQUENCIES ALLOCATED FOR POLICE USE.

A person, not a police officer or peace officer, acting pursuant to

his special duties, who equips a motor vehicle with a radio receiving

set capable of receiving signals on the frequencies allocated for

police use or knowingly uses a motor vehicle so equipped or who in

any way knowingly interferes with the transmission of radio messages

by the police without having first secured a permit to do so from the

person authorized to issue such a permit by the local governing body

or board of the city, town or village in which such person resides,

or where such person resides outside of a city, or village in a

county having a county police department by the board of supervisors

of such county, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not

exceeding one thousand dollars, or imprisonment not exceeding six

months, or both. Nothing in this section contained shall be

construed to apply to any person who holds a valid amateur radio

operator's license issued by the federal communications commission

and who operates a duly licensed portable mobile transmitter and in

connection therewith a receiver or receiving set on frequencies

exclusively allocated by the federal communications commission to

duly licensed radio amateurs.

Edited May 11, 2006 by Skooter92

[AndyC3J 190]

That makes it sound like the law pertains only to vehicles where the radio is built in, like a fire chief's vehicle. Does the same thing apply to carrying a hand-held scanner in the car as well?

My hand-held doesn't pick up squat anymore. When it's on the plug, I can either get the units talking to the county, or the county talking to the units. Rarely both. When on battery, I get neither, unless I'm right on top of them. Saw a guy at a wetdown whose hand-held was picking up both conversations......from a unit on the other side of the county! I want one of those, whatever it was. Just about anything would be an improvement over my current unit, however.

[Guest bibbles10504]

And I quote......

    397. EQUIPPING MOTOR VEHICLES WITH RADIO RECEIVING SETS CAPABLE OF

          RECEIVING SIGNALS ON THE FREQUENCIES ALLOCATED FOR POLICE USE.

   

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I am also looking to buy a scanner and am trying to find if it is legal or not. I cant really find too much about them online. I am looking at a handheld scanner, but I want to make sure they are legal in westchester. Does anyone know where I can find laws about scanners? Or could someone possibly clarify if a handheld scanner is legal if it is not in a vechicle, and is it legal if it is in a vechicle?

Thanks alot

Edited May 13, 2006 by bibbles10504

[CAM502 6]

If Skooter's post didn't help you why don't you just go to your local PD and ask them? Or call the state police and ask them. The guy's who write the tickets might know....

[SEC92 0]

Skooters post is correct. You can't have a radio in you vehicle that has a police channel receiving the signals of a PD. How the incident is handled is up to the individual cop who makes the stop.

[Guest bibbles10504]

But you can have it outside of your vechicle. Is that right?