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Unforgiven

Unforgiven

...eschew obfuscation...
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I'm shopping for a scanner, police scanner for lack of a better term, but basically, a scanner. The last one I had was a gift about 15 years ago that you punched in your local frequencies and it looped through them and played any transmission. My how times have changed. :eek:

So, I'm looking at a Uniden BCS536HD for about $500. Then I have to figure out if I need the DMR upgrade ($60), NXDN ($30), ProVoice ($50) to be able to pick up what's going on in my area.

I kind of think this may morph into ham radio since all my reading into this is fascinating. Anyone else into this?
 
Have you checked the radio towers in your area to be sure you can receive a good signal..that's going to be key in getting good reception. I know the local guy by me has 75ft tower and has decent reception but he still can't reach the third tower. He broadcasts and uploads to Broadcastify web site then they out link for the scanner apps everyone has now.
I let my Amateur Radio license lapse when it was up in 2016 used to do storm spotting for the county with the local radio club and the county's EMS. I'd check around and see if there is a local Amateur Radio club in your area and see if they have some tips for you. Also just an FYI if you get an Amateur Radio license you can legally listen to and have a scanner in your vehicle..it's basically an FCC license..at least here you can.
Here's what the local guy here uses:

Radio Shack PRO-197 Digital & Analog Scanner; with analog channel / digital talkgroup delays set at 2 or 3 seconds

Good luck and have fun!

JC
 
Cool. AFAIK in MA I can use a portable scanner with no license. Right now I'm leaning towards a home scanner and setting up a private stream I can grab on my phone. The scanner has an app that lets you run in on your local network. To start, I'm only going to listen.
 
Unforgiven said:
Cool. AFAIK in MA I can use a portable scanner with no license. Right now I'm leaning towards a home scanner and setting up a private stream I can grab on my phone. The scanner has an app that lets you run in on your local network. To start, I'm only going to listen.
Click to expand...

In MN you'd get a ticket for having a scanner in your vehicle.
The police/emergency networks you can't transmitt on and if you do it's a huge fine..same with Amateur Radio if you get caught it's a big fine. If you're interested in Amateur Radio check the web..tons of study guides and it's like$30 to get your novice class license for 2meter and 440. Most counties have a Skywarn class as well for free where you'll get a day off training and a certificate from the National Weather Service..neat stuff.

JC
 
I've been a ham for a long time. It's a great hobby if you're into communications and tinkering. It's not so good for your wallet though-
You need to know what modes of transmission are being used in your area for the services you're interested in monitoring. In-the-clear analog, no problem for any receiver as long as it covers the frequency range. Trunked, you need a radio that can receive the particular type of trunking being used. Digital, depends on what type- if it's conventional MotoTrbo/DMR there are radios available for that, if it's encrypted forget it. DMR is also one of the digital modes used on some ham repeaters.
You might also want to look at an SDR. I have one of these and it's a lot of fun, but also a bit of work to use the software-
https://www.sdrplay.com/
With an SDR you can decode different modes by adding software modules rather than hardware. But it's not plug-and-play.
As a licensed ham operator you can have a radio in your vehicle that receives PD transmissions, most current mobile and portable ham transceivers have receivers that cover those frequency ranges. But I still wouldn't crank it up when you're next to a cop.
JC, a correction- there is no more Novice license. The license classes are now Technician, General and Extra.
 
Yeah, I'm taking it slow due to the learning curve and my wallet LOL. I'm pretty sure the scanner I've settled on will be good enough for consumption. I will need to add DMR for State Police, but that's not a big deal. I'll start to learn about ham as I get more comfortable and build up my fun money stash. Thinking long term, do I get stuff, then a license, or should I look into getting a license first.
 
That's up to you. The license will allow you to legally transmit on ham frequencies so it's a matter of how soon you want to be able to do that. Tinkering with receivers does not require a license.
That said, actually having the license in your hand may provide additional motivation to get on the air. As mentioned the process is not that difficult or expensive, if you look on arrl.org you can search for exam sessions in your area. Study guides and online practice exams are readily available.
 
I highly recommend getting your tech license prior to equipment.
Testing is constructed to be just difficult to discourage the riff-raff. You will ace the test without any problem. Online study sites exist that make studying easy. Once licensed you can set up a 2 meter station on the cheap and be playing / communicating while you decide which direction into the hobby you want to traverse first.
 
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