I'm interested in purchasing a scanner with the greatest frequency coverage
range possible and offering the widest selection of reception modes.

I would like to be able to monitor police, fire, air traffic, government and
other services. There are so many different makes and models it's hard to
know which are the best choices.

Price is not really an issue (although *very* expensive models are outside
my budget).

Will someone please offer me some advice or recommendations?

TIA

Samantha

"ScannerNewbie" wrote in message
...
I'm interested in purchasing a scanner with the greatest frequency
coverage range possible and offering the widest selection of reception
modes.

I would like to be able to monitor police, fire, air traffic, government
and other services. There are so many different makes and models it's hard
to know which are the best choices.

Price is not really an issue (although *very* expensive models are outside
my budget).

Will someone please offer me some advice or recommendations?

TIA

Samantha


Hi Samantha -

As a starter-scanner I'd recommend you go to a local Radio Shack and look at
their selection.
http://www.radioshack.com/family/ind...072&cp=2032052
will get you to their product page for scanners. Surely your location has
at least one Radio Shack nearby. They're not always the most savvy but
they're there and you can go back if necessary. They have all sorts of
things ranging in price from $80 to $600. Most of their selections will
tune the frequencies you're interested in. (I've got a BC95 which is a
great radio, I think!) Expect to spend another $25 or so for batteries,
wall-wart power adapters, a book or something.

You'll want to decide on a desk model or a portable radio. I'd say portable
as you can take them with you, of course. A trip to the airport to watch
planes is a lot more fun if you're listening to the control tower grant
landing and take off permissions! Or a trip to the harbor to watch and
listen to tugs helping a ship tie up at a pier!

Be sure to learn if your local police are using a "trunked" radio service -
if they are, you'll need a radio capable of following trunked systems
(frequently called "trunk tracker radios").

Another thing to think about is if you want a radio you can program (that
is, establish frequencies in) by computer or by hand. A radio you can
program with a computer (and a special program available from several sites
on the web as well as a programming cable) is much easier to deal with.
Programming by hand is not impossible but it gets tedious! A computer
programmable radio will cost a little more but (to me) is worth the few
additional dollars.

There are a lot of other places to buy a scanner, too. Many on the web are
good, of course, but sometimes when you're new it's nice to go there and
touch, feel and ask questions before you put your money down!

Good luck!


Al

"ScannerNewbie" wrote in message
...
I'm interested in purchasing a scanner with the greatest frequency
coverage
range possible and offering the widest selection of reception modes.

I would like to be able to monitor police, fire, air traffic, government
and
other services. There are so many different makes and models it's hard to
know which are the best choices.

Price is not really an issue (although *very* expensive models are outside
my budget).

Will someone please offer me some advice or recommendations?

TIA

Samantha

Your need for the "very expensive" models is dictated by the type of systems
in use. You have to have local area knowledge. In some areas, police are
off limits because the scanner technology isn't there yet.

Sam,

As others have suggested, you need to do some quick research. I highly
recommend http://www.radioreference.com
to see what your local PD/Fire/EMS system is using...

In the past, you could just buy one scanner to do it all - but that's not
really the case any more. I have one for trunking and one for conventional.
Then I have a portable handheld scanner as well. (Actually I have 3 of
those, but I only use one regularly.)

If you are in an area that is using a trunked system, then you need to find
out if they're using digital. It's called APCO P25. If you see this in the
description, then you're limited to only a few scanners. Also, I should
point out that there's also no guarantee that the Police won't encrypt
certain channels. If you look at the radio reference site, there are
forums by state. Check around and see what other people are doing in your
area.

I can highly recommend the Uniden BC396T as it comes with programming
software (you can download at no charge.) It can decode the "digital" mode
(P25) and it's also a conventional scanner as well. This model is right
around the 400-500 price range. This is a handheld model. (They have a 996
model which is the base version.)

If you're in an area that is not digital (you'll see it say Motorola 800mhz
Type II or Smartzone) then you have a bit more options. A good scanner is
the Uniden BCT15. This model is around $200 - but you do have purchase the
programming software ($25.) This model is a base scanner (or mobile.)

So you see it depends on what your local community is using for their radio
system. Like another person suggested... take a trip to your local radio
shack and chances are they can help you figure out what you need.


-Nick

If you want a very versatile analogue scanner I recommend
Icom PCR-1000 with 0.01MHz to 1300MHz gapless coverage.
or PCR-1500 with 0.01 to 3300MHz coverage.
These are PC controlled radios.
However the PCR-2500 is also standalone with a frontpanel included,
and same coverage as pcr-1500.

They are superb radios, spur-wise and quality-wise, and they also
got a 50khz filter and discriminator output, which is great for decoding data
such as satellites and pager/minicall/pocsag and other broadband services.

I got two myself :-)

//Greg.

Yes, but these do not do trunking. If her intention is to listen to
police/fire/ems, then she'd likely need a different radio depending on her
location.

"Greg" wrote in message
...
If you want a very versatile analogue scanner I recommend
Icom PCR-1000 with 0.01MHz to 1300MHz gapless coverage.
or PCR-1500 with 0.01 to 3300MHz coverage.
These are PC controlled radios.
However the PCR-2500 is also standalone with a frontpanel included,
and same coverage as pcr-1500.

They are superb radios, spur-wise and quality-wise, and they also
got a 50khz filter and discriminator output, which is great for decoding
data
such as satellites and pager/minicall/pocsag and other broadband services.

I got two myself :-)

//Greg.

Either a portable or base unit would be fine--with a slight preference
toward base because of larger, easier to use buttons/knobs.

Very expensive (to me) is $800, with optimum price for good quality unit not
to exceed $500 or so.

Samantha


"Evan Platt" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:56:35 -0400, "ScannerNewbie"
wrote:

I'm interested in purchasing a scanner with the greatest frequency
coverage
range possible and offering the widest selection of reception modes.

So you want a digital scanner. Handheld or base?

I would like to be able to monitor police, fire, air traffic, government
and
other services. There are so many different makes and models it's hard to
know which are the best choices.

Price is not really an issue (although *very* expensive models are outside
my budget).

What is 'very expensive'?

Your main choices for 'widest selection of reception modes' are, IMHO
for the best scanner, the Uniden BCD396T for handheld 996 for mobile.
--
To reply via e-mail, remove The Obvious from my e-mail address.

Thank you Nick for your great post. I'm studying the web site you
referenced. Very informative. Can you tell me, is an outside antenna a good
accessory and can it be attached to the scanner without much technical
knowledge? Is one type of antenna better tyhan another?

Samantha



"cnick6" wrote in message
...
Sam,

As others have suggested, you need to do some quick research. I highly
recommend http://www.radioreference.com
to see what your local PD/Fire/EMS system is using...

In the past, you could just buy one scanner to do it all - but that's not
really the case any more. I have one for trunking and one for
conventional. Then I have a portable handheld scanner as well. (Actually
I have 3 of those, but I only use one regularly.)

If you are in an area that is using a trunked system, then you need to
find out if they're using digital. It's called APCO P25. If you see this
in the description, then you're limited to only a few scanners. Also, I
should point out that there's also no guarantee that the Police won't
encrypt certain channels. If you look at the radio reference site, there
are forums by state. Check around and see what other people are doing in
your area.

I can highly recommend the Uniden BC396T as it comes with programming
software (you can download at no charge.) It can decode the "digital"
mode (P25) and it's also a conventional scanner as well. This model is
right around the 400-500 price range. This is a handheld model. (They
have a 996 model which is the base version.)

If you're in an area that is not digital (you'll see it say Motorola
800mhz Type II or Smartzone) then you have a bit more options. A good
scanner is the Uniden BCT15. This model is around $200 - but you do have
purchase the programming software ($25.) This model is a base scanner
(or mobile.)

So you see it depends on what your local community is using for their
radio system. Like another person suggested... take a trip to your local
radio shack and chances are they can help you figure out what you need.


-Nick

Sam,

Well the positive aspect to 'trunking' is that the radio frequencies are
much higher. With most US cities, you can get buy with a simple rubber
ducky antenna or a telescopic base antenna. If your city is using
conventional frequencies then you may want to invest in an outside antenna.

The price of an outside antenna is reasonable. I use the Radio Shack
"scanner" antenna (20-043) and it's priced here at $73. It's very easy to
set up. Just get it up as high as possible. Mount it on a PVC pipe or some
kind of pole and you're good to go. The higher up you can get it the
better. (Some people will buy a TV antenna mast... which is like 25ft and
then mount it on that.) Whatever way you choose, just make sure it's secure
and away from any power lines. My antenna has withstood winds up around
70mph, so I'm not too worried about weather.)

You'll need to buy RG-58 coax cable. Plug one end into the antenna and the
other into the scanner. Most scanners have a "BNC" connector type. You'll
need a small adapter to convert between the coax and BNC. Ask the RS
salesman for that. It's like $5.

For receiving - almost any antenna will work. I think the RS scanner
antenna is the best value without going overboard. It should last you for
years. The antenna is usually a one-time investment. You'll see
"discone" a lot. That's a pretty typical type for a base scanner. Now, why
some vary in price from $50 to $250 - I don't know. They claim better
performance, but that might be stretching the truth a bit. ;o)

Another retail store I use is "Universal Radio" - they're very nice and will
take time to answer questions for you. They have a nice online site to look
at gear, accessories, etc. http://universal-radio.com/

Their prices are very good btw on most products.

Here's their direct link for antennas:
http://universal-radio.com/catalog/scanants.html

Here's their direct link for scanners:
http://universal-radio.com/catalog/scanners.html

PS. Some of those antennas show the assembly instructions... so you can see
what's all involved. Usually it's just screwing things down. Pretty
straightforward.


Good luck,
-Nick


"ScannerNewbie" wrote in message
news
Thank you Nick for your great post. I'm studying the web site you
referenced. Very informative. Can you tell me, is an outside antenna a
good accessory and can it be attached to the scanner without much
technical knowledge? Is one type of antenna better tyhan another?

Samantha

Sam,

If you're looking for a base model, then check out the BC898T. It's a
pretty good scanner for about $220. It does NOT have the digital
capability. For that, you'll need either the 396 or 996 model.


-Nick

"ScannerNewbie" wrote in message
...
Either a portable or base unit would be fine--with a slight preference
toward base because of larger, easier to use buttons/knobs.

Very expensive (to me) is $800, with optimum price for good quality unit
not to exceed $500 or so.

Samantha


"Evan Platt" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:56:35 -0400, "ScannerNewbie"
wrote:

I'm interested in purchasing a scanner with the greatest frequency
coverage
range possible and offering the widest selection of reception modes.

So you want a digital scanner. Handheld or base?

I would like to be able to monitor police, fire, air traffic, government
and
other services. There are so many different makes and models it's hard to
know which are the best choices.

Price is not really an issue (although *very* expensive models are
outside
my budget).

What is 'very expensive'?

Your main choices for 'widest selection of reception modes' are, IMHO
for the best scanner, the Uniden BCD396T for handheld 996 for mobile.
--
To reply via e-mail, remove The Obvious from my e-mail address.