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Server Time:
2024-05-04 02:02:27
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 tbone
  
Gender: Male
 |  | radio scanner question
< on 1/26/2004 9:04 PM >
|  | | | I know a lot of you guys are into radios; I'm interested in them as well, but don't have any equipment.
I have an opportunity to buy a scanner like this one:
http://www.rigpix.com/rs-realistic/realistic_pro2020.htm
for around $75 CAD. Is this a good deal?
Would I be better to save the money and get one with more channels ? Buy some frs-style radios for exploration ?
Is anyone familiar with bandwidth modifications to this scanner?
thanks for any info,
[email protected]
[last edit 1/26/2004 9:04 PM by tbone - edited 1 times]
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stealthy
 
You got a problem bro?
| | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 1 on 1/26/2004 9:18 PM >
| | | | Could a mod move this to 'other'? Already done.
It all depends. If you explore with a group, you could get FRS. If you don't explore in a group, and like to listen to police radios, get a scanner. I have a Uniden Bearcat and love it, I use it to listen to the police talk, etc... I have heard of many a crime before the local media has.
Advantages/Disadvantages to FRS:
- Can transmit/recieve
- Many public channels avalible to use
- many have short range (2-5 miles)
- Some channels need FCC license to use
Advantages/Disadvantages to Scanner:
- Can Only recieve
- Can listen to police with a scanner
- Decent ranges for receieving
- Many channels to listen to
I am most certainly not an expert in this field, but I do know a little. For bandwith mods, I'm not sure about the legality of that, check with the Canadian Equivilant of the American FCC about the laws. You can get beautiful FRS radios for 20.00 USD. They are refurbished, but I bought a pair, and they are the best radios I've used in a while. Here's the link to 'em:
http://www.sciplus.com/category.cfm?subsection=17&category=161
The first product at the top.
[EDIT: See above]
[last edit 1/26/2004 9:18 PM by stealthy - edited 1 times]
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Freak
  
Location: Usually Alaska, now MSP.
Gender: Male
Hypocrite
| |  | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 2 on 1/26/2004 9:20 PM >
| | | | Depending on your location and how you're going to use it, you might want to get something a little newer or with more features. I personally like to have a lot of channels, but 20 should be fine for listening to local police and security if you're in a small town (most large cities have multiple channels for police departments).
This one's a base station scanner, meaning you can mount it in your car but not haul it around with you on missions. The usefulness would be limited once you leave your car, unless you also have a lookout listening to the scanner and communicating with the explorer(s) via FRS or something else.
Overall I'd say you can probably find something better, cheaper. I'm not sure awhat the conversion rate is but $75 seems like a lot for an old scanner. Try pawn shops or used electronics stores, they usually have cheap scanners.
Turn off the internet and go play outside.
http://spamusement...hp/comics/view/137 |
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Phreak480
Gender: Male
| |  |  |  | | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 3 on 1/26/2004 9:20 PM >
| | | | I'm not just gonna hand you a yes or no answer, cause it would be meaningless and would be the answer for me and not for you.
You need to seriously ask yourself a few things. What would be more useful to you on a regular basis. Is that scanner even worth the money if you do decide a scanner is more useful to you. Personally if you often find in your exploratiosn that you could use radios then go out and buy some radios asap, if u shop aroudn u can get them almost for free (well i knwo here in america they are forever going on sale and can be had for about 10 bux each) But if you find you have no real use for radios then the heck with it and go for a scanner if you are really interested in what goes on around your area. If you choose to go for a scanner then i would say save up and get sumthing better. (remember ebay is your friend) I had a similar discussion with a friend of mine on whether he should buy gps or a radio and we weighed out the usefulness of both items and he asked me tons of questions about the radio (he knew all the stuff about the gps but i barely knew any)
So your best bet is to evaluate your needs and ask tons of questions. Maybe somebody who live in canada could help you more on what scanners woudl be best in your area whether or not you need truking, etc
hope this helps
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Father Maurice Lester
Noble Donor
Location: York Region
Gender: Male
Da numba one
| | | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 4 on 1/27/2004 12:52 AM >
| | | | Alot of Police and fire depts are now located in the 800 MHz range which that scanner can't receive.
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r0sie
Resident Locksmith
| | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 5 on 1/27/2004 1:22 AM >
| | | | Posted by dukeofyork
Alot of Police and fire depts are now located in the 800 MHz range which that scanner can't receive.
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And the police systems are Trunked. Basicly, you either need a trunked radio or trunk tracking scanner to really listen in. Id give advice on the radio questions, but it would be biased like mad, cuz if it aint genuine Motorola, its crap!
r0sie
P.s. Your wallmart FRS radios wont go as far as they say  So dont rely too much on that 2km thing
[last edit 1/27/2004 1:25 AM by r0sie - edited 1 times]
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PonyGrl420
Location: NY
Gender: Female
huh??
| |  | | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 6 on 1/27/2004 1:38 AM >
| | | | Most of the police are rebroadcast so we can hear a lot of it and its almost instant. There are also a lot of organizations that aren’t trunked...like OMH ;)
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el nerdo
  
Chief UER Lackey
Gender: Male
What are you, from the Department of Know'm Sayin's? You takin' a Know'm census?
| | | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 7 on 1/27/2004 3:00 AM >
| | | | Posted by PonyGrl420
Most of the police are rebroadcast so we can hear a lot of it and its almost instant. There are also a lot of organizations that aren’t trunked...like OMH ;)
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It's illegal to rebroadcast Police radio in many locations, so check your local laws.
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Heartless
Location: Dakota Territory
Gender: Male
nowhere is a state of mind
| | | | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 8 on 1/27/2004 3:13 AM >
| | | | I know that where I grew up, to even have a police scanner in your car is technically a misdemeanor. To be caught committing a crime (UE...) with one would carry its own consequences as well, I would imagine. Be careful. Last time I was stopped for speeding, the cop got all nervous about the five dollar garage sale CB radio I had mounted on the dash...
[last edit 1/27/2004 3:14 AM by Heartless - edited 1 times]
"I hope that I find you in heaven, because I'm so lost without you down here..."
Lost Highway Photography |
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NoSuchPerson
Stop, or I'll ask you again!
| | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 9 on 1/27/2004 3:47 AM >
| | | | Nerdo is right.
It's illegal to rebroadcast ANY transmissions other than Amateur Radio, FRS, CB, AM/FM Broadcast and any transmission you have permission to do so with.
-Ex
Unit calling radio say again? |
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Ranger187
Location: NY/PA/NV
Gender: Male
| | |  | | | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 10 on 1/27/2004 3:48 AM >
| | | | Posted by el nerdo
It's illegal to rebroadcast Police radio in many locations, so check your local laws.
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Negative on that. It's not illegal for the police to rebroadcast. As that is what she meant. You youself can't rebroadcast as you would have to be a repeater blah blah blah....
So in other words...It's legal.
;) |
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PonyGrl420
Location: NY
Gender: Female
huh??
| | | | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 11 on 1/27/2004 3:48 AM >
| | | | Ranger has a ham (amateur) radio which is perfectly legal to have(everywhere) you just cant talk on it unless you have your license. It also picks up all the police and other organizations. It cost like $475 and he got a really good deal but it does pretty much everything but cook you breakfast.
It depends where you are but here in NY you are allowed to have a scanner you just cant have it on while driving or in a car.
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Arrow
Noble Donor
Location: Minneapolis
Gender: Male
| | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 12 on 1/27/2004 4:07 AM >
| | | | For a little bit more input...
If you're going to be in a larger city, it's nice to have a scanner with channels set up in banks. That way you can flip on all the police channels and all the fire channels off very easily, for example.
Scanners are probably becoming less useful for police dispatches for another reason...mobile computer terminals. Laptops get mounted in the squad cars, and all interesting details of the dispatches go on that rather than on the air.
In Minnesota, you can have a scanner in the car, but you need a non-law enforcement monitoring permit, available from the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. This lets you listen to train frequencies for example.
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Parepin
Location: Western New York
Gender: Male
MK is your new god. When will you admit it?
| | | | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 13 on 1/27/2004 5:55 AM >
|  | | | I've been thinking about taking my hand held police scanner with me while UEing, just in case. I have a single ear bud so I can still hear my surroundings. How bad is it to get caught with one, though? This is my biggest issue.
<reuben> somebody keeps jiggling the doorknob on my front door, then running away
<reuben> i don't know if i should call the police, or hook up some electricity to the doorknob
<cristobal> why don't you put ice on the stairs <cristobal> and heat up the door knob <cristobal> and swing paint buckets down from your two story foyer <cristobal> then a few years later, fade from the public eye..... |
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Arrow
Noble Donor
Location: Minneapolis
Gender: Male
| | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 14 on 1/27/2004 7:06 AM >
| | | | I believe it is a crime in various localities to use a police scanner in the comission of a crime. So.....either don't use a scanner or don't get caught. You'd really have to check your local laws on that.
If you absolutely have to use a scanner, you'd probably need to have FRS/GMRS radios and someone hidden within radio range monitoring a scanner, and reporting a code word or something to you if necessary. But I never said I condone getting around the law that way, did I? 
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el nerdo
Chief UER Lackey
Gender: Male
What are you, from the Department of Know'm Sayin's? You takin' a Know'm census?
| | | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 15 on 1/27/2004 7:27 AM >
| | | | Posted by Ranger187
Negative on that. It's not illegal for the police to rebroadcast. As that is what she meant. You youself can't rebroadcast as you would have to be a repeater blah blah blah....
So in other words...It's legal.
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Okay, wait a second:
I said:
It's illegal to rebroadcast Police radio in many jurisdictions.
You said:
It's not illegal for the police to rebroadcast.
Those two statements are NOT the same.
I say it's illegal to rebroadcast transmissions that the police make.
You say it's not illegal for the police to rebroadcast transmissions.
See the difference? What you said and what I said are not the same.
It IS 100% illegal in many US areas to rebroadcast police radio. It is totally illegal everywhere in Canada.
If you're disagreeing with me that you can't retransmit police radio transmissions, you're flat out wrong. I have my amateur license, and am well aware of the laws in respect to this.
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Carrie@HPA
Location: Stuck in Hell.. Still!
Gender: Female
Death, Distruction and Chaos.. At Your Service.
| |  | | | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 16 on 1/27/2004 7:44 AM >
| | | | I'm not sure much about radios and scanners but I know at least in Orlando and other places from what I have heard, use a digital type thingy now. To my personal knowledge, in Orlando (pre-digital scanners) your allowed to have them on you both at home and in a car, however it is illegal to use it in a way that can inhibit the police/fire/EMT's. Like going to a scene of a crime or fire, however the exception is in the case of a natural disaster like a hurricane. They also broadcast on occasion from the Emergency Weather Radios or so I've heard.
So what's this Digital deal? Anyone know?
Yes, I'm a bitch but we all knew that.
~*Carrie*~ Co-Founder Haunted Pennsylvania "Because we'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American way" |
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Rockman1
Noble Donor
Location: Depends on the time of day
Gender: Male
| | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 17 on 1/27/2004 12:57 PM >
| | | | The technology changes so fast with scanners it is hard to keep up with the new trends. Most police and fire departments use the 800Mhz trunked systems which is basically a shared network. You might hear the police if you program the scanner right. You may also hear traffic and transit, public works or utility companies, whoever shares the system. Then once you get past all that, you need to buy a scanner which supports the trunking network you want to listen to. By that I mean, General Electric sold out their trunking system information so scanner manufacturers picked up on that when developing their products. Motorola however did not divulge their system information, and thusly scanner manufacturers can only guesstimate the technology they use. End result, your scanner may work, or it may not, or it may not be so easy to listen to. Encrypted systems are also popular. i would not buy anything that does not receive the 800Mhz systems.
Gettin' close to an overload...everyday's a no win situation.. |
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PonyGrl420
Location: NY
Gender: Female
huh??
| | | | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 18 on 1/27/2004 5:20 PM >
| | | | Posted by el nerdo
Okay, wait a second:
I said:
It's illegal to rebroadcast Police radio in many jurisdictions.
You said:
It's not illegal for the police to rebroadcast.
Those two statements are NOT the same.
I say it's illegal to rebroadcast transmissions that the police make.
You say it's not illegal for the police to rebroadcast transmissions.
See the difference? What you said and what I said are not the same.
It IS 100% illegal in many US areas to rebroadcast police radio. It is totally illegal everywhere in Canada.
If you're disagreeing with me that you can't retransmit police radio transmissions, you're flat out wrong. I have my amateur license, and am well aware of the laws in respect to this.
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What he is saying is that when I made my statement I meant the Police rebroadcast. We both know its illegal for a regular citizen to rebroadcast the police My dad has been a ham radio operator for 40 years probably so I grew up around it and actually had my license a while ago so I know a bit about it too.
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tbone
Gender: Male
| | Re: radio scanner question
<Reply # 19 on 1/27/2004 9:21 PM >
| | | | well thanks for some information!
I wasn't planning on doing anything illegal with this scanner though. And I don't have car to put it in. I was just wondering what the sort-of going rate for something like this was, and it was mentioned early on that this one looks old and seems to expensive.
So a scanner like this can only receive certain freqs? Would something like a HAM radio be able to receive a wider range? Where does the ability of a short-wave radio fit between these two?
and, a portable scanner would probably be a bit more interesting/fun right?
if police don't use straight radio anymore, what do they use? some kind of digital signal via radio? would these signals be encypted ? someone mentioned also computer transmissions - is this via cell network or what ?
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