Category Archives: The Scanner Gazette

Police Jurisdictions and Mutual Aid channels

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When you buy a scanner, especially if you have us do your programming, you may hear many different types of police agencies. There are the commonly known departments like city police departments and County sheriff’s offices as well as Highway Patrols. There are also many other federal, state, county and local police agencies.

Police agencies’ jurisdictions vary, based on the type of agency, the location they are in and the type of situation. Usually a state agency has jurisdiction anywhere in the state but usually does not enforce local ordinances inside of cities. A County officer similarly has jurisdiction throughout the entire county but again may not have the ability (absent a contract to do so) to enforce city ordinances. Local police usually are restricted to working within their own borders. County and Local police also have the ability to pursue outside their jurisdiction and usually to make arrests for serious violations outside the community. These laws vary from state to state and some agencies are contracted to provide services in other jurisdictions. For instance a small town might contract with the county or state or even a neighboring town to provide primary police protection, that other agency’s police can then enforce the ordinances for each town.

Federal agencies include the FBI, US Marshall, or DEA. There are many federal law enforcement agencies that are tasked with different responsibilities. Some are responsible for building and campus security at federal facilities and bases. The most well-known include the Customs & Border Patrol (CBP) that protect the nation’s borders, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), both responsible for specific law enforcement actions. There are Military Police agencies at most major bases around the world. The Navy also has police and security aboard large vessels like aircraft carriers as well as bases around the country. Most federal law enforcement agencies use encrypted radios for communications, but sometimes non-scrambled radios are used.

Once agency we should mention is not a law enforcement agency at all. Every flyer’s favorite agency, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) is not a law enforcement agency. TSA officers do not have arrest powers, they refer actual enforcement actions to the local police authority for the airport in question. If an illegal item such as a weapon or drugs, are found the arrest is made by the local or airport police, not the TSA. They do have the authority to deny one access to the transportation they protect. While most associated with airport entry protection they also appear at rail and bus stations occasionally, usually along with local or federal law enforcement agents.

At the next level is the many state law enforcement agencies include the State Highway Patrol, State Police or State Patrol agencies. Like the famous California Highway Patrol of “CHiPS” TV show fame, many states have Highway Patrols. Some states have “State Police” (common in the Midwest and East). Some are called the “State Patrol”, like those in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

State police officers are often called Troopers and often have a more military rank structure with Major’s and Colonels instead of Chief’s at the top end. Most state agencies primary responsibilities include highway patrol, usually on the state’s Interstate and other major highways. Other agencies fulfill support roles for county and local agencies like crime scene processing or manpower for major events. Most of the time State Police agencies do not fulfill local police patrol responsibilities off the highway like city and county police do. Occasionally State Police agencies will do local patrol for communities that cannot support their own police. For example, for years the Illinois State Police patrolled the city of East St. Louis due to the extreme financial distress the city was in at the time. In Massachusetts and Connecticut they often do not have county police agencies so the State Police step in to assist local agencies that elsewhere would be done by the Sheriff’s Police.

There are also other state law enforcement agencies on and off the highways. Some states have a separate police agency for trucking regulation, DMV enforcement, Fish & Wildlife, and other specialized responsibilities. There are also state facility police agencies, like the California State Police (separate from the Highway Patrol) that patrolled the state capitol complex.

All states have Counties, although Louisiana calls them Parishes and Alaska calls them Boroughs. Most of these states have County (or Parish) Sheriff’s Offices (SO’s). Sheriff’s Offices are usually responsible for road patrol, court security and corrections. In smaller counties there are a single County Sheriff’s Office to handle these three tasks. There may be a small Sheriff’s office with the elected Sheriff and a couple deputies to deal with all this. Larger counties may have separate Patrol, Court and Corrections departments. Some counties also have other law enforcement agencies for specialized purposes such as Conservation, County Hospital or Forest Preserve districts among others.

In small counties the Sheriff’s Office might be the only law enforcement agency in the county, there may be no cities in the county or those that exist may not have their own police departments. If an incorporated community has no police department then the Sheriff usually handles law enforcement for the town. Some towns contract with the Sheriff to be their police, often with dedicated officers and vehicles. In some states some or all of the counties have little if any authority. In Delaware and parts of Massachusetts the Counties are pretty much just lines on a map and they do not provide police patrol.

The Sheriff or other county based agencies may also be responsible for other duties such as tax collection, Justice of the Peace, and other administrative services depending on the state and local rules.

Cities, Towns, Villages, Townships (in some states), Boroughs and other municipalities usually have a police department or contract with a neighboring community, State Police or the Sheriff for law enforcement. As a basic service of the municipal government, local police are usually the first response to most emergency situations in the town. They are also responsible for many routine and non-routine services that vary widely from town to town. Local police respond to 9-1-1 calls, document and investigate property and personal crimes, traffic crashes and many other incidents.

There are often specialized police departments for parks, colleges and other schools, public hospitals, and many other taxing districts. Some places even have police departments run by sanitary districts or other large government land owners. In some states in the Northeast there are groups called “Fire Police” which have no actual police power but provide traffic and crowd control at fires and other events.

Local, state and county police departments often participate in Mutual Aid agreements. These allow them to assist each other for emergency and routing incidents and cooperate on incidents that spread over multiple jurisdictions.

OK, so since this is a blog about scanners, what does all this blather mean to me and my scanner? Well, all of these agencies use radios to communicate. If they work together then they need to talk to each other. This is done a couple different ways. The first is by one agency having the other agency’s channels available to them. They could have them added to their own radios or carry a separate radio for that purpose. For example, Mayberry PD might have Mt. Pilot’s channels in their radios.

Another way is to use designated Mutual Aid channels. Most states have some sort of channels made available for police departments to communicate with each other, Illinois has ISPERN and other discrete channels for this purpose. Sometimes this is on a large regional or statewide trunking system like MARCS in Ohio or Palmetto in South Carolina.

Less convenient is the relaying of communications by dispatchers. Mayberry Deputy Fife would call his dispatcher who would call the dispatcher for Mt. Pilot who would then contact the Mt. Pilot officer and relay what Deputy Fife said.

The many large statewide trunked radio systems, like those in Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina include many shared statewide and regional mutual aid channels to allow multiple agencies to communicate with each other. This allows the Highway Patrol to talk to a Sheriff’s office as well as local police etc.

Before large or regional trunked radio systems, when many states used Low Band (30 thru 50 MHz.) some states had a Statewide Sheriff’s Channel or some other statewide channel or channels that agencies could use to talk to each other. Illinois for example had 39.50, which was called the Statewide Sheriff’s Net. This was a common channel to almost all counties and many city police departments and they could talk to almost anyone else. The Illinois State Police had 42.50, which they used for all State Police Districts and all troopers had that channel. A special switch in the ISP cruisers’ radios allowed them to hear 39.50 and talk back on 42.50, the Sheriff would have the opposite arrangement. This allows each agency to talk on the channel they were licensed for (and that the radio was tuned to) but still communicate with each other. Other states had similar systems. Nebraska had a set of statewide channels for Police, Fire and EMS on 39 MHz.

Eventually Low Band was replaced by “High Band”, usually about 150 thru 160 MHz. and many states replaced the old channels with new VHF channels common to many agencies. Indiana, for example had the old “Plan A” channel of 155.130 (Base) and 154.890 (Mobile) that was a common dispatch channel for many agencies statewide. In addition separate channels were used for police emergencies like 155.475 (the nationwide Police emergency channel) that Indiana called ILEEN and 155.370, which most Midwest states used as “Point to Point”.

Another example was in Illinois, not only do they have a statewide police channel called ISPERN (on the same 155.475 channel as next-door Indiana) but a statewide Fire channel, EMS network, EMA channel and even a channel called IREACH that can be used by any governmental agency to talk to others.

There are some newer nationwide mutual aid channels for police, fire, EMS and mixed operations. Not often used, they are available and detailed in many area’s plans but it is rare to hear them used for the intended purposes. Part of the problem is the clunky naming protocol and huge numbers of channels. V-Fire-31, 8TAC94, UTAC42D and their brethren all are listed in guides but rarely actually used.

Later on, as the large regional and statewide trunked radio systems started being built these systems include many regional and statewide mutual aid channels. Some systems have regional networks that allow any user to talk to any other user anywhere in the area, as well as statewide channels that work anywhere in the state. With the higher capacity of these systems more specific channel assignments can be made to tailor the operation.

Large trunked radio systems do have some drawbacks. They can be complicated to work for many users, and with the bewildering array of channels available that could confuse people to where they may not know what channel to use or how to find it. Like the wide variety of mutual aid channels on VHF, UHF and 800 in the more recent past, the overwhelming choice of channels and confusion about how to access them make it more likely for users to revert to having the dispatcher call the other agency on the phone.

You can dedicate a large chunk of your scanner’s memory to interoperability (big word meaning Mutual Aid) channels and not hear much, if anything for months until one day it starts hopping with a big incident. Check Radioreference.com for the Mutual Aid channels used in your area.

Classic Scanners that changed the hobby

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We all love scanners, you would not be reading this if you didn’t. There are certain scanners that, much more than others, are so remarkable that they change the market or make a lasting impression on the hobby. Scanners that introduced new features, made other features popular or just were so darn good that they are beloved by the community will be discussed here.

If you have a favorite scanner that you think should be listed please let us know! The ones I discuss are scanners that I think helped define the market at the time and are real game changers. While some are obviously dated and obsolete today at the time they were introduced they really made a huge impact.

There were also a few real duds here and there. Bearcat once made a scanner that you inserted into an 8-track player. For those too young to know what that was, an 8-track player was used to listen to music recorded on magnetic tape held in large plastic cartridges in the days before cassette tapes, they were wildly popular in the 1970’s. This scanner was in the shape of one of these cartridges and had 4 crystal-controlled channels. It was a neat idea but worked poorly.

GRE Designs:

GRE built and designed many scanners for Radio Shack back in the day. Later they developed their own line in parallel with the Radio Shack line. Coincidentally both Radio Shack and GRE closed up operations for different reasons at about the same time and Whistler Group bought the GRE product line. Whistler continued to produce scanners for Radio Shack based on the Whistler designs for a short time and afterwards brought out their own line of WS and later the TRX scanners.

Radio Shack had a great advantage in that they had a huge retail infrastructure around the world and for years sold a wide range of scanners. While most were GRE built even Uniden made some of them.

PRO2004/5/6

The PRO2004 was introduced in 1986 and was probably the most revolutionary scanner of the day. It had 300 channels when 16 was considered average and 50 was considered remarkable. Its wide-open frequency coverage actually caused it to be recalled from stores to have the cellular frequencies blocked, this was easily defeated however, and the radio even had the proper spacing for them. They were coveted by the MilAir listener and helped create a large cottage industry for modifications and accessories. It spawned the PRO2005 and PRO2006 successors, similar in operation but in smaller cases with some other tweaks and additional memory.

PRO43

The PRO43 was introduced in the mid 1990’s and was the first handheld widely available that included the Mil Air band so were coveted by the airshow crowd. With 200 channels one could program in a ton of channels or do a search of the band. The tiny size made it easy to keep in a shirt pocket or camera bag.

PRO96

The PRO96 was the first P25 scanner that worked on the newer 9600 baud trunked systems, together with its mobile cousin, the PRO2096, one could now listen to these systems directly rather than in a conventional mode. It also provided a data source usable with software programs such as PRO96Com and has data detection modes that were well liked by radio enthusiasts.

PSR800/WS1080

The PSR800 was introduced in 2011, just before GRE went out of business. It was rebadged as the Whistler WS1080 soon thereafter and eventually morphed into the WS1088 and TRX-1 Mobile versions of the stillborn PSR900 became the Whistler WS1095, WS1098 and TRX-2. The PSR800 was the first scanner co work on Phase 2 P25 systems and was one of the first scanners with the on-board database and ZIP Code programming.

Uniden – Electra – Bearcat

Uniden Bearcat scanners originated with the Electra line back in the 1960’s and 70’s. After purchase by Uniden they retained the Bearcat branding and designs. Eventually Uniden bought the Regency brand and rebadged some existing Bearcat designs with Regency names.

Uniden became the biggest player in the market. Bearcat scanners have had great success with many groundbreaking designs over the decades. Here are just a few of the ones we think really made a huge difference:

BC-III

The BC-III was introduced in 1975 and was a VHF/UHF crystal scanner that was one of the most popular scanners of its day. It was unusual in that it allowed both UHF and VHF in the same radio in the days when that was not common. The speaker was huge and provided such good audio that years later, when the scanner itself was no longer useful, hobbyists would wire it up to be used as an external speaker for more modern scanners.

BC101

The BC101 was introduced in the mid 1970’s and was one of the earliest programmable scanners. It was programmed by setting the channel switches in a pattern for the specific frequency as listed in the programming guide. While kind of clunky, for the time it was revolutionary to be able to program a scanner without crystals and it had a huge 16 channel capacity.

BC210

The BC210 was introduced in 1977 and was Bearcat’s first direct entry programmable scanner. Imagine in the days when one would buy crystals for each channel, need programming combs or have to look up binary codes in a guide that they were now able to enter a frequency directly into a scanner. It was unheard of!

BC100                                                          

The BC100 was introduced in 1981 and was the one of first mainstream handheld programmable scanners. The first versions had a threaded antenna connector and later versions had a BNC. It used AA rechargeable batteries but they were internally mounted so a screwdriver was needed if you wanted to swap them out. It was a revolutionary handheld scanner that could be keyboard programmed without need of crystals, a new concept at the time.

BC235XLT/BC245XLT

The BC235XLT was introduced in the mid 1990’s and was the first TrunkTracker, it would scan Motorola trunked radio systems on 800 MHz. at the time. Before that one would have to enter the various channels into a scanner memory, lock out the current control channel and make a guess as to the actual users as there was no way to otherwise discriminate among them. The compact form and huge (for the time) capacity of up to 300 channels were huge selling points. The similar BC245XLT that came out a few years later added computer control and EDACS trunking to the mix.

BC780XLT

The BC780XLT was introduced in 2001 and changed the hobby more than almost any other scanner ever had. With 500 channels, the ability to track several formats of trunking, wide frequency coverage (including the Military air band) and great performance it remains a great scanner for many to this day. It was really the cream of the crop of the day.

BCD996/396 Series

The BCD996T was introduced in 2006 and replaced the BC780XLT as the flagship scanner, along with the portable version (BCD396T) it provided P25 reception and bullet proof reception along with up to 6000 channels of dynamically allocated memory. It spawned the BCD996XT and 996P2 mobiles and 396XT and 325P2 handhelds with similar features and carried on the Family arrangement of scanners where a handheld and mobile version were created. The 996/396 series introduced GPS enabled programming as well.

Home Patrol

The HomePatrol was introduced in 2010 and was the first ZIP Code enabled scanner. This truly revolutionized scanning and made it available to the masses who did not want to program a scanner, now they can just enter the ZIP Code to load the channels into the radio.

SDS100/200

The SDS100 handheld scanner was introduced in 2018, followed in 2019 with the mobile SDS200. These use the HomePatrol database but also provide excellent performance on digital simulcast systems. These systems have been the bane of scanners for as long as they have been around but finally a consumer scanner had good performance on them. With the color customizable display and ability to handle almost any type of radio system they will be the top of the heap for years to come.

Regency/RELM:

Regency, like Electra Bearcat, was an Indianapolis based scanner manufacturer that had some well-loved designs, especially in the 1970’s. Best known for its early crystal scanners, they had a large following. After many years they sold their scanner line to Uniden but a decade later came out with a new line of scanners under the RELM name that lasted only a couple years.

TMR-8H

The Regency TME-8H was an 8-channel VHF only crystal scanner from the late 1960’s. It was my first scanner, my dad had bought it for me so I could listen to him when he was working as a police officer in our hometown. We had the local channels at the time and with 8 channels I could hear all the local police and fire operations easily. 

ACTR20-6

The Regency ACTR20-6 was a 20-channel 6-band crystal-controlled scanner introduced in 1975. This was the days when an 8-channel scanner was a luxury, and one could spend more on crystals than on the scanner itself.

AOR

AOR is better known for high-end receivers rather than traditional scanners but some of their products made it to the mainstream scanner market. The AR8000 was the most notable but there were a few others that became popular. AOR receivers do not follow trunking so are pretty much relegated to the advanced hobbyist or specialty uses.

AR8000                                                       

The AOR AR-8000 was introduced in 1994 and was an early full-range and all-mode scanner with 1000 channels. It covered just about anything with antennas at the time, covering the entire shortwave, VHF and UHF bands, from 500 KHz. To 1900 MHz. It did most analog modes, including CW and SSB and was computer programmable and controllable. It was popular to use with the OptoElectronics Scout recording frequency counter and one could buy a special cable and battery door (that allowed the cable to plug into the radio) to connect the two devices. This allowed one to get a hit on the Scout and hear the traffic on the AR8000. While current scanners have the CloseCall or Spectrum Search these days this was revolutionary at the time. It was also known to have great sensitivity and worked well on the cell bands.

Other Brands:

There were many other popular brands like Robin, Midland, Cobra, RCA and others. Some were rebadges of radios made by Regency, Bearcat or GRE but many were (or are) their own designs. Many department stores of the day like Montgomery Wards, Sears and others also sold Regency or Bearcat scanners rebadged with the retailer’s name.

HP1 vs .HP2

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The Uniden BearCat HomePatrol was a revolutionary design that transformed the scanner hobby when it was introduced. Never before was there a scanner that allowed one to just put in a ZIP Code to replace individual channel programming. The success of the HomePatrol led directly to the BCD436HP and the BCD536HP as well as location based scanners from Whistler (GRE and RS).

A couple years ago the HomePatrol line was extended with the introduction of the HomePatrol 2, the original HomePatrol is now called the HomePatrol 1.

So what is the difference between the HomePatrol 1 and 2? Well there are a few differences. The biggie of course is that the HP-2 handles APCO P25 Phase 1 and Phase 2 while the HP-1 only does Phase 1. If your area doesn’t use Phase 2 you could save some money and get the HP-1. The HP-1 has a silver front panel while the HP-2 is black.

In addition the HP-2 (like most other current handheld scanners) chargesits batteries from the USB port instead of using a separate jack like the HP-1. This allows the HP-2 to use common USB chargers of which you probably already have a bunch of. Since it uses common USB chargers it doesn’t come with one. If you are that one guy who doesn’t have a USB charger available we do sell them.

Other than the charger and Phase 2 the HP-1 and HP-2 are almost identical. The same software is used to update and program either radio. You can even take a memory card from one radio and use it in another. If you are using mounting gear the same gear can be used for either radio.

HomePatrol 2:

 

HomePatrol 1:

All those weird ports on the back of the scanner

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Modern scanners have a plethora of various ports, jacks and sockets on them. Here is a look at some of them.

Taking a look at the rear panel of the BCD536HP scanner there are 6 different ports on it. From left to right they are:

  • BNC antenna jack
  • External Speaker Jack
  • USB Port (used for WiFi unit only on the 536)
  • GPS Serial Port
  • 3-pin power port
  • Coaxial power port

Other common ports on scanners include:

  • USB programming port
  • Record jack
  • Headphone jack
  • Various serial ports.

Let’s look at each port and what it is used for: (*Bonus! See below for an explanation of the weird hole smack in the middle…)

Antenna Jack:  Of course this is used to connect an antenna to the radio. Most scanners these days use BNC, the little push and turn job you see in the picture. Some handled scanners use the smaller SMA connector. Some older scanners had Motorola or even SO139 connectors and some had both an external connector and an internal threaded connector with a hole in the case to insert it.

External Speaker:  These are used to plug in an external speaker and are different than headphone jacks. Speaker Jacks do not limit the volume like a headphone jack will. When you plug in a speaker into the external speaker jack the inside speaker is disconnected.

Headphone Jack:  The Headphone jack has a limiting circuit to protect from overly loud sound that can damage your hearing. Otherwise it works much like the external speaker jack. Headphone jacks are usually in the front panel of desktop scanners while speaker jacks are usually on the rear. Handheld scanners usually just have a headphone jack on the top.

Record Jack:  The Record Jack allows one to pull audio from the scanner at a constant level that is not affected by the volume control. This is important when the radio is used as a source for recording or streaming. Some older RadioShack scanners and some current Uniden scanners have record jacks.

GPS Serial Port:  Unique to Uniden scanners, the DB-9 Serial port (male) is used mostly to connect a GPS receiver to allow location based scanning. It can also be used to program or control the scanner with the properly constructed cables. Do not confuse this with the female DB-9 port used for programming on older scanners like the BC780XLT or the BC898T

USB Programming port:  Most scanners these days use a USB-Mini port on the front or side to program and control the scanner. On many handheld scanners these ports are also used to charge the batteries and power the radio. On the BCD325P2 a special cable is used to connect a GPS to this port.

Other serial ports:  Some older scanners use different type serial ports. Older Unidens (like the “XT” series) use a unique 4-pin square connector for programming and connection of the RH-96 remote head. HP-1 and HP-2 scanners use that same port style for connecting to a GPS. Older design RadioShack/GRE/Whistler scanners use a jack that is just like a headphone jack for serial port connections.

Coaxial Power Port:  Most desktop/mobile scanners have a coaxial power port to provide 12 VDC to the scanner. There are 2 different jacks in common use. The majority of Uniden mobile and desktop scanners use a “Type M” male jack while most recent RadioShack, GRE and Whistler mobiles use a “Type T” female jack. Both use center-pin positive. Some older handheld scanners use smaller coaxial power ports but newer portable scanners usually use the USB port for charging and external power.

3-pin power port:  This is another unique to Uniden port, similar to the power port used on some of their CB products. On Uniden scanners there are the regular black and red wires for power and a third orange wire used to control the brightness of the display when connected to the lighting circuits of the car.

Discriminator Jack:  This is probably the most popular jack that doesn’t come on scanners. Discriminator audio is used to provide an unfiltered audio source mostly for data decoding. This type of decoding usually does not work from the record or speaker jacks due to the filtering circuitry in the radio. Scanners usually do not come with jacks for this but it is often added on by advanced scanner hobbyists to allow data decoding.

 

Bonus Round

See that threaded hole smack in the middle of the back panel in the picture at the top of the page? Most Uniden base/mobile scanners have that. It is used to allow a rear bracket to stabilize the radio under the dashboard. It is not mentioned in the owner’s manuals but is shown in the diagrams.

FRS/GMRS/MURS/CB: The Personal Radio Services

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Anyone can use one of several types of two-way radios, most of which do not require a license. From something the kids can play with to serious business uses there are a bunch of different types of varying quality and usefulness. These are called CB, FRS, MURS and GMRS. Only GMRS requires a license, the others do not. Each of the four services have different intended functions.

  • FRS: Family Radio Service (low power, short range, intended for families and individuals)
  • GMRS: General Mobile Radio Service (high power, longer range, intended for families)
  • MURS: Multiple Use Radio Service (mid-power, medium range, intended for business)
  • CB: Citizen’s Band Radio Service (low power mobile)

You ever go into Wal-Mart or Best Buy and see those cheap little two-way radios encased in one of the most devious inventions of man-kind (Bubble Packs)? They boast wild range figures (“35 mile Range!”) and are made by many different companies like Motorola, Midland and Cobra. These are called “FRS Radios” (Family Radio Service). FRS radios are restricted to ½ watt, non-removable antennas and are intended for short-range person-to-person communications. While titled as the Family Radio Service they are commonly used by businesses and government organizations. In my neighborhood I hear construction crews, hunters, the local school and the golf course maintainers on FRS channels. Just about everything but families… There are few restrictions on what you can use it for so business and personal communications are allowed.

FRS is actually pretty interesting to listen to in many cases. While a lot of the traffic is inane nonsense, like kids wearing out the noisemaking alert beep button, occasionally there is some interesting stuff to listen to. I live in a fairly isolated area 20 miles from the nearest town. There is construction going on and the crews use several FRS channels to coordinate activities. There is a school in the area that uses FRS radios too. The golf course guys use FRS when performing maintenance or to corral loose duffers. Local landscapers use FRS as well.

Listening to FRS channels at the mall or around amusement parks etc. can also be fun. The stores and shops often use FRS radios for clerks and stockers, customers use them to keep in touch with their family.

A lot of the FRS channels are shared with GMRS, so listening to one set of frequencies you may hear both services.

GMRS is a little different than FRS. Since a license is required and power levels are higher they tend to be used in a more formal matter. FRS also allows repeaters so you may hear traffic from all over the area. GMRS is often used by REACT and other volunteers as well as family businesses and often for just idle chit-chat and radio clubs. Sometimes it sounds a lot like ham radio.

MURS can be very interesting. It is on VHF and allows higher power than FRS but in many other aspects it is very similar. Like FRS there are few restrictions on what you can use it for. Since the radios tend to be a little more expensive MURS channels tend to be more business oriented.

CB these days is mostly a wasteland of unintelligible noise. It is still popular with the highway crowd but between high-power illegal amplifiers, over-driven power echo-mics and other noisemakers it is no longer a viable communications tool. It can be interesting to listen to however!

If you put these frequencies in your scanner you may find some interesting communications. You might also be bored silly but you won’t know until you try it.

General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)

  • Freq (MHz)              Remarks                  
  • 462.5500                 Repeater Output/Simplex    (Repeats 467.5500)
  • 462.5750                 Repeater Output/Simplex    (Repeats 467.5750)
  • 462.6000                 Repeater Output/Simplex    (Repeats 467.6000)
  • 462.6250                 Repeater Output/Simplex    (Repeats 467.6250)
  • 462.6500                 Repeater Output/Simplex    (Repeats 467.6500)
  • 462.6750                 Repeater Output/Simplex    (Repeats 467.6750)
  • 462.7000                 Repeater Output/Simplex    (Repeats 467.7000)
  • 462.7250                 Repeater Output/Simplex    (Repeats 467.7250)
  • 462.5625                 Simplex (5 watts)
  • 462.5875                 Simplex (5 watts)
  • 462.6125                 Simplex (5 watts)
  • 462.6375                 Simplex (5 watts)
  • 462.6625                 Simplex (5 watts)
  • 462.6875                 Simplex (5 watts)
  • 462.7125                 Simplex (5 watts)

Family Radio Service (FRS)

  • Freq (MHz)              Ch #         
  • 462.5625                 1
  • 462.5875                 2
  • 462.6125                 3
  • 462.6375                 4
  • 462.6625                 5
  • 462.6875                 6
  • 462.7125                 7
  • 467.5625                 8
  • 467.5875                 9
  • 467.6125                 10
  • 467.6375                 11
  • 467.6625                 12
  • 467.6875                 13
  • 467.7125                 14
  • 462.5500                 15 (Shared with GMRS)
  • 462.5750                 16 (Shared with GMRS)
  • 462.6000                 17 (Shared with GMRS)
  • 462.6250                 18 (Shared with GMRS)
  • 462.6500                 19 (Shared with GMRS)
  • 462.6750                 20 (Shared with GMRS)
  • 462.7000                 21 (Shared with GMRS)
  • 462.7250                 22 (Shared with GMRS)

Multiple Use Radio Service (MURS)

  • Freq (MHz)                                                 
  • 151.8200
  • 151.8800
  • 151.9400
  • 154.5700
  • 154.6000

Citizens Band (CB)           

  • Freq         Ch #          Freq         Ch #         
  • 26.965    1                27.215    21
  • 26.975    2                27.225    22
  • 26.985    3                27.255    23
  • 27.005    4                27.235    24
  • 27.015    5                27.245    25
  • 27.025    6                27.265    26
  • 27.035    7                27.275    27
  • 27.055    8                27.285    28
  • 27.065    9                27.295    29
  • 27.075    10             27.305    30
  • 27.085    11             27.315    31
  • 27.105    12             27.325    32
  • 27.115    13             27.335    33
  • 27.125    14             27.345    34
  • 27.135    15             27.355    35
  • 27.155    16             27.365    36
  • 27.165    17             27.375    37
  • 27.175    18             27.385    38
  • 27.185    19             27.395    39
  • 27.205    20             27.405    40

Selecting Your First Radio Scanner

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Scanner FrequenciesBuying your first radio scanner requires understanding the differences between radio systems and scanner frequencies. While you do not need to know exactly how each radio system works, you do need to know which ones are used in your area. It is never safe to assume, just because you live in a small town, your needs will be met with a basic analog scanner. You would be surprised by how many smaller communities have state-of-the-art radio systems, requiring either trunking or digital scanners to listen to two-way radio communications.

  1. Find out what radio systems are used in your town. The first step to selecting a radio scanner is to conduct a little research and find out what radio systems fire, police, and other agencies use for communications. The easiest way to do this is to use our free scanner comparison tool. All you have to do is choose your desired listening range and enter in your zip code. Next, select the counties you want to monitor on your new police scanner to see important information about the radio systems used.
  2. Compare scanner radios based compatible with your location. Our scanner comparison tool also shows you several different models of hand-held portable, mobile, and desktop scanners that will pick up scanner frequencies in your location. The key thing to remember is that it is not what features and options are on the scanner, but the type of radio systems used in your area. Every location is different, and the police scanner has to be matched to the radio systems.
  3. Consider what agencies you want to monitor. Most people buy a scanner to listen to fire, police, and emergency medical responder transmissions. A small percentage of people also use their scanner radios to listen to other government agencies, railroad communications, campus police, and racer/pit crew communications at live NASCAR racing events. Choose a scanner based on the scanner frequencies you want to hear.
  4. Radio systems used in your town can change. Police, fire, emergency responders, and other agencies do upgrade radio systems from time to time. Keep this in mind when selecting a compatible scanner. For instance, if your city currently uses a basic analog radio system, they might decide to upgrade it to a trunking system in the future. Unless you have a scanner capable of picking up both analog and trunking communications, you would no longer be able to monitor any frequencies moved to the new system. You may want to check with your city or county planning commission to find out if there are any plans for upgrading the radio system in the near future before purchasing your new police scanner.
  5. Support options for the scanner. If you know you are going to need help programming and updating the scanners firmware, it is recommended you look at models that can be plugged into a computer. This way, in most cases, you are able to receive remote desktop scanner support without having to send in your scanner any time you need help.

For more information about police scanner radios or friendly assistance from one of our scanner experts, contact us today at 1-800-SCANNER (1-800-722-6637).

What Is the Best Police Scanner?

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One frequently asked question by people in the scanner world, as well as those interested in purchasing their first new scanner, is which one is the best police scanner to own. The most straightforward answer is: it depends on the situation. There are several key factors that need to be evaluated to determine what radios scanners are most appropriate for your needs and, from there, these can then be narrowed down to the best scanner radio.

  1. What scanner frequencies are you going to be listening to? Do you want to monitor police, fire, and EMT channels only, or do you also want to be able to listen to railroad, NASCAR racing, and other public broadcast channels?
  2. What signal formats do you need to listen to your favorite scanner frequencies? You need to find out whether local police, fire, EMTs, and other channels you want to listen to use analog, analog trunking, or digital scanner frequencies, or some combination thereof.
  3. How do you intend to use the scanner? If you only intend to listen to transmissions from your home office, a desktop radio scanner could be sufficient. However, if you want to be able to listen to scanner radios while on the go, you need to determine if a handheld or mobile police scanner meets your needs.
  4. How many channels and how much memory does the scanner have? If you intend to save multiple favorites in the scanner, you should look at models with more memory. The number of channels is really not important. What truly is important is the type of radio systems used in your local area. You could have a high end scanner with all the bells and whistles, but may not need it.
  5. How much does the scanner cost? Some people get hung up on cost and think the higher the price, the better the scanner. This is not always the case, and you need to be careful the price does not distract you too much. Remember, you are looking for a scanner with the features and options to satisfy your listening requirements.
  6. How difficult is it to program the scanner? If you are tech savvy, then this probably is not an issue. For other scanner users, there are one-touch programmable scanners where you simply enter in the zip code, and the scanner downloads all available scanner channels. Another option for more complex scanners is to have the scanner preprogrammed before it is shipped to your home or office.
  7. Is the scanner computer friendly? Many modern scanners can be connected to desktop and laptop computers to make downloading radio frequencies and installing firmware updates simple and easy. You are able to obtain remote support for most programming and scanner update issues with computer-friendly models.
  8. What is included with the scanner? Some models include everything you need to get started, while others could require purchasing additional accessories, like an external antenna to pick up more frequencies.

For further assistance in selecting the best police scanner, contact us today at 1-800-SCANNER (1-800-722-6637).

Give Bearcat Scanners as Holiday Gifts

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2Are you looking for a last minute holiday gift for those difficult people on your list? Why not consider getting them a Whistler or Bearcat scanner as a gift? These radio scanners are the perfect gift for anyone who likes to listen to local police and fire communications. Even though 90 %+ of people use scanners primarily for these purposes, they are also beneficial for monitoring traffic patterns, construction delays, accidents, and other communications over the local public broadcast channels.

How Difficult Is It to Program Bearcat Scanners?

Programming radio scanners is not difficult for most people with some technical background, or if you select user-friendly Uniden Bearcat models, like the BCD536HP or BCD436HP. Another option many people choose is to have police scanners preprogrammed for their locations before they are shipped. When your gift recipients open their holiday gifts, their radio scanners are ready to go. All they have to do is either plug the scanner into an AC outlet, or, if it is a portable Bearcat model, make sure the batteries are fully charged.

What Types of Frequencies Can You Listen to with Bearcat Scanners?

Bearcat scanners monitor a wide range of scanner frequencies from numerous agencies in your area. It is possible to listen to police, fire, railroad, public works, forest rangers, railroad, air traffic, general mobile radio service (GMRS), family radio service (FRS), and car racing. Most basic scanner radios pick up all of these analog transmissions.

Do keep in mind, in certain locations some frequencies may be transmitted over analog trunking or digital systems. If you want to be able to also monitor these transmissions, you need to look at Bearcat scanner radio models with trunking and digital capabilities. It is highly recommended you search our free database for your location to see what types of systems are used in your area, or the location where the scanner is going to be used the most, before ordering police scanners for holiday gifts or for yourself.

What Sorts of Transmissions Can I Hear over Bearcat Scanners?

Radio scanners have a set range of operation. It is possible to extend this range by installing an external antenna. Within the normal range of operation you can hear communications from dispatch centers, police, fire, and emergency medical responders, construction workers, GMRS and FRS radio transmissions, and more, depending on where you live and your distance from the transmission towers. If you have a portable scanner and use this in your vehicle, your range of operation is based on current location. As you drive through town, the types of communications you hear may change if you pick up new transmission towers or go out of range of current towers.

For further assistance in selecting the best Bearcat scanners to give as holiday gifts, feel free to contact us now at 1-800-SCANNER (1-800-722-6637), and speak to one of our friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable scanner experts.

 

The Uniden BCD536HP and BCD436HP Are User Friendly Scanners

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There are all different levels of users in the scanner community, ranging from new hobbyists, to long time scanner enthusiasts, to professionals using scanners as part of their jobs. Finding the right scanner to fit your skill level with the features you want is essential in order to be able to get the most out of your scanner. The Uniden BCD536HP and BCD436HP are two scanner models that are ideal for users of all skill sets and include a wide range of features to make owning and using a scanner radio fun and enjoyable, such as:

Scanner Radio

  • TrunkTracker V Support: Monitor LTR, X2-TDMA, Motorola, APCO Project 25 Phase I and Phase II, and EDACS trunked radio systems.
  • Multiple Frequency Coverage: Monitor the scanner frequencies used by numerous agencies, like police, fire, public works, university security, forest rangers, and more.
  • Simple Programming: Choose from several flexible channel selection options, like GPS, zip code, or service types, and select your locations and the frequencies you want to hear. The BCD536HP and BCD436HP radio scanners automatically program the channels based on these selections.
  • Auto Update Using a GPS: By plugging a GPS into the scanner, radio frequencies are automatically updated as you move from one location to another. This feature is ideal for those who listen to their scanner in their vehicle while traveling.
  • Easy Scanning: The scanners allow you to select from your favorites lists, the main frequency scanner database, or custom combinations of these to monitor transmissions.
  • Sentinel Software: Install the software on your laptop or desktop computer, and plug the scanner into any USB port any time you want to update the firmware or the scanner database, as well as edit, manage, and create your favorites lists.
  • Front Panel Programmable: Both Uniden scanner models allow users to program their scanners using the front panel, without being complex or complicated.
  • Selectable Scan Control: Scan radio frequencies by pushing the channel hold, dedicated system, or department buttons, or use the quick key access to use your favorite lists.
  • Remote Access: The BCD536HP includes Wi-Fi access, so you can monitor and control your scanner from anywhere in your home using your smartphone or tablet. The Wi-Fi access feature gives you full control of your scanner radio over an Internet connection while you are away from home. You can even configure the Wi-Fi settings as a remote access point, if the scanner is installed in your car, and use your mobile device to control and listen to the scanner in your vehicle.

Who Uses Uniden BCD536HP and BCD436HP Scanners?

The types of people who use the BCD536HP and BCD436HP scanners include law enforcement radio systems technicians, police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, news agencies, hobbyists, homemakers, truck drivers, and other people from a variety of backgrounds and professions. Anyone can own and operate a scanner radio to monitor what is going on in their community or while they travel around the country. People use their Uniden scanners to monitor traffic conditions, road closures, weather alerts, accidents, fires, and crimes in their community.

For more information about Uniden BCD536Hp and BCD436HP scanner radios, feel free to contact us at 1-800-SCANNER (1-800-722-6637).