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My advice is to do your homework first. Follow the newsgroup or board to see what is going on. See what the recent developments are. Get a pulse for what is happening in the hobby and the industry overall.
The probability is that someone else has asked the same thing you did in the not so distant past in the very same place. Start by pointing your web browser to Google Groups to do some research about previous postings in the newsgroups.
This very nice service allows you to search the newsgroup archives. Simply type in what you are looking for and see what shows up. The more recent postings show up first with the original poster and the subject header listed. Be sure to try word variations (e.g. if searching for postings on the Radio Shack PRO-60 scanner, try "Pro-60" "Pro60", "Pro 60", etc.)
Looking for more information on a radio or accessory? There are tons of web sites out there with lots of information for free! Start by pointing your web browser to the Yahoo Scanner page.
This is just one of many web search services allowing you to locate web pages containing items of your specification. As mentioned earlier, when performing a search try using variations to maximize your chances of finding what it is you are looking for.
What's The Best Scanner?
Almost daily, someone will post a message that says something like "Which
scanner should I buy" or "I want the best scanner there is" Well, well. That's
a lot like asking "I want the best car." What does that mean? Best as in
cheapest? Best as in highest gas mileage? Best as in fastest? Best as in crash
protection? Ask ten people and you'll probably get ten answers. Having done
this, you are no closer to an answer than you were before.
And it's amazing how many are surprised when they get responses that list appropriate radios and find out they can cost well over $1000! This only goes to show that they had no idea what they were getting into and had done no research on their own. So how useful was it to post the orignal "generic" question? Not much, I think. And there's also the risk of getting "flamed" which itself can start an entire flame thread thereby wasting bandwidth not to mention the deluge of abusive e-mail you're bound to receive.
For some help in getting started, I have a web page devoted to this very subject. Click here to take a look.
After using Google Groups to get up to speed on recent developments and which radios are well liked and which aren't, and Yahoo to look up manufacturer specifications on radios of interest, you're probably ready to post to the newsgroup to get details from the people who have actually purchased and used them.
Tell everyone what it is exactly that you are looking for. Give specific details and features. Tell what price range you are looking in. List the radios you have been researching. List the PROs and CONs from your point of view.
You'll get many replies from people who will give you their point of view. Try not to take any one person's answer as gospel. Be wary of those who proclaim "stay away from Acme Scanners...they're all crap" etc. You should be able to get a feel for the true nature of a radio...whether it's a good one, mediocre or a real dog. Some responses may even list other radios you might want to consider.
Picking A Scanner/Receiver
In the quest to help interested people find the scanner or receiver that is
right for them, I have created a web page to do just this.
This page covers the major considerations when purchasing a radio whether it's your first or fifth. Recommended features are covered as well as presenting a Glossary of important terms to get the newcomers up to speed on all the hobby lingo.
When a decision has been made, there are also tips for buying used or new as well as a link to a page containing numerous dealers and web resources that can be used to purchase your selection.
Here's a link to Picking A Scanner/Receiver. Be sure to check out Bob Parnass' FAQ, Scanner Radio Review Briefs, which I have made a copy of here.
Scanner Glossary
To help new users get up to speed with the lingo used in our hobby, I have
created an informative page with many of the terms encountered today. I hope
this will help many newcomers as they begin their journey into our fascinating,
and often times complex, hobby.
Here's a link to the Scanner Glossary
Scanner Model FAQ
An important FAQ written and maintained by the author lists a large number of
scanners, both past and present. You'll find a listing of manufacturers and
their current models, along with specifications and inside tips.
Here's a link to the Scanner Model FAQ.
For a quick reference to today's manufacturers and their models, take a look at my Manufacturer's page.
To get a look at the hottest selling radios, take a look at my Hottest radios page.
Scanner Dealers FAQ
Another FAQ written by yours truly lists a large number of dealers who carry
scanners, communications receivers, HF gear, books, accessories, you name it!
There are addresses, phone numbers and web pages listed wherever possible.
This is a great way to find out what's on the market along with pretty specs and pictures of all the hottest radios. And when you're ready to buy, all the information you need is right here. And using mail order, you can expect to save 10% to 20% over what you'd pay in your area.
Check out the Scanner Dealer FAQ.
Frequently Asked Frequencies
New scanner users often have a hard time finding where some of the most
common used frequencies are listed. If you are interested in one of the
following categories :
FCC Frequency Databases
One FAQ I have written lists the most popular resources for acquiring FCC
license information. If you are interested in finding frequencies in your local
area or for anywhere in the US, you'll want to read this FAQ.
Several resources are listed with prices, their pros and cons and web resources where available.
Check out the FCC Frequency Databases page as well as Bill McFadden's excellent resource.
CTCSS & DCS (aka PL & DPL)
Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) and Digital Coded Squelch (DCS)
are two methods used to prevent interference in radio communications. Normally,
a radio will open its squelch when an active signal is detected so that the
audio transmission may be heard. If the radios being used are set up to use
CTCSS/DCS, they must receive an active signal along with the proper tone before
they will open the squelch; otherwise they remain quiet.
CTCSS is a method whereby one of a pre-defined set of inaudible tones are transmitted with the audio message. In DCS, one of a pre-defined set of inaudible digital signals are transmitted. Today there are about 41 standard CTCSS tones and 30 standard DCS codes in use.
This tone enabled system may be used when two or more agencies must share the same frequency. For example, a small town may only use one frequency yet they have police, fire and EMS units which use this one frequency. Using tones, they can assign one tone to the police radios, another to the fire radios and yet a third to EMS. In this scheme, the police radios will only transmit their tone allowing only other police radio listening for that same tone to hear the police transmissions. Fire and EMS units will remain quiet in this case since they are "looking" for different tones.
If, for some reason, police and/or fire and/or EMS must communicate with each other, they can switch the radio to use a common tone or turn off the tones completely. Either way, all units can now hear each other's traffic.
The CTCSS system is marketed by Motorola as Private Line (PL) while Ericsson/GE uses Channel Guard (CG). DCS is marketed by Motorola as Digital Private Line (DPL) and Digital Channel Guard (DCG) by Ericsson/GE.
There are a few scanners available today which provide various CTCSS/DCS functions. Have a look at the Scanner Features page for supported models.
Also be aware that most amateur radio transceivers have CTCSS and/or DCS tone squelch and/or search as well as tuning a wide range of frequencies.
Increasing in popularity are software programs, such as WinTone, which can decode these tones using your soundcard being fed by the audio output of your scanner.
If your radio has CTCSS/DCS ability, you might be able to use it to your advantage. In most cases, if you have multiple users on a single frequency, but only want to hear ones of your choosing, program in their frequency and only program the CTCSS/DCS tones for those users. All other users will not be heard!
In other cases, if your radio is receiving intermodulation noise or images on a frequency, you might be able to use tones to help block them out. This will work if the agency on the affected frequency uses CTCSS/DCS and your radio has CTCSS/DCS capability. If so, simply program in the CTCSS/DCS tone being used. Most of the time neither the intermodulation noise nor the image will be using the CTCSS/DCS tone needed to open the squelch. Only the real agency's transmissions will be heard!
What's Illegal
NOTE: This section, for now, pertains to laws governing radio monitoring in
the United States. If anyone would like to send me laws which are pertinent to
other countries and think they would prove beneficial to others, please send
them to me. Also, see the Scanner Laws page.
In its simplest form, US Federal laws (Communications Act of 1934, Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, Telecommunications Disclosure & Dispute Resolution Act of 1992, Digital Telephony Bill of 1994) make it illegal to :
Recent developments in the Gingrich fiasco have also prompted Congress to revise its interpretation of certain laws. They now claim that it is illegal, and thereby punishable, for any person or company to alter a radio so that it may receive cellular frequencies. This has been clarified in ET Docket 98-76 which is effective June 1, 1999 and states:
"We modify section 15.121 to clearly prohibit the modification of scanning receivers to receive Cellular Service transmissions, regardless of the date of manufacture or number of units modified."
There may also be state or local laws which you should make yourself aware of. Most pertain to usage of a scanner outside of your home (some locales make it illegal to use in public or in a vehicle of any sort.) Here's a link to Todd Sherman's informative site that gives you the low-down on US state and mobile monitoring restrictions.
Cellular-Capable Scanners
NOTE: This section pertains to laws governing radio monitoring in the
United States although laws in many other countries are very much similar.
Provisions to the above mentioned laws make it illegal to produce or import for the purpose of sale, radios which are able, or can be easily modified, to pick up cellular phone communications.
Therefore, after April of 1994, no new scanner for sale in the US is capable of tuning within the cellular telephone bands. And no radio capable of tuning within these bands can be legally imported into the US from another country. If you try to import one and it is detected by US Customs, it will be confiscated and you may be prosecuted under federal laws.
So, In short...
DON'T BOTHER ASKING WHICH RADIOS CAN RECEIVE CELLULAR OR CAN BE MODIFIED TO DO SO. THERE ARE NO HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE TRICKS THAT CAN BE USED TO MODIFY CURRENT PRODUCTION US MODELS. PERIOD!
Furthermore, the FCC issued a memorandum (ET Docket 98-76) which forces all scanner manufacturers to meet minimum signal rejection requirements to reduce out-of-band transmissions (listening to cellular images). They have also stipulated that it is now ILLEGAL for even an INDIVIDUAL to MODIFY any receiver to intercept cellular transmissions.
There are also other interesting developtments of FCC ET Docket 98-76 which will be left as an exercise to the reader.
Trunked Radio Systems
To put it simply, trunking is a term that refers to a multi-frequency,
computer-controlled radio system. At any one time, one of the frequencies in
the system is used to continuously broadcast digital data that is used to
control the portable radios in the field and keep them in synch with the base
station dispatch radio. This frequency is referred to as the control channel.
The remaining channels (frequencies) are used for voice and other traffic.
There can be as few as 5 or as many as 29 channels (frequencies) in the system.
Since the system is computer-controlled, it can select the frequency that is used for each transmission without burdening the radio user with having to select a physical frequency to transmit on. Due to this mode of operation it is possible to have a single conversation take place on several different frequencies. Each time the radio transmitter button is pressed, the computer selects an empty channel and uses the control channel to tell the radio(s) which physical frequency to use. Using a conventional scanner, you can see how this form of "frequency hopping" can make very busy systems nearly impossible to monitor.
More and more public safety systems are moving to 800 MHz trunked systems (the US government likes them on 400 MHz, future digital systems will migrate to 700 MHz while there are others that use them on VHF and 900 MHz). The ideal case for monitoring such a system would be to buy a trunking-capable scanner from Uniden, Radio Shack (who has their models made by Uniden and GRE), Optoelectronics and WiNRADiO. See my Trunking Scanners page for a list of models to choose from.
These trunking-capable scanners are specifically designed to follow Motorola, EDACS and/or LTR trunked radio systems in many parts of the frequency spectrum. They can do this by monitoring the system's control channel or the subaudible tones broadcast on the voice channels. This allows them to follow an entire conversation without having to bother you with manual frequency selection!
However, if you only have a conventional scanner there are some tips you can use to monitor trunked systems more efficiently. First off, you'll need to program the radio with all the frequencies for the trunked system you want to listen to. Since most systems use a repeater system, there are one set of frequencies used for input (which are low power and hard to pick up) as well as a separate set used for output (which are much more powerful).
Only program the output frequencies into your scanner to maximimze your reception of the signals. Program the frequencies from highest to lowest and if your scanner has a delay capability, make sure that it is off or turned off for each programmed channel.
You'll next need to find the control channel and lock it out since it is of no use to us since it is digital computer data. You'll probably find that there are multiple frequencies used for the control channel and that they rotate around at preset times during the day. When the control channel does switch to another frequency simply lock out the new frequency and unlock the old one.
When monitoring an important conversation, be ready to press the Scan button. Should the computer switch the conversation to another frequency (usually as radios are keyed and unkeyed for transmitting), you might have to skip over several other active frequencies to find the rest of the conversation you were following.
There are several different manufacturers of trunked radio systems but the worst are probably made by Ericsson and GE, from a scanner listener's point of view that is. To discourage listeners from monitoring their systems, the designers added an obnoxious set of noises each time the transmitter is unkeyed. While these noises are being sent out, the computer is switching the conversation to another channel while your scanner is left listening to these noises. If you don't act quick enough, you'll miss the reply on the new frequency.
Over the long term, this is supposed to frustrate you and discourage you from listening in since it is such a hassle. Luckily for us, there exists today a piece of hardware that can be installed in some scanners which allows it to detect the unkeyed transmitter. This detection allows the scanner to resume scanning for you thereby ignoring the noises and helping you to locate the frequency that the conversation moved to. For more info, contact Scanner Master or the Ham Station about the G/Wiz board.
Outside of the US, the MPT 1327 & 1343 protocols are very popular. To decode such systems you'll need to buy a special decoder. For more information, try Warren Whitby's great foreign trunked radio systems page. My thanks to Ian Wraith for bringing this aspect of other trunked systems to our attention!
Co-ax Cable
Many hobbyists do not realize how important co-ax cable can be! It can mean the
difference between hearing a signal or not. If you have a great receiver and
expensive antenna, your efforts can be negated by not giving your choice of
co-ax cable its due attention.
To find out more, give my Co-ax Cable page a read.
Receiver Range
One of the first questions new users ask is "How far will a scanner receive?"
or "What kind of range can I get?" This depends on a number of factors
including :
As you can see, what appears to be the simplest of questions can hide enough detail to write a book or, at the very least, a doctoral thesis.
Of the options listed, you have direct control over the first four. You'll want to start with the best receiver your money can buy. You don't have to get into the four digits but at least you'll have some idea that this area is important and learn how to compare specs (when looking at sensitivity listed in microvolts or µV, the smaller the number, the more sensitive it is).
Since most scanning is done in the VHF/UHF frequency ranges, the distance of reception is mainly dependent on line-of-sight. Meaning that there must be a clear path between the transmitter antenna and receiver antenna. Therefore, the higher you have your antenna, the better the chances your antenna will be in sight of more transmitters (which are usually placed on hills and mountains to maximize coverage area).
Most antennas these days are touted as having wide coverage from 25 MHz to 1300 MHz or more. Don't believe everything you read. A paper clip can receive signals over the same frequency range if that's any indication. I'm not saying such products are bad or unworthy of your dollar. Just don't expect them to do everything.
If you find yourself monitoring a smaller range of frequencies, you are better off to replace such a wide-range antenna, or augment it, with one which is tuned for the range you have the most interest in. An antenna tuned for a smaller range of frequencies will be more sensitive to signals in that range thereby allowing you to hear more.
Even with the most modest of external antennas, you can receive signals of moderate power from 30-40 miles away. If you can mount it up higher than you can increase your range up to 100 miles away! Of course with an antenna mounted up so high, you'll want to connect it to your scanner with good quality co-ax cable. The longer the cable run, the more it will reduce the signal strength.
If you are into audio components, you know the age-old adage of buying a thousand dollar receiver and then connecting it to some department store speakers. Kind of defeats the purpose. Same goes here. Don't spend good money on a receiver and antenna only to hamstring your efforts with cheap co-ax!
So try to get Belden 9913 or RG-11. These run around 60 to 70 cents per foot and can be even less if you buy it in pre-cut lengths (usually 50-100 feet). Even for longer runs, you can see that the cost of good co-ax is still MUCH less than a modest antenna not to mention how little of an investment it is when compared to the receiver cost. For more info, check out my Co-ax Cable page.
If an external antenna is not an option, you might consider mounting an external antenna in your attic! Just do some testing ahead of time to make sure you don't have roofing/siding materials which block or weaken radio frequencies.
If an external antenna is not an option, then you should use a large whip antenna on your handheld or base unit to maximize your reception while at home. If you have enough room, you can even use an empty corner of a room with a window view in which to place a larger base model like a discone or ground plane. Expect your range to be in the 20-40 mile range depending on the antenna and mounting location being used.
The short telescoping whip antenna that comes with most base models will get you in the 15-25 mile range. And the rubber duck that comes with handhelds these days is only good for 10-20 miles for the majority of average powered signals. If you are monitoring low power signals then the ranges are reduced dramatically.
To learn even more about the type of signals you are listening to or perhaps want to monitor, pick up one of the FCC databases available today. Most will list the agency with the transmitter location, power output, and antenna height. Knowing these, you'll get a better idea of what it is you are hearing. This will allow you to see how well your setup is working and give you something to gauge against when upgrading your receiver, antenna or co-ax.
With enough practice, you'll be able to take a look at an FCC record and give a good guess as to whether you have a good, average or poor chance of receiving its transmissions.
Your Scanner On A Plane
Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 91.21, Portable electronic devices,
paragraph (a) states that "no person may operate...any portable electronic
device on any...U.S.-registered civil aircraft".
Paragraph (b) goes on to list exclusions to paragraph (a) which includes (1) portable voice recorders, (2) hearing aids, (3) heart pacemakers, (4) electric shavers or (5) "Any other portable electronic device that the operator of the aircraft has determined will not cause interference with the navigation or communication system of the aircraft on which it is to be used."
Paragraph (c) goes on to state that the determination for safety in paragraph (b)(5) "shall be made by that operator of the aircraft on which the particular device is to be used." If you were to be a passenger on a private aircraft, this determination "may be made by the pilot in command" of that aircraft.
What this all says is that the FAA gives each airline the right to deem what electronic devices can and can not be used on their planes. So if you talk to that airline's ticket agent, ask them what their policy is. If this is not possible, when you board the plane, ask the captain or first officer if you can operate your radio receiver.
Keep in mind that many of the airline personnel do not know their company's policy and if they have to guess, they'll simply say "No." Even the flight attendants are often unaware or have the wrong impression. So be sure to take a look in their in-flight magazines kept in the seatback and if not there, have the stewardess take your radio to the Captain to ask for permission. Also point out that it is NOT a transmitter but a receiver only.
If permission is given, you will be cautioned to only use your radio during the cruise portion of the flight. So keep it off during taxi, take-off, departure, approach and landing phases of the flight. The captain will usually make an announcement as to when approved devices can be turned on and when they must be turned off.
A word of warning: Don't mess around if permission is not given. These are FAA regulations. In case you don't know it, the 'F' in FAA stands for 'Federal'. That means if you get caught, expect to see a US Marshall or FBI agent waiting for you when you exit the plane and prepared to be detained for several hours.
A man was convicted in the summer of '99 for not shutting off his cell-phone when requested and received one year of jail time. The same thing can happen if you do the same with your scanner. Get the hint? Enough said.
Frequency Counters
A frequency counter is a radio receiver designed to lock onto the strongest
signal it detects and display the frequency of that signal. This type of
receiver generally has very wide coverage (typically from a few Megahertz up to
a few Gigahertz) and can search this entire range in well under a second.
Frequency counters were originally designed to ensure that radio transmitters were properly aligned and therefore operating on the correct frequency. Today, they are also used to hunt down unlisted frequencies. Typically, the person wanting to know the frequency simply hangs around the area where communications are used and waits for someone to transmit thereby revealing the unknown radio frequency.
However, frequency counters are not the end of scanning and searching. They do not discriminate and only register the strongest signal they detect which may not be the frequency you are looking for. Since local TV, FM radio and pager transmissions are VERY powerful compared to other radio signals, they tend to interfere with the reception of the desired signal.
To get the most from your frequency counter, Barry Burke Jr. offers up the following tidbits of advice :
Just keep in mind that not all frequency counters are created equal. You get what you pay for. Some counters are only good for lab work and are pretty much useless and frustrating to use in the field for signal snooping. Be sure to check out all the features of a counter and be sure it will do what you want of it.
The biggest name in counters for the scanner hobbyist is Optoelectronics. They make the Micro ($99), Cub ($149), Multicounter ($400), Scout ($449), R11 ($399), CD100 ($399) and Xplorer ($899) which are their popular models. Check out their web page. Many amateur radio dealers also carry the Startek line of counters.
Some of Opto's frequency counters have the added ability to tune select AOR and Icom receivers (or Radio Shack models equipped with Optoelectronics OptoScan boards or the Optoelectronics/GRE OptoCom) to the frequency just grabbed. Such a setup not only allows you to determine the frequency but to hear the audio (FM signals only) as well.
A new development is SMART>>LINK which not only allows certain Opto counters to automatically tune the BC245XLT/BC780XLT, but provide a host of other features as well!
A new line of counters being imported to the US are the Aceco name which are sold in Europe under the WatSon brand name. They have a number of models. Some can even tune selected radios. Stop by Lentini Communications or Scanners Unlimited to have a look at them!
Another interesting development is that frequency counters are starting to find their way as features on some radios. Although limited in function and not nearly as sensitive as dedicated counters, this feature does make these models more attractive and allow buyers to gain experience in their use.
Magazines & Newsletters
NOTE: This section, for now, pertains to the United States, the United Kingdom
and Canada. If anyone has information they would like to provide for other
countries, please send me the details.
There are a number of periodicals which exist that can help keep you up to date on the latest activities in scanning and radio monitoring. Listed in alphabetical order are for the US:
Unfortunately, due to hard times, RCMA, The Scanner Club, Northeast Scanning News, and US Scanner News are no longer with us. Satellite Times is the most recent casualty having been re-integrated back into Monitoring Times.
A recent "comeback" is for US Scanner News which is now only on the Internet as US Scanner Online.
Useful publications available in the UK are:
Useful publications available in Canada are: There are also a large number of regional clubs that hold meetings and exist to swap information and frequencies all to increase the enjoyment of the hobby!
Rechargeable Battery Tips
Rechargeable batteries can be a great way to save lots of money if you use your
scanner a lot. While they cost much more for the initial investment, they can
typically be charged hundreds of times if properly cared for allowing you to
save money in the long run.
Rechargeables typically come in two popular flavors. The first is the Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd or ni-cad) which have been around for quite a while and are quite popular. The second is the Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) which are becoming more popular because they provide about 25% more power albeit at a cost of 1.5-2x that of ni-cads. NiMH also self-discharge at a much faster rate and are more finicky when it comes to charging current, voltage and temperature.
On some radios, like those by Uniden, you are pretty much stuck with using a ni-cad. On other radios, it is an option allowing you to choose between standard alkalines or equivalent ni-cads. While they can save you money, they must be cared for properly to extend their lifetime thereby allowing you to reap the savings you have been promised.
Following a few simple guidelines will help you to get the most life out of your rechargeable batteries.
Standard AA NiCds and NiMH cells are typically rated at 1.2 volts versus 1.5 for a standard AA alkaline. The power stored in a battery is usually represented by the amount of current it can deliver for a specified period of time. Standard ni-cads are rated around 600mAh (milli-Amp-hours). If you had a scanner that drew 100mA of current while in operation, then you could expect to get a maximum of 6 hours of usage from the ni-cads. This is an ideal case and is not obtainable because most scanners will shut themselves off well before the batteries are exhausted.
High capacity NiCds are typically rated around 800mAh and are able to store more energy allowing you to run your scanner longer. Lately, cells have been seen with 1100 and 1200mAh ratings!
NiMH can deliver about 1200mAh for a typical AA cell and some go as high as 1800mAh these days. However, they supposedly have only 50% the number of recharge cycles as a NiCd and require a special charger to make sure thermal and charging voltage/current limits do not exceed design criteria; otherwise their life will be further shortened.
The list is simply a group of individuals who want to exchange information. You get on the list by sending a subscribe request to the hosting server with your e-mail address. If done properly and accepted, you are now on the list!
A special e-mail address is then used to submit postings to the sever which turns around and e-mails each and every person who has subscribed to the list. It's a great way to get questions answered as well as keep everyone up to date on what's going on.
Oh yeah...when you do subscribe, you'll usually get a handy set of commands allowing various services. One of these will usually indicate how to get OFF the subscribe list. BE SURE TO SAVE THIS MESSAGE! People on the list get tired of seeing posts about people asking how to do 'such and such' or, as is usually the case, how to unsubscribe from the list.
The most popular list is Peter Laws' SCAN-L which usually runs around 800 list members at any one time. There are also a LARGE number of specialized lists at QTH.NET. The most recent collections have sprung up at Yahoo Groups.
So stop by and check them out. You won't be sorry you did!
Radio Modifications
Looking for a modification for your Radio Shack scanner? Want to add an
S-meter? More memory? Computer interface? There's more out there than you think
probably. A good place to start is
KC5KTO's mod page.
For a detailed run-down on modifications for scanners and amateur radio transceivers, try the QRZ Radio Modifications page.
For a list of do-it-yourself kits, try Bill Cheek's Modifications Checklist
A new resource is Ken's Electronics which sells the Orange Book of Scanner Repair for modifying "nearly 500 scanners"
For adding a simple computer interface to almost any Radio Shack or Uniden scanner, take a look at the PROgramit interface by John Montalbano, KA2PYJ.
Want to add a little something to skip those annoying tones on Ericsson/GE EDACS trunking systems? Try the G/Wiz board which works with AOR, Radio Shack, RELM & Uniden scanners. For more info, read Bob Parnass' Scanner Equipment column in the September 1997 issue of Monitoring Times. Those who carry this add-on include the Ham Station and ScannerMaster.
RadioShack On-line Manuals
Did you buy a used Radio Shack scanner without a manual? Tandy has many of
their scanners' manuals on their web page. Some are there in their complete
form while others won't be so lucky. Even if your scanner is not there or only
partially documented, you can probably make use of another similar scanner's
manual.
Here's Tandy's Scanner page.
You can also find older owner and service manuals on the W7G Vintage Manuals site.
Uniden On-line Manuals
Uniden is just starting to put SOME of their CURRENT model manuals online.
Here's their scanner manuals page
There's a special URL for the BC200XLT Owner's Manual (752K PDF).
You can also find older owner and service manuals on the W7G Vintage Manuals site.
AOR On-line Manuals
AOR UK has put a number of operating manuals for their receivers online.
At this time, there are manuals for the AR1000/2000, AR1500, AR2001/AR2002, AR2500, AR2700, AR2800, AR3000, AR3030, AR5000, AR7030, AR8000, AR800E, AR8200, AR880, AR900, and AR950.
They have also included manuals for their ARD-2, CU8232, and SDU5000 along with details on the AR8200 command protocol.
Here's their manual page
Electra/Bearcat/Regency Manuals
The Hobby Radio Stop claims to have "hundreds" of manuals for older Electra,
Bearcat and Regency models. For only $4 each!
Here's their manual page
Here's two other links for Electra/Uniden and RadioShack & Regency owner and service manuals.
You can also find older owner and service manuals on the W7G Vintage Manuals site.
Amateur & HF Manuals
The W7FG Vintage Manuals site has an online catalog for a LOT of manuals for
amateur and HF radios. They claim 4,000+ in stock! Including many older models
you probably won't be able to find elsewhere.
Here's their web page
Handheld Scanner Antenna Review
Looking to get a few more signals out of your scanner? The antenna is one of
the most important pieces and yet manufacturers usually provide a mediocre
performing model that's more for portable convenience than reception.
To help you get the most out of your radio's reception, I wrote a review on over 40 antennas from many manufacturers. I even evaluated the stock units found on most of today's receivers.
Used Radio Price Guide
Thinking of buying a used radio? Do yourself a favor and have a look at
Hounddog's great resource to make sure you don't pay too much! It lists the
average asking prices for many radios on today's market.
Radio Monitoring Software
In the market for some software? Radio control? Hardware interface? Signal
decoding? Audio recording? Frequency management?
If it's out there on the web, I probably have it on my Software page. At last count, I had references to about 50 of these resources!
If you are interested, stop by my Software page.
Receivers Covering Military Aero
First, understand that this band (225-400 MHz) is not often covered in most
receivers. When it is, it's by the top-of-the-line units. So expect to pay top
dollar for them.
Here's a list of currently manufactured radios that cover the mil aero band:
Computer Control
What benefits do you gain from connecting your scanning receiver to a computer?
What radios can be so interfaced? What kind of hardware and software do you
need?
To find the answers to these questions and more, stop by my Computer Control Scanning FAQ.
Multiple Scanners And One Antenna
It is possible to connect multiple scanners to a single antenna. Doing so
allows the signals from one antenna, usually an externally mounted, wide-range
model, to be fed to several receivers.
But this can create two problems. First, and the most serious, is the inherent weakening of the signal due to this splitting action. If an antenna feed is split between two radios, each radio will only receive one half the original signal strength! Split it three ways and each radio only gets one third the signal! While this might not be a problem when listening to local signals which are quite strong, don't expect to get signals more distant than 15 or so miles.
The second problem encountered when splitting the antenna signal is that all components in the system are now electrically interconnected. That means that if you have a particularly noisy radio (one which generates a lot of radio interference), the noise from this radio can work its way back up to the splitter and then down into the other connected receivers. The noisy radio has now infected the other radios with the same noise which can be a detriment in your monitoring.
Both of the above problems can be solved by using a Stridsberg multicoupler. There are several models to choose from but unfortunately, all are fairly costly. All models have built-in circuitry which isolates each radio to keep each from injecting noise into the others. Some models also have amplifiers which offset the signal loss due to the splitting. You also have the option to select models that split the antenna signal to 2, 4 or 8 receivers.
Do I Need An Amplifier?
You've undoubtedly heard about signal amplifiers or preamplifiers which are
used to increase reception range by boosting the strength of weak signals. It
sounds like a truly wonderful device that every hobbyist should have in their
monitoring arsenal, right?
The problem is that most people tend to oversimplify the problem of weak signal reception and how it can best be solved. While adding a preamplifier will boost weak signals so that they can be heard easier, this device also boosts ambient noise as well as already strong signals.
The biggest problem here is that by increasing the strength of already strong signals, you are bombarding your receiver with a large amount of radio frequency energy it might not be able to handle. The result is more and stronger images, as well as increased intermodulation interference. And boosting the ambient noise is no joy either. Like they say, you don't get something for nothing!
So while you MIGHT be able to pick up a few more distant frequencies, you'll probably find that trying to monitor your local signals make for a nightmarish experience as your receiver now "barfs up" all kinds of interference signals that weren't there before.
In short, if you live in the "sticks" and far from most man-made radio frequency energy, you will probably be able to get some benefit from using a preamplifier to boost those far away signals.
If you live in or near an urband area, chances are that adding such a device will create more harm than good. If you want to increase your reception distance then think about adding an external antenna and using good quality co-ax cable. If you have an external antenna, think about putting it up higher, upgrading to a more efficient design (usually larger in size), using a tuned antenna for a certain frequency range, or a beam antenna to focus your listening into one geographic area of your choosing.
Current manufacturers of such devices are Radio Shack (made by GRE), JiM, Grove and Watson. Radio Shack was offering both handheld and base model versions. While cheaper than the rest, they are not as flexible in their design. The Watson line is available from most larger dealers in the UK and Europe.
There are two models by JiM (M-51 & M-75) available in North America from Durham Radio (Canada) and Scanners Unlimited (US). Both are quite nice since they offer selectable bandpass filters and variable attenuation. Just expect to pay a pretty penny for them.
The Grove PRE-5A is available from Grove Electronics in the US. This model has variable attenuation but uses co-ax F-type connectors. If you use BNC or PL-259 you'll have to buy adapters.
Where Can I Get A Digital Scanner?
Uniden was the first to release a commercially available digital scanner in
January, 2003. The handheld BC250D and base/mobile BC785D allow for 3600 baud
APCO P25 digital signals to be received, trunk-tracked and listened to. These
scanners will also allow 9600 baud APCO P25 systems to be listened to but
they are not able to trunk-track them.
AOR is also working on an external decoding box to handle digital formats as well but there is very little known about it at this time.
What Is Reaction Tune?
It is a patented technology by Optoelectronics that allows selected
frequency counters
to automatically tune a scanner to the frequency that it just captured so that
you can listen to the signal without having to manually tune to it.
At this time, only the following frequency counters support Reaction Tune:
At this time, only the following receivers support Reaction Tune:
A "hybrid" of this technology allows the Optoelectronics R11 frequency counter (which has no frequency display) to Reaction Tune the Optoelectronics Scout (which does have a frequency display).
What's A Discriminiator?
First, we need to quickly explain the path a radio signal takes between the
time it hits the antenna, and when its audio is heard through the speaker.
The signal travels down the antenna and into the first set of radio circuitry which amplifies the signal a bit to better work with it in following stages. The next few stages are a filtering process that attempts to weed out all signals except the one you have the radio tuned to. If an active signal is detected, it is passed through a stage which removes the audio portion from the frequency carrier signal. This audio portion is then heavliy amplified and sent out of the speaker for you to hear! That, in a micro-nutshell, is radio reception.
The next thing to consider is that not all signals are composed of human voice which is an analog signal. Some signals carry digital or sub-audible data like PL/DPL tones. While such signals aren't of much use to human ears when sent through the speaker, they can be of great use to certain hardware decoders and PC software.
When dealing with these signals, it's necessary to get them out of the scanner and into the decoder or PC. Most people immediately think of the earphone or headphone jack found on most radios and think they have found the solution. But that's not always the case!
The problem with this approach lies in the audio amplficiation and filtering of the signal just before being sent to the speaker. While this works fine for human voice, this amplification process also boosts the noise level. This noise can come from the scanner's circuitry or perhaps it was picked up by the signal somewhere between the transmitter and your antenna.
Regardless, the noise is amplified and some part of the original signal may be removed due to audio filtering, and when dealing with digital data and sub-audible signals it can effectively mask or hide details making them nearly impossible to effectively decode.
The solution? A discriminator tap! What this is is simply a way to tap into the signal path before it is amplified and/or filtered by the audio section. If you add a connection to the right circuit component, you effectively tap into a low-level signal which has not been amplified and thus has much less noise. The result is a signal that can then be fed to a hardware decoder or PC software program (via the sound card) making it MUCH more reliable to decode such types of data!
Done by a "professional", this signal can be fed via a wire to a jack which is usually added on the back panel of the radio. A hole is drilled, a jack (usually a 1/8" mini or RCA type) is mounted, the discriminator signal fed to it (usually through a capacitor) along with a connection to ground and poof! You now have a radio with a discriminator output!
Some decoders depend on receiving true digital signal levels which means the discriminator will have to be passed through a data slicer interface to do this type of signal conversion. The data slicer output is usually then fed into a PC for software handling.
For most users, typical discriminator driven applications include PL/DPL decoding, custom trunked radio system tracking, weather faxes, CW (morse code) and all kinds of miscellaneous data signals.
At this time, there are five receivers which come with an interface to a built in discriminator output. These are the AOR AR8200/B MkII, AOR AR3000A+, AOR AR5000, AOR AR8600, and Icom IC-PCR1000.
What's A Good Scanner For Races?
There's nothing special needed for listening to driver and track communications
when attenting races like CART, Formula 1, IRL, NASCAR, etc. Frequencies in
common use are spread across 150, 460, 850 and 900 MHz ranges which are covered
by almost all scanners these days. The most important considerations are how
you will power the scanner for the duration of the race (usually having a
backup power source in case your main batteries go dry) and using a good set of
noise-attenuating headphones.
Some models are geared toward the racing fan due to the accessories or frequency guides provided with the radio. Here are some of the more popular models in use by racing fans today:
When choosing a dealer to buy a "racing" scanner from, the most logical choice would be those who specialize in such radios since they have experience in this specialized field of monitoring:
Such dealers typically sell packages of scanners bundled with headphones and other accessories. Race antennas can also be supplied which are usually in the 2-3" range which help to limit reception to just the local track area, thus cutting down on communications from outside this environment.
Modifications to sold models are also commonplace which usually consist of increasing the audio output power. While this helps to ensure that you hear all the action, it also increases battery drain which is why these dealers usually provided higher capacity batteries as well!
Another perk for using such dealers is that they typically offer the latest and greatest frequency guides for all sports, can download such information into your scanner for a fee, or simply rent you a model for the duration of the event.
What's SAME?
SAME is an acronym for Specific Area Message Encoding.
This is a standard used by the National Weather Service (NWS) in the US to broadcast weather alerts via the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) system in the 162.400 to 162.550 MHz range.
Up until the mid-1980s, the NWS broadcast special alerts when weather events occured which were considered "life or property threatening." Weather radios and some scanning receivers were designed to key off of the 1050 Hz tone which signified this special type of weather alert. When such radios detected this tone, they would emit an alarm to notify the listener to pay attention to the following weather broadcast information thereby notifying them of threatening weather.
The problem with such a system is that one NWR transmitter may serve a community within a 40 to 50 mile radius. If threatening weather was detected, an alert would be sent out to this entire community even though only a small portion of the people in this area might actually be threatened by the conditions. In other words, many people would hear an alert that would never effect them and thus cause undue concern and activity.
What was needed was a system which allowed the NWR to send such alerts to only the geographic areas which might actually be effected by serve weather. This could be done if the 1050 Hz tone could be replaced by digital information which could encode the effected geographic areas to be alerted. A receiver could then be designed to decode this digital alert signal and only issue an alarm if its geographic code matched the code(s) in the broadcast. The answer was in the SAME technology which was designed to encode such digital information and would become part of all NWR alert broadcasts and part of the entire EAS sytem.
When the FCC updated the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) to the Emergency Alert System (EAS) in 1996/1997, it officially adopted the SAME technology. As this technology made its way into the field and began to be used, companies began to produce next-generation weather radios and scanning receivers which could decode the SAME data stream for the public. If you ever hear such a broadcast on radio or TV, you will most likley hear bursts of digital data at the beginning and end of such alerts. That is the SAME data.
While some radios can decode the SAME signals (and thus provide the desired alert signal during threatening weather), there are others which actually make use of the encoded geographic codes in the SAME data stream. If you have such a radio which decodes the geographic codes, it will likely let you program the code(s) for your area so that the alert only goes off if an alert is broadcast for your geographic region.
Some models of SAME-decoding radios will actually display a text message decoded from the event code in the digital stream allowing the radio to indicate the type of alert (test, flood, hurricane, winter storm, etc.)
Examples of scanners which decode the old 1050 Hz alert tone include the RadioShack PRO-2036 & PRO-2045, and Uniden BC890XLT, BC895XLT & BCT-12. Recent models which can decode SAME include the RadioShack PRO-2052, PRO-2067, PRO-79 & PRO-92, and Uniden BC278CLT. Of these, the PRO-2052 and BC278CLT can be custom programmed with geographic SAME codes (which are sometimes refered to as FIPS codes).
For more information on SAME, try the NWS SAME page.
For a listing of the 6-digit SAME/FIPS codes you'll need in order to program your scanner or weather radio, visit the NWR State/County SAME page.
My Web Site
Having been into radio monitoring for a number of years and owning a large
number of radios, I devote most of my site's web pages to convey some of
the most useful and often sought information about our hobby all one place.
There are quite a few links to various FAQs and some of the best scanner sites on the Internet. I also have detailed pages on a number of the radios I own with some including reviews I have written as well as other useful information. There's also information on antennas, including a review or two I wrote, as well as reference material I find handy and a significant amount of material to help those of you just getting started in the hobby.
I even have a set of User Opinions pages which list the contributions users have made about the radios, antennas, books and software they have used. There's also a Radio Survey and Dealer Survey to get feedback from your fellow hobbyists!
Recent additions include Quick Surveys, Chat Room and many message boards. I'm doing my best to make it an online scanning community and at 400+ pages, it seems to be working!
If you are interested, stop by my Strong Signals home page. And if you feel so inclined, drop me an e-mail as to what you think!.
Courtesy
Above all else, let's try to act like ladies and gentlemen. It is all too easy
to misunderstand the written word. These days there is simply too much
bandwidth being wasted with personal wars and flaming. It is also very easy,
considering the level of anonymity involved, to forget that there are real
people behind these words. Just because you are not in a face to face
discussion with an individual does not give anyone more of a reason to be
disrespectful.
Let us all try and be as considerate as possible. Ask someone a question asking for clarification if you are unsure. If it does turn into a personal battle for whatever reason, take it offline with direct e-mail. You'll gain no one's respect by wasting bandwidth bad-mouthing someone else and using foul language.
Especially on USENET, where the kiddies like to show-off and use their limited vocabularies, you'll find lots of wasted bandwidth. Why, one of the radio scanner newsgroup combatants lost their ISP account for the second half of '98 due to excessive complaints. This particular "battle of the morons" was even popular enough to make it into an issue of PC Magazine! So mind your manners. ISP providers are are of the mindset these days that, after enough complaints, it's more cost effective to simply yank someone's account than investigate each and every complaint they get.
It shouldn't take you too long to figure out who's to be ignored and who is worth listening to. If you have a filter in your mail and/or newsreader, use it. Otherwise, just ignore it all. You'll be better off and so will everyone else.
Take a deep breath, count to three...
| Copyright © 2003 by Richard J. Wells |
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