Scanners

[lovemachine]

Where can I find a good scanner? I'd like to be able to listen to the police and firefighters around here in my area. Also want to catch weather updates and such. I don't want anything fancy, something thats affordable in price.
Not sure where to look. And what brands are the ones to look out for?

 

[Mr. Habib]

I have an old Radio Shack hand held that has served me well for years. I mostly use it to listen to the weather spotters during thunderstorms. It's funny listening to them and then hearing the same info 10 minutes later in an "up to the minute" weather update on the tv. If you are really interested in listening to the police you will need a unit that has trunk tracking capability. For weather I like the option of hand held and battery power. A scanner that won't work when the power goes out may not do any good during a storm. Just my.

 

[electra]

Takes a bit of consideration. Here's what i'd do:

1. Consult Radioreference.com's database . . . this is a good starting point to ascertain the frequencies in use in your area, and determine from these what you really want to listen to.

2. Determine the necessary equipment to do the job. This can vary from old reliables (like yours truly's to the newest APCO-25 digital trunking, object oriented programmable monsters (be prepared to shell out $$$$ for these).

3. Shop around for the bargains . . . Shack, GRE, Unidont and others often crop up for a song on e*ay, the Indy Hamfest (July 10th), and misc. flea markets, classifieds, etc.

4. All that said, if it still is clear as mud, feel free to PM me, and i'll try to muddle through for you.

All the best,
"electra"
"The Inventors of Scanning Monitors"

 

[Protest]

Go here, Boone County, Indiana (IN) Live Police, Fire, and EMS Scanners on RadioReference.com , then scroll down and click the speaker and you're in luck. However, it appears that it's temporarily out due to storm damage.