The benefits of a radio scanner

[Crom]

I was given a Uniden Bearcat 996T digital scanner from a friend. I've been having a ball with it. At first it was not going well because there is a sharp learning curve, but I read a great deal of information and programming it became easier. Using a tool called FreeScan and a subscription to RadioReference I was able to get up and running. Fundamental help was provided by Marks Scanners.

It's capable of scanning 100 channels a second. It can blow through all 4MHz of the 2-meter amateur (144-148) band in 2.6 seconds (assuming 15k Hz ch spacing). The 70-cm band (440-450), takes six seconds (20 kHz spacing). I've got it set to auto-search for CTCSS / DCS. It's blazing fast!

I've got the scanner programmed and dialed in so well that I simply look at a printed menu to what I want to scan and simply dial the quick key I've associated with each agency / system I want to scan.

Here is a sample of what I have programmed:

• 2-Meter TASMA Band Plan (~20 Simplex channels)
• All 2-Meter repeater outputs for Southern Califonia
• 440-Repeater Outputs & Simplex
• MURS / FRS / GMRS / CB
• USFS
• BLM
• CA State Parks
• National Parks (I frequent)
• CA Fish & Wildlife
• Cal Fire
• CHP
• Coast Guard
• Marine VHF
• Civil Air Patrol
• Aviation (common)
• Railroad Police
• DEA
• ICE
• CBP
• DOJ
• CA Multi Agency System
• SD Trolly System
• Various local Trunked Business Radio Systems
• San Diego & Imperial RCS (trunked System)

Prior to the experience I was using my dual band ham rig with wide band receive to do a fair bit of scanning and it works well and it was fun. The scanner however is another animal. The 996T decodes digital trunked systems and that's one of it's bright spots. The scanner can track encrypted systems, but can not decode the audio.

San Diego and Imperial counties have a large regional communication system and I think it has over 200 agencies using it and it's been fun to pick and choose what I wanted to listen to. Other auxiliary features of the scanner are that it can interface with a computer and software to auto record / track statistics of what is found on each frequency.

To me this scanner seems like the perfect companion to a VHF-UHF ham rig.

Are any of you avid scanner listeners?

 

[stioc]

What exactly is it used for? Is it to scan for signal on any of the channels-of-interest and can you talk over those channels? I guess I'm still unclear on how you would use it.

 

[Crom]

A scanner is a receive only radio device. In simple terms, it continuously scans frequencies looking for transmissions, and when it finds them you can listen in. Scanners are commonly used by individuals to monitor radio communications from police, fire, highway patrol, public safety, business band radio, amateur radio bands, etc.

Here is a link to Uniden's current market offering for a digital trunk tracking mobile scanner.

Here is a forum dedicated to the scanning hobby http://forums.radioreference.com/scanners-receivers-forums/

EDIT:
It has value in the back country for me so I can monitor various state agencies to see if there is any activity in my area that I should know about. Also, I can almost instantly find other people in the area if they are transmitting on common modes of communication FRS / CB / HAM. Etc.

 

[robgendreau]

Can it receive APRS or other digital formats?

I'm often frustrated with the slow scanning of my 2 meter ...this might be fun.

 

[Vegasrandall]

software defined radio

there's a new dongle for laptops and desktops which is a computer controlled receiver on a chip. I haven't tried it yet but they are cheap enough not to hurt you.Try SDR on your search engine.

 

[stioc]

Oh I see now, thanks. I agree it would be handy to have one especially if you're stuck out in the middle of nowhere not knowing which radio frequency to get help on with your FRS, CB or HAM etc

 

[Crom]

Can it receive APRS or other digital formats?

I'm often frustrated with the slow scanning of my 2 meter ...this might be fun.

No I don't think a scanner will help you for that. Two-meter radios running APRS tune to 144.39 MHz and look for packets there. If your APRS is slow, its quite possible APRS is dying out in your area. For example when I tune in to 144.39 in San Diego, I get one or two packets a minute. I live in a county of over 3 million people and I think on a daily average there may be less then 10 active APRS mobile stations at any one time. (Just checked APRS.fi and I see only 6 mobile stations, there are one-hundred weather stations though, lol).

there's a new dongle for laptops and desktops which is a computer controlled receiver on a chip. I haven't tried it yet but they are cheap enough not to hurt you.Try SDR on your search engine.

Yes! I have one and I highly recommend them. Most fun I have had for $20.00 in a long time. This is the one I have (NooElec TV28T v2 USB DVB-T & RTL-SDR Receiver). Here is a couple screen grabs while I was running SDR# (pronounced SDR Sharp). The first one is an 800 MHz trunked system. The second is the FM Broadcast band. There are many plugins for SDR#, with SDR software, the possibilities are endless for what you can do with it. I have compared many of the 2-meter and 440 repeater machines in my area and using SDR# it's very cool to see visually which machine has the cleanest (best) signal for a given location. The K6JSI WIN System repeater on Mt. Otay has the best singal I've seen so far for the 440 group.

 

[bnoland]

I run a scanner in my jeep as well. Local pd, fire, ems, ema, ham, etc. I also have the areas I visit frequently as well as common federal frequencies. I also keep weather propriety on which will sound an alarm and tune to weather channels in case of nws server weather alerts.

 

[robgendreau]

I also use one of those TV USB dongles hacked for scanning use. The software is a bit of a hassle, but for playing around they're fun.

Had a feeling the APRS wouldn't work on them. I like the idea, but I agree it doesn't meet our needs. I use it at times in the Bay Area mainly to check to see what repeaters I can hit, and for seeing who's available nearby. I'm interested in the scanner for the same reason. We have a thread about monitoring 2 meter and frankly I think using APRS type beaconing might be better than just monitoring voice since the packets are very efficient and you can include GPS info. Some radios are incorporating this sort of functionality; I note Yaesu now has it. But you need the equipment so it's probably not gonna happen.

Maybe someone will get an amateur sat up just so we can use it like an amateur location system.


Rob

 

[Crom]

I've been having fun driving around and detecting localized radio transmissions from other mobiles/handhelds.

For example, I can detect CHP officers if they are transmitting in my general area. The California the Highway Patrol has changed to a new 700 Mhz vehicle repeater system (VRS). The radios on the officers person use the 700 Mhz band, the VRS located in the trunk of the patrol car is really a cross band repeater. When the car transmits to dispatch it uses VHF low band (39-42 MHz), then the radio receives from dispatch it cross band repeats this on 700 Mhz. The VRS has a limited range, which makes scanning for them fun. When I get a hit the scanner will emit an alert tone which I programmed and then decode the P25 audio. It's cool to be driving, get a hit on the radio and then finally see the officer nearby.

I also have the entire TASMA (2-meter band plan for So. Cal) programmed in and I scan for simplex channels. If someone keys up within a second I'll detect it and the scanner will automatically search and find any DCS or CTCSS tones.

Sometimes I'll include scaning for FRS/GMRS/MURS/CB frequencies as well. I have found lotsa kids playing around on the FRS channels, I think Walmart uses a couple of the MURS channels, GMRS seems to be completely taken over by the Spanish speaking community, The CB channel content is extremely weird and strange to me. I can listen for 5 minutes and the operator seems to be high on drugs as most of what they say is incoherent, repetitive and full of nonsense.

The scanner reminds me of "The Terminator." But instead of searching and killing, the Uniden scanner just searches and decodes. LOL

It's fun device.