Scanners and such

[js415]

I bought a really nice Whistler portable unit a year or so ago. It was a "digital trunking" model, and you could input your zip code and let it do the rest. You could also input other areas and listen to them as well.

I had it programmed for Coweta, Carroll, Heard, and Troup counties. I also had it pick up the city police departments in those counties.

It worked well, but it seemed like every time something really good or exciting was going on, they switched over to a "scrambled" or "blocked" circuit, in the name of "security". So never really could get anything exciting to listen to.

I ended up returning it, since there was not a lot of broadcast in it to listen to. Are they different these days?

Jerry

 

[BillsCamino]

I've got a scanner that takes plug in crystals...8 channels
Also have a portable Bearcat I used to use at nascar races.

 

[YUK0N]

That BearCast or a Baofeng are great for analog, but won't do the digital trunking systems. You need something that specifically list P25/APCO-25, etc.. and the version that's in use.

The one I'm using now is a Uniden HomePatrol-2
HomePatrol-2 Simple Program Scanner — Uniden America Corporation

I also have a couple Baofeng and an old RadioShack PRO-2039 for Analog stuff.

just bought a baofeng. was sad to see that I cant listen to local pd. just getting into the ham radio game.

 

[mrauditor]

I've got a scanner that takes plug in crystals...8 channels

I started with the plug-in crystals in the early 1970's with a portable unit in my car. As a coincidence, my new neighbors across the street knew I was a scanner nut and they brought over a like-new Bearcat 8 plug-in crystal wooden cabinet base unit that belonged to the lady's mother. Thanks.

 

[GeauxLSU]

lol I still have a HUGE Realistic walkie talkie that uses plug in crystals. Pick 3 channels, but only 3, cuz that's all it can hold.

 

[DanKATL]

lol I still have a HUGE Realistic walkie talkie that uses plug in crystals. Pick 3 channels, but only 3, cuz that's all it can hold.

I've got one of those in a box somewhere; 14, 19 and 5.

 

[DanKATL]

just bought a baofeng. was sad to see that I cant listen to local pd. just getting into the ham radio game.

Handy little radios, but they're strictly analog.

 

[DanKATL]

GeauxLSU with a pair of the little USB SDR radios and SDRTRUNK, I put together a P25 scanner with an old laptop. Lots of other software out there that takes significant configuration and installing multiple apps, sdrtrunk did it all in one installation. Including driver installs for the radios, it took less than an hour on an old laptop running Windows 10. It's much easier if you have a login for radioreference.com as it will import the current database for the radio system you want to scan instead of manual programming. If you have an extra computer, he could put together a scanner for around $100 with two radios and a couple of cheap antennas. If he already has one radio, he'd just need a 2nd one to match.

Amazon.com: Nooelec NESDR Smart v4 SDR - Premium RTL-SDR w/ Aluminum Enclosure, 0.5PPM TCXO, SMA Input. RTL2832U & R820T2-Based Software Defined Radio: Computers & Accessories

GitHub - DSheirer/sdrtrunk: A cross-platform java application for decoding, monitoring, recording and streaming trunked mobile and related radio protocols using Software Defined Radios (SDR).