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SafetyPro2

SafetyPro2

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OK, I admit it, I'm trying to get to that elusive 500 post mark. :P

Anyone in here scan? If so, what type of scanner do you have?

I've got two. I have a Uniden BC250D on my desk, and a Uniden BC780XLT in my truck. I've programed the 250 with a lot of the different agencies in the area. The 780 only has the fire and police frequencies for the cities covered by our dispatch center. The 250 is more scanner than I really need since very few public safety agencies out here use digital systems (most don't even use trunked systems).

And yes, before anyone says it, it is legal to have a scanner in a vehicle in California so long as its not used in the commission of a crime (though some cities like LA have some more restrictive rules, which is why I only have those few freqs in it).

I've also got the BuTel Advanced Radio Control (ARC) programming/control software for each (though its only the demo version for the 780).

And of course, there's always my Minitor, which was my first scanner, so to speak. :P I mounted an amplified charger for it in the truck so I could listen to dispatch while driving without draining the battery.
 
I have a Radio Shack Pro-92 tied into my computer's sound card. It plays through my computer speakers and I also have a dedicated hard drive to record all scanner traffic. It's kind of nice to be able to go back an listen to a call without having to wait a couple of weeks for dispatch to put the tape together.

I also have a Radio Shack Pro-2052 mounted in my car, along with a Kenwook TK-60G two way radio.

My two scanners have identiical software, so I can program one from my computer and upload it directly to the other one. They're both 500 channel, 800 mHz Trunk Tracking capable.
 
I have Uniden BC350A's in the kitchen, den, bedroom, garage; my SUV & pickup and my wifes car. And a Uniden BC898T in my hobby room. There were three bedrooms. So the wife got a sewing room, and I got one for computers and whacker collectibles.

At home I had an amplified Minitor III w/ a bell wired outside, and a klaxon inside so that instead of beeping- all hell broke loose.

My wife told me to leave it at home. :(
 
Originally posted by ffemt8978@May 27 2005, 06:42 PM
I have a Radio Shack Pro-92 tied into my computer's sound card. It plays through my computer speakers and I also have a dedicated hard drive to record all scanner traffic. It's kind of nice to be able to go back an listen to a call without having to wait a couple of weeks for dispatch to put the tape together.
Click to expand...
hmmm using a radio shack dual truck with 1000 channels..

now how do you do the computer thing........ how did you record .. and all

with 400 wats surround sound on the pc .. would be interesting...
 
Originally posted by GVRS672+May 27 2005, 10:10 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (GVRS672 @ May 27 2005, 10:10 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-ffemt8978@May 27 2005, 06:42 PM
I have a Radio Shack Pro-92 tied into my computer's sound card. It plays through my computer speakers and I also have a dedicated hard drive to record all scanner traffic. It's kind of nice to be able to go back an listen to a call without having to wait a couple of weeks for dispatch to put the tape together.
Click to expand...
hmmm using a radio shack dual truck with 1000 channels..

now how do you do the computer thing........ how did you record .. and all

with 400 wats surround sound on the pc .. would be interesting... [/b][/quote]
First of all, I installed a 2nd hard drive in my computer. It's only a 2GB drive, but it works well for this. Then I downloaded a recording program. I personally use RecAll Pro, but that is shareware and you have to pay for it. Another good program is ScanRec, which is freeware.

Then I plugged my scanner into my sound card. I used a cable from the earphone jack on the scanner and plugged it into the Line In on the sound card. I configued my software to record on the line in traffic, maximized my compression by lowering the recording quality, and set it to voice activated (Vox). It takes approximately 0.057 MB/min of continuous recording, or 83MB for 24 hour non-stop recording. Most days are less than 6MB with the VOX recording. I also set the timer in the software to start a new file every day at midnight, and it automatically names it with the date. I also set it up to load every time my computer boots up by placing a short cut in my start up folder.


And yes, those pager tones can get quite loud going through my speakers.
 
In 1999 I had a 10 channel Radio Shack scanner. Thats about it.

ffemt8978, nice setup you got there.

What do you think the chances are I could here my own company's dispatches? I believe we're digital? No one really knows. We have lots of radios that do different things, with different technologies, but the technical details are beyond me.

Back in High School I used to sell Motorola professional business radios on ebay to make money. I'd buy them for really cheap off email, clean 'em up, put in a new battery, and usually sell them for double.

I've always been fascinated by radios. Even at a young age I loved walkie talkies. I owned a pair of Motorola business radios back in the early 90s, then I mostly sold Motorola P10s, P50s, and Spirit radios in 2000. Good stuff, I wish I knew more about the technology we use at work.

Is there any way to find out without having to ask? No one seems to know.
 
I don't have one. I haven't crossed the threshold into that level of buffdom yet, but I do like putting my pager on County tones and picking up everyone's pages sometimes. :)
 
Originally posted by MMiz@May 28 2005, 02:10 AM
What do you think the chances are I could here my own company's dispatches? I believe we're digital? No one really knows. We have lots of radios that do different things, with different technologies, but the technical details are beyond me.
Click to expand...
The BC250D I have, and a few other models from Uniden (essentially any that have a "D" suffix) are digital-capable. Some of the older ones, like my 250, require an additional card to decode the digital signal...I think all the new ones come with that circuitry pre-installed. It all depends on what protocol your company's using. For example, my 250, even with the additional card (which I don't have anyway) can only decode digital systems using the 3600 baud control channel), while the newer ones can decode the systems using the newer 9600 baud control channel.

The other issue is whether or not the system has any sort of proprietary encryption. If so, you may not be able to listen even with a top of the line scanner.

You probably can find a scanner buff site somewhere for your state and/or area that has more information than you need. We have a site out here (Freq of Nature) that has a lot of info on the systems used by various agencies and private organizations (you should see the info they have on Disneyland).
 
Tis is the reason I ceased to bother with my scanner. I cannot listen to the 800 digital trucked system my department is on, and I am WAY not interested in listening to Police chatter.
 
My county repeats East and Central Fire (w/EMS) onto a VHF Highband freq, an West Fire (+EMS) is on another. That way we can hear "the job" on our way to the station, on our dual-channel Minitor 3's and 4's.

Our county runs on 800 digital trunking. Philly uses an 800 APCO 25 system.


Jon
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

I just realized that a scanner wouldn't be all that interesting anyone. Back when I first started their was radio traffic all the time. We'd be dispatched via radio, call arrival via radio, say we were transporting via radio, again say arrival, and again said complete when we were done. It was nice knowing what other units were up to.

Now we're only dispatched via radio for RLS calls, and that's it. Everything else is done via buttons on the MDT laptop.

Interesting stuff though, it looks like some of you have nice setups.
 
My scanner at home is set for my work's radio freqs.

Sounds lame, but neat to hear on mornings before I go in in the afternoon. Lets me know how bad a day things are.

Or really it is just 'cause I'm a hopless whacker.


Jon
 
If you want a good source of information for this topic, check out Radio Reference
 
I kind of do, I listen to my husbands spare while he's at work. I get to hear the EMS calls into the jail but that's it. Although I have to say I've been tempted to buzz in and freak them out.
 
i use the BC250D, programed off of my computer. i've got all the agencies in the area, and all agencies that cover my commute to work. i really dont listen to it all that often, but when im with friends that arent in EMS, they love it.
 
Like I said, I mostly listen to the agencies in our system. I'll occasionally listen to LAFD and LA County to see what the big boys are up to, but not too often.

One good thing is that occasionally I'll hear a call before we get toned out. Our PD fields all 911 calls, so they'll occasionally be dispatched before we are, and sometimes, you can tell that one of their calls is going to turn into one of ours.

My wife also will listen when I go out on a big call. She likes to know whether to expect me back for dinner or not. :P
 
anybody wanna give me the procedure for mounting a scanner in a vehicle?

is it as simple as putting in an inverter or is there a process? thanks
 
Originally posted by KEVD18@May 30 2005, 04:14 PM
anybody wanna give me the procedure for mounting a scanner in a vehicle?

is it as simple as putting in an inverter or is there a process? thanks
Click to expand...
Most do not require an inverter. But if yours does, simply get to Radio Shack, they have all the mountilg bails and whatnot you may need.
 
Originally posted by KEVD18@May 30 2005, 02:14 PM
anybody wanna give me the procedure for mounting a scanner in a vehicle?

is it as simple as putting in an inverter or is there a process? thanks
Click to expand...
Most either come with a 12V plug or you can get one from the manufacturer. Most ones designed for mobile use also come with a mounting bracket. I just screwed the mounting bracket into the lower part of the dashboard (below the a/c controls) and mounted it there. I'm going to eventually build a custom center console for my truck, and the scanner will then mount in that.

For mine, I also got a glass-mount antenna on eBay. There's a number of different varieties of antennas for vehicle use, including permanent mounts, magnetic mounts, ones that clip over the side window and the thrrough-the-glass adhesive variety like I got (similar to cellular antennas). Since mine's used for mostly local channels, I didn't need much.

To mount the antenna, one side sticks onto the exterior of the windshield and the other lines up and sticks onto the interior (both with automotive-grade double stick tape). There's a coax cable that runs from the interior part to the scanner. For mine, I pulled the trim off the inside of the A-pillar and ran it behind that, then back behind the glovebox and down to the base of the dashboard.
 
Originally posted by KEVD18@May 30 2005, 02:14 PM
anybody wanna give me the procedure for mounting a scanner in a vehicle?

is it as simple as putting in an inverter or is there a process? thanks
Click to expand...
Forgot to mention...make sure its legal in your area. Some states prohibit using a scanner in a vehicle, or even if the state allows it, the county or city may have restrictions. I know in some areas, you have to get a permit from the county sheriff before being able to legally use a scanner in a vehicle.

For example, California allows scanners in vehicles so long as they're not used in the commission of a crime. The city of Los Angeles, however, prohibits monitoring LAFD or any police agency from a vehicle within the city (except for official business, of course).

Mobile Scanner & RADAR-Detector Laws in the U.S. has information on the laws in various states, though as the disclaimer suggests, make sure the information is still valid for your area.
 
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