Category Archives: Scanners and Camping

Why People Use Police Scanners

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scannerPolice scanners allow people to listen to communications of local police, fire, public works, and other agencies in their communities. The scanner is similar to a radio receiver, as it scans multiple frequencies and finds transmissions as they occur. Keep in mind, the radio scanner is a one-way receiver for monitoring two-way radio traffic, and it does not transmit. For example, your local dispatcher sends a communication to the fire department. Your fire scanner picks up the transmission and allows you to hear what the dispatcher is saying. When the fire department responds again, the scanner allows you to hear the response.

People use police scanners for various reasons. Some people are radio enthusiasts and enjoy listening to their scanners to find out what is going on within the local community. Off duty police officers, volunteer and off duty full time fire fighters, EMTs, and other professionals use scanners to be alerted to events going on locally, as well as in nearby communities. News agencies also use scanners to find out if there are any interesting activities going on which should be reported to the general public on the evening news broadcast or in the morning newspaper.

Why People Are Choosing Police Scanners over Police Scanner Apps

There are numerous police scanning apps for mobile devices and smart phones. However, the use of these apps may be illegal in many states whenever they are used outside of the home. On the other hand, it is perfectly legal to purchase, own, and operate police scanners inside your home. There are a few exceptions you should be aware of, depending on where you live. It is your responsibility to review your state’s laws in regards to scanner usage. For example, in certain states it is against the law to use a scanner in your vehicle. In most states it is illegal to use a scanner or scanner app while committing a crime.

Another reason people prefer scanners over apps is because they monitor a wider range of frequencies, including older analog transmissions. Many of the free apps you find online only monitor specific channel frequencies and digital transmissions, so you may only hear chatter from your local police department, but not pick up any traffic from fire departments, emergency responders, and other agencies in your location. If you want to know why the fire truck just drove past your home with its lights on, you need to use a real scanner instead of a mobile app.

One key benefit of using scanners is they operate independently and can be left on for as long as you want to listen. With a mobile app, you have to open the right one in order to monitor communications. If you receive a phone call, text message, or want to use a different app, you have to close the scanning app. Additionally, if your battery goes dead or you lose cellular service, the app stops working.

For more information about police scanners or assistance in choosing a model, contact us today at 1-800-SCANNER (1-800-722-6637).

Scanners and Camping!

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By Jonathan Higgins

Scanners and Camping!
When I’m not working at Scanner Master I like to spend my weekends camping in the spring, summer and fall.  My wife and daughter introduced me to camping and we started out tent camping.  It was an amazing feeling to pack up the car and hit the road to a new or favorite destination.  Enjoying the land like the early settlers had, spending the nights under the stars near a campfire.  I have grown to love this and we have now invested in a travel trailer, what we like to call our second home on wheels. Being the scanner geek that I am, I always pack a scanner on these trips.  Working at Scanner Master, I have many opportunities to try different products in the camping environment.
Getting there!
I tow my travel trailer with my pick-up truck which is already equipped with the Uniden BCD996XT, GPS Receiver, and the Uniden RH-96 Remote head.  It’s taken a while but I have most of the public safety agencies for New England programmed into it along with the GPS Data.  The scanner keeps me informed about any accidents or incidents along the way.

Recommended Programming – Getting There!
If you’re doing a lot of highway travel, be sure to program State Police/Highway Patrol and state highway departments.

You may want to program some of the secondary State Police channels/talk groups, these channels could be used for radar details.  States are trying to generate income from every avenue including giving speeding tickets.  Keep in mind some of these secondary channels/systems maybe non-repeaterized, and in-line of sight.

In some states the State Highway Departments are playing more of a roll with traffic incident such as accidents.  These channels can tip you off to lane closers and delays, most of time this info is relayed on these channels for the Highway Traffic Information boards.

At the Campground!
I would recommend a portable unit, you can run it on batteries and you wouldn’t be dependent on AC/DC power.  Before the trip I usually do research on RadioReference.com and then program my handheld scanner.   If you frequent the same area a few times a year you may want to store the programming into a V-Folder on GRE or a high number system on a Uniden unit with Dynamic Memory.

It’s always fun to listen to the campground communications.  Most campgrounds use two way radios for communications, such as MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service) or FRS (Family Radio Service).  Most scanners have both MURS and FRS/GMRS as preset service search.  Keep in mind these communications are not on a repeater they are in-line of sight (low power).   If they are not using the assigned FRS or MURS channels you can use Close Call (Uniden) or Spectrum Sweeper (GRE) technology.

NOAA Weather Radio
Summer can bring some wild weather… Your scanner can also act as weather station, with most scanners you’re one press away from a Local NOAA Weather radio station report.  There are more than 900 NOAA Weather stations across the United States.   Not only can you tune into a weather report anytime you want you can also set up your scanner for weather alerts.  This is very simple to set up once you’re at your destination, it will alert you about those surprise thunder storms.Camper Shack!
Uniden HomePatrol-1 in the sleeping quarters, using the Windshield Mounting Kit for the Uniden HomePatrol-1.

 Here is the SpecturmForce Wide band Antenna with Mag Mount and SMA outside of the camper using a Bracket for Mobile Scanner Installations.  This bracket was a perfect surface for the antenna, and can be easily removed when traveling.