Essentials for travel in Florida?

[Scampi]

I'm travelling from Lake City to Tampa, Miami, Vero Beach, Cape Canaveral, Orlando, St. Augustine and back to Lake City.
Are there any essential frequencies worth programming into my scanner? I have an BC125AT, so no trunking. I have other scanners that do trunking, but I decided to leave them in Norway.

Appreciate any tips!

 

[TEH]

Hello from Central Florida, and welcome to the Sunshine State.

We hope you enjoy your stay and your radio monitoring. BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FLORIDA LAW PROHIBITING THE USE OF SCANNERS IN VEHICLES.

The statute is here:
Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine

The summary of the law is it's a crime to use a scanner in a vehicle, UNLESS you are a law officer, employee of a legitimate news organization, the holder of an amateur radio license, or an alarm contractor.

I have seen and heard of radio hobbyists arrested for violating this law, and their radios were confiscated. So be careful and legal when using your radio(s).

Your analog scanner can catch lots of interesting action during your visit to Florida. You can use the service search function, or the close call function to hear activity in your area.

Also, the most important frequencies to monitor are:
154.95 law enforcement interagency
155.37 law enforcement intercity
154.265 fire mutual aid red
154.28 fire mutual aid white
154.295 fire mutual aid blue

155.34 widely used ambulance and medical helo freq

158.73750 FL VHF mutual aid

460.275 FL UHF Mutual Aid

851.0125 National 800 MHz hailing
851.5125 National 800 MHz tac-1
852.0125 Natl 800 tac-2
852.5125 Natl 800 tac-3
853.0125 Natl 800 tac-4

854.6375 Florida 800 Mutual Aid

this link will access frequencies for various radio services
Florida Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

EMS freqs
FL Medevac Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Have a great time and hope you catch interesting comms.

 

[Voyager]

The statute is here:
Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine

The summary of the law is it's a crime to use a scanner in a vehicle, UNLESS you are a law officer, employee of a legitimate news organization, the holder of an amateur radio license, or an alarm contractor.

Actually, it covers more than use - it includes TRANSPORT in a vehicle which means any UPS driver not covered under one of the exemptions is guilty if they deliver a scanner. It's one of the most poorly worded scanner laws in the world.

 

[shadcall]

Without trunking capabilities you are going to be limited to what you will be able to receive. It definitely eliminates a lot of police and fire systems. It's hard to guess what you will pick up on the frequencies listed by TEH. But as he notes you cannot listen to your scanner in your car. You will be better off listening to your scanner in your hotel room when you stop. You can do a search for any interesting frequencies in the area.

 

[wtp]

in a business

would mean that radio shack can not sell them is the store.

seems you might need an english teacher to write laws.

 

[N4DES]

Actually, it covers more than use - it includes TRANSPORT in a vehicle which means any UPS driver not covered under one of the exemptions is guilty if they deliver a scanner. It's one of the most poorly worded scanner laws in the world.

Prior to its re-write in its current form it was illegal for a LE officer to have his radio in his POV commuting to and from work, so the previous version was even worst in its wording.

 

[n5ims]

would mean that radio shack can not sell them is the store.

seems you might need an english teacher to write laws.

Perfectly legal for them to be sold, most purchasers just can't legally take them out of the store. Probably also illegal for the store to have them delivered as well, but that's their problem, not yours.

 

[wtp]

the first line

A person, firm, or corporation may not install or transport in any motor vehicle or business establishment
install means to put into. i tries to get radio shack to fight the law but they were not interested.

 

[Voyager]

Perfectly legal for them to be sold, most purchasers just can't legally take them out of the store.

Sure you can - as long as you walk home.

 

[JoeyC]

Perfectly legal for them to be sold, most purchasers just can't legally take them out of the store. Probably also illegal for the store to have them delivered as well, but that's their problem, not yours.

Technically, there is nothing illegal about transporting a scanner as long as they are not [SIZE=-1]"adjusted or tuned as to receive messages or signals on frequencies assigned by the Federal Communications Commission to police or law enforcement officers or fire rescue personnel of any city or county of the state or to the state or any of its agencies."
as stated in the statute.

Not programmed, no problem.
[/SIZE]

 

[chekoz77]

Well I can tell you that from Palm Beach to Miami you can hear alot of traffic on your analog non trunking scanner. From airports to police and fire. Even though some systems are trunked you can still hear things. You wont follow the convos back and forth all the time but you certainly can hear whats going on.

So plenty to listen to in this area. It just depends on what you want to monitor. My scanners are never quiet.

 

[N4KVE]

Sure, if you don't mind listening to PD dispatch followed by a city maintenance worker, & then a lifeguard.

 

[bravo14]

I'm travelling from Lake City to Tampa, Miami, Vero Beach, Cape Canaveral, Orlando, St. Augustine and back to Lake City.
Are there any essential frequencies worth programming into my scanner? I have an BC125AT, so no trunking. I have other scanners that do trunking, but I decided to leave them in Norway.

Appreciate any tips!

If you go through St Augustine you won't hear NO Sheriff's Office or the City PD IT'S ALL ENCRYPTED! You can hear F/R in the clear. No public Safety is no longer on VHF/UHF its on this system

St. Johns County Public Safety System Trunking System, St. Augustine, Florida - Scanner Frequencies

 

[Scampi]

I'm back! Thank you all for your replies

I'm well aware of the law regarding scanners in car, although I have never had any trouble with the police the few times I've been stopped. It ceratinly helps being from Norway. We live part time in Lake City, FL, but I always throw a little Norwegian accent in the english whenever needed, it helps.

I did get to listen to fire and EMS in the Cutler area, where we stayed for two days. Other than that it was scattered conversations all along our route. Most of the time I had the scanner tuned to CB, especially when travelling the interstate. That, along with traffic information from Waze on the iPhone, was awesome...I probably avoided a speeding ticket thanks to CB radio. I rarely speed, but I did get a bit carried away...the roads are very well built here compared to Norway.

Again, thanks for all the information...this was my 26th. time visiting the states, I always learn something new.