Recommendations for newbie

[twocats]

Hi all, I'm very new to scanning, and have a few quick questions. I live in Montgomery County (for the next few months, at least, then Indiana) and I have to forgo the digital scanners for now.
What are some simple scanners available that would allow me to listen to other Mont. Co. or DC frequencies? Also, are all Mont. Co. operations digital, or just police? I'd like a handheld, and my price range is limited for now to about 200 max. I would really appreciate any advice you can give me. I've looked at the BC92XLT, some Unidens and the RS Pros. Honestly, I don't know what would be best for me. Thanks!

 

[troymail]

Your not going to hear much of Montgomery County at $200... you need digital and you're looking at about $500+

You may be able to hear fire dispatches on the pager frequency (154.16?) but that's probably it.

It's a tough decision if you are leaving the area --- is the area you are going to using digital? If not, that' makes it even harder.....

 

[senduhelp]

I know that Montgomery County's fire/rescue dispatch is simulcast on 154.16 and their channel 7B is also simulcast on 153.95. Many of their responses are on channel 7B unless it is a major fire incident and it goes to another channel that you can only monitor with the more expensive type of scanner. I have always enjoyed just listening to these two channels.

 

[twocats]

Thanks for the quick responses. I'll be moving to Evansville, Indiana, sometime this spring, which I'm pretty sure is not digital. Although at some point they will be, I suppose.
From Chevy Chase/Bethesda, would I be able to pick up some DC feeds, or maybe Park Police, MSP, etc.? Argh, this is a tough decision. If I do save up for a digital, is it fairly easy for a newbie to learn?

 

[ka3jjz]

Most folks I think would agree that learning the digital trunking side can be a bit tricky; it depends on the scanner you are using, and most importantly, to what agency or count(ies) you are listening.

There's something to be said for the PRO-96 and/or the PRO-2096; the V folder feature (that has pre loaded systems) is a great idea, tho I suspect the data is a little old by now and would need updating. That's generally not a problem; in fact, there are a couple of pages floating about - including one on the Capitol Hill Monitors website - that contains updated files for a popular program for these 2 scanners called Win96. I'm sure that when you move to Indiana, you would need to do something rather similar.
Speaking of the Hoosier state, it might be wise to post a few questions on the Indiana forum, and let others tell you what is going on there insofar as digital is concerned. A quick check of the databases on this site for your Safe-T system shows that it uses a mixed analog and digital format, so getting a handle on a digital scanner now would, at least at some point, be a wise decision.

In addition, there are 2 other Indiana scanning lists that look to be excellant sources of information;

Scan Indiana at QTH.net
SAFET Yahoo group

Yes, DC fire rebroadcasts its dispatches on VHF hi, Park Police is strictly conventional VHF hi, MSP is a little tough as they are on a VHF lo band system that a simple duckie simply won't hear well. Your neighbor to the north/north east (Prince George's county) uses a UHF conventional system (for the most part - they do have 2 small EDACS type systems.....), and many of those sites are easy pickings from much of Montgomery.

I should point out that the PRO digitals cannot be computer controlled in any way; it's simply not in the firmware to allow this. In addition, if you like to hear military air (and you've no doubt noticed by now that we have a LARGE and ACTIVE thread on the subject), neither scanner works in this range very well. In both cases, a Uniden is your only real choice.

I'll follow up in the next message with some Wikipedia links (which is supported on this site) that will point you to the various pages we have with information on all the digital scanners available. Those pages will help you as you do your research, as will jumping over on the Indiana scanning threads mentioned earlier 73s Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

Here we go; just click on the desired blue link, and you'll be taken there...

Handhelds:

Uniden BC296D
Uniden BCD396T
RS/GRE PRO-96

Base/Mobiles:

Uniden BC796D
RS/GRE PRO-2096
Uniden BCD996T

Note The 996 is expected to be released in a couple of months

In each case, you're going to find a blue link somewhere on those pages that says 'Rebanding'. While it seems that there are numerous money related issues slowing things down, it's something to which you should be aware. That particular topic is why 2 radios that you'll see mentioned in other threads - the BC250 and the BC785 - were not mentioned. Uniden has stated in the past that these radios will not be supported when it finally does happen.

73s Mike

 

[twocats]

Thanks for all that info, Mike. I really appreciate it. I suppose it would be better in the long run to go with digital. I might as well own one electronic thing that's up to date! I do have another question before I tackle these readings...is there a real difference between handhelds and base units? Also, and I apologize if this is a silly question, do both kinds come with headphone jacks? Thank you so much.

Sarah

 

[Llwellyn]

If you're moving to Evansville, you'll want a digital scanner in the long run. I skimmed the thread so forgive me if I'm repeating something already mentioned...

Project Hoosier SAFE-T, the Indiana statewide radio network, is entirely digital, and has just finally gone online in the Evansville area. I'm not sure how heavily utilized it is yet, but there's likely to be a lot of traffic you'll eventually want to monitor.

I'd poke your head in over on the Indiana forum and let those guys give you an idea of what to buy, then either save up or buy it now before you move.

Enjoy your time in Indiana, it's quite a different pace of life from this area... and being down on the river there's lots of stuff to do if you're into that sort of thing... watching the boats and such.

 

[ka3jjz]

Thanks for all that info, Mike. I really appreciate it. I suppose it would be better in the long run to go with digital. I might as well own one electronic thing that's up to date! I do have another question before I tackle these readings...is there a real difference between handhelds and base units? Also, and I apologize if this is a silly question, do both kinds come with headphone jacks? Thank you so much.

Sarah

I'm not quite certain about what you mean by 'difference'. The handhelds and their base/mobile counterparts in general have the same receive characteristics; obviously the audio out of the mobile version will be louder than a given handheld. This would be an issue if the scanner you buy is used in a vehicle; but even with a handheld, there are ways to boost that audio so it's audible.

Which brings me to another point; some states have laws about having scanners in vehicles. Maryland has no such law, but I believe Indiana does. Many such laws do not apply to hams.

Yes, both have headphone jacks. Some folks find it useful to connect the headphone to the soundcard for recording purposes. There are several software packages that allow for this; it's very useful if you're away from your scanner at the time something you want to record and check later is happening (or perhaps, as a research tool to identify unknown frequencies).

73s Mike

 

[brucewarming]

Martinsburg WV here. Yep if you have $200 so far it's best to save, you will be glad you did. That gives you time to learn digital and which scanner you will want. I own a digital pro-96 hand held and pro 2055 desktop, which does Johnson LTR which the 96 does not. Living with out Johnson is no big deal for me anyway. Uniden, BC or RS has different pro's and con's, so like said before, you have some time to make a choice. The Radio shack's 96 and 2096 go on sale often enough that you will have another chance at those two scanners for $399. Your half way there.