Scanner Recommendations for St. Charles County

[bjsteinb]

Hi all, I would like to get into scanning and am looking to buy my first scanner. I would like to listen to the St. Peters Police and Fire as well as the close surrounding (within St. Charles County) police/fire departments.

What would be the best scanner to accomplish this? TIA!

 

[teufler]

For now, a 396xt or a 996xt, Gre 500 or the Wisler scanners that just came outy at radio shack. There are the 436 and 536 uniden models but they have features that are not needed at this time in st charles county. The 396xt, the RS 106 and the GRE 500 are all fine portables. They are all similar in features though the 396xt comes with Freescan software which is free here on the net. Gre and RS require software like win500 or arc500, xcosting less than $40.00 but that is simething you do not need. I am in St Peters and what I monitor,all of St. Charles Cty and City, Warren cty, Lincoln Cty, Franklin Cty, St Louis Cty, the states MOSWIN SYSTEM, I only use 7% of the scanners memory. You can search on ebay and 396xt scanners go from $260 to $350 depending on their condition.

 

[bjsteinb]

Thanks Teufler!

So I take it that I am limited to needing a digital scanner if I want to monitor St Peters?

 

[bjsteinb]

So is it safe to assume that I will need a digital scanner and that an analog scanner will not let me montior St. Peters and surrounding?

 

[teufler]

st peters is analog 800 trunking. St charles is 800 digital trunking. O'Fallon is 700 trunking, and st charles cty is analog and digital non trunking. State is vhf, p25 digital sort of trunking. All are motorola type 2 p25 tdma type 1 systems. A digital scanner gets all of the systems that can be received here in the county, as of today. St Peters is going to a digital something but have not made a switch yet.

 

[teufler]

an analog scanner like a 780xlt will scan st peters, lake st louis, wentzville, central county fire. What a 780xlt can not get is O'Fallon 700 system, St charlers cty sheriff dispatch, St Charles city, and the states MOSWIN system.