kas1263
Member
I have read with regularity that some members have more than one or two scanners and was wondering why. Are they in populated areas that have more to listen to?
Why so many scanners?
- Thread starter kas1263
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methusaleh
Member
Why do some people have more than one car, truck, motorcycle, guitar set of fine china, etc? Each for a different reason.
Case in point....I have a base scanner in each vehicle and one in the house. All get used, none are just there "just in case". One of my vehicles is basically just for hauling things, so it has a simpler, non-P25 capable scanner in it. No need for something overboard where it's not required.
My only daily "go everywhere" scanner is a PRO651 because its capabilities mesh well with my needs. That may change down the line with Phase 2.
If I want to monitor just one conventional frequency, I can put that into my Yaesu VX7R and be happy. I use my amateur gear just for monitoring sometimes, but the scan speed stinks so I would never call those radios "scanners".
Case in point....I have a base scanner in each vehicle and one in the house. All get used, none are just there "just in case". One of my vehicles is basically just for hauling things, so it has a simpler, non-P25 capable scanner in it. No need for something overboard where it's not required.
My only daily "go everywhere" scanner is a PRO651 because its capabilities mesh well with my needs. That may change down the line with Phase 2.
If I want to monitor just one conventional frequency, I can put that into my Yaesu VX7R and be happy. I use my amateur gear just for monitoring sometimes, but the scan speed stinks so I would never call those radios "scanners".
danieldad
Member
... too many scanners
-- just cuz I like ' em
-- just cuz I like ' em
I guess it does have to do with where you live, ie, what you listen to. I have four, in use like this:
BC780....analog mutual aid frequenices and amateur radio repeaters
HP1.......usually on the P25 PD/FD systems around me.
BC355N.exclusively AM air frequencies.
BC355N.local PD/FD
BC780....analog mutual aid frequenices and amateur radio repeaters
HP1.......usually on the P25 PD/FD systems around me.
BC355N.exclusively AM air frequencies.
BC355N.local PD/FD
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teufler
Member
There have been pictures posted of RR listeners who have 8 digital scanners. There listening rooms are like a war room. These are just scanners that are inside, not in the car.
One word.......ADDICTION!
wtp
Member
timing
if you divide up the scanning to a couple of radios you can catch thing that happen very quickly.
trying to catch the packet burst from the space station you should have it in a radio with a very quick scan time, like less than one second. and that is what i use the old pro2001 for. others are just for fun. one radio scans for mil air and another one just has the "hit" channels in it. one for business and on that one the volume is down so i don't miss the more important ones. and yes there is more.
if you divide up the scanning to a couple of radios you can catch thing that happen very quickly.
trying to catch the packet burst from the space station you should have it in a radio with a very quick scan time, like less than one second. and that is what i use the old pro2001 for. others are just for fun. one radio scans for mil air and another one just has the "hit" channels in it. one for business and on that one the volume is down so i don't miss the more important ones. and yes there is more.
I used to have over 30 working handhelds at one point. Along with a bunch of parts radios. With digital being needed more and more, they were all ebayed off, and now I only have the ones in my sig. I used to have about a dozen going at once, all set up to receive different things. A friend of mine said that it was freaky how I could keep it all straight with all the radios talking away sometimes.
jhooten
Member
Because all the old non-trunking/non-digitals lost their value to the point you can't give them away. Instead of putting them in the landfill they are programmed for amateur/GMRS/MURS/49mhz/CB/Whatever to take some of the load off the PS monitoring scanners.
scanners
I only have 3, I sold one a 996T. Still have 2 996XT's and a 536HP If you want to reduce your digital scanner load send me some more. LOL
I only have 3, I sold one a 996T. Still have 2 996XT's and a 536HP If you want to reduce your digital scanner load send me some more. LOL
Because of trunk-tracking with modern scanners
I have multiple reasons for running multiple scanners simultaneously. A large part of the answer has to do with how modern scanners (fail to properly) handle trunk tracking.
First reason is when there is a large incident in a large city. Before you know it there are a half dozen or more channels associated with the incident. I'll lock one scanner on law enforcement, one on fire, one on the media; just for starts. And while that is going on you don't want to stop monitoring the normal stuff.
Even a typical attempted auto stop can quickly spread to multiple channels. It will start in the city (the lead agency) and move to the county, involve aircraft (with their own co-ordination frequency) and then the CHP. Just as one agency drops off, the offender moves into another county where you need another set of frequencies to follow the hand-off (if there is one).
The biggest reason for me is something that would take a chapter in a book to explain. The quick answer is that you need one scanner dedicated to monitoring EACH trunked system you monitor. As soon as that scanner leaves the control channel, you'll miss a call. When scanning conventional channels, the scanner will stop and you'll only miss a portion of the call, so they can all be monitored by one scanner, until you want to lock onto something.
I have multiple reasons for running multiple scanners simultaneously. A large part of the answer has to do with how modern scanners (fail to properly) handle trunk tracking.
First reason is when there is a large incident in a large city. Before you know it there are a half dozen or more channels associated with the incident. I'll lock one scanner on law enforcement, one on fire, one on the media; just for starts. And while that is going on you don't want to stop monitoring the normal stuff.
Even a typical attempted auto stop can quickly spread to multiple channels. It will start in the city (the lead agency) and move to the county, involve aircraft (with their own co-ordination frequency) and then the CHP. Just as one agency drops off, the offender moves into another county where you need another set of frequencies to follow the hand-off (if there is one).
The biggest reason for me is something that would take a chapter in a book to explain. The quick answer is that you need one scanner dedicated to monitoring EACH trunked system you monitor. As soon as that scanner leaves the control channel, you'll miss a call. When scanning conventional channels, the scanner will stop and you'll only miss a portion of the call, so they can all be monitored by one scanner, until you want to lock onto something.
dmg1969
Member
In my situation, I have a base scanner at home (BC355N). I use that to monitor my home county and some neighboring counties who are still analog. I also have a handheld (BC125AT) that I can take with me outside or in the kitchen if I am cooking and want to listen. I have an HP-1 that I use almost exclusively in my car because the county I work in is digital and it helps me when there are traffic issues on the way to/from work. I also just ordered a Baofeng UV-5R dual band transceiver to use as a scanner for 2-3 frequencies when I am out and about.
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N8IAA
Member
Because of what is currently happening in north GA. Freezing rain, ice, power outages. I can listen to the GSP, DNR, my county FD, and neighboring counties.
Larry
Larry
dkf435
Member
n5ims
Member
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A scanner will only receive one signal at a time. It scans by sampling each frequency programmed in (or in the selected range) one at a time. If there's a quick call on one frequency ("Shots fired!!!" say) and your scanner is busy on another frequency ("Unit 437, please check the water pressure at 1234 Main Street. The customer indicates that the pressure is way too low to take a shower. The sensors all appear to indicate that the system is working fine, but this customer refuses to accept this as their answer. We talked to him for 20 minutes trying to explain this to him to no avail. ...").
With several scanners, each programmed to only a few specific channels (e.g. PD dispatch and the normal ops channels on one scanner, PD SWAT channels on a second, ...) the chances of missing an important or interesting call is minimized, while still covering most of what's often boring, but can be exciting at times (like the stakeout that use that water department channel when the water folks aren't working).
You nailed it--I have 5 in one room, all programmed differently, but I have 3x5 cards for each one because I cannot remember what each one has in it even tho I figured it out when I set them up. One of them is connected to a yagi for a distant system, but the others are fed from a stridsburg. What usually will spur me into firing up more than one is hearing something good (or bad) going on from an interop channel which is the only one on 24-7 at a low volume level.
fourthhorseman
Member
at my fingertips,
Base
996XT,BCT15X,PSR410
Handhelds
PSR500,436HP
They are all cross programed..
But each has its primary role...
1 for the state police Moto/TRS
1 for PD Disp/Ops..and LAW interops
1 for FD/EMS/Emerg Mgt and FIRE interops
1 for P25 and area trunking
and the 436,,Its a Monster...It has all that
and More!..Holds my local,my travel,aircraft,
feds.
Multiple radios,,Why,,,Because its a habit..
also,when things are hectic multiple agencies
respond,,Local,State,FD/EMS...You get to hear
the entire situation as it occurs..
Oh,and another BCT15X in my truck,for hearing
things on the go...Programed for local travel and
programed for out of area travels that are still in a
set range..if needed I can reprogram the radio in
the time it takes to make a Dunkin coffee stop.
I keep a uniden serial cable inmy glove compartment...
Base
996XT,BCT15X,PSR410
Handhelds
PSR500,436HP
They are all cross programed..
But each has its primary role...
1 for the state police Moto/TRS
1 for PD Disp/Ops..and LAW interops
1 for FD/EMS/Emerg Mgt and FIRE interops
1 for P25 and area trunking
and the 436,,Its a Monster...It has all that
and More!..Holds my local,my travel,aircraft,
feds.
Multiple radios,,Why,,,Because its a habit..
also,when things are hectic multiple agencies
respond,,Local,State,FD/EMS...You get to hear
the entire situation as it occurs..
Oh,and another BCT15X in my truck,for hearing
things on the go...Programed for local travel and
programed for out of area travels that are still in a
set range..if needed I can reprogram the radio in
the time it takes to make a Dunkin coffee stop.
I keep a uniden serial cable inmy glove compartment...
You Would never get rid of your price possessions that all have there own intricacies. Some reaching rarity in there own right.
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