Mobile scanning

Hey everyone I am a fire guy with a good knowledge of radios however I want to get into scanning. Is there a scanner made that will tune to what ever locality I am in as I drive if the frequencies are pre programed?

There are some that allow you to add a GPS unit (not your typical GPS with screen and such, but a puck type that sends out a serial data stream) that will do some type of that. One like this (BCD536HP - The RadioReference Wiki) is one example.

Be aware that it isn't 100% and may not work exactly like you imagine. What they generally do is select the programmed systems that are "in range" based on your GPS location. This may be a site that's several miles away. It often will scan several systems that are all "in range" so you may hear traffic for a large nearby city, several smaller cities, and one or more counties.

Also be aware that some agencies can't be monitored for various reasons. The most obvious are those that are encrypted, no scanner will help there. Also there are systems using technology that no current scanner will properly decode, such as MotoTRBO. These are fairly common with smaller agencies since they are generally lower cost than the P-25 digital systems. Don't let that discourage you, just be aware that you may not hear everything, even if your GPS helps isolate your programming for you.

I would recommend the Home Patrol 2 by Uniden, works great for me.




Be Safe

I love my 996xt. If you're handy with a soldering iron you can get a used Delorme gps for dirt cheap and mod it to work. Mine was less than 20 bucks. The programming getting the sites dialed in exactly on distance to work with the gps takes a little work but nothing hard.

trent233 said:

Hey everyone I am a fire guy with a good knowledge of radios however I want to get into scanning. Is there a scanner made that will tune to what ever locality I am in as I drive if the frequencies are pre programed?

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So, you do not have the 996XT any more? With a GPS unit, and systems programmed into the scanner, it will automatically go to the groups you have programmed with the coordinates.
Larry

I recommend either the HP2 or 536 with the GPS device. The 996XT I have isn't very good for simulcast systems. Also, depending upon how much traveling you do, your programming needs may exceed memory limitations. Then there's the big pain about programming the systems for the 996XT. The HP and 536 pretty much have what you need in place.

If your looking for portability,(hand held) the Bcd436Hp and a gps will work also.

Do you have any gps units? These are some that will work with uniden scanners

I have a Bcd436Hhp and a Garmin 176c and love the location feature.









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