Renewed interest after 40 years

Don't ask me what hit me or clicked in my brain, but the other day I started thinking about a police scanner that I bought in 1977 and loved listening to. A friend who is seriously in to radios and such, started to fill me in on the vast changes since my 4 channel (crystal) radio shack scanner. He had me download the 5-0 Radio app, and I love it, again.

I'd like to purchase another scanner and just need some helpful advice/direction. I've looked on this site, and it appears that in my location, Dayotn, Ohio, the system is a analog trunking one. I believe that's what I'm reading. So, to get started, what would be recommended as a good handheld scanner that will give me a lot of listening enjoyment without breaking the bank? I know that I can buy one for say $450 that will do what I need and would be easy to program, but really only can afford in the $200-250 range. Am I asking too much for that amount? My tech skills are pretty limited.

Sorry if this should have been posted in a different forum.

Head over to the classifieds on this site, there are several possibilities that fit your budget and technical requirements. Cross-reference those offered over to the Wiki on this site to check out the specifics on the scanner and maybe go over to e-ham.com to check out some reviews. Then, you should be well-informed and ready to make a bid. Of course, there's an even wider selection on e-bay so more research will be required. Make sure you are getting all the required accessories, including a programming cable and owner's manual. Software is available on-line.

Dayton and Montgomery County are in the process of switching to the new state digital system, which will eventually be P25 Phase II. Comparing a 40 year old scanner to a modern scanner is like comparing a hot air balloon to the space shuttle.

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=6643

Unfortunately digital has driven up the cost of scanners. Hopefully you can find something used a little more in line with your finances. As is typical for anything "pre-owned" you can get real good or real bad deals.

Pretty much everything is different in the scanning hobby. The systems are more complex as is scanner programming. Prepare yourself for some frustrations because of this - but remember each one of us has endured the learning curve and you can too.

There are fairly inexpensive scanners on the market, but they may not monitor everything you may want to hear. Primarily, they won't handle the newer digital systems that are becoming popular. Fortunately for the Dayton OH/Montgomery County Ohio area (based on the RR Database listings - Montgomery County, Ohio (OH) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference), unless you need MARCS-IP coverage, they will probably do the job for you, at least for now.

"For now" is probably the key phrase though. Those old analog Motorola Type II Smartnet, Smartzone, and Type IIi Hybrid systems are on their last legs and support for them from Motorola will end quite soon. Since these are critical systems, it's important for them to be supported so issues can be quickly resolved and failed parts can be replaced quickly and reliably. Many (if not most) agencies are replacing them with newer technology and most often this will be digital systems of some kind.

The way most scanners are produced, the various levels will do what they do and as you go up the chain, they will do everything that the lower end models do, PLUS the next level of systems. On the lowest end, only analog conventional systems are supported. The next step up, you will get analog conventional systems, plus various analog trunking systems. Next step up you'll get conventional analog and trunking systems, plus P-25 digital systems (conventional and trunking). The highest step, you get all of that plus simple programming (often you enter your zip code and you could be done, but you may want to customize this to better match what you want and to speed up the scanning so you miss less desired calls).

The key is that prior to you deciding on what scanner you buy, you cross check the RR Database with the features that particular scanner supports. Keep in mind, that no scanner will work on encrypted broadcasts (but just because it's listed as encrypted, not all transmissions may be encrypted and conversely if it isn't listed as encrypted some transmissions may still be encrypted). Also be aware that some types of systems are not supported by any scanner at this time. Ones like MotoTRBO, OpenSky, and others are some examples. A good guide for what the various radios support is in the RR Wiki (Category:Radio Models - The RadioReference Wiki), but be aware that due to the number of radios listed, it flows to multiple pages. Also be aware that it includes both scanners (which you should use) and radios (which system users will use). Perhaps a better Wiki link might be this (Category:Scanners by Brand - The RadioReference Wiki), which lists just scanners.

Thanks

I really appreciate all of your comments. Having been away from this for so long, I knew it best to ask those involved. What you've said is kinda what I expected. Seems most cities, Dayton included, will be moving to digital in the future. If I'm understanding correctly what's being said, the safest/easiest way for me to proceed would be to buy something that will handle digital and not soon be obsolete.

Basically, find something used and in my price range or step up and buy new that will handle the change to digital. I'd ask about which brand, but there are probably other threads I can read for that.

Thanks again for helping me as I get started again in something I really enjoy.

The simple fact of the matter is that digital is moving in fast and it won't be stopped so the recommendation I'd make - even if you live in an area that is pure analog at this moment - is to get the most capable (in terms of capabilities and features) you can if and when you can afford it so you don't find yourself in a situation where you spend a few hundred bucks on something and then find out your local comms of interest are going to move to one of the digital formats in use today.

Note I didn't say "best" there I simply said the scanner that offers the most capabilities and features because "best" is purely relative to a given situation: some would say that since your area has some content in the digital realm (but not a major amount) there's no point in forking out a few hundred extra bucks just to cover the digital side of things if most everything you do want to monitor is analog in nature, at least what can be monitored which today is basically P25 Phase I and II and ProVoice with scanners themselves.

From what I gather that's been posted so far, you do have some P25 traffic in your area (the Ohio MARS comms) so that could prove to be something you might want to monitor at some point in time. As W8RMH pointed out with the link above, P25 Phase II is moving in with that changeover so, unless you're going to go ahead and front the cost of a scanner capable of receiving that type of format now, you'll be stuck later too if you decide you want to monitor it. The point again is get the scanner that covers everything you may want to monitor (using at least a modicum of foresight into what's coming) and then buy it.

Modern digital capable scanners are rather complex beasts, for sure, but that's why this forum exists: to provide info shared between people with similar interests (monitoring for the most part but also other related topics) and to help those along who are entirely new to it as well as those returning from a long absence like yourself, TLarman.

I could get into the whole SDR side of things but since you're returning to the scanning scene as it were that's for a later time but it should always be a considered option as well regardless of your technical skill or experience. It appears pretty obvious that you (meaning TLarman) have a computer of some kind albeit you could be posting from a smartphone I supppose - you did make mention of the 5-0 Radio app which is for smartphones/tablets so that's a question - and that's the most basic requirement for SDR these days. SDR offers a whole new world of possibilities with respect to the monitoring hobby so, look into more information when you're able but for now focus on getting the scanner that's right for you in your situation.

Congrats on getting back into things, and since this thread started with your first post, welcome to RadioReference.

I'll echo the sentiments offered in this thread and only add this: I was out of scanning for several years too. I did have a couple of simple direct-entry scanners before I quit -- no alpha tags or PL tones, so inputting frequencies was dead stupid simple and I considered it easier than opening the case to replace crystals in older units. But with the help of the people and info here at RR, I was able to learn to program a digital trunking scanner without any undue difficulty, and you will be too. Don't get dismayed, it's a bit intimidating but once you get onto it you'll have fun. Welcome back!

There are some really great Wiki articles on this site which explain radio systems and how to program them as well as how to operate the scanners.

Also there's a ton of YouTube videos online that can really help a person learn to operate a given model, as well as program it with software.

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