Cheapest Digital Scanner

trnbuf · Feb 16, 2018

Hello all,
I have a railroad feed that I have currently provided for the last 6 years. And of course those frequencies are not digital, as of yet. But I am want to start providing a scanner feed for my county/city police/fire and those frequencies are all digital now. This may sound really silly, but what I am wanting to know, is there a cheap digital police scanner out there that you can buy because I am only going to be scanning no more than 5 frequencies? I hate to spend over $300 just for that. Or where can I buy a good used one? I am hope someone on here can help me with this.

Thanks,
Mike

BamaChad · Feb 16, 2018

trnbuf said:
Hello all,
I have a railroad feed that I have currently provided for the last 6 years. And of course those frequencies are not digital, as of yet. But I am want to start providing a scanner feed for my county/city police/fire and those frequencies are all digital now. This may sound really silly, but what I am wanting to know, is there a cheap digital police scanner out there that you can buy because I am only going to be scanning no more than 5 frequencies? I hate to spend over $300 just for that. Or where can I buy a good used one? I am hope someone on here can help me with this.

Thanks,
Mike

Not sure if you want to go the computer route but the sdr dongles are incredibly cheap 25 bucks or so. All you need is a computer and decoding software. The software is all free. https://www.rtl-sdr.com is a great place to start. I'm sure you can set up a feed with one. Hope this helps.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

trnbuf · Feb 16, 2018

BamaChad said:
Not sure if you want to go the computer route but the sdr dongles are incredibly cheap 25 bucks or so. All you need is a computer and decoding software. The software is all free. https://www.rtl-sdr.com is a great place to start. I'm sure you can set up a feed with one. Hope this helps.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

That sounds like a good idea but I believe I will stick with a scanner in case I decide to do more with it.

Thanks,
Mike

bob550 · Feb 16, 2018

By the looks of Washington County, IL, you'll need a Phase 2-capable digital scanner. Check here, APCO Project 25 - The RadioReference Wiki, for some brand/model options. Then, if you are adventurous, and once you narrow it down to a few models, price them on ebay, or Amazon if you're looking to buy new.

trnbuf · Feb 16, 2018

bob550 said:
By the looks of Washington County, IL, you'll need a Phase 2-capable digital scanner. Check here, APCO Project 25 - The RadioReference Wiki, for some brand/model options. Then, if you are adventurous, and once you narrow it down to a few models, price them on ebay, or Amazon if you're looking to buy new.

Thanks Bob for all the information and ideas what to do.

Mike

DHAS12 · Feb 16, 2018

trnbuf said:
Hello all,
I have a railroad feed that I have currently provided for the last 6 years. And of course those frequencies are not digital, as of yet. But I am want to start providing a scanner feed for my county/city police/fire and those frequencies are all digital now. This may sound really silly, but what I am wanting to know, is there a cheap digital police scanner out there that you can buy because I am only going to be scanning no more than 5 frequencies? I hate to spend over $300 just for that. Or where can I buy a good used one? I am hope someone on here can help me with this.

Thanks,
Mike

You can look in the RR classifieds. I have seen a couple used digital scanners there for under 300 bucks. You can find a Radioshack Pro-668 for well under $300 on ebay, and send it to whistler to be upgraded for $60.

KR7CQ · Mar 13, 2018

I recently picked up a BCD396XT for $90 on Offer up...it's in 96% condition..came with charger and PC cable. I've also picked up a PSR-600 for $120 on Craigslist, and found great deals on analog scanners too such as $20 for a mint condition BC9000XLT on Offer up. I go there every morning to see if anyone is "giving away" their scanner.

fredva · Mar 13, 2018

Just keep in mind that some of the older digital scanners that you can find used do not handle Phase 2 digital. You can certainly find Phase 2 capable scanners used, but they will generally not be the less expensive ones. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the list of Phase 2 scanner models.

KR7CQ · Mar 13, 2018

fredva said:
Just keep in mind that some of the older digital scanners that you can find used do not handle Phase 2 digital. You can certainly find Phase 2 capable scanners used, but they will generally not be the less expensive ones. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the list of Phase 2 scanner models.

Good point. My best deal on Phase 2 scanner was a PRO-668 for $160, and the next best was a BCD436HP for $200....saw a pawn shop selling it on Craigslist and was there ten minutes later buying it.

hiegtx · Mar 13, 2018

KR7CQ said:
Good point. My best deal on Phase 2 scanner was a PRO-668 for $160, and the next best was a BCD436HP for $200....saw a pawn shop selling it on Craigslist and was there ten minutes later buying it.

Great catch on the 436HP. Just another reason to remind people looking for the lowest available cost solution for a 'new' (to them) scanner to check local pawn shops, garage sales, estate sales, and online sources for a bargain on a good working condition scanner.

Cheapest Digital Scanner

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