Tennessee Scanner Laws

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ten78

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I am going to Gatlinburg in a few weeks. What are the scanner laws in your state. I have a HAM license from the FCC. I will be traveling through Kentucky to Tennessee from Indiana. What counties will i be traveling through to get to Gatlinburg once i hit the state line from Kentucky?

KC9ONV
 

ten78

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Could someone send me a PRVT MSG and fill me in on the laws and the counties i will be traveling through to get to Gatlingurg from KY.

KC9ONV
 

CORN

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No private message needed, the only thing you need to know about scanner laws: Be discrete (such as only ONE external antenna), obey the traffic laws, don't give 'em a reason to pull you over and you'll be just fine. I've done it for years, even visited the draconian scanner law State of Florida and never had a problem.

As for the counties you'll be going thru would be (if coming down I-75): Campbell, possibly Anderson, Knox, and Blout Counties. Knox County includes the big City of Knoxvegas (Knoxville).
 

mikey60

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I am going to Gatlinburg in a few weeks. What are the scanner laws in your state. I have a HAM license from the FCC. I will be traveling through Kentucky to Tennessee from Indiana. What counties will i be traveling through to get to Gatlinburg once i hit the state line from Kentucky?

KC9ONV

As far as scanner law is concerned, check out http://www.afn.org/~afn09444/scanlaws/index.html

What I've done to check counties that I'll be traveling through, is to load up mapquest at my home location, and then use the arrow keys to follow the route... Works pretty well.

Mike
 

APTN

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Antennas

No private message needed, the only thing you need to know about scanner laws: Be discrete (such as only ONE external antenna), obey the traffic laws, don't give 'em a reason to pull you over and you'll be just fine. I've done it for years, even visited the draconian scanner law State of Florida and never had a problem.

As for the counties you'll be going thru would be (if coming down I-75): Campbell, possibly Anderson, Knox, and Blout Counties. Knox County includes the big City of Knoxvegas (Knoxville).

I can't speak for CORN, but I have not had any problems with multiple antennas on my vehicle.
 

click23

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According to Tennessee code 39-13-601 (b)(7), http://www.michie.com/tennessee/lpe...=&skc=8000000200011B51&c=curr&gh=1&2.0#LPHit1 :


(7) It is lawful, unless otherwise prohibited by state or federal law, for any person:
(A) To intercept or access an electronic communication made through an electronic communication
system that is configured so that the electronic communication is readily accessible to the general public;
(B) To intercept any radio communication that is transmitted by:
(i) Any station for the use of the general public, or that relates to ships, aircraft, vehicles, or persons
in distress;
(ii) Any governmental, law enforcement, civil defense, private land mobile, or public safety
communications system, including police and fire, readily accessible to the general public;
(iii) Any station operating on an authorized frequency within the bands allocated to the amateur,
citizens band, or general mobile radio services; or
(iv) Any marine or aeronautical communications system;
(C) To intercept any wire or electronic communication, the transmission of which is causing harmful
interference with any lawfully operating station or consumer electronic equipment, to the extent necessary
to identify the source of such interference; or
(D) For other users of the same frequency to intercept any radio communication made through a system
that utilizes frequencies monitored by individuals engaged in the provision or the use of such system, if
such communication is not scrambled or encrypted.

I know that the city of Chattanooga and Davidson County(Nashville) have scanner ordinances, you can see some discussion here: http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=330

My understanding is that federal preemption that is mention in the link above only applies to licensed amateur on amateur equipment.

No other counties or cities that I know of have scanner ordinances.

I am not a layer, nor do I play one on the internet, but I do not see how the local ordinances can be enforced since state code states "It is lawful, unless otherwise prohibited by state or federal law, for any person any governmental, law enforcement, civil defense, private land mobile, or public safety communications system, including police and fire, readily accessible to the general public".
 

jeffmulter

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I would suggest you carry a copy of your FCC amateur license, and well as the state statute covering radio equipment in a motor vehicle in Kentucky, while traveling through that state.

The statute in that state is vague-enough (as I read it) that a valid amateur license will cover amateur equipment in a motor vehicle, but might not cover a wideband receiver (scanner) ... particularly if law enforcement frequencies are programmed into it.
 

EZlistener

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If entering TN via I-75 on your trip to Gatlinburg, your counties will be Campbell, Anderson, Knox, and Sevier.
 

tbharper

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This is a e-mail i got from the state of Tennessee when i emailed to see if there was a law about having a scanner.

Barry,

I am not aware of any Tennessee State Law that would prohibit you from having a scanner in your vehicle.

Sincerely,



Trooper Ehrin Ehlert
Tennessee Department of Safety
Tennessee Highway Patrol
Research, Planning and Development
1150 Foster Avenue
Nashville, Tennessee 37249-1000
Phone: (615) 687-2400
Fax: (615) 253-2096
 
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n8bmb

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I have not had a problem since I have been in TN. I moved here from Detroit in June 2007. I DID find an ordinance in Metro-Nashville, but your Ham license will cover you. As far as the rest of the state, you would have to check individual counties/cities, but usually your Ham license overrides any local ordinance. If you don't have a Ham license, be careful, as has been mentioned, don't do anything to bring attention to yourself.

I work security as well, and put my scanner in my work vehicle (patrol car) while at work so I don't "walk" into a situation that I shouldn't. I even had an officer (Sgt. actually) ask me all sorts of questions about mine (I have the BCD996T) since he was looking to buy a new one for himself (thought that was a funny situation!).

Good luck and enjoy Tennessee!:cool:
 

viper21

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You should be fine, the only enforceable law against scanner usage is in furtherance of a crime. Which means if you are caught useing a scanner while committing a crime, you can be charged..

As far as the Nashville ordinance, it is rarely enforced. Only if you are interfering with police activities would you even be messed with, ie showing up on police calls, following police chases, etc...

Enjoy your trip..
 

SCPD

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The State of TN has no actual State Statue that covers scanners per say, therefore it is lawful to carry them per the exception of Chattanooga and Davidson County & a few others that have scanner ordinances. But I believe {I may be wrong on this one} that the City of Chatt. only requires a permit from residents of the City. I tryed to look up the link from the PD but they seemed to have removed it, maybe they discontinued that City ordinance?
Anyway, I did find mention of it in Monitoring times
See link here index
 

CAPTLPOL1

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(7) It is lawful, unless otherwise prohibited by state or federal law, for any person:

Remember it states that it is lawful unless otherwise prohibited. So you can use a scanner unless you fall under a unlawful use. As others have posted, every municipality, charter county (Knox & Shelby), unified county (none), and metropolitan county (Davidson, Moore, Trousdale) may impose a local ordinance that is more restrictive than state law that does not supersede state law or violate the intent of the general law.

Since this law was enacted by the Public Acts of 1994, Chapter 964, I cannot read the enacting clause or public act online since TN did not start to archive the acts until the Acts of 1996. So I can't see the legislative intent. I wonder if this act supersedes or preempts a local ordinance? It would appear that section 7 states unless otherwise prohibited by state or federal law. It says nothing about a local government enacting a local ordinance. However, I am not a lawyer, and I am not giving legal advice. I am just merely stating out the plain language of the codified act.
 
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