Detecting Close Range Frequencies

[trafficninja]

Are there any scanners on the market that can detect the presence of a certain frequency or frequencies nearby? I already know the frequencies, I just want to be alerted when they're nearby. How about on a busy frequency?

 

[captclint]

Are there any scanners on the market that can detect the presence of a certain frequency or frequencies nearby? I already know the frequencies, I just want to be alerted when they're nearby. How about on a busy frequency?

Vast majority of scanners made within the last 4-6 years have frequency counters that only work at close range.
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Close_call
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Signal_stalker
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Spectrum_Sweeper

 

[trafficninja]

Vast majority of scanners made within the last 4-6 years have frequency counters
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Close_call
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Signal_stalker
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Spectrum_Sweeper

I already know the frequencies, I just want to be alerted when something nearby is using it. It needs to be specific frequencies. I don't think Close Call, for instance, would do that?

 

[LEH]

You could dedicate a bank or system to those frequencies. If you have a PSR 500 you could set the counter on and see how often they are used.

 

[Saint]

scanner

I already know the frequencies, I just want to be alerted when something nearby is using it. It needs to be specific frequencies. I don't think Close Call, for instance, would do that?

You could go on ebay and buy a cheap scanner for several dollars and have the frequencies put in this scanner and leave it scan all the time this is what I do for several frequencies I want to listen too all the time and not miss anything and not tie up my bc396t scanner.
Steve

 

[Don_Burke]

A cheap scanner with a lossy antenna or without an antenna would seem to fill the bill.

 

[Saint]

Scanners

A cheap scanner with a lossy antenna or without an antenna would seem to fill the bill.

There you go !, I bought a Radio Shack Pro-2045 on ebay for $ 35.00 dollars and use it for several frequencies, police, fire, ambulance, coast guard, and a couple of others, it came with a little plug in back antenna and I leave it in the corner of the room running 24/7 and it works perfect.
Steve

 

[scanfan03]

Most new scanners also have an audible or led alert for channels. I'm not quite getting what you would use this for though? When you hear a close frequency being used, most of the time someone is talking on it? So you would hear people's voices.

 

[trafficninja]

Most new scanners also have an audible or led alert for channels. I'm not quite getting what you would use this for though? When you hear a close frequency being used, most of the time someone is talking on it? So you would hear people's voices.

Actually...I'm thinking APCO25 control channels. From my very quick reading on APCO25, it's my understanding that all radios in a talk group transmit to the zone controller on a regular basis via the control channels. I was thinking along the lines of the beartracker functionality of the BCT8/12 etc...

Is it true that all the radios in a talk group report their presence to the zone controller on a regular basis?

 

[slicerwizard]

Is it true that all the radios in a talk group report their presence to the zone controller on a regular basis?

Smartzone controllers ping idle (on, but not being keyed up) subscriber radios every four hours; I imagine APCO25 systems do the same thing.

I hope you realize that the inbound signalling on a control channel is very fast - you're trting to detect transmissions that last less than a tenth of a second.