Fast food scanning - quick Q

[MarcInIllinois]

So if I'm bored waiting on the wife/kids to finish shopping, etc, which is most likely to yield some fast food frequencies? Signal stalker/Closecall or just scanning a block of freqs?

I also have seen WFM, FM, NFM and auto. Auto would be the best to use I presume, or?

 

[blackice]

I've gotten a few hits for fast food places with SS. I'd either try that or scan the Itinerant freqs listed at http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Common_Itinerant_and_Business

 

[brandon]

Search 30-36 Mhz and 457-458 and 466-470 MHz I hear them in those freqs. Close Call works too but you need to be close, especially with the low power units.

 

[MarcInIllinois]

Search 30-36 Mhz and 457-458 and 466-470 MHz I hear them in those freqs. Close Call works too but you need to be close, especially with the low power units.

One does not need to know the PL to search like that, correct?

 

[brandon]

No PL's are required for searching.

 

[MarcInIllinois]

No PL's are required for searching.

I notice that my 396 seems to default to NFM when searching, even though I've set it to auto.. choices in that menu are AUTO, AM, FM, NFM and WFM.. NFM is the most common format I take it?

 

[rvawatch]

I notice that my 396 seems to default to NFM when searching, even though I've set it to auto.. choices in that menu are AUTO, AM, FM, NFM and WFM.. NFM is the most common format I take it?

most common is FM. i really don't know specifics, but it was something about how Uniden thought that everything would have converted to NFM shortly after the release of the 396, but however this didnt happen. Most, if not all, of my FM freqs work on NFM, but I usually set my programmed freqs on FM anyways. Someone else can probably give a better explanation of the difference between FM and NFM, but that is one thing that i dont know much about

 

[mciupa]

try in the 902 mhz area

 

[LEH]

The most common McDumdum's freq is 35.02 though I have heard them in the 154 range on occasion.

I've heard Burger King in the 154 range as well. Hardees around here uses the 462/467 pairs.

As previously stated, though, they are relatively low power so don't expect to hear them too far away. Though I have heard McD on 35.02 over a quarter of a mile. This is in the car with an external Larsen multi band antenna.

Listening to the drive throughs is one way to lose your faith in human nature. We all tend to think the people working there are dumb. But listening to some of the people who order food, you can easily understand why. And these people are driving a vehicle, in traffic and trying to eat at the same time.

One of the best times I've had with a scanner was sitting with some co-workers. We were eating lunch in an Arby's and listening to the McDumdum's drive through next door. We were laughing so hard we could hardly eat.

 

[kb2vxa]

Hi Dirty and all,

"I notice that my 396 seems to default to NFM when searching...NFM is the most common format I take it?"

I'm glad you brought that up, others are probably puzzling it out but were afraid to ask. (;->) In narrow mode the search scan finds center carrier more easily and is more likely to display the correct frequency. If it's looking through a wider window as it's sweeping across the band it's likely to stop early and display above or below center depending on whether it's sweeping up or down.

Lynn, if you were eating at McDumdum's you'd be puking so hard you could hardly laugh. It could be worse, there's always Booger Fling or Toxic Hell, you don't want to know what Flaco puts in the taco.

 

[cpuerror]

A lot of resteraunts in Canada (not sure about the US) use 902-928Mhz with 12.5Khz spacing. Look at their headsets when in the drive through, if they appear to be 3M CX960 or CX1060 then they are in this range for sure.

 

[MarcInIllinois]

found a few drive thru/customer/clerk, but those inter-headset conversations must really be hard to pick up..

 

[jonny290]

They are, these things run mere milliwatts

I normally don't get CC dings on my 396 with the stock duck when I'm idling in the drive-thru

once in a while it happens, though.

 

[LEH]

Warren, don't I know it. Though actually, I do like McDumdum chocolate shakes.

To me fast food is an oxymoron.

Going back to McD's. I got stationed in England in Sept 78. I'd been there about a week when I went on a tour to the Farnbourgh Air Show (now where else would a group of American Air Force people go?). To get there we had to go through London. As we were leaving the central part of London, someone spotted a McDonalds and the immediate cry was to stop the bus.

As I was 'navigating' for the bus driver (I actually knew London better. from a short trip there a couple of years before, than he did), the task fell to me to 'remember' where the place was so we could stop on the way back and have 'American' food (yeah right). So on our return trip, we found another McD's and stopped. British McDonald's are no better than American ones.

Now a German McD's does offer one very nice treat. The food is still typical McDumdum fare, but you can order BEER with your burger and pomme frittes.

"Ich mochte ein viertel funter, mit grosse pomme frites und ein bier bitte."

 

[SIGG]

I've been trying to get the local Dunkin Donuts as I'm sitting in the drive thru w/ my 246t on CloseCall but no luck so far...

 

[LEH]

My close call has only captured the drive thru's when I was sitting at the window waiting for my order and the clerk was taking an order.

 

[MarcInIllinois]

I took the 396 in with me on search and store and hung around the front counter waiting on the order at taco bell tonight - - maybe 25 ft from the person with the headset. nothing.

 

[rvawatch]

I took the 396 in with me on search and store and hung around the front counter waiting on the order at taco bell tonight - - maybe 25 ft from the person with the headset. nothing.

were there lots of other fast food restaurants around?

the one you were at may not have been "standing out" among all the other restaurants.

 

[WA1CRZ]

Now a German McD's does offer one very nice treat. The food is still typical McDumdum fare, but you can order BEER with your burger and pomme frites

French McDonalds had wine on the menu but I had more fun at the coffee houses in Holland!

 

[a29zuk]

I've gotten a few hits for fast food places with SS. I'd either try that or scan the Itinerant freqs listed at http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Common_Itinerant_and_Business

If you have the latest Unidens you can use the "special" selection in the Service Search to search many of the frequencies listed under Common Itinerant and Business.