Mshaffer, first off let me say welcome.
Before you go plunking down money, it's alawys wise to become familiar with what you're getting into
To that end, spend some time becoming familiar with our wiki. You can access it on the top blue toolbar, simply press the word 'wiki' and away you go. We have numerous articles there that you can use to begin to educate yourself - let's start with some of the more important ones...
- Under 'Forum Specific Topics', at the bottom is 'Trunking'. Briefly put, this is the ability of a system of frequencies to share usage among multiple agencies, all at the same time. This is a very common way for public service freqs to be administered. Click on that, then concentrate on the basics and Motorola systems, as they comprise the largest percentage of systems in this area
- Again under the same 'Forum Specific Topics' you will see 'Antennas'. This style of article is referred to as a 'category', a high level index that the wiki software monitors and maintains automatically. Each topic is an index to a specific article - click on the one for 'Scanner Antennas' and that article lists numerous links on the subject. Various suppliers, some tech information and even a few homebrew ideas are listed here.
- At the top right, there's a 'subscription' link. While not very important to you now, it may well become so later. Depending on what scanner - and software - you choose, you can download data directly from the database into the editor for your software. You probably don't need it quite yet, but it's something to keep handy, in case you find you need to build files for yourself. There are lots of folks here, on the other hand, that can supply files, but be sure to be specific about for what software package and geo area you need
- At the right, you will see something called 'Digital Trunktrackers'. Click on it and you will see roughly a dozen different models indexed in this category. Digital trunking is used heavily here. Click on any one of the model numbers, and you will be taken to an article that describes it in detail
- Finally scroll down to 'Special Topics' on the right. Continue scrolling to the 'RR Glossary'. Like any hobby it has lots of terminology, some of it bewildering at first. This category lists numerous terms that lead to articles that explain it, some in much detail. It's in infancy now, but it's pretty good for a start
It pays to educate yourself first, before spending any money. I've only scratched the surface here - spend some time reading and asking questions in the correct forums and you will find lots of folks here willing to guide you. Just be specific with your questions - specific questions bring specific answers.
73s Mike
