Newbie - Lots of general questions

[Fairlight]

Hello to everyone!

As my thread subject says, I am a newcomer to scanning. I post this in the Eastern Canada forum because I hail from Québec City (and I am french-speaking, so feel free to reply to me in english or french). If the admins feel this message belongs anywhere else, I apologize to them and thank them for moving it in the appropriate place.

To make a long biography short, I was introduced to conventional CB about 15 years ago (I had a 40-channel Realistic mobile), chatted for about 2 years there then moved on to other things. Recently I borrowed a radio scanner from a friend and, around the same time, discovered The Conet Project (recordings of shortwave numbers stations) with another and found a remote-controlled streaming SW radio on the net. I made a few Google searches on the subject... and was totally and irremediably hooked on radio communications. For the last two weeks I've been reading theory like crazy all over the net : radio history, HAM, DXing, propagation, radio bands, frequencies spectrum, transmission modes, encryption... I literally shoot in all directions at once.

A few days back, I concluded that I was more interested in shortwave radio so I bought a Grundig G5, expecting to hear HAM operators and numbers stations... You connaisseurs are probably laughing at me now for thinking that would be so easy. I did catch many "major" (like BBC and religious programs) stations from as far as Ontario and the middle-USA but that's it. So I decided to return the radio and concentrate on higher frequencies scanning, starting at 25 MHz; I know we can hear public services there but I also expect to hear HAM operators in VHF. I am currently very interested in the GRE PSR-300.
GRE America, Inc. - grecom scanner receiver, lcd modules, spread spectrum radio, wireless bridge, scanner antenna, scanner pre-amps.
Oh, and I don't expect to become an emitter myself, I'm really more interested in just listening.

I do my ultimate best to learn the most I can by myself but now, after two weeks, I have to admit I am exhausted. My head explodes with physics theory, encryption modes and most of all abbreviations... There are holes in my understanding and I BADLY need someone to sit down a few minutes and help me. ... And that's where I sincerely hope you people will want to give me a hand! Here are some questions and things as I understood them. If you see a something wrong in my assumptions, please do correct me.


1. When I use the term "HAM operator", in my head, it's the same as "amateur radio operator", as in "someone licensed to emit on amateur radio frequencies", someone with the "VE2" or "VA2" callsign. Just so you follow me...

2. I think that a simple shortwave radio wouldn't be enough to catch more than major stations, I would need a much bigger rig, especially the antenna. Am I right on that?

3. The Grundig G5 has SSB capability, one of the reasons I chose it. I understood that SSB is a "version" of AM transmission, sending data a little lower (LSB) or higher (USB) than the carrier wave. It seems to be used by many HAM operators in the lower frequencies. How popular is it in the Québec region?

4. Regarding SSB again, if I understood well, any transmission mode can be used on any radio frequency. I also know that some bands are reserved for amateur radio at some places in the radio spectrum, including VHF. So some HAM operators could be talking with AM-SSB in higher frequencies like in VHF, right? Does that happen? Does it depend on the region?

5. If I own a radio scanner with VHF frequencies and encounter people speaking in SSB, does the scanner need to have some SSB-capability for me to hear them...? I've never seen a scanner mentioning "SSB" on it, so I think I'm definitely missing something here...

6. The transmission mode (AM, SSB, FM, etc) seems VERY important. Yet, everytime I browse a HAM operator web site and they mention the frequencies they talk on, they almost never mention the mode they usually use. Is there some kind of convention on the mode depending on the frequencies...?

7. If you hear something sent with a certain mode and your scanner is not set in the right mode, how do you know what mode to use? Guess by the sound?

8. How do two HAM operators manage to find each other in a frequency range? Do they just call on random frequencies over the range until they HAPPEN to fall on one frequency where someone else HAPPENED to be listening??

9. I'm worried about Québec's new RENIR system. It will be entirely digital, so I will need a digital scanner to hear anything on that system, right? The scanner I'm looking to buy (GRE PSR-300) has trunking, EDACS, CTCSS... but nothing digital. Does that mean that in about two years, when most public services have switched to RENIR, I won't be able to hear SQ, police, fire department, etc. anymore on this scanner?


Well I think it covers the most important questions I have for now; your answers would give me a HUGE headstart, especially on what gear to buy. I hope you will be many to reply! Thank you in advance!

 

[davidmc36]

1. When I use the term "HAM operator", in my head, it's the same as "amateur radio operator", as in "someone licensed to emit on amateur radio frequencies", someone with the "VE2" or "VA2" callsign. Just so you follow me...!

Correct, those two terms are often used interchangeably.

9. I'm worried about Québec's new RENIR system. It will be entirely digital, so I will need a digital scanner to hear anything on that system, right? The scanner I'm looking to buy (GRE PSR-300) has trunking, EDACS, CTCSS... but nothing digital. Does that mean that in about two years, when most public services have switched to RENIR, I won't be able to hear SQ, police, fire department, etc. anymore on this scanner?...!

If everybody is going to that system and if they all go digital as you say, I would certainly get a digital scanner now, since it will do the digital and analog traffic.

If some of the users go encrypted, which is common for Police Forces, you will not be able to hear them. Have you heard anything on that subject pertaining to the SQ?

 

[SCPD]

you need 2 scanners to do what you want a gre 500 that will do digatal and a wideband job like a icom r1500/2500 or aor job so you can hear all the hams in ssb and a outdoor aerial like a discone

there is not one scanner that will do all of what you asked

 

[pathalogical]

Hello Fairlight,

You've definetly come to the right place ! In regards to #2 - A simple shortwave radio is good at getting someone started in DXing. I also have a G5 and have heard many things that I wasn't expecting. The telescopic is good, but I stretched out 25 feet of speaker wire and clipped it to the antenna, much better reception. A better rig will have much more features and a better antenna would beneficial. SSB allows for two way communications such as hams, military, mwara and others that fall into the Utility part of DX. You say you returned the G5, why ??? Shoulda kept it !

#4 - hmmm....I'm definitely not an expert, but SSB only applies to AM mode of transmitting. VHF/UHF is FM mode. I don't think there is such thing as SSB on FM. If you want to hear Quebec ham users, just search the 144-148 mHz with your scanner.

#5 - Some scanners (not many though) include the 1.7 mHz - 30 mHz frequencies we call shortwave. Only if the manufacturer included SSB as a feature. But, not all shortwave radios have SSB either. The G5 does have SSB and that's the reason why I chose it also !

#6 - Again, there is no SSB in the VHF/UHF. DXing is AM mode, including the 40 CB channels, and anything above 30Mhz is FM mode. Most hams are in the FM mode. The ones that are in the DX and using SSB is usually an extension of their FM useage.

#7 - With todays new scanners, all have a Mode setting, and is always set to Auto. It is user changeable, but not likely you'll have to change it often, rarely, it at all.

#9 - Yes, if you anticipate listenig to that system, you will need a digital scanner. You show interest in the PSR 300, however the PSR 500 is what you'll need. P25 digital mode is the only digital mode capable of being heard on scanners. Any other digital mode is not available on scanners. You suspect that other services will join RENIR in the future, if they do, you're all set with your PSR 500. To answer a future question - What about encryption ? No scanner will be able to decrypt, and possibly not ever.

Hope all this helps...

 

[Babyface]

Hello Fairlight and welcome.
I'm not familier with ham radio as much as scanning. Presently i'm using BC246T which is not digital and i'm in between Montreal and Quebec city. It does the job for now because in my town everything is still analogue. I programmed Sherbrooke's and Quebec city's fire dept trunking systems for when i'm in those areas and i rarely go to Montreal where thier system is digital.

I believe there is a store in the Montreal area selling the GRE-600 digital scanner for 499$ plus taxes. I find it's a good radio for the price and excellent for a beginner to learn on.

 

[slypx]

Hello Fairlight and welcome on RR

For the RENIR, you definitively need a digital scanner. It's hard to say who will used encryption other than the Surete du Quebec (Quebec Provincial Police) for now. Take a look at the RENIR in the Quebec DB Scanner Frequencies: RENIR (Quebec Government System) Trunking System, Provincewide, Quebec

Hello Fairlight and welcome.
I'm not familier with ham radio as much as scanning. Presently i'm using BC246T which is not digital and i'm in between Montreal and Quebec city. It does the job for now because in my town everything is still analogue. I programmed Sherbrooke's and Quebec city's fire dept trunking systems for when i'm in those areas and i rarely go to Montreal where thier system is digital.

I believe there is a store in the Montreal area selling the GRE-600 digital scanner for 499$ plus taxes. I find it's a good radio for the price and excellent for a beginner to learn on.

The store is MG electro in St-Jerome who's selling both the PSR-500 or 600 for 499 CDN !! Yes CDN ! Balayeurs d'ondes | MG Électronique

You can also go to Electromike in Quebec city who's selling these for 560 over the Internet or 575 in store. But my friend went with the MG Electro print and they did a price match. Balayeurs d ondes Télécommunication Électronique ElectroMike=

There are selling fast, check their site for availability, I was in the store twice over the last 2 weeks and the first time they sold one while I was there and they sold 2 in front of me this afternoon !

Good luck but I would really consider investing in the 500 !

 

[Fairlight]

Thank you so very much for your replies, everyone!! I am pretty busy at the moment but I'll get back to you individually in a few days! :-D