Newbie questions.

[Turf11]

Hey guys, I'm looking to get into the police scanner hobby, and I have a few questions. I have a general understanding of what trunking is and know most police agencies in my area, and all state agencies use motorola Utah UCAN trunking. I also know that all of the Utah Highway Patrol uses UCAN Trunking. With that being said what would be the best cheap beginner radio that is capable of receiving trunked signals? Also how long will my police scanner be able to reach? I also want to be able to listen to the Salt Lake City International Airport frequencies, but I live about 35-40 miles away to the north in Ogden. Any ideas if i would be able to pick up a frequency at that far away? All feedback is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Turf.

 

[W7FDX]

Seeing that UCAN is a mix between analog and APCO-25 voice you will have to get a digital scanner, which are not cheap. As for reception its all in what antenna/ coax and how you mount it.

 

[bear780ks]

Hp-1 and 396 Great choices

Hey guys, I'm looking to get into the police scanner hobby, and I have a few questions. I have a general understanding of what trunking is and know most police agencies in my area, and all state agencies use motorola Utah UCAN trunking. I also know that all of the Utah Highway Patrol uses UCAN Trunking. With that being said what would be the best cheap beginner radio that is capable of receiving trunked signals? Also how long will my police scanner be able to reach? I also want to be able to listen to the Salt Lake City International Airport frequencies, but I live about 35-40 miles away to the north in Ogden. Any ideas if i would be able to pick up a frequency at that far away? All feedback is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Turf.

Turf a Great Scanner for a New Beginner i think is the Uniden HP-1 i had one and i liked it getting back in the hobby it's Very easy to program as you only need your Zip Code after you do a few initial set-up steps it's very portable you can take in the car and enjoy it as much there as you can at Home if you want to know some more on it give me a shout and i'll send some more info your Way on the forum or by Direct Message..

Currently i'm using the BCD 396xt this is a very good Radio an Advanced Radio it does take some time to learn it but if you have Cool patients, a little computer Savvy, Can afford the scanner Plus the membership cost to R.R. to get the Frequencies then this is I say a Great Radio for a new person in the Hobby on my 396 i had it programmed Locally So i could get it going Quickly,

I do know how to add stuff Manually if i need to but it can be a head splitter and i have got turned around a few times but the More i work with it the More i love this Little Radio and it's only off in short sports were i Go that 396 goes even to the pooper :roll: Can't miss that Burglary in progress or the shots fired, And last but knot least the 20,000 Firework's Calls that will be happening through out the Week..

Hey all have a Happy 4th and be Careful lighting them Fireworks.. Ra

 

[DickH]

... As for reception its all in what antenna/ coax and how you mount it.

That is only one factor. Most important is the terrain. If you live in a low area you probably don't have a chance, but if you live on a high hill or mountain you have a much better chance of hearing distant signals. Airport freqs. are low power and are designed to cover only a short distance for vehicles on the ground. Aircraft in flight have altitude and no obstructions in their favor. I live about 3 miles from PDX (Portland International airport and I can not hear some of the freqs. Planes in the air are usually OK.

 

[N8IAA]

Right now, according to the database, Morgan county is analog, not digital. That can always change in the future. As DickH stated, terrain is always a help or hindrance. For trunked sites, make sure that you use a scanner that can do rebanded frequencies. You should be able to listen to the planes on low and high approach and departure frequencies. An external antenna will help for reception of those frequencies.
You may want to post in the Utah state forum for local assistance.
HTH,
Larry

 

[N8IAA]

I would suggest the 396XT with FreeScan free software, it will be an easier scanner to navigate than the HP-1. I used to think my Pro-106 was better than my 396. What a difference in memory management!
Larry

 

[Turf11]

That is only one factor. Most important is the terrain. If you live in a low area you probably don't have a chance, but if you live on a high hill or mountain you have a much better chance of hearing distant signals. Airport freqs. are low power and are designed to cover only a short distance for vehicles on the ground. Aircraft in flight have altitude and no obstructions in their favor. I live about 3 miles from PDX (Portland International airport and I can not hear some of the freqs. Planes in the air are usually OK.

True, I didn't think about that. I live at the base of the mountains, in a valley so I don't think I will be able to hear the airport.

 

[Turf11]

I would suggest the 396XT with FreeScan free software, it will be an easier scanner to navigate than the HP-1. I used to think my Pro-106 was better than my 396. What a difference in memory management!
Larry

I Was thinking about the 346XT just because of the difference in price, are there any major differences between the 346XT and the 396XT? I was thinking the 346 just because of the 200 dollar cheaper price tag.

 

[Rt169Radio]

I Was thinking about the 346XT just because of the difference in price, are there any major differences between the 346XT and the 396XT? I was thinking the 346 just because of the 200 dollar cheaper price tag.

The 346TXT is a analog trunktracker, the 396XT is a digital and a analog trunktracker.