I actually tried to program the Suffolk County PD trunking frequencies but I don't think that I did it right. However now when the scan button is pressed it scan Bank 0.
Why not get the feel for the 164 by programming some conventional frequencies first, and for now, consider bank 0 a wash - we'll ignore that during scanning for now.
We'll organize your banks according to service - why not try programming Bank #1 with some nearby airband frequencies?
On page 18 of the manual, they describe "Defining A Channel" - which is a fancy way of saying programming some conventional systems.
The Westchester county airport tower is on 118.575 mhz. (You may not hear the tower, but should hear some planes talking to it). NY approach is on 120.800, and 126.400. New York departure is on 120.550
Thanks to airnav.com
Program these three frequencies as described on page 18 into bank #1. That is:
101 = 118.575
102 = 120.800
103 = 126.400
104 = 120.550
The scanner should automatically choose these airband freqs in AM mode for you. If it doesn't, press [MODE] to make sure that you see AM while programming in each one.
When you are done, hit [SCAN]
We're going to ignore bank 0 since it might have a messed up trunking setup. Just hit [0] while scanning to toggle this bank off. If it actually toggles it on, hit [0] again to make it go away.
Make sure that bank 1 is now active when scanning - hit [1] while scanning, and you'll toggle this bank on and off. For now, you want it on to listen to aircraft.
Make any other banks that have funky programming go away, by toggling them on/off the same way - while scanning, just hit the number of the bank.
Research the database here on RR for more conventional non-trunking freqs like this for your area. Do the same "Defining a Channel" (cracks me up) programming, and optionally put it into a different bank if you wish - the organizational choices are yours.
Hopefully this will get you something to listen to in the meantime.
Forget the idea of an amplifier with the 164. There are many antenna choices one can make, but beware that some can lead to worse performance if you are in a heavily rf-congested area. So for now, the oem duck will do until you get a handle on the programming.