Is it illegal to have a Digital (Uniden 396T) scanner in your car in those area?
Scanner Law in Ontario and Quebec
- Thread starter mmartinfan
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Simply answer NO for Ontario.................let's not open this can of worms again.
ok Gymbag since there is nothing in the Eastern Forum about this. Let me ask it again. Is it illegal to have a Digital (Uniden 396T) scanner in your car in those areas?
No.
That's a pretty plain answer ...
That's a pretty plain answer ...
pathalogical
Member
Sounds like someone is telling you otherwise. Is that the situation you're in ?mmartinfan said:
You may use your scanner while mobile in Ontario and Quebec.
Do they hassle you in Ohio ?
They are damned strict in Michigan and Indiana regarding mobile monitoring.
Do they hassle you in Ohio ?
They are damned strict in Michigan and Indiana regarding mobile monitoring.
I might be making a trip in June 06 to Toronto & Montreal just checking out things. I know Michigan is has the law but I hope to have a HAM by then.
Pathalogical
Just FYI I have had a scanner for over twenty years (got my RS 2020 when I was 14) and NEVER had a problem with the police. I have been an auxiliary police officer for almost five yrs and all the officers I work with know that I have scanners. There has been many a discussion here and over at Scanont about the legality of a scanner in your automobile. The best advice I can give you is be discret with your scanner. Don't be waving it around in front of the police. There is nothing worse than a rubber necker or ambulance chaser.
Just FYI I have had a scanner for over twenty years (got my RS 2020 when I was 14) and NEVER had a problem with the police. I have been an auxiliary police officer for almost five yrs and all the officers I work with know that I have scanners. There has been many a discussion here and over at Scanont about the legality of a scanner in your automobile. The best advice I can give you is be discret with your scanner. Don't be waving it around in front of the police. There is nothing worse than a rubber necker or ambulance chaser.
Timber71
Member
Timber71 said:
And this, folks, is what was meant when someone said "let's not open this can of worms again".
There is NO provision in the Radiocommunications Act for anything regarding digital scanners. There is NO legal standing for the internal Industry Canada memo circulated as the "law" in this case. And there is NO evidence of anyone having received a license anywhere in the country.
In summary, the "digital scanner law" is bogus.
scnnr
Member
Jay said:
To be fair to Timber Jay, i steered him in this direction. I suggested that he go to the Canadian forums and do a search for Digital license.
http://radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24437
Having said that I sure hope that can of worms is not going to get started again also. Hopefully he will do the resaearch and draw his own conclusion, and buy a digital scanner for his next one
Randy
Hello,
One problem is the old discussion got lost when the site's software got updated. Someone should have a sticky thread here about digital scanners or in the Wiki.
I think it was Jay that posted a long message on the lost thread with a good point-by-point discussion.
One problem is Uniden and dealers like Radioworld mentioning the license. Likely someone saw it on the IC website and told them about it. Maybe they saw earlier discussions on the boards. To be on the safeside they assume it was implemented and posted information to that effect. The problem now is Uniden and Radioworld are seen as authoritative.
This seems like the "DOD buys Nextel" story that started out as comments on a blog and gained undeserved credibility as other sites picked up on it. It looks like digital scanner licensing started as an internal IC proposal that did not go anywhere and people outside of IC picked up on it because it is on the IC web site.
Personally I never had any problem with scanners while in Canada and in my numerous trips to the GWN with radio antennas all over my car I was never asked if I had any digital scanners.
73 Eric
One problem is the old discussion got lost when the site's software got updated. Someone should have a sticky thread here about digital scanners or in the Wiki.
I think it was Jay that posted a long message on the lost thread with a good point-by-point discussion.
One problem is Uniden and dealers like Radioworld mentioning the license. Likely someone saw it on the IC website and told them about it. Maybe they saw earlier discussions on the boards. To be on the safeside they assume it was implemented and posted information to that effect. The problem now is Uniden and Radioworld are seen as authoritative.
This seems like the "DOD buys Nextel" story that started out as comments on a blog and gained undeserved credibility as other sites picked up on it. It looks like digital scanner licensing started as an internal IC proposal that did not go anywhere and people outside of IC picked up on it because it is on the IC web site.
Personally I never had any problem with scanners while in Canada and in my numerous trips to the GWN with radio antennas all over my car I was never asked if I had any digital scanners.
73 Eric
mmartinfan said:
Hello,
You should check out some of the other threads on this forum. There are some systems on frequencies that may not be in your normal search ranges like 138 to 144 MHz and 420 to 430 MHz. There is a 9600 baud P25 system being built in Quebec and by June 06 maybe more sites will be constructed. The electric company in Quebec has a wide area Motorola smartzone system on 142 MHz.
99.99% of comms in Quebec are in French.
Montreal is a great place to visit and most people also know English. There are English language radio and TV stations in Quebec. There are differences between the French you learnt in School and Quebec French. Visiting a Walmart in Quebec is different. I am a member of Costco so I visit them as well. Try some real Poutine which is Quebec's answer to the Chip Butty!The Fleetnet system in Ontario rivals the MARCS system in Ohio. Toronto is a BIG place and it is easy to get stuck in traffic. It can take hours to drive from one end of the city to the other especially on the regular streets. There are Motorola and EDACS systems all over.
73 Eric
This topic came up on another Forum I am a part of...
The wording is contradicting on Industry Canada's "Licencing of Digital Scanner Receivers"...
http://www.muircom.com/scnrpics/digiscanner.pdf
In an effort to protect the privacy of individuals, users of digital scanner receivers capable of receiving radiocommunication must obtain a licence as prescribed in the Radiocommunication Act. This does not include digital scanner receivers capable only of the reception of broadcasting.
So to summarize the above...
If you are receiving "broadcasting" on your Digital Scanner, you don't need a licence.
If you are receiving "radiocommunication" on your Digital Scanner, you do need a licence.
Officer: Is that radiocommunication you are picking up on that Digital Scanner Son?
Me: No Sir, it is broadcasting!
Officer: Oh, okay, have a nice day!
The wording is contradicting on Industry Canada's "Licencing of Digital Scanner Receivers"...
http://www.muircom.com/scnrpics/digiscanner.pdf
In an effort to protect the privacy of individuals, users of digital scanner receivers capable of receiving radiocommunication must obtain a licence as prescribed in the Radiocommunication Act. This does not include digital scanner receivers capable only of the reception of broadcasting.
So to summarize the above...
If you are receiving "broadcasting" on your Digital Scanner, you don't need a licence.
If you are receiving "radiocommunication" on your Digital Scanner, you do need a licence.
Officer: Is that radiocommunication you are picking up on that Digital Scanner Son?
Me: No Sir, it is broadcasting!
Officer: Oh, okay, have a nice day!
woody_461
Member
LOL!A controversy/paranoia started as soon as digital scanners were available in Canada based on that document.Certain retailers posted a license would be required before a purchase could be made.The information was posted based on their interpretation of the law.It was probably done to cover their a$$e$.No effort to enforce licensing has been made to date.As posted above the information is ambiguous.The retailers need to remove their disclaimer (information) in order for this topic to die.
avistow said:
That is the internal memo (not a law) that I referred to earlier. It has less weight than a helium-filled balloon.
(Physicists are given free rein to flame me based on the fact a helium-filled balloon still has weight.)
That document was created in 1996, long before digital scanners were conceived, let alone available. The laws it cites have more to do with satellite television (of which a 'grey market' of questionable legal standing (where Canadians will buy and use US receivers to get US programming without Canadian governmental interference) exists in Canada) than anything else.
The fact remains that no one has yet to provide proof that a scanner license exists (in the form of producing it to be shown to the scanner community), and no one can yet find an applicable section of law (which must have the words "it is an offence" in it) under which one might be charged for possession/use of such a device.
Furthermore, the digital signals are already receivable with non-digital scanners such as the BC245 and PRO2050, etc. Saying it is illegal to receive those same signals with a BC246 or PRO96 is on par with saying it's illegal to watch regular TV with an HD-capable receiver.
Please, please, please, take my word for it, and let this issue die..
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