What else can I scan with the PRO-106

[NewSDScanner]

I have both a PRO-106 and a PSR-500 (same thing, different looks basically). I currently scan all Law Enforcement and Fire in my area (San Diego), but in general, what other kinds of things can I listen to with this scanner? The entire time I've owned it, I've only done LE and Fire. How does that weather function work? Also, can I listen to CB with it?

 

[nanZor]

There is a whole world of conventional stuff you can still get into!

Press the [SRCH] button. Then press it again. And again. This will toggle you through most of the more popular conventional stuff. This is just a search - hardcore conventional users will want to program the good stuff into scanlists.

In San Diego - I think the Marine channels would be of major interest.

Then again, as you step through all the [SRCH] options, you'll find Railroad, Aircraft (both civil AND military-air) Ham-Radio (amateur radio), and CB - although for CB, you'll want a better low-band antenna. How about GMRS/MURS?

You are well set up for the Miramar Airshow this Sep 30 - Oct 2!
Welcome to MCAS Miramar Air Show

You should be able to hear some interesting stuff even if you don't actually attend!

Thanks to airnav.com I found some interesting Miramar freqs you may want to check out now:

135.200 AM
298.925 AM
340.200 AM

These are just 3 Miramar tower freqs - if you don't hear the tower, you should hear the planes at times.

How about San Diego International Tower:
118.300 AM
338.225 AM

The best bet for getting into aircraft is by visiting the forum for it, and using things like airnav.com to get frequencies in use faster than just letting the 106/500 do it's own search. Communications are somewhat short, so they are easy to miss with plain old searching if you don't do it long enough. Don't forget that aircraft are mostly AM, so you'll want to doublecheck that modulation format in the "expert menu".

Obviously you see that my conventional scanning is for the most part aeronautical.

All the others have their forums here too with other frequency references. Just stop in and say hello!

 

[W8RMH]

There are a lot of military comms around the SD area with all the Navy and Marine installations.
Check out the bottom of this page:
San Diego County, California (CA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

 

[dirt619]

Alot of navy and marine frequencies are now on P25. FYI.

 

[lbfd09]

You can even listen to SDP&G as they turn the power back on. This also include all other utilities and business. Some are on conventional channels others might be on trunked systems (much like the government trunking but owned by the user or a radio service provides renting this type of repeater system).

All kinds of aircraft traffic can be listened to on both the VHF AND the UHF air bands.

Oh - and don't forget ham radio operators can be picked up and understood when they are in FM, AM or P25 modes.

You asked about CB you should be able to hear AM mode but not those that use SSB. As to the NOAA Weather radio - you can set the unit to scan the local Weather radio and cut in when weather alerts and test are sent out. You have to toggle that featuer on and enter the desired SAME codes.

I think a smaller list can be made of "what can't I listen to.

 

[Nasby]

Don't forget the railroads and transit sytems.
They can be fun to monitor.

 

[OsloViking1975]

Amateur radio also you can listen too. Such as local hams.

 

[KK4DAN]

Amateur radio also you can listen too. Such as local hams.

+1

As a ham operator myself, you might enjoy listening to some of your local repeaters. These sites will help you find repeaters, but the most reliable information is from club web pages around your area. When you find the call sign of a repeater, do a google search and see if you can come up with a club page to get the most accurate information for that repeater and/or club activities.
- Amateur Radio Repeater database - Updated daily
- K5EHX Amateur Radio Repeater Mapping

Both of these will help you find local repeaters. You'll probably find a lot more activity on some repeaters vs others. 2m (144-146mhz) repeaters in my area tend to be more busy then 440mhz repeaters, but some metro area's have some very busy 440 repeaters too as they tend to do better in areas with buildings. 2m repeaters usually propagate their signal much further then 440, but a lot depends on the repeater and antenna setup. Most clubs have weekly nets that take place at a scheduled time each week. You might be able to find some of these to listen to.

Just for kicks put in the local 2m simplex calling frequency - 146.520 mhz. You may not hear stuff very often, but if you have it in your scan list, you are bound to catch something once in awhile.

This was how I got into Ham radio as I was listening to the nets on a scanner and decided I wanted to talk to them instead of just listening. I'm now a General Class ham along with scanning, although I spend much more time scanning ham bands these days.