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I just purchased a Radio Shack Pro 197 scanner. Although it came preprogrammed with the trunked systems for Sacramento I am unable to hear them. I only live 10 miles away. I can however hear Sacramento conventional frequencys. What do I need to do to hear the trunked frequencys. Thanks Alan
Welcome to RadioReference.com. Certainly someone will be able to help you at our get together as RolnCode3 suggested.
Even though some scanners come "pre-programmed", I've found they are NOT updated with the latest frequencies and/or talkgroups. Sacramento is a little more interesting because there are 2 systems, one for the city and one for the county. Which one to use depends on which you can pick signals up from the best and/or specifically what you want to hear.
Another thing that happened is that a few years ago the talkgroups were changed. The "latest" info I have from Radio Shack shows the OLD talkgroups. If that is what is pre-programmed, that could be the problem.
The typical suggestions we give people is to get software that lets you program your scanner from the computer and the cable which connects the two. Then at the very least, someone will be able to share their file with you. For more info, check the Wiki section under Radio Models and look for your brand, then model.
