I am in over my head

[Nicodog]

Hallo!
I am sure you're all sick of hearing this but I am a total noob and I have some questions. I am trying to find a scanner for my grandfather, who is a retired firefighter (and the oldest living member of his fire dept) but I don't understand anything about scanners. Here is the thing; he wants to be able to listen to the Fire/EMS channels that originate in Montgomery County, MD...but he lives in Tennessee, so its a range of about 460 miles. I have no idea if this is even a thing.

Montgomery County does offer streaming channels, which he currently uses, but he's really interested in knowing whether or not there is an actual scanner radio he could use to pick up these channels. I really hope you guys can help! Thank you!

 

[dcr_inc]

not from 460 miles away.. Best bet is the streaming channels

 

[doctordialtone]

Montgomery County does offer streaming channels, which he currently uses, but he's really interested in knowing whether or not there is an actual scanner radio he could use to pick up these channels. I really hope you guys can help! Thank you!

A scanner is only going to be good for about 50 miles or so.

Here is a list of scanner models:

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Category:Uniden_Scanners

Let us know what your budget is.

 

[IAmSixNine]

you may want to go to broadcastify.com and see if that agency has an online feed.
Then you can set him up with a smart phone or tablet to monitor that feed and listen to calls.

 

[k8zgw]

Using someone else's stream, OR do it your self.
In order to "do it your self" you will need a location that can actually hear the transmitter you want to hear.
( about 15 or 20 miles max).
I, at one time, had a system on the "other side of town" ( 30 miles away) with a scanner ( just scanning three channels)
the output connected to a paging device, which will answer a phone when called. We called it with an inexpensive speaker phone.
With today's VoIP plans, you can call it for almost nothing..
I know this may be more confusing, but I know it works, as I did it for years for a "fire chaser" customer I serviced for over 20 years.
If you need more info I will be happy to go into more detail.

 

[ofd8001]

Conceptually if you have friends/family living in Montgomery County and they'd be willing to be accommodating, it could happen. Get one of the scanners that can be controlled via internet and software. Then use a program like ProScan to remote into the scanner via the internet and you should be good to go, or at least as good as it gets.

 

[Nicodog]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all the help. Looks like sticking with the streaming audio is our best bet for now, which is ok! K8zgw and ofd8001, thanks for the additional info on possible workarounds. Might look at attempting something in the future.

Thanks again you guys!

 

[RogerH11]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all the help. Looks like sticking with the streaming audio is our best bet for now, which is ok! K8zgw and ofd8001, thanks for the additional info on possible workarounds. Might look at attempting something in the future.

Thanks again you guys!

If he has a smart phone then I'd buy the Scanner Radio Pro app for under $5

 

[WB9YBM]

Hallo!
I am sure you're all sick of hearing this but I am a total noob and I have some questions. I am trying to find a scanner for my grandfather, who is a retired firefighter (and the oldest living member of his fire dept) but I don't understand anything about scanners. Here is the thing; he wants to be able to listen to the Fire/EMS channels that originate in Montgomery County, MD...but he lives in Tennessee, so its a range of about 460 miles. I have no idea if this is even a thing.

Montgomery County does offer streaming channels, which he currently uses, but he's really interested in knowing whether or not there is an actual scanner radio he could use to pick up these channels. I really hope you guys can help! Thank you!

I've had very good luck with Uniden/Bearcat. Here are a few web sites that might also help: Uniden , Universal Radio Catalog Index

 

[k8zgw]

If you are ever planning to "remote" the scanner, I would suggest the BC355, as it starts back up after
a power failure, where others need to be manually "reset".
I used a BC 244 remote once, and because of the power thing replaced it with a355.

Don

 

[ka3jjz]

Montgomery's system is trunked, and the 355 doesn't do trunking....Mike

 

[iMONITOR]

If you are ever planning to "remote" the scanner, I would suggest the BC355, as it starts back up after a power failure, where others need to be manually "reset".
I used a BC 244 remote once, and because of the power thing replaced it with a355.

Don

A BCT15X will do a proper restart.

 

[k8zgw]

If it's trunking you need, sorry didn't think of that.
The only radio I know that restarts after power fail is PSR-600
only because that is what I have...

 

[Citywide173]

If it's trunking you need, sorry didn't think of that.
The only radio I know that restarts after power fail is PSR-600
only because that is what I have...

Any base version of a scanner should restart after a power failure if the switch is still in the "on" position.

 

[doctordialtone]

Any base version of a scanner should restart

Sorry. Not necessarily true. I just tried it on my PRO2004.

Edit: I also tried it on my 996XT. It came back on scanning but the volume is at "0".

 

[KK4JUG]

I would think that if the unit has an electronic power switch, it would not restart. If it has a mechanical power switch, it would restart.

 

[doctordialtone]

If it has a mechanical power switch, it would restart.

The PRO2004 has a mechanical switch. Didn't restart.

The 996XT has an electronic switch. Comes on at Volume = "0"

 

[Citywide173]

The PRO2004 has a mechanical switch. Didn't restart.

The 996XT has an electronic switch. Comes on at Volume = "0"

Having had my 996T and then 996XT remotely installed in a vehicle on a relay driven switch for over 12 years, I can tell you that is not true. Everytime I throw the switch to the relay, which in turn powers several different electronic components which are left in the "on" position, the scanner turns on, Every time, with the volume level that the volume potentiometer is set at.

 

[KK4JUG]

Having had my 996T and then 996XT remotely installed in a vehicle on a relay driven switch for over 12 years, I can tell you that is not true. Everytime I throw the switch to the relay, which in turn powers several different electronic components which are left in the "on" position, the scanner turns on, Every time, with the volume level that the volume potentiometer is set at.

Is that perhaps because the pot is also electronic? A wire-wound pot should come back with the same volume.

 

[Citywide173]

Is that perhaps because the pot is also electronic? A wire-wound pot should come back with the same volume.

Could be, but I'm not sure. I know that it doesn't come on at Volume = "0" as others have claimed. I have used this setup in both of my vehicles and never had an issue where the radio did not reset and start scanning when power was reintroduced. My BCD536 on the otherhand kept corrupting micro SD cards with this setup and had to be removed because it was too much of a PITA to get to it to swap out cards.