Yes it does need to be trunk capable, but you don't need an actual radio from Motorola. All you need is a trunk tracker scanner made by either Radio Shack or Uniden that will track the system. All trunk trackers currently on the market today have this capability. However I would recomend one of the digital trunk trackers. Even though they are considerably more expensive, they will work on the number of surrounding jurisdictions that use APCO Project 25 IMBE digital communications.
You don't need an actual radio to monitor them, and in fact that practice is not recomended. It will cost you over 1,000 after you are done buying the radio, software, computer capable of handling the software (can't be just any PC), RIB, and programming cable. Not to mention a system key, which is impossible to get if you have no business having it.
Buying a scanner will be no more the around 120-150 dollars for an analog scanner. Or around 350-500 dollars for a digital capable scanner.
To answer your other question. The Co. did use to use the STX 821 portable radio. Both police/fire now use the newer MTS 2000 portables.
If you are a member of the FD or PD and want your own radio. You can go buy one from ebay. And I would imagine that if you where in this position, you would have access to programming via the Co. radio shop. Other then that just buy a scanner.
