Do scanners still work? (Dumb question)

[Kevno]

New to the forum. Had a scanner on my nightstand in the 90's and haven't had one since. I was given a Bearcat BC350A. Will this still work or is everything digital and trunking now. Please excuse me if my terminology is incorrect. Should I keep it or get a new unit? If so what is a good unit to start with?
I live in Medina Ohio (44256).

 

[K9KLC]

Medina County, Ohio (OH) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Medina County, Ohio (OH)

www.radioreference.com

It appears some are analog still (according to the DB) and some are trunking.

https://www.radioreference.com/db/sid/6643

 

[AEFI]

New to the forum. Had a scanner on my nightstand in the 90's and haven't had one since. I was given a Bearcat BC350A. Will this still work or is everything digital and trunking now. Please excuse me if my terminology is incorrect. Should I keep it or get a new unit? If so what is a good unit to start with?
I live in Medina Ohio (44256).

Older scanners can still do quite a bit. Even if your area is mostly digital or encrypted, there’s still a lot you can listen to. It looks like your sheriff still has some unencrypted analog frequencies, along with county EMS.


Also keep in mind you can listen to GMRS, ham radio, NOAA weather radio, airband, railroads, local security, and more, the list goes on.


A good place to look is the FCC database on RadioReference. I like using the map feature to see what’s nearby. I’ve found a lot of interesting stuff that way, including Home Depot and local schools.

 

[MiCon]

Not a dumb question, but you could have researched this yourself.
Per Google maps it looks like you're in a pretty rural area of the state, although you're 20 ~ 25 miles from Akron and Cleveland. With an antenna on the roof you should get pretty good distance, considering how flat the terrain is.
Per the RRDB most public safety organizations in your area have gone digital, but there are a few that haven't.
What you can hear with an analog scanner:
Retail stores, construction businesses, restaurants, schools, transportation (taxi's, shuttle buses, school buses), FRS, GMRS, weather, aircraft, trains (I noticed at least two rail lines that go through Medina), churches. Pretty much anyone who uses a radio system or just walkie-talkies. Some might be digital (DMR) but most are still using analog radios.
Suggestion: Check the RRDB for Medina County and surrounding counties. ALSO: do occasional frequency searches to see what's being used in your area.
Have fun.

 

[D31245]

Looks like you have a nice basic scanner there. I would play with that awhile and see what you can pick up. @K9KLC gave you a good link to see what is available in your area for conventional analog.

Opinion of BC350A

I'm considering the purchase of a BC350A. I've seen several used ones go for about $50 on eBay. I would appreciate any comments on this scanner. Thanks.

forums.radioreference.com

In case you don't have anything programmed yet, here is a snippet from the manual that you can try searching on some of the pre-programmed banks (see page 13).

uniden Beancat BC350A Auto Scanner Manual : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

archive.org

Good luck and have fun.

 

[Nasby]

I listen to Medina co. quite often. I’m one county away. There’s plenty of good things to hear including police, sheriff, highway patrol, fire/ems etc. Most everything public safety related is digital so your analog scanner could be very disappointing as it won’t receive the majority of those agencies.

If you want to hear the real action in your county you’re going to need a Uniden SDS100,200 or 150 because a great deal of the agencies are on the Medina County phase 2 simulcast system (the others-mostly fire-are on Ohio Marcs). The SDS model scanners are the only models designed to properly receive simulcast systems.