Does the ICOM IC-R20 have GPS capabilities

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Let's say just to pick up the frequencies automatically that are around me. I like this feature a lot when traveling on the road. If not could you recommend a receiver that does.
 

Ed_Seedhouse

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Let's say just to pick up the frequencies automatically that are around me. I like this feature a lot when traveling on the road. If not could you recommend a receiver that does.

There are a couple of Uniden scanners that contain a database of pretty well all public safety frequencies in the USA and Canada, and which can connect to a GPS. They are capable of automatically switching the frequencies they scan for as their location changes.

They are NOT general purpose radio receivers like the ICOM, though. But then if you bought the ICOM for scanning you probably made a mistake.

The Uniden radios are pretty pricey, upwards of half a kilobuck new.
 

Turbo68

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Hi can u please explain why he would make a mistake buying the Icom its obvious that u dont know much when it comes to Icom receivers.The Icom-R20 is one of the finest h/h receivers u can buy in the market u cannot compare the Uniden..

Regards Lino..
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Ed_Seedhouse

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Hi can u please explain why he would make a mistake buying the Icom its obvious that u dont know much when it comes to Icom receivers.The Icom-R20 is one of the finest h/h receivers u can buy in the market u cannot compare the Uniden..

I have nothing against the R20 for what it is. I have one ICOM receiver and two ICOM transceivers myself, so I'm hardly prejudiced against the brand.

But the R20 was not designed to be a police/fire/ambulance/safety scanner and it doesn't do that well. Hardly a surprise since that's not what it's designed to do. Decent scanners at similar prices will follow trunking system call groups and decipher P25 digital. And no ICOM receiver will allow you to consult a built in database and connect it to a GPS and have the radio scan according to location.

It's not a case of "better" or "worse", it's a matter of "horses for courses". If you want to follow police/fire/ambulance and public services in most parts of the USA and Canada a simple receiver, however good it is, won't do it well since most of these services are on trunking systems and many use P25 digital. If you want to scan public service frequencies you should buy a scanner designed for the purpose. If you want and extremely wide range receiver you should buy that.
 
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