External Speaker.

[Subliminal87]

So I just got my 396xt. I am looking for a speaker.

Does it matter if it is amplified or not? I don't like it to be loud. Just enough that I can hear it. 95% of the time it will be inside here on my desk. Other times just in the car.


I had this speaker for the BCT 15X and it was GREAT for me both inside and in the car.

Roadpro 2.75" External Speaker

I don't think it matters that it isn't amplified, I just want to make sure.

 

[W8RMH]

Anything bigger than the scanner's speaker will be an improvement. An amplified speaker may be needed in a high noise environment. I find it hard to hear my 396 in the car on the freeway with the windows down. Sometimes using earphones helps.

A trick for the BCD396XT, set every channel and talk group at the maximum volume level (+3).

 

[Subliminal87]

Anything bigger than the scanner's speaker will be an improvement. An amplified speaker may be needed in a high noise environment. I find it hard to hear my 396 in the car on the freeway with the windows down. Sometimes using earphones helps.

A trick for the BCD396XT, set every channel and talk group at the maximum volume level (+3).

Thanks, I know when I had this speaker for my 15X in the car I didn't have it very loud either. I wonder if it will be the same with the 396xt.

 

[UPMan]

You pretty much need an amplified speaker for any device that you are connecting to which is using a headphone jack. Mobile scanners have an external speaker jack on the back, which is amplified and can drive a non-amplified speaker just fine. All handheld scanners have only headphone out.

 

[Subliminal87]

You pretty much need an amplified speaker for any device that you are connecting to which is using a headphone jack. Mobile scanners have an external speaker jack on the back, which is amplified and can drive a non-amplified speaker just fine. All handheld scanners have only headphone out.

Thanks. Do all amplified speakers need a power source?

Also. Would a non amplified hurt the scanner over time?


Guess I'll be getting the 536 next instead of the 436 haha.

 

[UPMan]

Yes, all amplified speakers need a power source. Some have battery compartments, and some connect to external power.

Use of a non-amplified speaker won't hurt the scanner, but you'll likely have lower volume than from the internal speaker.

 

[Subliminal87]

Yes, all amplified speakers need a power source. Some have battery compartments, and some connect to external power.

Use of a non-amplified speaker won't hurt the scanner, but you'll likely have lower volume than from the internal speaker.

Ahh ok. I'll have to pass on an amplified one then. Too many cables. So if I use a non amplified one the volume could be lower than the internal one? I'll remember that one.

I was going to pick up a 436 around the holidays. But I think the 536 will be better then since it will mainly be on a desk.

 

[wtp]

fm or bluetooth

in the car we use a little fm transmitter and use the car radio to hear the scanner.
around the house a bluetooth transmitter to either headphones or an amplifies speaker work great.

 

[Subliminal87]

in the car we use a little fm transmitter and use the car radio to hear the scanner.
around the house a bluetooth transmitter to either headphones or an amplifies speaker work great.

Do you have a link to the blue tooth thing? How does it work?

 

[wtp]

any of them

any will work just make sure that it is stereo and you are good to go.

 

[jackj]

Our nanny care-providers in DC have decided that we aren't smart enough to turn down the volume when we use a headset instead of a speaker. So they have mandated that equipment manufactures attenuate the signal sent to the headphone jack. That signal no longer has enough power to drive a speaker so an external speaker has to replace the power that was thrown away in the attenuator hence the need for an amplifier. Yes, the power has to come from somewhere so an amplified speaker has to have a power supply.

wtp has an elegant solution. I have been using FM transmitter in my car for years. It works well and is portable since mine runs on a pair of AAA cells. I have never used either a bluetooth headset or speaker but it would appear that it would be locked to it's matching headset or speaker where as a FM transmitter will work with any FM receiver tuned to the right frequency.

 

[Subliminal87]

any will work just make sure that it is stereo and you are good to go.

thanks!

 

[UPMan]

Actually, if you provide enough power to give good loud audio from an external speaker through the headphone jack, when you turn up the volume very much at all with actual headphones (or earbuds) plugged in, the elements in the earbuds/phones would be quickly destroyed. If they were expensive Bose or Beats headphones, you'd be pretty quick (and correct) to blame the device for putting so much power out on the headphone jack. If you happened to be wearing them at the time, your eardrums would likely end up in your elbows. I am not aware of any regulation or legislation coming out of Washington DC that requires devices to not do that, although Europe does have such a law (or laws) including EN 50332-1.

 

[ko6jw_2]

When I use my 396T in the car I connect it to the car's sound system through its aux input. The output from the headphone jack is perfect to this purpose. The 396T headphone jack was designed to work with stereo headphones so it is great with the aux input plus I have a volume control on the steering wheel so I don't have to mess with the radio. I do use amplified speakers at home where I have external 12V power.

 

[ofd8001]

Any time I use a scanner in a vehicle, it is connected to an amplified external speaker, whether it was a portable or mobile scanner. It's mostly to boost the volume to compensate for road/traffic noise, but I also think the audio is clearer, especially with a portable scanner.

I like the concept of sending the audio to the vehicle's "regular" radio. Unfortunately that means I have to give up listening to music, etc.

My speaker is under the driver's seat and I've tapped into a power circuit that I run just for scanner/amateur radio use. By the time you figure in wires to power the scanner, GPS if used and audio wires to the speaker, the additional wire to power an amplified speaker is but one in several.

I noted a thought about use of headphones to listen to a scanner while driving. The safety zealot in me is taking a discouraging view. One might not be able to hear the sirens of the emergency vehicles responding to the incident one is monitoring.

 

[wtp]

music?

who would listen to music when the scanner is on ??
ok i am a bit of hobby plus kind of guy
i always carry a scanner with me.