wtp
Member
since it can't get police
it would be all right to use.
it would be all right to use.
The law was written for different reasons. Years ago, police were on VHF, & UHF freq's right above the ham bands. so if a ham was stopped, his radio could listen to the police. The law was written so hams would not have their ham radio equipment confiscated, since all ham radios have a scan function. Nothing really to do with scanner enthusiasts.
And it could (potentially) be argued that the law only prevents your Amateur radio service radios from being confiscated.
The potential is still there, that an officer could still confiscate your scanner radio(s), and cite you for their possession, while leaving your Amateur (and CB/MURS/FRS/GMRS/et al) radios alone.
I don't know if an officer has ever done this, or how the court ruled on it.
I don't know if an officer would ever attempt to do this, or how the courts would rule on it.
I just hope that it doesn't happen. Especially If/when I'm visiting family there.
John
Peoria, AZ
That assumes the officer might know the difference between the radios. I can tell you that ain't gonna happen. Not one in a thousand officer would know the difference in the radios. They've never been told what's what. As a former LEO (3+ decades), I have first hand knowledge.
I've known officers who knew the difference. One was a Ham himself.
It only takes one, who knows just enough to tell a scanner from a two-way radio by the fact that scanners don't have a PTT switch on the side, or a microphone attached to it.
Like I said, the potential is there. It may be very small, a handful of officers out of the total number of officers in the state, but the potential is there.
John
Peoria, AZ
I didn't say none of them would know. My point is very few would know the difference and even fewer would likely concern themselves with it.