Hi again,
It seems I have confused some of you so here's clarification but first;
Dave, get a load of this;
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It seems that some don't know what a frequency counter is. Basically it digitally divides an audio or RF waveform and uses the result to drive a display read-out. Those you refer to are hand held units with a preamp and antenna for picking a signal off the air provided it's strong enough to be detected. I have used the test instrument version (the original before someone thought of using one to display on air signals) many times to take measurements and calibrate equipment.
With mine I can use it in the normal manner or with a suitable antenna display the exact frequency of my Amateur Radio transmissions being the antennas are right nearby so the signals are extremely strong. It depends on the presence of a carrier, it won't read out SSB and the response time is too long for CW. The frequency response is from a few Hertz to 200MHz so it works with audio too and some can go into the GHz range, it depends on how much you want to spend and whether or not you want a prescaler. Those little portables are rather limited but very useful, on scene you can snag the frequencies in use, the better ones have memories too.
The major drawback to using a scanner for this purpose no matter what features hidden or otherwise it may have is it's far to sensitive to be very useful without some way of sharply attenuating the input. The inbuilt attenuator is not enough, you have to cut the sensitivity WAY down or it picks up signals over far too great a range and you can't tell quite what you're receiving. What you want is what you can literally see, not something from across town.
If your counter doesn't display correctly there is one of two problems. A common one is lack of resolution, it won't display enough digits so you can see the exact frequency, it will round the last one off. It should resove down to at least 1KHz, preferably to 100Hz. The other is it's out of calibration, proper calibration is a MUST. Even units that are NIST certified will drift over time and need recalibration and recertification at least anually. Recalibration is way too complicated a subject to get into here and beyond your capabilities most likely so leave that to a professional. You can send it to a local "calibration house" used by labs and manufacturers but it's expensive, best check with a qualified technician on which way to go with it.
"This is why I prefer to see the exact closest frequency displayed. Nobody's going to be punching 453.0124789 into a scanner."
I don't see why the FCC would care if the transmitter frequency is 211Hz too low or why you can't round that up to 453.0125. At least your counter has a 1KHz resolution option or you would have something else to complain about. (;->)
