Harris P5400 as a EDACS police scanner?

[deeroc417]

Hello, I am thinking about getting a Harris P5400 to moniter my local PD, as it is the same radio they carry. They are on a EDACS system that I revive on my current scanners, but my only portable one is quite dated and I want this one as well have heard that these radios are more sensitive and pick up more. My current scanner, even if set on the dispatch channel sometimes only picks up the end or beginning of a transmission. Would I be able to program this for cheap and scan my department without breaking any laws or being booted off the radio system? If so, how would I go about programming one of these? Thanks in advance.

 

[Forts]

Can it be done? Sure... But it's not as easy as programming a scanner. First, you need the radio... likely to set you back maybe a couple hundred bucks. Then you'll need a programming cable. Another hundred bucks. Then you need the Harris software (called Programmer). There are versions of it floating around so you'll have to find someone to share it with you. Then you need to actually program the radio properly so it'll function as intended and not interfere with anything. If you aren't familiar with programming radios then this can be a bit of a daunting task. Best advice? Take the $300 or so that you are likely to spend on a 5400 (if not more) and just buy a scanner. And modern handheld will do EDACS just fine as well many used ones (Uniden 396XT etc etc). If you are determined to go the P5400 route perhaps there is someone in your area that can help you program it and get things setup. Harris programming cables aren't cheap or terribly easy to come by, so it's a big outlay for something you might only use a few times... Plus... EDACS is dying technology and is no longer supported by Harris, so the system you are wanting to listen to might not be using for all that much longer.. just something to keep in mind.