Help! Please!

[honda112]

Hey guys, I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and want to listen to tone outs from the Liberty Township Fire Station just up the road. I am not sure what radio I can get that will work. I am looking for a cheap way to listen to what is going on. Please Help guys. Thanks.

 

[GrumpyAeroGuy]

Liberty twp is in butler county, if i am not mistaken. Thus, Butler COunty utilizes a P25 digital 800 trunking radio system.

THEREFORE, you need a GRE-PSR500 or its companion, the RS Pro106. GRE makes the PRO106, and they are largly identical, except for firmware and its upgrade procedure(s)

I have the GRE 500... A digital Uniden scanner will work as well, but I recommend GRE/RS.

You are fairly close to Hamilton, Ohio. Check out R&L electronics in Hamilton. They can get you all set up...

Click Here

Here is the page for the radio system...

Sorry, but digital scanners aren't cheap. The Radio Shack 106 goes on sale every now and then for $299, but lists for $399.

The GRE PSR500 lists for $399, and R&L has it for $349. The GRE includes the computer cable and a wall charger, the RS does NOT. Even when the 106 is on sale, buying the other two accessories for the RS makes the price a wash, typically.

Also, trust me, you'll need the RS 800Mhz antenna, regardless of the scanner you choose ($19.95). BC has a P25 system. These systems can be touchy on the monitoring front.

Hope this helps.

 

[steveh552]

Radio Shack had their mobile/base scanners reconditioned online a week or so ago for $250/300. Might look there.

 

[GrumpyAeroGuy]

Radio Shack had their mobile/base scanners reconditioned online a week or so ago for $250/300. Might look there.

saw that during the last week or two, but when I went to the sight last night, the "web special" wasn't there any longer......... maybe they sold all of them.

Maybe the OP will resond with what he decided to do....

 

[BigJimbo]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, (I know several will if I am) but couldn't the OP monitor the VHF fire paging channel for this Fire Dept? Butler County Fire used to dispatch on 154.370. Perhaps that has changed with the new system, but there has to be a VHF or UHF paging channel for this Department.

My understanding is that the 800 systems do not support a stable enough signal for pagers to work reliably...

So, based on what the OP asked, his cheap solution would be any low-end conventional, non-trunking scanner, NOT a high-end digital capable scanner.

Let the correcting begin!

EDIT: After a quick check, Butler Co Fire still dispatches on 154.37, plus they still have 2 VHF Fireground channels in use. If you want TONE OUTS, then the cheapo scanner is the way to go. If you want to hear on scene and routine traffic, then a high-end digital scanner needs to be in your future.

 

[GrumpyAeroGuy]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, (I know several will if I am) but couldn't the OP monitor the VHF fire paging channel for this Fire Dept? Butler County Fire used to dispatch on 154.370. Perhaps that has changed with the new system, but there has to be a VHF or UHF paging channel for this Department.

My understanding is that the 800 systems do not support a stable enough signal for pagers to work reliably...

So, based on what the OP asked, his cheap solution would be any low-end conventional, non-trunking scanner, NOT a high-end digital capable scanner.

Let the correcting begin!

EDIT: After a quick check, Butler Co Fire still dispatches on 154.37, plus they still have 2 VHF Fireground channels in use. If you want TONE OUTS, then the cheapo scanner is the way to go. If you want to hear on scene and routine traffic, then a high-end digital scanner needs to be in your future.

You are 100% correct, sir !

I made the assumption that listenting to "tone outs" only is, as a famous sports figure said some time back, probably like "kissing your sister".

I was working from the assumption that the OP would probably like listenting to all of it... which was an assumption. A$$-U-Me.....(I know)

If tone outs are all he wants, then, indeed, shop price alone. As you correctly stated, if he wants more, then, off to chateau-digital.

Cheers!