danielkarluk
Member
there are so many variables that only generalizations can be made. you havent given me too many specifics, but i would say that you wont here anything more than 50 miles away.php111 said:
how do I tell if a frequency is analog?
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danielkarluk
Member
you wont here philly 64 miles away with portable handheld.
danielkarluk
Member
you want to turn digital into analog? you are asking what it would take to make digital noises intelligible?php111 said:
danielkarluk
Member
This is the best site for frequencies that i have found. click database at the top of your screen when you are ready to program your frequencies. i beleive most of the digital frequencies are in the 800 mhz range. I have to stay away from those with my analog scanner.
ampulman
Member
php111 said:
Not bloody likely. Most of the interesting stuff is digital. Most of all, their system is designed to maximize reception in the city (read: poor reception outside of city).
I'm in NJ, within 10 - 15 miles of all of their towers. Reception is barely readable (just about 1 bar signal strength).
AM
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Most public safety 800 MHz systems are specifically designed to NOT work outside their service area, i.e. outside the city. Antenna radiation patterns and transmitter powers are carefully selected to to both enhance coverage inside their service area, and minimize interference to surrounding cities. The chances of receiving something 90 miles away with consumer grade equipment are very low. From 64 miles away, not much better. That's not so say it can't be done, but those systems just aren't designed to get out that far.
here try this page--->http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=2288<----
Distance one can recieve a signal is dependent on several factors.
1. Frequency - The lower the frequency, the further it can be picked up. As frequencies get further up into the spectrum, they become more line of sight and less likely to be affected by atmospheric conditions.
2. Transimission Power - The more powerful a transmission, the further it can be received.
3. Height of transmission and/or reception antenna(e) - The higher the antennae are, the further a signal can be received.
4. Sensitivity of receiver - The more sensitive a receiver is the better chance it has to pick up a weak signal. Scanners are not the most sensitive receivers in the world. Their sensitivity has improved over the years, but because they are broad band, they cannot be really tweaked for all possible frequencies.
5. Location of receiver - where the receiver is located can also impact reception, even with an outdoor antenna. Put it next to an applicance that puts out a lot of RF radiation, reception could easily be impaired.
All in all, for the most part the standard commercial scanner WILL NOT pick up signals (in IDEAL conditions, which a stock rubber duck IS NOT) much more than 20-25 miles (less for the line of sight 800 systems). If you are listening to VHF-LO, you may get further (California Highway Patrol is routinely heard around the country on skip, but may not be heard 5 miles away), but don't hold your breath.
So your desire to listen to something for 60 or 90 miles is (as others have said) just NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
1. Frequency - The lower the frequency, the further it can be picked up. As frequencies get further up into the spectrum, they become more line of sight and less likely to be affected by atmospheric conditions.
2. Transimission Power - The more powerful a transmission, the further it can be received.
3. Height of transmission and/or reception antenna(e) - The higher the antennae are, the further a signal can be received.
4. Sensitivity of receiver - The more sensitive a receiver is the better chance it has to pick up a weak signal. Scanners are not the most sensitive receivers in the world. Their sensitivity has improved over the years, but because they are broad band, they cannot be really tweaked for all possible frequencies.
5. Location of receiver - where the receiver is located can also impact reception, even with an outdoor antenna. Put it next to an applicance that puts out a lot of RF radiation, reception could easily be impaired.
All in all, for the most part the standard commercial scanner WILL NOT pick up signals (in IDEAL conditions, which a stock rubber duck IS NOT) much more than 20-25 miles (less for the line of sight 800 systems). If you are listening to VHF-LO, you may get further (California Highway Patrol is routinely heard around the country on skip, but may not be heard 5 miles away), but don't hold your breath.
So your desire to listen to something for 60 or 90 miles is (as others have said) just NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
Hey Lou, This guy has been all over the place here I don't think he takes the time to try to understand what he is reading, he just keeps jumping all over the place asking the same thing, post after post. Read his past post's here. People here have tried to help him, but he just cannot seem to get a grip on things. I myself have spent hours trying to help him. Then he sends me Pm's at a address that I don't even list here. he cant program his scanner. but can PM me at a place I don't list here. And people here, who have tried to help him using Pm's. He has been very short with them, and they will not deal with him anymore. So I don't know what to say here but let him flounder on his own path. If you want help and can be civil, to those that are trying to help you then you are at the right place, and if not you should find a different place to belittle the people that you are asking to help you. If you read his past post's just about half of them are closed. And this one, is just about there to.
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captclint
Mentor
I have also spent time in PM's telling exactly what is digital and analog in the Philly area, county by county. I couldn't have been more clear. He wants us to program his scanner, and yet will not spend $30 for the software to do it himself. I think we should give him a time out with our help...maybe until he actually moves to Philly and can better assess what he wants to hear vs what he CAN hear.
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I think the trouble here is that he doesn't even have a grasp of the very basics of how radios work, much less what the difference between analog and digital is, or what trunking is. Maybe he's just a kid/teen who expects everything to be handed to him on a silver platter. Or maybe he's just lazy regardless of his age, and doesn't want to "hassle" actually taking the time to educate himself. Had he done so, he would probably realize how silly his questions really are.
Stop asking the same questions over and over, and try LEARNING something about how this all works. You can start right here with this site:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/radio-spectrum.htm
http://www.howstuffworks.com/radio.htm
http://www.howstuffworks.com/radio-scanner.htm
Stop asking the same questions over and over, and try LEARNING something about how this all works. You can start right here with this site:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/radio-spectrum.htm
http://www.howstuffworks.com/radio.htm
http://www.howstuffworks.com/radio-scanner.htm
danielkarluk
Member
he has contacted me also on pm's, yahoo im, and generally just wasted my time. either he is very young or has ulterior motives.
danielkarluk
Member
he keeps changing his venues of contanct and his username on each venue, something is fishy.
90 miles? No way. 50 miles? Not very likely. Maybe 10 to 30 miles is more likely, but you will hear some people say they can hear farther.
There was a local police department on an 800MHz trunked system that I couldn't hear on a hand held scanner, and they were only nine miles away from me. Like was already stated, there are many, many variables that dictate how far you can hear a signal. The best approach is to just try it and see.
DickH
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18-1/2 miles.
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