In the late 1990s, I developed a fascination with scanners. My dad, who owned a 20-channel realistic base scanner, allowed me to use and keep it. This scanner enabled me to listen to Milwaukee, Wisconsin police and local agencies before they transitioned to 800 MHz trunked systems. It faithfully served me for years, though I occasionally had to replace the plug after it fell off a table and broke.
Around the year 2000, our county adopted a 800 MHz Motorola Type II analog trunked radio system. I didn’t realize this system could be monitored until I joined the Waukesha Police Department as an explorer (now known as Cadets) in 2002. I had saved up money from chores and my dad took me to the local RadioShack store. There, I purchased a RadioShack Pro-94 scanner. The store employee had provided us with a list of frequencies and talkgroups and mentioned a website called Radiorefence.com. I also used a local source of information, wisconsinradio.org, which still maintains its website.
After that, I bought a couple more RadioShack scanners, including the Pro-2052 and Pro-97. Eventually, I decided to switch to the Uniden brand and purchased the BCD396T scanner. In 2006, I became a reserve officer for the Waukesha Police Department and volunteered at numerous parades and events. I would sometimes bring my scanner with me so I could listen to other agencies while using the Motorola radio to communicate with other officers and dispatch. I’ve been a loyal Uniden customer ever since and now own several Uniden scanners, including the SDS100, BCD260DN, BCD160DN, and BC125AT.
