Is there a scanner that’s already programmed ready to go

[mindyandshelly]

Hello I live in quartz hill, ca. Near Lancaster and Palmdale. I want to hear the local police fire and things like that. I have no idea where to start. I only have the radio, what do I need to get started. I looked everywhere but feel really confused. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Hi & welcome to RR:
Perhaps your question would best be answered on the Calfornia Radio Discussion Forum? There should be users there who are more familiar with what agencies operate where, hopefully someone will be able to point you in the right direction. Looking at LA county it looks quite confusing to me and I've been enjoying this hobby for a few decades. Best wishes!

 

[ka3jjz]

I would strongly suggest you jump down to our California forum for specifics about what to program; however, the mechanics of programming these radios are introduced in the following wiki article (note that links are always in blue)

Uniden DMA FAQ - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

The Easier to Read guides are linked at the bottom...Mike

 

[mindyandshelly]

Thank-you very much for your replies

 

[mindyandshelly]

I really just want to listen to what’s going on around my home, fire, police, stuff like that. Seems like my bcd996t is outdated

 

[jonwienke]

The Uniden HomePatrol-1 and -2, 436HP, 536HP, SDS100, and SDS200, all come with an easy-to-update national database. You can start basic scanning in a few minutes simply by entering your zip code. and telling the scanner what categories of traffic you want to hear.

Where are you located? Knowing that will help figure out which model you need for best results.

 

[StaticDischarge]

First thing I have to ask is are you hearing what you want/need to hear? If the answer is yes, then your scanner is not "outdated".
If the answer is no then you are looking to get one of these scanners to effectively listen to the CWIRS along with other systems in your area (if you haven't moved):

• GRE PSR-800 - May require latest firmware update
• Radio Shack Pro-18 - May require the Whistler Official Upgrade (WOU), Pro-668
  
• Uniden BCD325P2, BCD436HP, BCD536HP, BCD996P2, HomePatrol-2, SDS100, SDS200
• Whistler WS1080, WS1088, WS1095, WS1098, TRX-1, TRX-2

I can only "recommend" the SDS100 or the SDS200 as I own the SDS200.

 

[mindyandshelly]

I live in quartz hill California, near Lancaster and Palmdale, I really appreciate you guys helping me

 

[mindyandshelly]

I’m getting nothing on the scanner I have right now,

 

[K4EET]

Mindy and Shelly,

While the Uniden BCD996T scanner dates back to June 2006, it is by no means outdated or obsolete. If you have lost the manual and specification information for that model, refer to these Radio Reference pages:

BCD996T - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

Digital Scanner Comparison Chart - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

The question that needs to be asked is where are you located? If your scanner has stopped receiving Public Safety, perhaps they have gotten a new system or, worse yet, activated encryption which no scanner will be able to decode. In order to answer those types of questions, I need to start with which agencies you would like to monitor hence the where are you located question.

With a little more information, many of the Radio Reference members would be glad to help you out.

Cheers! Dave

 

[jonwienke]

I live in quartz hill California, near Lancaster and Palmdale, I really appreciate you guys helping me

What county is that?

 

[K4EET]

I live in quartz hill California, near Lancaster and Palmdale, I really appreciate you guys helping me

Oops... While I was slowly typing up a response via hunt-n-peck typing, you answered my question. LOL! I also see that jonwienke and StaticDischarge are onboard so answers should be coming soon.

Cheers! Dave

 

[Markb]

You should be able to hear everything in your area. LACoFD and LASD are both conventional analog. Are you saying that your scanner is deaf (i.e. not receiving anything) or are you just not hearing what you want to hear?

 

[mindyandshelly]

It only picks up one thing quickly no fire or police

 

[K4EET]

It only picks up one thing quickly no fire or police

Not quite sure what you are saying. What is the "one thing" that you are picking up? As for police and fire, did this scanner pick up public safety in the past and, if so, what agencies were you hearing? Did those agencies all of the sudden stop being received or what? Please explain. Thanks!

Cheers! Dave

 

[mindyandshelly]

It used to pick things up when I lived in a different city now it gets nothing. I only messed with it a little in the past so this all seems new to me

 

[mindyandshelly]

The one thing I pick up sounds like some kind of mall security

 

[mindyandshelly]

I used to hear police and fire and all kinds of things

 

[K4EET]

It used to pick things up when I lived in a different city now it gets nothing. I only messed with it a little in the past so this all seems new to me

Is it possible that the real issue here is you just need help programming your scanner to receive whatever agencies it is that you want to pick up?

 

[K4EET]

Mindy and Shelly,

What console software do you use to program your BCD996T scanner? Could you please post a data dump of how your scanner is currently programmed so we could review the current programming? Thanks!

Cheers! Dave