Looking for buying advice on mobile scanner

[OpenRoad]

I was going to put this into a 'regional' page, but my 'region' spans 3 states.
Specifically I am looking for a mobile scanner to monitor Highway Patrol frequencies in Utah, Nevada and California. Handheld or mobile case works for me. Price range pretty open.

I looked online at some but there's so many available, got dizzy with the list. I know that these agencies use different equipment, so I am looking for the lowest common denominator that spans all of them.

Also a suggestion on antenna to match the scanner. Thanks.

 

[mciupa]

Hi OpenRoad, welcome to Radioreference

I was taking a look through the database and saw that the Nevada Shared system covers the three states that you are interested in, have a look at this link:Nevada Shared Radio System Trunking System, Various, Multi-State - Scanner Frequencies.
They use an analog EDACS system which is a common feature on all trunktrackers. I do see a note about rebanding on that page so ensure that the mobile you buy has that capability.
Perhaps the BCT-15X will suit your needs.

 

[N8IAA]

There are no issues with re-banding on EDACS. Just enter the frequencies, after they change, in the correct LCN order The only problem is if they change modes within the system. By which, I mean going encrypted digital. But, with that large of a system, it ain't likely. Man, to have a system that covers three states. I can't even imagine......
Larry

 

[JoeyC]

Just to be clear, the NV shared system doesn't share with Utah or California. There are transmitter sites on mountaintops in CA and UT to provide service to NV users. If you want to hear Utah or California Highway Patrols, you will need to monitor their specific systems/frequencies separately.

 

[OpenRoad]

Just to be clear, the NV shared system doesn't share with Utah or California. There are transmitter sites on mountaintops in CA and UT to provide service to NV users. If you want to hear Utah or California Highway Patrols, you will need to monitor their specific systems/frequencies separately.

Yeah, thanks for the info. I'm pretty sure that Utah is on old fashioned VHF in the 145,155 MHZ range. I drive to and from CA and UT about 20 times a year. Radar Detector + Scanner = a little protection, better than nothing at all. (800 miles one-way)

BCT15X - Just looked and it looks like a good choice....

 

[whiskeytango]

Yeah, thanks for the info. I'm pretty sure that Utah is on old fashioned VHF in the 145,155 MHZ range. I drive to and from CA and UT about 20 times a year. Radar Detector + Scanner = a little protection, better than nothing at all. (800 miles one-way)

BCT15X - Just looked and it looks like a good choice....

i do the same thing, i have a radioshack pro160, so i can listen to chp, nhp, and all the local pd's. utah has both trunked and non trunked used for their hp, so the bct15x would work in all 3 states

 

[gmclam]

CHP = low band VHF and you need a scanner which has CT decoding in order to "filter out" atmospheric noise. A good antenna is KEY to good reception. I use a mag mount - I have 2 different models that work extremely well. There are lots of threads here on the CHP and issues people run in to. But they are making changes to their radio system and some of those issues will fade some. The changes only amount to frequency and CT changes from the standpoint of die-hard scanner users. Go here to read more.

Nevada is a statewide EDACS system on 800 MHz. This is a PAIN to program because each "site" takes up a bank in a traditional trunk tracking scanner. In my recent trips to Nevada I've brought more than one scanner and a laptop so I could reprogram for different parts of the state. If your travel is limited to I-80, you might get away with less sites than I did, but I doubt it. I've used a PRO-95, PRO-97 & PSR-300 for NHP, but I think to have enough scanner resources available to monitor without reprogramming, you probably need a PSR-500 (with object oriented programming). Yes Uniden makes a scanner with similar programming, but I am not fond of them - too difficult to operate "blindly" while driving is one big reason. I can drive mine w/o looking at the display, which is necessary since you will need to turn on and off sites as you drive.

I have not personally programmed Utah, but it sounds like the least common denominator anyway. If your scanner can handle CHP and NHP, it should handle Utah.