Minneapolis-area ARMER towers

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wwhitby

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I'm going to be in Minneapolis on business for a couple of days, and (of course) i'm taking my scanner.

Which towers for the ARMER system should I use to monitor that system?

Thanks,

Warren
 

Raven95150

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Depends exactly where in the area you are going to be. If you are going to be in the actual city of Minneapolis, you will mainly want to listen to the 101 and 109 systems. 101 is the Metro main system, which is used by the State Patrol, EMS, Metro Transit, and MN DOT. 109 is the Minneapolis system, which is used by MPD, MFD, public works and other city agencies.

You may want to listen to other systems if you are going to be elsewhere in the metro area.

Also, you may want to be aware that scanners are illegal in vehicles in MN unless you have a ham license.
 

wwhitby

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Depends exactly where in the area you are going to be.

We'll be over in the MSP airport area for most of our visit. I belive we're staying over by the Mall of America.

Also, you may want to be aware that scanners are illegal in vehicles in MN unless you have a ham license.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll bring a copy of my license.

Thanks,

Warren
 

wogggieee

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In that area you might want to have dakota county towers in there as well as that is fairly close.
 

wwhitby

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hoser147 said:
You aint going to have time to scan, doing all that shopping.......................H:lol:ser

We'll probably go to the Mall of America once just to see what its like. Any good bookstores or resturants there?

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions on what towers to listen to.

Warren
 

wogggieee

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Also might want to throw in some mall of america stuff too. I've Never monitored them before, so i cant tell you what to expect.
 

wogggieee

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EMSJohn said:
As a slight sidebar, sworn police officers can hae scanners, as well as anyone who recieves a permit through the BCA - http://www.dps.state.mn.us/bca/invest/documents/Page-02-003.html
I was wondering however that since the switch to ARMER, the steps necessary to recieve a permit for monitoring police frequencies from a scaner in a vehicle would be nearly impossible to achieve or enforce, any thoughts?

Why would it be any different than before?
 

Raven95150

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The only problem I can see is with the difference between frequencies and talkgroups. Technically, I suppose you could consider any frequency used by ARMER to be a law enforcement frequency. I'm sure the "non-law enforcement" permit would allow you to listen to ARMER talkgroups that are not used by law enforcement.

Of course, all of that permit BS goes out the window if you have a ham license.
 

ofd8001

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Minnesota's law is probably like Kentucky's. They were written long before trunking was conceived.

Also, while I'm not a lawyer and thus not qualified to interpret laws, I think I need to point out something. Kentucky's and Minnesota laws use the phrase "capable of".

The way I read that it means even though you may not have police frequencies actually programmed into your scanner, if your scanner could be programmed to receive these frequencies, you probably are in violation, unless you meet one of the exceptions.

Another thing to point out that these laws also pre-date programmable scanners, as in when you had to have crystals in your scanner.

My recommendation for anyone who has a scanner in his vehicle is to secure an amateur radio license. That seens to be a common exception for states having laws banning scanners in vehicles. It's not hard to get such a license - study guides are available and the test isn't that miserable.
 

mmtstc

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the BCA permit i carry says that i am allowed to carry a mobile or portable radio in my vehicle that is capable of receiving specific radio frequencies on file at the BCA offices. It is my understanding that it is specific to your BCA license, and that all BCA permits are not identical. Mine allows me to scan ARMER, since the agency that i have mine through has PSA in areas that use the system, but there are others out there that do not.
 
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I'd like to second the recommendation for getting a ham license. Legally carrying my scanner in my car was the sole reason that I got mine!

I knew a little bit about radio communications already; partly as a result of my own curiosity, partly as the result of a scanning hobby I had acquired after some time I spent working for my friend in the Radio Shack store he had been managing at the time. I got the ARRL book, and took the online tests at AA9PW's site http://www.aa9pw.com/radio/.

Once I was comfortable enough with the material that I could pass the online tests reliably, I went to a test session administered at my local city hall one morning. I passed the Technician test with ease, so I asked if I could try the General test and I passed that one too. (They asked me if I wanted to try for Advanced, but I had seen that material and figured I would be wasting their time and mine.)

It's super easy to find test sessions in your area. Just plug your zip code into the form at http://www.arrl.org/exam.html.

One unintended side effect of this whole process, I've found myself spending a lot more time eyeballing the inexpensive amateur radio tranceivers in catalogs from Ham Radio Outlet and others. I don't know why, I really had no intention to transmit when I took the test, but the more I read on this forum the more interested I seem get. (Just what I need, another expensive hobby!)
 

wogggieee

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smokeyjones666 said:
I'd like to second the recommendation for getting a ham license. Legally carrying my scanner in my car was the sole reason that I got mine!

I knew a little bit about radio communications already; partly as a result of my own curiosity, partly as the result of a scanning hobby I had acquired after some time I spent working for my friend in the Radio Shack store he had been managing at the time. I got the ARRL book, and took the online tests at AA9PW's site http://www.aa9pw.com/radio/.

Once I was comfortable enough with the material that I could pass the online tests reliably, I went to a test session administered at my local city hall one morning. I passed the Technician test with ease, so I asked if I could try the General test and I passed that one too. (They asked me if I wanted to try for Advanced, but I had seen that material and figured I would be wasting their time and mine.)

It's super easy to find test sessions in your area. Just plug your zip code into the form at http://www.arrl.org/exam.html.

One unintended side effect of this whole process, I've found myself spending a lot more time eyeballing the inexpensive amateur radio tranceivers in catalogs from Ham Radio Outlet and others. I don't know why, I really had no intention to transmit when I took the test, but the more I read on this forum the more interested I seem get. (Just what I need, another expensive hobby!)

Go ahead, make the leap, get yourself a transceiver. Around here you can get away with a 2m only radio. those can be found fairly cheaply. There are a fair amount of 70cm repeaters around, but i think if you don't want to spend a lot of money you will be satisfied with 2m only. That's where most traffic and nets are anyways.
 

jason_58201

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of course just don't get stopped

of course just dont get stopped by the police, or have it in a way that they would see it. i keep my -96 in a fairly discreet location but have my -92 a little easier to find just in case, chances are they would spot the 92 first and that would be the end of it. but my main point is just don't give them a reason to search your vehicle i.e. don't get stopped or leave it in the open while talking to a cop. lol
 

snikliw87

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A bit off topic, but I don't a new thread it worth it...

Does anyone have any pictures of any of the towers for ARMER? I have never seen them and have no idea what they look like... just curious.
 
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