Mobile Scanner In Florida

[zonian149]

Has anyone ever been stopped while driving a car with a scanner antenna and a mobile scanner? Is having a scanner antenna a reason to be pulled over? I will be in Florida (JAX and Clearwater) this summer and I plan on using my scanner and I have an antenna (antennex) attached to the trunk and a BC796D scanner. How stuid of an idea is this? I don't speed, never had a ticket, I just like having the scanner for entertainment and information. I know it is illegal in Florida but I would be lost without the scanner. I guees I could take it and not use it on the road, but I will be on the road a lot.--Gary

 

[bravo14]

Hello,
It is illegal in state of Florida to have a mobile mounted in a car. Scanner anntena can be used as a cb aslo for transmitt. Jacksonville is digital 800. JSO can not hear at all. Clearwater have no idea is going on there my buddy told me heard them on his radio. If you are public safety or ham radio operator you are safe to have it in a car. I am not sure what they do if they see a mobile in a car I use a portable to carry around than again some cities have to have permits.

 

[twolf816]

hello, i am traveling with my family to florida in july. is it legal to have a scanner in the vehicle as i am not going to be driving, it isnt mounted, im gonna put a suction cup antenna on the glass and just have the scanner with me unmounted. is this ok?

 

[gcopter]

In order to legally operate a scanner in a vehicle,Florida law requires you to be a licensed amateur radio operator.

Getting caught using a scanner is another matter...

If you do stupid things to attract attention to yourself while driving,i.e.,;speeding,drinking and driving,you shouldn`t have a problem operating the scanner.

Then there`s also the matter of savvy cops on the lookout for this,but I dare say this is very unlikely,they have bigger better fish to catch.

I live in SE Miami Dade County and have a BC296 D.I`ve sometimes have used the scanner in my vehicle,placed in the cup holder,right smack in the middle of the dash with the backlight on...and no cop has pulled me over.

I feel that the law was passed in order to "sandbag" charges onto someone caught commiting a crime and using the scanner as an aid in preventing capture, or prevent criminals from using a scanner to commit crimes,though it says nothing about "hams" turned criminals.

Is the law unfair?
I think so.
I could be a licensed ham and use my scanner to go out and commit crimes.Then if I am caught,I couldn`t be charged with unlawful use of the scanner in my vehicle,since I`m already authorized.

Another important aspect of the law is that it states that the scanner has to be connected to the electrical system of the vehicle,in order to be considered illegal.If you have a portable,you ought to be in the clear.

 

[KI4LIV]

Scanner in car

Whatever happened to the clause stating that it cannot be "mounted"? And that the attorney general's enterpretation of "mounted" required the radio to either be physically mounted, or hooked up to an antenna that is attached to the vehicle (either bolted to it or by magnet), or hooked up to the electrical power of the vehicle?

I personally do not hold a HAM radio license (will soon though) , and have been pulled over a few times for non-radio related issues, and nobody has ever given me a hard time.. In fact, I had a deputy and a city officer sit there and BS with me for a while about my BC780XLT that is mounted and my BC246T that I have being "held" up near the steering wheel by a suction cup/gooseneck holder originally made for a PDA. I have scanner antennas on the car, as well as a CB antenna...

The long and the short of it is that it may not be 100% legal, but unless you are doing something stupid, like crime-scene chasing or using the scanner to commit a crime, chances are that nobody will mess with you.

Bottom line - if you're pulled over, turn the thing off !! If it's a handheld, you're safe unless you hook it up to the car's power or to an antenna that's hooked up to the car.

 

[W4KRR]

Re: Scanner in car

The long and the short of it is that it may not be 100% legal, but unless you are doing something stupid, like crime-scene chasing or using the scanner to commit a crime, chances are that nobody will mess with you.

Possibly true, but a lot depends on the individual officer that stops you, how much does he know about scanners, radios in general, the law, what kind of mood is he in, etc.

I have not had a problem in 30 years, though I have only held a ham license for the last four years. I have only been stopped twice while I had a mounted scanner in the vehicle (none recently), although the stops had nothing to do with scanners, antennas, etc. Nothing was said about the radios.

 

[Seadoo]

well, guys, jeb bush just amended this scanner law a couple of months ago, now it is illegal to even have a portable scanner in a vehicle that is tuned or programmed to law enforcement frequency's unless you are the media, a public law enforcement officer on duty with a registered law enforcement vehicle or a ham operator. go look it up. its sucks for most. im glad i have my ham license.

 

[N4DES]

Well look at it this way, its illegal for LE or FR personnel to have a
radio tuned to even their public safety frequencies in their own POV's with the law written the way it is. There is no exemption for them and with this being the case, a ham operator, member of the press, or Central Station personnel have more abilities to listen than they do.

Simply amazing!

 

[n4voxgill]

The ammendment that also prohibits transporting a scanner, also provides that Fire/Police chiefs can issue a permit authorizing the person as an emergency vehicle which permits them to have receivers/transmitters only on the frequencies for that exact dept.

 

[invididal]

ive been pulled over a couple times in the last couple months for speeding and a taillight out and the cop said nothing about my antenna either time, of course i was careful to turn the scanner off before he approached my car, i have a pro-94 that stays attached to my visor, so they couldnt see it, but they could see the wires going up to it.

 

[N4DES]

The ammendment that also prohibits transporting a scanner, also provides that Fire/Police chiefs can issue a permit authorizing the person as an emergency vehicle which permits them to have receivers/transmitters only on the frequencies for that exact dept.

The law only authorizes the Sheriff, PD or FD Chief to authorize only the vehicle as an "emergency vehicle" The authorization is not given to the individual meaning that if you have 2 cars and one of them gets an authorization you can't legally install or transport equipment in the other. The law is very specific on this.

3729 3. Any motor vehicle designated as an emergency vehicle by
3730 the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles when said
3731 vehicle is to be assigned the use of frequencies assigned to the
3732 state;
3733 4. Any motor vehicle designated as an emergency vehicle by
3734 the sheriff or fire chief of any county in the state when said
3735 vehicle is to be assigned the use of frequencies assigned to the
3736 said county;
3737 5. Any motor vehicle designated as an emergency vehicle by
3738 the chief of police or fire chief of any city in the state when
3739 said vehicle is to be assigned the use of frequencies assigned
3740 to the said city.

 

[n4voxgill]

boy i really screwed up with what i said. LOL

 

[SouthSoundScanner]

I have a simple solution to those of you who will comply to the letter of the law concerning scanners in your vehicles. Take the scanner out of your car. Since you can't use it anymore you might as well mail it to me. :lol:

 

[traperjeff]

I think that Leos have alot of other things to do than to bother with scanners in cars. I have never heard any one being charged with this crime...Infraction, crime seems so harsh for this subject. But there is always a first. and there is always rookies that will write any thing. I talked with a Seargent and a Luitenit sp.. and neither one has even heard of the statue. Both replied thats stupid and said that that is one of the laws that will never be used...
Jeff

 

[khvfdff]

I agree with everyone else. There is no new laws, if so I would like to see them in writing. I have searched the Florida Statutes and can't find anything new. I have talked to plenty of Law Enforcement Officers with my county and surrounding counties, they have said "If you have a scanner in your vehicle, chances are that the officer will not mess with you if you are stopped, and he sees your scanner. AS LONG AS IT IS NOT HOOKED UP IN YOUR VEHICLE!!!!!" (This is the bottom line.) All Law Enforcement channels will be going encrypted anyway in the near future, unless homeland security tells them they don't have to do it, or the crime rates come down. You all are blowing this out of proportion. If there is a new law show me the facts. If not shut-up about it, because I know what the truth is. If there was a law passed it would have been on the news and in the newspapers, and every law enforcement officer would also know about the new law. They wouldn't mess with you anyway unless you did something stupid. So, HUH!!!

 

[Mozilla]

Qoute from khvfdff.......
If there is a new law show me the facts. If not shut-up about it, because I know what the truth is. If there was a law passed it would have been on the news and in the newspapers, and every law enforcement officer would also know about the new law. They wouldn't mess with you anyway ...

For the ill-advised and unknowing... there is a statute out...it was signed in June 2005. It took affect July 1 2005. Attached is the link to the FDLE link. Its a word document .The first is the general link...the second is the direct link to the document
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us.... 4th item down....2005 Statutes

http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/OGC/Summaries/2005/2005LegSummary.doc

On page 26 of the document in the assorted traffic bills, is the statute. (its under the 2005-164 Bill. It is poorly written and may be revisited. We had our Florida Law update the first week of July... it will not be printed in the statute books until after October and LEO handbooks will usually come out in the next few monthes...
So .... as a favor to all of us...khvfdff.... please take more time to research stuff, you mastered in a single post to incorrectly post the law, the State of scanning in Florida and a multitude of other things. I'm sure there are some officers that do not even know about the updates... Do us a favor... provide the link... Maybe give one to the papers in your area also.

As to the what would happen if you got stopped... you are on your own...
Its one of those statutes that could be thrown in or completely ignored..but it is there.

 

[N_Jay]

Well look at it this way, its illegal for LE or FR personnel to have a
radio tuned to even their public safety frequencies in their own POV's with the law written the way it is. There is no exemption for them and with this being the case, a ham operator, member of the press, or Central Station personnel have more abilities to listen than they do.

Simply amazing!

Hmmm, wouldn't those radios be "Licensed Stations" and therefor be allowed?

(Can I add a "Duh" without insulting anyone too much?)

 

[W4KRR]

I agree with everyone else. There is no new laws, if so I would like to see them in writing. I have searched the Florida Statutes and can't find anything new. I have talked to plenty of Law Enforcement Officers with my county and surrounding counties, they have said "If you have a scanner in your vehicle, chances are that the officer will not mess with you if you are stopped, and he sees your scanner. AS LONG AS IT IS NOT HOOKED UP IN YOUR VEHICLE!!!!!" (This is the bottom line.) All Law Enforcement channels will be going encrypted anyway in the near future, unless homeland security tells them they don't have to do it, or the crime rates come down. You all are blowing this out of proportion. If there is a new law show me the facts. If not shut-up about it, because I know what the truth is. If there was a law passed it would have been on the news and in the newspapers, and every law enforcement officer would also know about the new law. They wouldn't mess with you anyway unless you did something stupid. So, HUH!!!

You can see the full law on the Florida legislative website at:

http://www.flsenate.gov/session/ind...mp;BillNum=1697

 

[dgoodson]

Two points--

I may have missed it, but I don't think any one responding to the original post cited a case where anyone has ever been stopped just for having a scanner in a car. I think the conventional wisdom is that this law is generally "unenforceable" and intended more to go after those that might be interfering with LEO.

Second, the original "poster's" electronic signature indicated he was firefighter/first responder. I believe such folks (in addition to "hams", news media etc) are specifically exempt.

dg

 

[N4DES]

Two points--

Second, the original "poster's" electronic signature indicated he was firefighter/first responder. I believe such folks (in addition to "hams", news media etc) are specifically exempt.

dg

You would think, but they are not mentioned in the exemption if they are in their personal vehicle. Company car they are totally covered (obviously) but not while in their POV even with a company owned receiving device.

That is what is totally messed up with this law the way it's been re-written.