N00b needs scanner recommendations.

[N2DFire]

I know lots about firefighting but zilch about scanners. I'm looking for an inexpensive handheld / mobile scanner to use as paging backup around the house.

Need to monitor Franklin County VA (piggybacked onto Roanoke County trunked system) and would love the ability to do tone decoding / alerting like a pager if possible.

I work p/t for the county & know "the radio guy" so I can get any of the frequencies / codes not published here that I would need.

Thanks in advance for the advice or recommendations.

Steve

 

[RaleighGuy]

I know lots about firefighting but zilch about scanners. I'm looking for an inexpensive handheld / mobile scanner to use as paging backup around the house.

Need to monitor Franklin County VA (piggybacked onto Roanoke County trunked system) and would love the ability to do tone decoding / alerting like a pager if possible.

I work p/t for the county & know "the radio guy" so I can get any of the frequencies / codes not published here that I would need.

Thanks in advance for the advice or recommendations.

Steve

The Roanoke Valley Radio System is listed as simulcast, the only scanners designed to work with this type of system is the SDS100/SDS150 which aren't "inexpensive". Another option for you is a Unication G4 or G5 pager, which also does tone outs, again, depending on your meaning of inexpensive, it isn't that cheap but you can check the RR Forum classifieds.

Roanoke Valley Radio System (RVRS) Trunking System, Various, Virginia

Roanoke Valley Radio System (RVRS) Trunking System Profile

www.radioreference.com

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

RTL-SDR dongles paired with DSDPlus or SDRTrunk can handle simulcast sites for a fraction of the price of an SDSx00 or Unication pager. Use this SDR Coverage Calculator to determine how many you'll need to cover the entirety of what you want to listen to

I work p/t for the county & know "the radio guy" so I can get any of the frequencies / codes not published here that I would need.

Once you get said frequencies/codes & if you've determined they aren't indeed listed in the RRDB be sure to submit an update with all pertinent info so others can benefit. The RRDB relies on user submissions to stay up to date

 

[GlobalNorth]

RTL-SDR dongles paired with DSDPlus or SDRTrunk can handle simulcast sites for a fraction of the price of an SDSx00 or Unication pager. Use this SDR Coverage Calculator to determine how many you'll need to cover the entirety of what you want to listen to

The problem to that solution being that the OP wants a handheld /mobile scanner, not a fixed location in his/her home.

The dongle/SDR is a great solution, but portable, it sadly is not.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

The problem to that solution being that the OP wants a handheld /mobile scanner, not a fixed location in his/her home.

Understood, still worth putting the alternative out there

 

[tvengr]

Roanoke County Fire/ Rescue is fully encrypted (DE in Mode column) and cannot be received by any scanner.

​

Roanoke County Fire & Rescue​

​

DEC	HEX	Mode	Alpha Tag	Description	Tag
2	002	DE	RCFR Disp	Dispatch	Fire Dispatch
3	003	DE	RCFR Tac 2	Tac 2	Fire-Tac
4	004	DE	RCFR Tac 3	Tac 3	Fire-Tac
5	005	DE	RCFR Tac 4	Tac 4	Fire-Tac
6	006	DE	RCFR Tac 5	Tac 5	Fire-Tac
7	007	DE	RCFR Tac 6	Tac 6	Fire-Tac
8	008	DE	RCFR Tac 7	Tac 7	Fire-Tac
9	009	DE	RCFR Tac 8	Tac 8 (Hospital Comms)	Fire-Tac
10	00a	DE	RCFR Tac 9	Tac 9	Fire-Tac
11	00b	DE	RCFR Tac 10	Tac 10	Fire-Tac
12	00c	DE	RCFR Tac 11	Tac 11	Fire-Tac
13	00d	DE	RCFR Tac 12	Tac 12	Fire-Tac
14	00e	DE	RCFR Tac 13	Tac 13	Fire-Tac
15	00f	DE	RCFR Tac 14	Tac 14	Fire-Tac

 

[RaleighGuy]

Roanoke County Fire/.Rescue is fully encrypted (DE in Mode column) and cannot be received by any scanner.

​

Roanoke County Fire & Rescue​

​

DEC	HEX	Mode	Alpha Tag	Description	Tag
2	002	DE	RCFR Disp	Dispatch	Fire Dispatch
3	003	DE	RCFR Tac 2	Tac 2	Fire-Tac
4	004	DE	RCFR Tac 3	Tac 3	Fire-Tac
5	005	DE	RCFR Tac 4	Tac 4	Fire-Tac
6	006	DE	RCFR Tac 5	Tac 5	Fire-Tac
7	007	DE	RCFR Tac 6	Tac 6	Fire-Tac
8	008	DE	RCFR Tac 7	Tac 7	Fire-Tac
9	009	DE	RCFR Tac 8	Tac 8 (Hospital Comms)	Fire-Tac
10	00a	DE	RCFR Tac 9	Tac 9	Fire-Tac
11	00b	DE	RCFR Tac 10	Tac 10	Fire-Tac
12	00c	DE	RCFR Tac 11	Tac 11	Fire-Tac
13	00d	DE	RCFR Tac 12	Tac 12	Fire-Tac
14	00e	DE	RCFR Tac 13	Tac 13	Fire-Tac
15	00f	DE	RCFR Tac 14	Tac 14	Fire-Tac

Good thing OP says he's monitoring Franklin County FD which isn't encrypted.

 

[tvengr]

Need to monitor Franklin County VA (piggybacked onto Roanoke County trunked system) and would love the ability to do tone decoding / alerting like a pager if possible.

 

[buddrousa]

Unless it is ANALOG and patched to the Encrypted Trunking System the only option is a Unication Pager and the Radioman enter the Encryption Codes in the pager for the OP still in the ballpark north of $500.

 

[K9KLC]

You stopped at the start. "Inexpensive and simulcast" aren't used in the same sentence. SDS 100 or 150 when it comes out or a Unication pager are the options. Think used and that will help maybe.

 

[K9KLC]

Unless it is ANALOG and patched to the Encrypted Trunking System the only option is a Unication Pager and the Radioman enter the Encryption Codes in the pager for the OP still in the ballpark north of $500.

Ya if what he said is correct, I'd get a Unication and have the "radio guy" put "the codes" in and he'd be good to go.

 

[lu81fitter]

This part looks to be analog. Is this what you are looking for? Could probably do that with a 125AT. If 154.2275 is just patched to the trunked system, you could be in luck.​

Franklin, County of​

Frequency	Input	License	Type	Tone	Alpha Tag	Description	Mode	Tag
154.2275		KIA681	B	162.2 PL	FCFR Dispatch	Fire/Rescue Dispatch	FMN	Fire Dispatch
451.8375	456.8375	KNDN710	RM	065 DPL	FrnklnCo HS	Franklin County High School	FMN	Schools
452.4125		WQIF565	M	261 DPL	FC Sch Handheld2	Schools (Handheld Ch. 2)	FMN	Schools
457.4125		WQIF565	M	261 DPL	FC Sch Handheld1	Schools (Handheld Ch. 1)	FMN	Schools
463.425	468.425	KNDN710	RM	88.5 PL	FC Sch Mnt	School Maintenance	FMN	Schools
463.425	468.425	KNDN710	RM	94.8 PL	FC SchBusDsp	School Bus Dispatch	FMN	Schools
463.650	468.650	KNDN710	RM	445 DPL	BenFrnkln MS	Ben Franklin Middle School	FMN	Schools

 

[ofd8001]

I agree with the Unication G5 recommendation. It will handle most anything that is thrown at it. I once was leery of the Unication platform but since my FD has issued them, I am quite impressed. Won't be like a scanner, but if you want to do tone and voice paging, then listen to operations channels, then Unication is a winner.

And, if the system is indeed encrypted, you can see just how good of friends you are with radio guy. There is an upgrade to where some types of encryption can be decoded if you got the key, which the radio guy should have.

 

[D31245]

I'll throw my hat in for the G5 as well. Very happy with mine and have the programming figured out for the most part (except tones - which I don't use).

They are a bit pricey now >$800 after the price increase but I see them for sale at reasonable prices (sub-$600 USD) in the Facebook Unication Groups. Not sure how safe it it to buy from there though. There's currently a UHF-D G5 for sale on the Facebook Unication G2/G3/G4/G5 Owners group for $520.

 

[N2DFire]

First of all - Thank you all very much for the advice and recommendations.

Based on my other reading and trying to educate myself it was already looking like the SDS100 was going to be the answer. A tad over what I was looking to spend when I started but it is what it is and I wasn't shocked by your suggestions when I got back here. I had already thought of the Unication route but from what I'm finding (before coming here) was they were a little more $ than the scanner route.


Next - More background on my situation (and our system):

The 154.2275 is one way simulcast (from Dispatch out) with the RVRS 401 / 191 FCFR Disp talk group just for paging and initial dispatch only.
There are still some VHF pagers in use but we have (for the most part) transitioned over to the Unication pagers and SOP is after initial dispatch, all incidents are assigned to a different talk group Ops 2-6 (402, 407, 408, 409, 416) so you won't hear anything else related to that incident on VHF. Even in the event that we contacted them on 401, you'd only hear their side of the conversation on VHF.

Now for me, I happen to have a one of the remaining VHF Minitor V's that never leaves the charger just for bed side alerting.
I have my issued APX4000 and there is also my GF's Unication G5 and her APX4000 in the house as well and you'd think that would be enough radio equipment right?

So here's the rub, my home office & the GF's are on different floors so I can't hear her pager from my office and 99% of the time the 2-ways are in radio straps in vehicles or by the door and I would prefer to keep them there. So all I really wanted/needed was something I could listen to from my office and/or the family room on the same floor. Also we sometimes fall asleep in front of the TV at night so I wanted something that could still alert and wake us up since the pagers are on a different floor.


As for the codes, etc from our radio guy, I'm willing to bet the farm that he'll give me anything I ask for short of the LE systems. The Sherriff and PD Chiefs really would kill him if he did that.


At this point I guess I'll keep tabs on some used equipment groups, keep saving my pennies, and possibly see if one of my FD's has a spare Unification pager.

Thanks again for the help. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!