Newbie considering a Uniden scanner - Spokane

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wagonm

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Hi, i am about to order a 456HP or SDS100, just for awareness / preparing for the unsettling time. But after reading more about the direction towards encryption, i have a 2nd thought to spend 500 -700 on a scanner knowing they cannot handle encryption.

I am now debating buying a hardware vs much cheaper (Or free) software for my phone &/or computer.

looking for feedback and hopefully can help me to make a sensible decision. Thank you!
 

trentbob

W3BUX- Bucks County, PA
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A free phone app is not a scanner. You can only monitor on the phone what is being streamed. Sometimes after it begins streaming it becomes encrypted. That depends on what local law enforcement thinks of it.

A scanning radio... you have more options to pick up not only police and fire but many other services that you can explore. You can also control the quality on a scanning radio so it sounds better than the Stream.

There is always the risk that your local area will become encrypted. Encryption is spreading but if it doesn't hit your hometown you personally are good to go.

So tell us exactly where you live so we can look up what system you use and perhaps there may even be plans to change the radio system in the near future and there might even be hints it will be encrypted, let's investigate that before you take out the credit card.
 

trentbob

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I see it Fairfax County Virginia
 

wtp

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phone app is OK
computer listening is OK
that is if you have not really listen before.
then you get a scanner and can realize what you have been missing.
the wife likes the tac and law talk stuff that adds to the dispatch stuff.
"oh, so and so at that address does not like leos or even FD and is known to carry signal XX" (drugs)
 

trentbob

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Okie dokie then... It looks like fire is mostly in the clear but they do have encrypted options, even the school police have encrypted options.

I don't know the geography of your area but it would seem that quite a number of agencies share that system including Fairfax City, County, Sheriff's Department, and other surrounding communities. The listings have more capital E's than not meaning encryption however it looks like the dispatch channel for every agency is in the clear but then there is an Ops 1 and an Ops 2 for every agency that is encrypted.

I have not looked up to see if your system is streamed or not but if it is it'll only be of course dispatch talk groups. In other words, routine calls are in the clear but if something gets dicey they have the option to switch to encryption very quickly and easily, again I don't know your area or your system but I know where I live that's what they do.
 
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wagonm

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no, i am in Spokane County, WA.
 
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trentbob

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If I might suggest, visit the Virginia state forum and see what it says there about Fairfax. Maybe talk with some locals near you and see what their routines are as far as how quickly they switch over to encryption and for what.
 

Whiskey3JMC

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Definitely get the scanner, you control your radio and what you want to hear when you want to hear it. With a phone app, you're at someone else's mercy, particularly if there is a major incident and the feed provider isn't in front of THEIR radio to park it on the frequency(ies) or talkgroup(s) in use there.

Here, have a read at the easier to read 436/536HP manual here and hopefully you'll have less of an "unsettling time"

Best wishes & welcome aboard!
 

trentbob

W3BUX- Bucks County, PA
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Whoops I'm bad, let me go look up that LOL
 

trentbob

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Okay I don't know where I got Fairfax Virginia I must have been looking at another poster. So your Phase 1 p25 System which is also capable of phase 2 but it's not in use at this time also has more Capital E's than not.

They don't use the word dispatch in their nomenclature they use police operations and there's many of them and they are for the most part encrypted.

This time I would recommend that you go to the Washington State forum and speak to someone in the Spokane area and find out what the real deal is. It doesn't look good.
 

wagonm

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Nov 12, 2019
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Location
WA
Hi, i am about to order a 456HP or SDS100 just for awareness / preparing for the unsettling time. But after reading more about encryption, i have a 2nd thought to spend money on a scanner knowing they cannot handle encryption.

Folks from the Prospective Owners board suggested that there are quite a lot of encrypted frequencies used in Spokane County, so does it mean that there won't be much to pick up from police channels?

I wonder if $500 ~ $600 will be well spent.

Looking for feedback from WA folks, and hopefully can help me to make a sensible decision. Thank you!
 
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