Newbie Question

[Viper426]

Hi all,

I'm a newcomer to the scanner world. Until now I've only really dabbled in homemade CB radios and a couple TV tuners. What I'm looking to find out is this: If I have a list of frequencies that include a Tone in the listing (IE: Freq 148.16500 Tone 118.8 PL) do I need a special piece of equipment to hear the chatter, or will a standard scanner (such as the Uniden BC350C) be sufficient? (I see no mention of Tone in the online manual or anywhere on the scanner section of their website.)

Feel free to begin giggling at my noobness.

Thanks!

 

[WayneH]

This is more general in nature so I've moved it to GenScan.

 

[btritch]

The point is you'll hear the chatter with a scanner that has a tone as well as one that does not. The only thing the tone does is keeps the other departments from walking over the current department, Example, If a department uses 154.340 PL 88.5 and five miles down the road another one uses 154.340 PL 100.0, They will each only hear their own traffic and not anyone else's. If you have a scanner with tones you can hear only one department, The one that uses whichever tone you've programmed is the only one you will hear at that point. If you have a basic scanner with no tone capability with no tone then you'd hear both departments traffic at that point. Bottom line, All the tone does is filters out the traffic from another department that may very well be using the same freq. You will still hear the traffic whether you have the tone programmed or not. That's no matter on hearing the traffic. Now if you have the wrong tone programmed you won't hear it but the right one or no you should hear it just fine. Hope this helps!!