People Trying to Tell you scanning is illegal

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Utdan134

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This is NOT ILLEGAL, I work for Volunteer Fire Dept and current part time police officer and been retired police officer last few years. I know in my state and others around here it's not Illegal at all! We use our scanners to help other tiny depts around my areas. So please look up the laws ok! :)
 

KK4JUG

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This is NOT ILLEGAL, I work for Volunteer Fire Dept and current part time police officer and been retired police officer last few years. I know in my state and others around here it's not Illegal at all! We use our scanners to help other tiny depts around my areas. So please look up the laws ok! :)

Easy does it. In some places, it's illegal. There are exceptions in many cases however (ham licensed, volunteer fire fighters, etc.). In other places, you can have all the scanners you want.
 

Valeriy

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Mar 12, 2016
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European Union
I have to say it really depend on the Country.
In Europe scanning around is in the most country total illegal. I know UK is different.
Here in Austria Scanning is 100% illegal. Even Air or (River) Ship Band.

In Italy, scanners and scanning are totally legal, and it is not even required any license.
Nonetheless, my sister believes I am a spy. :)
There is still a great ignorance between the commoners, and deep incompetence between
the law enforcement officers, thus it would be better to get an Amateur Radio Operator license, as some
Italian hams advice, in order not to be questioned if some moron believes that a handheld receiver is
something suspect...:)
 

n1das

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Nashua, NH
Easy does it. In some places, it's illegal. There are exceptions in many cases however (ham licensed, volunteer fire fighters, etc.). In other places, you can have all the scanners you want.

In the USA, you can scan and have all the scanners you want and it's not illegal. In states with mobile scanner laws, scanners are NOT illegal and you can still scan and have all the scanners you want in those states. It's operating a motor vehicle in those states that becomes illegal because it is an equipment violation if the vehicle is equipped with a scanner and you don't meet the criteria for exemption in the laws. The scanner itself and scanning is still not illegal in those states.
 
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n1das

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Just illegal to reveal what was heard.
Depends on what was monitored and whether or not the scanner listener was the intended recipient. For example, it would be very hard for the feds to make a case for prosecuting someone who listened to NOAA weather broadcasts on their scanner and then divulged the contents of what they heard. And it's not illegal either.



Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
 
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PrivatelyJeff

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Them: Hey...that's illegal!

You: On what information (admissable as evidence in a court of law) do you base that statement on??

Put them directly on the spot to back up their statement and fact check them in real time.

Have fun! :)

Just say to them: "Fudge those fat pigs, let them try and take me alive." And watch them freak out.
 

DJ11DLN

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Mudhole, IN
Just today the subject of Public Safety scanning came up and a person -- someone who definitely had every reason and opportunity to have known better -- tried to assert that listening to LE, FD, and EMS traffic was "surely prohibited under the Homeland Security Act." The (very high) level of ignorance of the general populace these days is something I find dismaying, if not downright alarming.:(
 

KK4JUG

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Some states they are not legal, Florida is weird about scanners as well as New York State. My only advise is to not be ignorant of the laws.

I believe scanners are legal. Where you put them (in a car, for example) may be questionable.
 

marksmith

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Anne Arundel County, MD
I believe scanners are legal. Where you put them (in a car, for example) may be questionable.
New York and Virginia have some strange scanner laws as well as a hand full of other states.

I would not make any assumptions about whether scanners are legal, at home, in your car, or otherwise unless you have reviewed the appropriate state laws where you are.

There are a few sites out there that can be found quickly with Google to point out which states have restrictions on scanner possession or use.

536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others
 

VE7CFF

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Delta, BC
Back in the 80's I was a dispatcher for Vandal Watch. We communicated on a commercial vhf frequency. The RCMP knowing we carried scanners, would broadcast an alert such as shots fired Atom 21, to keep us out of harms way or add ears and eyes to the situation
 

KK4JUG

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New York and Virginia have some strange scanner laws as well as a hand full of other states.

I would not make any assumptions about whether scanners are legal, at home, in your car, or otherwise unless you have reviewed the appropriate state laws where you are.

There are a few sites out there that can be found quickly with Google to point out which states have restrictions on scanner possession or use.

536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others

You may have a scanner in your home. There may be other restrictions regarding vehicle, portability, etc., but you can have a scanner in your home in this country......so far.
 
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