Scanner for City of Miami PD?

[quique1874]

Hello to all.
Excuse me if this has been asked before; but I spend some time browsing and searching and did not find the answer I'm looking for. I just recently got interested in getting a scanner for home use to monitor public safety in the City of Miami. I'm not referring to the County PD, I'm talking about the City. I now know it's pointless to get a scanner if you want to listen to County PD because of encryption, but what about City of Miami PD? Any suggestions?

I often listen online on Broadcastify but that feed includes both City of Miami (several channels) and Hialeah. I'd like to be able to "lock in" a channel and stay listening on that channel. I'd also like to be able to record.

Again, sorry if it's a stupid question but I did not see it in the FAQ or in previous posts. Thanks in advance.

 

[APX8000]

The County is not encrypted with the exception of some tac channels. But dispatch is in the clear. If you are interested in just City of Miami, a basic analog trunking scanner can be found cheap on several auction sites used. I loved my Uniden BC 780 XLT.


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[quique1874]

Thank you Signal Zero for the prompt reply. Thanks for the clarification on the County system. I looked at the 780 XLT unit and it looks like a good option for me. One question though, can you recommend anything a bit more portable? Or would I be sacrificing reception if I get a handheld unit? I only ask because a more portable unit would allow me to walk around the house with it; yes, not in the car.

Also, what about recording for playback later? Is that a feature you only find in high-end units like the BCD536HP or BCD436HP?

Thanks again for your answer.

 

[mass-man]

Recording is possible with the Homepatrol 1 and 2!

A good antenna on a portable and proximity to Miami and you should be just fine in the house!!! If you find you need an external antenna for effective reception you can hook the scanner to speakers and pump the volume...I really like the Homepatrol for ease of use!!!

YMMV

 

[APX8000]

I'd have to agree with mass man then if you want the recording feature. Plus you can program the County if you want to monitor digital.


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[N4DES]

Based on this article you just might be listening to City of Miami PD & FD on their 3600 system for quite a bit longer. Harris Corp In Hot Miami Water ~ Shark Tank

 

[pinballwiz86]

If you want to record, check out the Uniden BCD436HP and 536HP.

 

[quique1874]

Thank you guys for your suggestions. Sorry for the late reply....been quite busy this week. Based on Signal-Zero and mass-man 's suggestions, I'm keeping my eye on a couple of used Home Patrol 1 units on action sites. I think I will start off with that.

pinballwiz86, I did originally looked at the BCD436HP and 536HP but they looked a bit out of my budget (at least in new condition). But what I do like about those two models is that they are compatible with ProScan software. Per ProScan, programming the 436 or 536 should be easy using the software. What I do like about ProScan a lot is that it comes with a web server which is actually what I wanted to do all along. I was going to write my own (I'm a soft. developer) but if one is already available, I'm going to go that route. It looks like ProScan is not compatible with the HomePatrol 1 or HomePatrol 2 units.

So, my plan is to get started with a used HP 1 unit and them work my way up to the 436 with ProScan.

Thanks again to all you guys for your help.

 

[quique1874]

Based on this article you just might be listening to City of Miami PD & FD on their 3600 system for quite a bit longer. Harris Corp In Hot Miami Water ~ Shark Tank

Thanks for the heads up. I did not even know the City was planning on doing this. I knew Coral Gables had gone encrypted already so I figured it was a matter of time before MPD tried to go the same route. Hopefully dispatch channels with stay in the clear. Thanks again.

 

[JANFINE]

The City of Miami has been running tests for their new P25 system.
No idea when the switch over will happen.
DO NOT get a BC785 scanner. That scanner is sooo old.
Home Patrol would be better.
ProScan will work with most Uniden scanners.
And yes. Dade County PD is mostly unencrypted.
Especially the dispatch and car to car channels.

 

[quique1874]

The City of Miami has been running tests for their new P25 system.
No idea when the switch over will happen.
DO NOT get a BC785 scanner. That scanner is sooo old.
Home Patrol would be better.
ProScan will work with most Uniden scanners.
And yes. Dade County PD is mostly unencrypted.
Especially the dispatch and car to car channels.

Thanks for the info!

 

[APX8000]

You have a system ID, WACN, RFSS, site ID, etc for their new system ?


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[captainmax1]

Miami-Dade Public Service (Police) has just gone mostly encrypted. Was in Miami the other day and couldn't get any police action. Just a few for fire and some in downtown Miami city. Lost a lot of my radio entertainment with this switchover.

 

[quique1874]

Wanted to give you guys an update. I purchased a Home Patrol 1 unit on eBay. Unit was extremely simple to set up. Wth the Home Patrol Sentinel software, I was able to easily update the firmware and create my Favorites list. As I've said before, I was interested in the City of Miami Law Enforcement channels so that is what I configured into the scanner. Reception is not bad but getting some unwanted static.

I'm still working out some issues like
- static (getting a bit more static than I would like -- I'm within city limits so I'm sure why);
- battery issues (seller was not able to ship the batteries so I picked up 4 Duracell rechargeable batteries -- 2500 mAh -- but the unit won't work with them);
- broadcasting via ProScan's RadioFeed (getting lots of buzzing ground noise when connecting HP to my PC via the headphone jack/cable, thinking of trying another PC or an external sound card).

Anyways, other than those issues I mentioned, so far I'm pretty happy with the unit. As I told you guys earlier, this unit is just to get my feet wet; I will be upgrading to better equipment in the future.

Thanks again.

 

[quique1874]

Miami-Dade Public Service (Police) has just gone mostly encrypted. Was in Miami the other day and couldn't get any police action. Just a few for fire and some in downtown Miami city. Lost a lot of my radio entertainment with this switchover.

The City is a lot more "interesting" than the county ;-)

 

[ProScan]

- broadcasting via ProScan's RadioFeed (getting lots of buzzing ground noise when connecting HP to my PC via the headphone jack/cable, thinking of trying another PC or an external sound card).

You need a ground loop isolator (1:1 audio transformer) connected to the audio cable from the scanner to the sound card or use DC power.

{edit} Another fix perhaps use another AC outlet, or make sure the audio cable and power cable not running parallel next to each other, or reroute cables.

 

[quique1874]

Thanks for the reply ProScan! Your software is awesome. It's just what I was looking for. I just placed an order for the license to help you out, though I don't have the 436HP yet.

I just ordered an isolator in Amazon. I will also try using another outlet once I'm back home. Thanks again. I will let you know.

 

[ProScan]

Thanks for the reply ProScan! Your software is awesome. It's just what I was looking for. I just placed an order for the license to help you out, though I don't have the 436HP yet.

I just ordered an isolator in Amazon. I will also try using another outlet once I'm back home. Thanks again. I will let you know.

Thanks quique1874