SCANNER FOR STORM CHASEING????

[dwunl68]

I need to buy a scanner for chaseing storms in the midwest/plains region. I am completly new to scanners so I have no Idea what I should buy. This is what I know, I need to scan storm spotters local police and sherrif, as well as NOAA weather bands and I don't want to spend a whole lot. What are some of the things I need to look for and what are some good model options? THANKS!!

 

[phillip3225]

I have a bc350c. You can pick one up off ebay for around 70$. Nice scanner for mobile.You can program up to 50 channles.So if you know the area your going to be in you can program there channles in. Also it has a preset fire,air,ham,police,ems freq.So you can hit the fire/ems button and it scans all the fire and ems freq. Also it has a a wx button to hit and it scans and finds the stongest NOAA wx station. Its an idea to look at. BC350C

Phillip

 

[Dubbin]

If you need to cover many different agencies then you will probably need a digital scanner (not cheap). Are you storm chasing or do you just want to listen in on them? If you are storm chasing in many different areas then you should take a look at the PRO-96 or PRO-2096 ($500) just for the fact of the V-Folders.
The BC350 will probably not do you any good at all since it has no trunking capabilitys and is only a 50 channel scanner plus its just not a very good scanner.

 

[dwunl68]

Thanks that's a pretty resonable scanner, just a couple questions on it. That is not a trunking scanner so I dont need one to carry out above duties? Also is that scanner portable or does it have to be installed on car? What is the power source options? And do I need to put an antenna on the car to get reception or does it have an antenna on the machine?

 

[dwunl68]

I am storm chasing, but I mainly stick around the Nebraska, Kansas Iowa area.

 

[phillip3225]

I actually like the bc350c alot.Trunking will not probly be a big deal if your going to be out in rural areas. It comes with 3 power cables. One connects directly to the battery, second one connects to your cigarette socket and the other one connects to the wall outlet. It comes with two antennas that work, ok. I like the bc350c and like I said its an idea.

Phillip

 

[Dubbin]

Phillip I was not trying to be mean about your radio but I don't feel that it is a very good choice for what he will be doing. Also there are MANY counties and state agencies that use trunking systems. Being in a rural area really means nothing and 50 channels is VERY limited when it comes to monitoring many different police and fire agencies, storm spotters and weather channels.

 

[LordJ]

More info needed

I would suggest you go on a search for the frequencies/agencies you need to listen to. You said some of them, but you need to tell us the radio systems they use before anyone can give a recommendation you can use. Trunking or non Trunking, APCO, Digital. If this doesn't make sense to you, hit a FAQ page for scanning...Good luck..

 

[dwunl68]

Hear are some of the Freq I need


LOCATION FREQ DUP NOTES
Scotts Bluff 145.33 - ARES
Scotts Bluff 146.94 - Platte Valley
Sidney 146.97 - Cheyenne Co.
Grand Island 147.18 + Hamilton Co. ARES
Grand Island 146.94 - Mid-Nebraska ARES
* Hastings 146.82 - Hastings ARC, NWS Hastings
** Ashland 145.31 - NWS monitored coord freq
Lincoln-Columbus 146.64 - Pawnee ARC Net
* Lincoln 147.045 + Lincoln ARC
Fairbury 145.475 + Jefferson Co., Oregon Trail ARC SKYWARN
* Wilber 146.985 - Saline Co.
460.625 + Saline Co. backup
Beatrice 146.79 - Gage Co., Three Rivers ARC SKYWARN
Omaha-Fremont 146.67 - Pioneer ARC Net
** Omaha 146.94 - AKSARBEN ARC, NWS Valley NE
Hooper 145.43 -
Norfolk 146.79 - Buzzards Roost ARES

Miscellaneous
Mutual Aid............... 155.055
Gage County EM........... 464.850
Hall County EM........... 155.820
Hall County NAWAS Relay.. 156.000
Lincoln NWAS Rebroadcast 453.650
Hall Co. Fire Service Net 453.475
Lancaster Co. ........... 155.250
Grand Island City Police. 453.650
Grand Island REACT....... 462.700
Third City Radio Assn.... 462.725
Saline Co. EM ........... 453.725
Many Nebraska Rural Fire Dept Spotters 39.980

 

[LordJ]

OK Then

Well, to me it just looks like the good old days of regular transmittions. Whatever radio you go with, it should have 200 channels at least. You might not think you need them, but the 'banks' feature will be your friend. You will most likely want to program in the FRS/GMRS radios as well so there is more room on top of the other freq's you mentioned. If you are looking for a handheld, the Uniden sc200 might be a good choice (you can ebay a used one too if you want) or the smaller/cheaper BBC92XLT. If you are going to want a mobile one to stay in your vehicle, the BCT8 might not be a bad choice. It is a little more than you might need right now, but it is around $150. the PRO-2026 is only 100 channels, but a good little radio, as well as the comparable uniden 760xlt (both out of production) I'm not sure what is 'a whole lot' of money for you though as that can be a relative term in this hobby. If you decide to go to EBAY for a used one, just remember buyer beware, check feedback and don't pay more than you are comfortable with. Most scanners for sale go for way too much money in my opinion, compared to purchasing a new one.

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a Storm Chaser nor do I profess to be one, anything said in this post is purely IMO and not nescessarily the opinion of all scanner hobbiests. Please take extreme caution when entering the Scanning hobby, as purchases can get out of control just like that Tornado you thought YOU were chasing, only to be running away from.

Hope I've been of some help..

 

[K5MAR]

Well I am a storm chaser/spotter, as time allows, and here's my recommedation. Get a computer-programmable mobile scanner that has alpha tags. Personally, I have a 780 in my truck, and will probably add a second one. I'm guessing you'll have a laptop computer with you, they're pretty standard equipment these days, so you can set up banks for various areas and if need be, the computer can quickly rewrite the scanner if you change locations, such as going to Kansas, for instance. And get a good external speaker, it'll be an expense that will pay for itself in no time. Later on, you can get a handheld scanner, but the superior audio alone is sufficient enough reason to get a mobile unit to start with.

You are better off getting a NOAA WX radio for just that purpose, as scanners really don't do the alert thing as well as a dedicated radio. Radio Shack carries an Oregon Scientific handheld WX radio under their own name, it's $50 from RS. Myself, I bought the handheld model they previously carried, refitted it with a BNC connector, and hooked it to an external antenna, which works real well.

Mark S.

 

[jay427]

As I'm a partime Skywarn Spotter I just use my dual band handheld to monitor NOAA/Skywarn nets and the high-power 2 meter mobile for my check in and that’s about it.

I live north of Mpls, Mn. and we have 2 skywarn nets active at most times (north and south). In a nut shell I will listen to the 2 nets, the link between the skywarn net and NOAA and jump back and forth to NOAA for the Official statements.

Around here I don't bother with the local police and fire as are skywarn group is pretty accurate and I have more then enough to listen to. Now I don’t go far I will just cover the area around my home or where ever I’m at the time.

In my case just a cheap handheld scanner would work for me if I did not participate in the skywarn nets.

My 2 cents

Jay

 

[Cobra_Commander]

The Pro-97 would be a good choice for you it has stormspotting frequencies preprogrammed with them! :!:

 

[K5MAR]

The Pro-97 would be a good choice for you it has stormspotting frequencies preprogrammed with them! :!:

Not really. After looking at the manual on the Radio Shack website, what it has is a search bank for the ham bands, plus three quick access channels for "Skywarn" freqs you program, which could be any freq you want, doesn't have to be Skywarn. The ham bands searched include large ranges of frequencies and bands where you are not likely to find any Skywarn activity. (Page 43 of the manual) And like many other scanners that include NOAA WX Radio SAME alerts, you can either scan or monitor for WX alerts, but not both. It does have an interesting WX feature using the Priority channel and the 1050 Hz alert tones, but the Priority feature doesn't function when on a trunked signal, so you could miss a WX alert, and you lose the Priority feature for normal use unless you reprogram which channel is the priority. (Page 58 of the manual)

Summary: you are still going to have to know what repeaters/frequencies are being used in your area and program them into the scanner yourself.

Mark S.

 

[n4yek]

No Flame intended....

The Pro-97 would be a good choice for you it has stormspotting frequencies preprogrammed with them! :!:

Summary: you are still going to have to know what repeaters/frequencies are being used in your area and program them into the scanner yourself.

Mark S.

Hear are some of the Freq I need


LOCATION FREQ DUP NOTES
Scotts Bluff 145.33 - ARES
Scotts Bluff 146.94 - Platte Valley
Sidney 146.97 - Cheyenne Co.
Grand Island 147.18 + Hamilton Co. ARES
Grand Island 146.94 - Mid-Nebraska ARES
* Hastings 146.82 - Hastings ARC, NWS Hastings
** Ashland 145.31 - NWS monitored coord freq
Lincoln-Columbus 146.64 - Pawnee ARC Net
* Lincoln 147.045 + Lincoln ARC
Fairbury 145.475 + Jefferson Co., Oregon Trail ARC SKYWARN
* Wilber 146.985 - Saline Co.
460.625 + Saline Co. backup
Beatrice 146.79 - Gage Co., Three Rivers ARC SKYWARN
Omaha-Fremont 146.67 - Pioneer ARC Net
** Omaha 146.94 - AKSARBEN ARC, NWS Valley NE
Hooper 145.43 -
Norfolk 146.79 - Buzzards Roost ARES

Miscellaneous
Mutual Aid............... 155.055
Gage County EM........... 464.850
Hall County EM........... 155.820
Hall County NAWAS Relay.. 156.000
Lincoln NWAS Rebroadcast 453.650
Hall Co. Fire Service Net 453.475
Lancaster Co. ........... 155.250
Grand Island City Police. 453.650
Grand Island REACT....... 462.700
Third City Radio Assn.... 462.725
Saline Co. EM ........... 453.725
Many Nebraska Rural Fire Dept Spotters 39.980

Get a computer-programmable mobile scanner that has alpha tags.
Mark S.

I also think the Pro 97 would be an great choice too, it can alpha tag.
He also has the freqs he needs so this scanner would be a good choice
for him.
Danny
N4YEK

 

[Pro92]

STORM CHASING!

I am storm chasing, but I mainly stick around the Nebraska, Kansas Iowa area.

I live in Madison, NE do you have any frequencies for storm spotter/chaser for Madison/Norfolk. I read online this morning their was a unconfirm Tornado in Columbus,NE about 8pm . But nothing in the Madison area except lot of wind and rain.
Thanks!
Rob.

 

[K5MAR]

The Pro-97 may be a nice scanner, but I see two immediate drawbacks. First, I haven't heard of any software available for the 97 yet, so it isn't computer-programable at this time. Second, it's a handheld scanner. From personal experience, I can tell you that a handheld just doesn't cut it when chasing. The audio is not as good as a mobile, the display is too small, and the radio will come adrift at the worst possible moment. I know you can get an amplified speaker, but by the time you mount the speaker, and securely mount your handheld, you might as well have gotten a mobile in the first place.

That is why, for all the above reasons, I have a 780 in my truck, and may add a second one. Many other chasers I know also use Unidens. I tried it with a 2067 for several years, and the dinky display just doesn't cut it. That also eliminates the current crop of RS/GRE mobiles, they still use the tiny display from the handhelds.

I recommend to most new scanner purchasers that they get a good handheld for their first scanner, but in this case, mobile units rule!

As for the request for spotter freqs from need2speed, look here for spotter freqs: http://www.caps.ou.edu/~kbrews/spotfreq/

And Danny, I'm not sure what you point is, I was addressing Cobra Commander's contention that the 97 is preprogrammed with stormspotting freqs, not whether or not dwunl68 had the freqs he needed for local area reception. Let me emphasize local area, I've seen chases on an active day that spanned three states. Hence the need for a good freq reference and a computer-programmable scanner.

Mark S.

 

[n4yek]

The Pro-97 may be a nice scanner, but I see two immediate drawbacks. First, I haven't heard of any software available for the 97 yet, so it isn't computer-programable at this time. Second, it's a handheld scanner. From personal experience, I can tell you that a handheld just doesn't cut it when chasing. The audio is not as good as a mobile, the display is too small, and the radio will come adrift at the worst possible moment. I know you can get an amplified speaker, but by the time you mount the speaker, and securely mount your handheld, you might as well have gotten a mobile in the first place.


And Danny, I'm not sure what you point is, I was addressing Cobra Commander's contention that the 97 is preprogrammed with stormspotting freqs, not whether or not dwunl68 had the freqs he needed for local area reception. Let me emphasize local area, I've seen chases on an active day that spanned three states. Hence the need for a good freq reference and a computer-programmable scanner.

Mark S.

For starters, my apologies. I thought you were putting down a good radio.
Like I said at the very first of my other post, No Flame Intended...

Here is the software link for the Pro 97 (Win97)
http://www.starrsoft.com/software/win97/default.asp

Danny
N4YEK

 

[K5MAR]

Wow, I think that's about the fastest any scanner software has been released! Maybe even faster than his release of Win96.

As for the 97, it does look like a pretty slick scanner. However, my Pro-43 and Pro-92s are still soldiering on, so I'm not in the market for another handheld.

But I have to say, a handheld scanner in a high noise environment such as storm chasing is just not the best choice.

Mark S.

 

[coaster1robert]

scanning

you shouls also check this site out,since your new to scanning.

http://www.bearcat1.com/

http://hamuniversity.com/hamlinks.html
weather chasser use low band ham radio freq.

http://www.nebraskaweather.net/

Also check out this ham site



Robert