Scanning Federal or Military With Close Call

[darkwolf]

Has anyone had any luck using the close call feature in the bcd396xt scanner I have tried but with no luck at all what other methods using the features in the bcd396xt scanner would you recommend using

 

[ka3jjz]

Again, you would need to be real close for close call to work - like at an airshow, for instance.

Really, that's common sense....Mike

 

[JASII]

Scanning Federal With Close Call

I would forget about Close Call for this application, unless you know that you are close to your transmission source. I would just search the federal bands or enter the frequencies in the scanner sequentially. That way you can add PL/DPL/NAC codes as they are found. Also, at the risk of pointing out the obvious, many federal channels are quiet for long periods of time. It is NOT like listening to local public safety with calls being dispatched fairly often. Patience is a virtue when it comes to federal monitoring.

 

[ChrisP]

If you are near a known federal facility, I would definitely try having the Close Call on. I've caught a fair amount of federal agency traffic with it, but you have to be CLOSE to trigger the Close Call feature.

- Chris

 

[KC4RAF]

And "close" means

CLOSE! For a mobile unit, if memory service me correctly, within a few hundred feet of the transmitter. Not sure what a base station distance would be.

edit:
here's RR reference to the Uniden brand scanner info on "close call":
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Close_Call