I'm a feed provider and use the $500 Uniden HomePatrol-1 scanner myself but something I learned about recently is that you can get a scanner working (and can host a live feed here) for about $20.
Basically you need a usb dongle called a SDR (Software Defined Radio) and an antenna. I see the most popular one is being sold on Amazon for $20: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009U7WZCA/
Of course these scanners only work while connected to your PC, but you could easily host a live feed and then listen to it anywhere including on your phone.
A few links of interest:
About RTL-SDR - rtl-sdr.com
Quick Start Guide - rtl-sdr.com
RTL-SDR Tutorial: Following Trunked Radio with Unitrunker - rtl-sdr.com
Setup seems to be a little complex so that might scare most people away. Also I'm hearing the antenna they ship with the usb dongle sucks (depending on how strong the signal is in your area) and sometimes you need a better one which cost $50-$60. So it's definitely not a super easy alternative, but its dirt cheap.
I havent tried it yet, just stumbled on this today so no idea how easy or complex setup is.
Basically you need a usb dongle called a SDR (Software Defined Radio) and an antenna. I see the most popular one is being sold on Amazon for $20: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009U7WZCA/
Of course these scanners only work while connected to your PC, but you could easily host a live feed and then listen to it anywhere including on your phone.
A few links of interest:
About RTL-SDR - rtl-sdr.com
Quick Start Guide - rtl-sdr.com
RTL-SDR Tutorial: Following Trunked Radio with Unitrunker - rtl-sdr.com
Setup seems to be a little complex so that might scare most people away. Also I'm hearing the antenna they ship with the usb dongle sucks (depending on how strong the signal is in your area) and sometimes you need a better one which cost $50-$60. So it's definitely not a super easy alternative, but its dirt cheap.
I havent tried it yet, just stumbled on this today so no idea how easy or complex setup is.
