You can get cheap early model scanners. But their performance is not a good as modern scanners. I would seriously consider coughing up the cash for a fairly modern phase 2 capable model to ensure its prolonged usefulness. PII will be coming.
Simplest radios for MPSCS
- Thread starter scanmanmi
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It's not perfect but an old FM scanner (mine's a PRO2006) with a discriminator tap mod and DSD+ is one way I listen to MSP. I haven't tried my SDR dongle but that might be another option.
scanmanmi
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the PRO2006 is not trunking. My wife listens to ONLY local fire on a BC145. Now they sometimes say 'going to 800'. I just need one fire and one or two police.
Agreed, but trunking is not absolutely required. Just scan all the trunked channels from the nearest tower, you won’t miss much. I use it this way all the time, but you’ll probably want a way to separate the scanner FM voice channels from the raw digital squawking (separate scanners, volume down for trunking/trunk bank off for voice, recording output channel control feature, etc. ) With no talkgroup filtering you may get more than you want.
Yes, IF simulcast is present (less likely outside major cities?) it’s more of a problem but even then I’ve heard directional antennas might help.
Will an XTL/XTS work? Yes, but even if you know what you are doing you are limited to scanning 16 talkgroups at a time, which can be pretty restrictive. I'm using an SDS-100 and it works great, especially with GPS attached. I travel up into northern Michigan every year for camping (well, maybe not this year...) and the SDS w/GPS is seamless. Works great.
Directional antennas are only useful at a fixed location. Not so much if you're mobile.
That will not work worth a damn in a busy area, like Wayne, Macomb, Monroe, Livingston, or Washtenaw.
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