Suggestion for anyone buying a scanner

[INDY72]

Do your homework on this first.

Analyze what you want to get it for: Do you want to find new freqs?
Do you want to find new TG's on trunked systems??

Are you interested in digital?

Or are you just wanting to listen to the usual PD/SO/FD etc...?

Then once you know exactly what you want to get a scanner for,.. research the various scanners available.

Will it do CTCSS/CDCSS?

Will it trunktrack?

Will it be able to hear what your trying to hear?

Is it a digital capable one?

How much storage space is it packing?

What bands?

This and other things must be considered before going out and getting a scanner, so many folks just want to run out and go "WOW I gonna get me a scanner and be ahearin everydernthing!" Then they power it up and find out otherwise and want to get all upset and complain about the scanner- "This her dern thing's a POS!"

Do the homework first youll be much happier for it!

 

[ka3jjz]

Hey Milf- nice list of questions. There's a few more that I would add to the list - and I have a feeling that others would probably ask more questions depending on their experience and needs.

a. Can it be computer controlled, and if so, what programs are available for it?

b. How difficult is it to program? For a newcomer, this might be something of a challlenge (witness all the comments about programming the Uniden digitals, for example)

c. How does it perform in an urban setting (if you happen to live in one, it's an important question)

Directly associated with what band(s) it covers would be the next logical question; where to get the frequencies for the local area. Most folks probably start out this way anyway. Of course, RadioReference is a good place to start.

Probably the best way to find out if a scanner will perform well in your area - regardless of whether it's a trunker or not - is to join a local group. These folks may even have files to program your unit. Along with that, much information can be had by joining a group that's specific to your unit.

Yahoo groups has so many local groups- and lists just devoted to a particular scanner or brand - that it might be overwhelming at first. It is, however, one of the best places (apart from here) to get almost all the info you would ever need. QTH.net is another place to look. The URLs are:

http://groups.yahoo.com

http://mailman.qth.net

Do your homework - indeed. 73s Mike