What do I want to listen to?

[yorkphotog]

Hey New Yorkers...

I'm from Canada, travelling to NYC for a week. I've got a BC246T that I'll bring along with me. I've been looking at the NY database, but am not sure the best things to program. I mainly want to listen to PD, fire, and EMS for the Manhattan area. Most of what I want to listen to seems to be conventional freqs? Any advise?

Of course, if there's anything else in the city that you find interesting to listen to, let me know.

Thanks!!

 

[chrismol1]

First thing, you might not want to bring a scanner along in public, just leave it at where your staying

I'm post 9/11 NYC, if you even flash it without being a public safety officer, you'll be looking for trouble with the people down there.
If you can, just leave it in your pocket and use headphone, and dont take it out too much
NYC is just one of those places where scanners arent too appreciated

 

[yorkphotog]

Yeah, I should mention.... it's not coming out of the hotel. Last year when I went it stayed in the hotel and I just listened to it at night when I was working or whatever in the hotel room.

 

[tommyscan]

you can program the conventional frequencies for manhattan fire/pd/ and ems. Also, the trunked doitt system is interesting sometimes!! Welcome to ny and enjoy your visit here!!!!

 

[K2KOH]

yorkphotog, bring your earphone, clip your 246 to your belt, and enjoy everything New York has to offer, including scanning the most complicated police radio system in the world. NOBODY will bother you if you are walking with a scanner clipped to your belt, unless you venture into a high crime area, which I doubt you're doing.
Make sure you input the citywide frequencies as well. A site I highly recommend is www.n2nov.net

Charles has put together one hell of a website for NYC frequencies. If a cop asks you about the scanner, don't BS him, don't have attitude. NYC cops are good people. As a state court officer, I worked side by side with NYPD guys when I worked in the city...and they're a great bunch.

So, come on down and have fun!

 

[K2KOH]

First thing, you might not want to bring a scanner along in public, just leave it at where your staying

I'm post 9/11 NYC, if you even flash it without being a public safety officer, you'll be looking for trouble with the people down there.
If you can, just leave it in your pocket and use headphone, and dont take it out too much
NYC is just one of those places where scanners arent too appreciated

Why would you say NYC is one of those places where scanners aren't appreciated? I don't recall reading any changes in the laws regarding scanners, nor do I recall any policies regarding people with scanners. It's not the scanner that makes one suspicious...it's their actions.

 

[yorkphotog]

Thanks for the replies...

I hate to ask..but does anybody have any ARC246 programming files for the Manhattan area that they might like to share with me? It'd make the process (I'm running out of time before I leave) a lot easier. Thx!

 

[yorkphotog]

Well, I programmed some stuff last night before I left.....and have been listening for a bit tonight. I programmed the DOITT system and a bunch of the conventional stuff (NYPD, FDNY, etc). Unfortunatetly the signal for the DOITT system isn't great in the hotel rm.

How does the FD dispatch their calls? I haven't had a chance to pay close attention, so I'm not sure how the calls are dispatched (tones, etc). I'm also not sure what "k" means....the police use it all of the time, "Male party is located at the corner of xxx and xxx k."

 

[bezking]

Well, I programmed some stuff last night before I left.....and have been listening for a bit tonight. I programmed the DOITT system and a bunch of the conventional stuff (NYPD, FDNY, etc). Unfortunatetly the signal for the DOITT system isn't great in the hotel rm.

How does the FD dispatch their calls? I haven't had a chance to pay close attention, so I'm not sure how the calls are dispatched (tones, etc). I'm also not sure what "k" means....the police use it all of the time, "Male party is located at the corner of xxx and xxx k."

FDNY says "K" at the end of all of their transmissions, like "Over."

EX: "Respond to XXX and XXX for a YYY K" = "Respond to XXX and XXX for a YYY, over"

 

[gatekeep]

The way I understand it is, that K is a left-over from the old telegraph days. To add to what bezking said, in the basic sense it means "over". It actually means, "I am done transmitting now, and am awaiting your reply."

 

[mercurygrandmarquis1]

First thing, you might not want to bring a scanner along in public, just leave it at where your staying

I'm post 9/11 NYC, if you even flash it without being a public safety officer, you'll be looking for trouble with the people down there.
If you can, just leave it in your pocket and use headphone, and dont take it out too much
NYC is just one of those places where scanners arent too appreciated

i've walked around with a scanner in nyc and all i got were strange looks and people asking me if im a cop. the only problem ive had with it is a school safety agent who has a grudge against me pulled me back on to school grounds and confiscated it.

 

[comspec]

I't ironic, but you are more likely to get stopped and questioned if you are taking photos of anything anyone thinks is suspicous than you are if you are carrying a scanner.

Before 9-11 I have carried both and people (including cops) assumed I was press. Today, I wouldn't want to get caught with a camera and a scanner. People are paranoid around here and with all due respect. Ignorant. I unfortuantely think those that wish us harm must be laughing as cops all over the city a stopping harmless photographers while the real bad guys are discretley moving about undetected.

Just me 2 cents for what it worth. Do I have an Ax to grind? you bet. Someone spotted me taking pictures of a building (and not an improtant building) but their underpaid bored security guard saw me as the treat to freedom everwhere and called the cops. Cops came checked me out and saw I was harmless, but the %&*!@#$& security guard demanded I delete the pictures of his building. To
shut the &%$#!!#$ up I deleted them, but I should have told him to buzz off.

 

[k2ns]

Hey New Yorkers...

I'm from Canada, travelling to NYC for a week. I've got a BC246T that I'll bring along with me. I've been looking at the NY database, but am not sure the best things to program. I mainly want to listen to PD, fire, and EMS for the Manhattan area. Most of what I want to listen to seems to be conventional freqs? Any advise?

Of course, if there's anything else in the city that you find interesting to listen to, let me know.

Thanks!!

Will the UASD files from a 396 or 996 work for you ??? The NYC files that come with those 2 scanners are chock full of active frequencies. I don't know if those files are compatible with your 246T.


RON