What R/S scanner is best for Cellular reception?

[N_Jay]

2a) . . . More recently, the Commission has stated that modifying even one's own personal scanner is technically illegal. (Unenforceable, but illegal.) . . .

Interesting!


This is almost a prohibition on ownership.

I did not realize the FCC had such power.

 

[CyberGoth1440]

Cingular is making those few subscribers who still want to hold on to a phone capable of
swithcing to AMPS pay an extra $7.00 charge. They say it's expensive to maintain the old
AMPS system and TDMA/GSM and this is to encourage users to "upgrade" to digital
service.
Video capture phones, E-mail, "V-Cast", navigation - what about a phone that actually
WORKS! Can you hear me now Cingular? (yes, I miss my old Motorola "bag-phone")

 

[CyberGoth1440]

Not to encourage anything that would violate FCC rules or Federal law but I have heard
that certain scanners, for example the BC-200xlt could recieve cellular on "image" frequencies without any modification.

 

[DaveH]

Actually, they did outlaw PCS scanning. Anything that connects directly to the PSTN via radio (except hams) is illegal to monitor, as are voice and digital pagers (except tone-only),.

ref. 18 U.S.C. ss. 2510-2520

Interesting...does this mean that fire tone-outs are illegal to monitor (being
tones followed by voice)...?

Dave(2)

 

[DaveH]

Also, for whatever little it matters (in the end), the RS cellular-capable
scanners I know of are : PRO-51, PRO-2022, PRO-2004/5/6, and PRO-2026.

The 850 cellular band is far from falling into disuse. It, like other bands,
is being "refarmed" for digital i.e. CDMA and GSM, at least where I am, and
surely everywhere else in N.A.

Dave

 

[landonjensen]

Interesting...does this mean that fire tone-outs are illegal to monitor (being
tones followed by voice)...?

Dave(2)

Couldnt be because Uniden sells many scanners that are capaable of tones out.

 

[DaveNF2G]

The paging referenced in ECPA is commercial paging, not government paging.

 

[James]

Also, for whatever little it matters (in the end), the RS cellular-capable
scanners I know of are : PRO-51, PRO-2022, PRO-2004/5/6, and PRO-2026.

The 850 cellular band is far from falling into disuse. It, like other bands,
is being "refarmed" for digital i.e. CDMA and GSM, at least where I am, and
surely everywhere else in N.A.

Dave

One of my favorites(actually had 2) Pro-39 nice GRE made radio, the mod was a bit harder than some, Great cell reception and 30khz spacing. Fast, and good sound.
the Pro 23 had the same key trick as the later 51s.
But the best by far is my Yupiteru MVT 9000. Its good to great at everything (cept trnking)
Pro 26 I had was downconverted US model. not very sensitive, tuned cell in the 380mhz range.

 

[gcgrotz]

One of my favorites(actually had 2) Pro-39 nice GRE made radio, the mod was a bit harder than some, Great cell reception and 30khz spacing. Fast, and good sound.
the Pro 23 had the same key trick as the later 51s.
But the best by far is my Yupiteru MVT 9000. Its good to great at everything (cept trnking)
Pro 26 I had was downconverted US model. not very sensitive, tuned cell in the 380mhz range.

James:

I'm looking at my PRO39 right now. Never modded it for cellular but I still have the directions somewhere...

Being in that business, I have a service monitor. Its kind of hard to lug around so it is sitting on my desk. Nothing much to hear. Most of the analog is there because it has to be. Everybody that has 800MHz spectrum has digital on it, some more than others. And it is still cellular because there are still cells!

Back in the day I did hear some interesting and fun calls on cellular during my (legal of course) maintenance work. I used to have a Motorola mobile that you could put in some secret codes and it would turn into a tunable monitor. We'd use it for monitoring control channel coverage mostly. We have no way of monitoring CDMA now except at the switch level. I don't know much about GSM or iDen.

I still don't know why they made it illegal to monitor digital paging. Decoding maybe, but monitoring? Why? And why are scanners able to scan cordless freqs but it is illegal to monitor them? Why weren't they blocked too? Of course most of that is on 2 or 5 gig or digital now.

 

[spiritwolfpr]

Hello Friends:

I know of at least one person here in Puerto Rico (A friend of mine)
a radio amateur that has a PRO-34 modified to copy cells phones.
Not every cell company here is digital yet

 

[dougjgray]

Where do people get this often repeated falsehood that the 800 MHz cellular band is not used much? :roll:

I believe it used by Nextel/Sprint obvousily its still in use because Nextel is paying for the rebanding

 

[N_Jay]

I believe it used by Nextel/Sprint obvousily its still in use because Nextel is paying for the rebanding

NO!

The 800 MHz band that Nextel and Part 90 users share and is now being re-banded to separate the users is COMPLETELY different from the 800 MHz cellular band; that is still in active use even with a declining amount of analog (AMPS) users.:roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[poltergeisty]

Hello Friends:

I know of at least one person here in Puerto Rico (A friend of mine)
a radio amateur that has a PRO-34 modified to copy cells phones.
Not every cell company here is digital yet

What happans if you are caught with a copy cat where you live.

Thanks.