What Should I Buy For NH

[Forz]

Hi guys,new to the forum New Hampshire resident here.I live in Litchfield which is tucked right in between Manchester and Hudson.I got sick a couple of years ago and got sentenced to my home for almost a year.In that time I figured I needed something to occupy my time so I got back in to talking on the CB radio again,bought a couple of Cobra 148 GTL's a couple of amps, a Wilson 500&5000 antennas along with an Antron 99 for the base.I also have a Cobra 2000 GTL as well.

Now I am back in the world and am out of the house.I dusted off my old Radio Shack scanner only to find out that it had died on me while in hibernation so I bought a couple of cheapo's only to find out that there is a new set of systems out there that my analog's don't pick up.

So here is my question- Living in New Hampshire and also traveling to and from Massachusetts frequently,I am wondering which eergency/public radio frequency scanner should I buy that would allow me to pick up most if not all frequencies out there.I am by far not loaded with cash but have been saving and will save a little longer if need be to get the right rig.

I would like a boxy looking scanner like one of the uniden's i've seen but a handheld would serve just as well. I like the boxy one's cause they are easily mounted and would look nice in my vehicle once mounted and also once my CB gets mounted with the new mount I have coming in the mail.

So if some of you guys that know your digital/trunking/digital trunking/analog/apco 25/motorola etc.'s/etc...... i would appreciate a nudge in the right direction. i want to get the right scanner to pick up as much of the fun as i possibly can hear!! thank you-Forz (it's an old Xbox Live gamertag name I still use)

 

[jmarcel66]

Hi Forz,

To get NH Law Enforcement, and more increasingly Massachusetts operations, a P25 scanner will be required. Almost all of NH Police Agencies are P25 and Boston area is working on a 700Mhz P25 trunked system. Nashua's 800Mhz Trunked system and Massachusett's current system are mixed P25/Analog and Manchester's 800Mhz system is EDACS. NH Fire, EMS and most everything else is Analog with some MotoTrbo & Nexedge (can't get on scanners) digital creeping in.

If it's been several years since you've been scanning, you may need to re-learn how they function. They don't function by simple channels anymore. Uniden is currently the best brand out there. They just came out w/some brand new models w/some great features as well; which will drive down current model prices. The only caution for NH I'd give is the Home Patrol or the HP features on the new scanners. NH is often out of date for information in Radio Reference, where the info for the HP databases come from.

 

[Forz]

Thank you for the info.Yeah,it does seem like scanners have gone pretty technical and almost need a refresher class to get up to speed lol.
I found a site that has this little questionaire and the answers I gave allowed them to produce a list of the best scanner(s) for what I am looking to do with it and the 996XT - Uniden , which is a scanner i had my eye on while browsing the scanners on Amazon,eBay,and anywhere else i could see mass listed scanners for sale. this site i bought from,had it at the cheapest i've seen it anywhere and it has all of the accessories and brand new in the box.

my fear was i would spend 3 or 4 hundred dollars on a scanner and i would be missing some of the broadcasts because i wouldnt have had a scanner that was up to par,nothing like only getting part of the action.because of health issues,i spend a lot of time at home so i need something to occupy my time and brain (i do get out there and work my butt off when not sick - I hate being home bound).

i also got back into the CB radio hobby. i loved talking to people from far away during the day when the skip comes in.not too many locals on the air waves any more but still a few and in some areas you can't find an open unused channel on the CB because so many are actually using it.

Again,thank you for the heads up/info.I did originally have the HP in my sights but was told they are great scanners but are limited compared to a programmable unit. so I fell for the BCD996XT and ordered it last night and can't wait til it comes. until it arrives,I'll keep my laptop running the feeds from here and keep my two analog scanners picking up the broadcasts that have yet to go digital. i live 7miles from Manchester Airport so I get a good amount of pilot to ATC. those pilots have excellent sounding mic's and set-up's in general.
thanks and see ya' around here in the forums-Scott/Forz

 

[malware]

looking into this same question. I dont want to spend as much as the BCD996XT costs but I think I'm going to pick up a Pro-106. Hopefully it does everything I would like it to.

 

[mainetrunk]

The pro 106 in MY opinion is the best for N.H.. I;ll tell you why--- 1st, you push TUNE while on a control channel on a MO system, it gets stored into the scanner as a system. You just gotta edit it on name--delay,,,.. 2nd, there is a few dual modes out there. ( p25/analog ) Setting the pro 106 expert functions to SQ-WAIT 1;18, RF SQ WAIT2;15, RF SQ FADE; 10, you should hear both sides.. Thats what I did for Dover N.H... Works perfect.. Get 2....

 

[SCPD]

wow

The pro 106 in MY opinion is the best for N.H.. I;ll tell you why--- 1st, you push TUNE while on a control channel on a MO system, it gets stored into the scanner as a system. You just gotta edit it on name--delay,,,.. 2nd, there is a few dual modes out there. ( p25/analog ) Setting the pro 106 expert functions to SQ-WAIT 1;18, RF SQ WAIT2;15, RF SQ FADE; 10, you should hear both sides.. Thats what I did for Dover N.H... Works perfect.. Get 2....

Hey now theres something I didnt know!Thank you for that information on the Pro-106!

 

[mainetrunk]

However, thers a dark side to both brands of scanners.. Its troop A, their sites send out p25 bursts--2 or more towers. Therefore-a signal is produced, and the scanners catch it as a conversation, but just a BEEP.. Put delay to minimum there, that way it will continue. By hand, the pro 106 is easier to program than uniden... Both are great, but the pro is less time consuming, and subbanks suck --in my book-- straight scanlists-aka banks.... PRO

 

[Forz]

good info to have,thank you. now in the spirit of being a brain picker, any thoughts on a good antenna for home and one for mobile because until i hit the lottery and am able to buy two digital scanners,i will be carting my BCD996XT between my home/office and my vehicle so i want to put an antenna up at home(but on the other side of the house as my Antron 99 CB antenna-go ahead,laugh at me i am an 80's electronics geek in the sense that i like to use them).

for home,i have seen the antennas that have probably 15 sections of antenna that look like a metal tree, then on eBay i have seen this "Snoop" antenna that is PVC with coax run through it and it has a bend at the end. the tree looking antenna I have seen at Radio Shack for like $40 or $50 and the Snoop antenna is an auction item that he lists a new one every time the one sells so the auction can run anywhere from $15 to $50 depending on how bad people want that one listed antenna, and how many people are going after it. but another guy on eBay sells a re-make of it but the original maker says it has inferior product so go figure.

then when i go mobile there are rubber duck antennas but i have heard some say that certain rubber duckie brand of antenna are better. i have heard 800Mhz also thrown in on the antenna info,again- i know very little about scanners in general let alone all of the new info that is out there today but i do plan on jumping in the information pool and reading as much as i possibly can once my 996XT arrives tomorrow.

thank you again for the good info posted already and if anyone has a minute or two to give me a heads up on which base antennas are good and which mobile antennas are good i'd very much thank you-Forz

 

[mainetrunk]

For the house, I got 1 of these, does 25--1300 mhz n-p.... Discone Scanner Base Station Antenna | eBay For a Uniden try a REAL antenna Austin Antenna Ferret Omnidirectional Multiband Base Station Scanner Antenna