Which scanner for Reading & MontCo.

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rnwjr

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I currently have a Uniden Bearcat 235XLT scanner and work as a police officer along the Berks, MontCo, Chester County boarder... I had a pursuit the other day and I was only able to communicate with Berks Radio via P-1 as the Regional Channel kept cutting out. I am looking to program my 235XLT with Berks (Reading City) and MontCo. so I can hear their units and have had no luck. Is there another scanner that I need to get and if so which would be my best bet? (A good place to get it at the right price would also help!)

On another note we are served by MontCo Fire and EMS units and I would love to be able to listen to them as well as Pottstown PD....

I know with my 235XLT I could only scan one bank or trunked system, is there a way to scan all??? VHF, UHF, 800, & Digital?

Thanks in advance...
 

ctrabs74

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rnwjr said:
I am looking to program my 235XLT with Berks (Reading City) and MontCo. so I can hear their units and have had no luck. Is there another scanner that I need to get and if so which would be my best bet? (A good place to get it at the right price would also help!)

On another note we are served by MontCo Fire and EMS units and I would love to be able to listen to them as well as Pottstown PD....

You may want to upgrade to a digital scanner at some point, as your scanner will not support re-banding (which will affect the Reading, MontCo, ChesCo, Allentown and Bethlehem TRS). I suggest digital because Reading and MontCo have a lot of digital traffic, which a 235 can't decode...

I have a Bearcat 396 handheld (best bet is to buy one online or via eBay). The biggest advantage of the 396 (and the 996 base scanner) is the "dynamic programming" features, which allow you to program as many freqs into a particular system through different groups without worrying about filling up banks. Follow this link for a little more info:

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BCD396T

Uniden also has a base/mobile version with similar features to the 396:

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BCD996T

Even with a digital scanner, Reading PD and Pottstown PD are digital and encrypted, so you won't be able to pick them up at all. Reading FD/EMS is on the city's 800 system and are digital/clear.

MontCo Fire is clear digital, EMS and most PD are analog. All other Berks PD agencies are VHF, so you should be able to program them.

The MontCo system starts to fade around the Elverson/French Creek area (at least along PA 23), and I can't really speak to how far west along 422 the system carries.

Sounds like you're closer to the Morgantown/Robeson/Union Twp area in southern Berks, so I can't speak to how well MontCo picks up; the ChesCo TRS similcast freqs (which have to be programmed in conventional mode) comes in decently (but not great) around by the Morgantown exit of the turnpike (I've also picked up West Chester PD's conventional freq just south of Morgantown along PA 10 near the Lancaster/Chester Co line).

Hope this helps.
 

rnwjr

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Good info... I heard that the PRO-96 will allow one to hear encrypted tranmissions... Is that true? I do believe that BerksLive.com is transmitting Reading PD's Police so I will send them an email and ask what they use... Also how well does "Close Call™ RF Capture Technology - Instantly tunes to signals from nearby transmitters" work? I would love to pull next to another unit, they key up and I then have their frequency added with little or no trouble. Is it that easy?
 

ctrabs74

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rnwjr said:
Good info... I heard that the PRO-96 will allow one to hear encrypted tranmissions... Is that true?

No. Encrypted transmissions can't be monitored by any commercially available scanner, RS or Uniden. The PRO-96 will pick up P25 digital transmissions, but not digitally encrypted xmits.

I do believe that BerksLive.com is transmitting Reading PD's Police so I will send them an email and ask what they use...

They might be transmitting Reading Fire, but not Reading PD (see previous point above). I don't believe that even the neighboring police departments can monitor Reading, much less BerksLive.com.

Also how well does "Close Call™ RF Capture Technology - Instantly tunes to signals from nearby transmitters" work? I would love to pull next to another unit, they key up and I then have their frequency added with little or no trouble. Is it that easy?

Not familiar with "Close Call". I'm sure if you check the Uniden forums here you might be able to get some better answers...
 
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