Which Scanner to Buy For Los Angeles Area

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enegue

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I have seen a few "which is the best beginner scanner" threads in the other parts of this forum, but the answer that most experienced people give is that it all depends on where you are located.

Which scanner is best for the Los Angeles area? Ideally, I hope there is one that would work well here in LA on LAPD, LASD, and CHP channels, as well as at Air Shows around California.

Thanks in advance for pointing me in the right direction.
 

cousinkix1953

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You need a digital scanner to hear the LAPD. Prices are $300-$500+ on the internet. Get a decent outdoor antenna if you wanna hear both ends of the conversations on many of the CHP system.
 

Eng74

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Do you want a hand held or a base/mobile? If it is your fist scanner go with a hand held the Uniden 396XT or the GRE PSR-500 work great in the L.A. area. Yuo don't have to buy from them but stop by one of the Ham Radio Outlet stores (Burbank or Anaheim) they sell both so you can get a feel and hear how each one sounds.
 

enegue

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Looking for a handheld because I would like to take it to airshows and other events. Sounds like I might need something else if I want to hear CHP though.

Thanks for the suggestions on the Uniden 396XT and GRE PRS-500.
 

enegue

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Ended up picking up a RS Pro-528 because it was less expensive. Still learning about all the functions, but it's not picking up too much by itself. Do you usually need an outdoor antenna?
 

n6ciz

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An outdoor antenna is always (well, usually!) a good thing but you should be able to pick up quite a few things with the stock rubber duck. But, everything is a compromise.

With the rubber duck you should be able to pick up base and repeater signals in the VHF- Hi and UHF bands. Mobiles, not so much. CHP will probably not work too well unless you are pretty close to their radio site. (They are beginning to repeat everything, so that will make listening to the mobiles a lot easier.)

Unfortunately, LAPD is not an option since you need a digital-capable scanner as discussed before. But LA Sheriff should come in fine for you (the base side anyway, probably not the mobiles unless they are really close to you). LA City and County Fire are other options. News media is always fun to listen to. Basically, anything that is repeated should work OK for you.

An outdoor antenna will work much better than a rubber duck as long as it is installed correctly with good quality coax. But that costs a bit of money, takes a bit of time, and makes your neighbors wonder what you're up to! Still, even a crappy outdoor antenna setup will most likely outperform a rubber duck. For now, I'd play around with what you have and figure out what you want to do with that.

So, what exactly, are you looking to listen to?

Rich
 

spock00

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Do you want a hand held or a base/mobile? If it is your fist scanner go with a hand held the Uniden 396XT or the GRE PSR-500 work great in the L.A. area. Yuo don't have to buy from them but stop by one of the Ham Radio Outlet stores (Burbank or Anaheim) they sell both so you can get a feel and hear how each one sounds.

What about strong signal interference on the GRE 500?
 
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