True, but they do sell them, and at decent prices too. They also ship to your local store if for some reason you don't want a scanner shipped to your home.
Why no alternatives to RR?
- Thread starter Ensnared
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True, but they do sell them, and at decent prices too. They also ship to your local store if for some reason you don't want a scanner shipped to your home.
I’ve read all your responses but you have not once stated what your looking for in an Alternative. What is it about RR that has you wishing for a competitive alternative? And please don’t use the competition is good example because that only applies to certain things. RR is a specialty site. Others are free to make there own. So we can understand your request for an alternative better, what is it your looking for?
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Radio Reference being a monopoly is not such a bad thing. Lindsay is not abusing anyone. If he's taking advantage of it's members, that's only to make RR better for all!
If there were two or three comparable sights, resources would thin out and you'd be required to frequent all of them to gather the wealth of information and assistance you find here on RR. I'd rather all the knowledgeable talent make their contributions to one place.
If there were two or three comparable sights, resources would thin out and you'd be required to frequent all of them to gather the wealth of information and assistance you find here on RR. I'd rather all the knowledgeable talent make their contributions to one place.
I have only one more commit
IF YOU WANT TO DO IT YOURSELF WITH YOUR OWN MONEY THEN DO IT.
I am very thankful for what we have and the vision that built and runs this place.
One thing that would make the DATABASE better I WOULD NEVER ASK the ADMINS to do and that would be check with others in the local areas to see if the data is up to date. The ADMIN for my state is working hard to clean up and correct our state and I THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK.
IF YOU WANT TO DO IT YOURSELF WITH YOUR OWN MONEY THEN DO IT.
I am very thankful for what we have and the vision that built and runs this place.
One thing that would make the DATABASE better I WOULD NEVER ASK the ADMINS to do and that would be check with others in the local areas to see if the data is up to date. The ADMIN for my state is working hard to clean up and correct our state and I THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK.
If there were two or three comparable sites, the data would start to diverge, and there would be no easy way to determine which site was correct for which particular piece of data.
The old saying is 'The man with one clock knows what time it is, the man with three clocks has no idea". Well, you can apply that to radio frequency databases.
Something to Hold
https://www.amazon.com/RadioShack-F...eST=_SX258_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
https://www.amazon.com/Radio-Monito...eST=_SY344_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Scanner-F...D=51xj6cxYiIL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
One of the problems with user submission is that it is work. Do submitters get premium memberships for the amount/quality of their submissions?
If Uniden and Whistler have to pay for a RRDB license for their scanners (buyers then pay that royalty in the price), why can't those licenses be transferred to their respective users for premium memberships?
https://www.amazon.com/RadioShack-F...eST=_SX258_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
https://www.amazon.com/Radio-Monito...eST=_SY344_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Scanner-F...D=51xj6cxYiIL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
One of the problems with user submission is that it is work. Do submitters get premium memberships for the amount/quality of their submissions?
If Uniden and Whistler have to pay for a RRDB license for their scanners (buyers then pay that royalty in the price), why can't those licenses be transferred to their respective users for premium memberships?
I believe they do, but I'm not positive.
I do not think that the manufacturers pay on each individual radio, but have a contract (I'm sure a pretty lucrative one for RR) that allows them to download the data to their own proprietary system, which is where the actual updates occur, so while it is a great question, and would allow me to have multiple subscriptions, it does not fit into the financial model of RR. Subscriptions are time limited on RR, but your updates through the manufacturer are perpetual.
Hold on Jon. Walmart where I live sells a Whistler handheld and I just finished a job in Lexington, KY and noticed that they are sold there to. I don't know the model number though. I've actually had one in my hand and did notice that they were only VHF. I believe they sell for $79.00. There is an anti theft feature built in to them so you have to have your receipt in order to set it up the first time. I thought that the fact that VHF is being sold was odd. Although RR still shows VHF frequencies list here, we have been digital for a while now.
I've been in Wal-Marts in CA, TX, SD, WI, VA, WV, OH, PA, and MI, and have never seen a scanner in the electronics section. So it's not all that common a thing, and they don't seem to be stocking the higher-end models like the x36 or SDS-100 even if they do carry scanners.
TailGator911
Silent Key/KF4ANC
I really appreciate RR because they sure cut down on the leg work for most of us. Gone are the days of the Radio Shack frequency books, Pop Comms monthly frequency list, etc. I still belong to Monix and they are a great alternative to the RRDB for off the wall frequencies. In fact, RR was somewhat limited for media news teams freqs and Monix had gobs of them. Back before RR I lived in Florida and really looked forward to the Sunday Night Central Florida's Listeners Group Net on 2m at 8pm. That net was a goldmine for frequencies. The best way to find the frequencies you want nowdays is to go to the FCC database ULS Licensing look-up and browse. That's the real mother lode. And a previous poster was correct, you can cut and paste them into some programming software apps. Technology is making it easier and RR certainly takes the cake when it comes to scanner information. I will always be a subscriber.
Yeah before computers were all those scanner book freq guides the size
of small phone books.
Think I may have one or two of those laying around somewhere..
of small phone books.
Think I may have one or two of those laying around somewhere..
You are correct and until recently neither have I. Don't know what the deal is. This is what they carry.
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Back twenty years ago when scanning was a lot less technical and complicated, there were other websites. In the late 1990s I was living in New York state, and I remember consulting Jim Fordyce's Long Island and NE states' website for information. It is still archived here: Long Island Scanning Resources. However, there were no discussion forums or help resources.
Today's scanners are 10X more complicated than they were in the mid 1990s, and 20X more complicated than they were in the 1980s. In the mid 1980s, all you needed to know were 1) the frequency and 2) the name of the agency. It sure isn't that simple anymore (too bad, really!).
RadioReference provides extremely up-to-date frequency info plus other important data for pretty much everywhere in the USA and Canada. It is THE go-to resource for this information. I don't resent them one bit.
Today's scanners are 10X more complicated than they were in the mid 1990s, and 20X more complicated than they were in the 1980s. In the mid 1980s, all you needed to know were 1) the frequency and 2) the name of the agency. It sure isn't that simple anymore (too bad, really!).
RadioReference provides extremely up-to-date frequency info plus other important data for pretty much everywhere in the USA and Canada. It is THE go-to resource for this information. I don't resent them one bit.
Martin Tn WalMart sells the same scanner and it is in stock have not seen them in the other 4 WalMarts that are near me.
nd5y
Member
No, actually it's only good in areas where people submit current information.
Don't get me wrong, I truly appreciate the folks in RR. Also, I am not really complaining. I am very thankful to have this service available, but I got to wondering why others haven't attempted to replicate such. It was one of those thoughtful moments that occur in my brain from time to time. I believe everyone had very valid comments, thank you.
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scanmanmi
Member
I am really grateful for all that RR is and how they have legally gone to bat for us when they tried to shut them down. There is a LOT to be desired though. It is great for listing 800 trunking systems but little else othere than school buses. There are thousands of things to listen to that are either not on here or difficult to find. I ran across another site that has hundreds of local things not on here. I do not think they woud list businesses etc if they were submitted. Here is an example. I suggested adding a column to the databases to reflect when activity is heard like 'last date' or 'number of confirmations' because there can be so many freqs it's overwhelming. Let's say I want to listen to a Michigan State University Athletic Event. If I go here it lists many licensed freqs. Why should I have to program them in if others have found them unused? https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=1259 They told me no I could just go to the Wiki page (ya right). What if I want to hear the TV station remotes? Where's that?
If you want to know why no one else has done anything your answer is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS06eprlj2I
If you want to know why no one else has done anything your answer is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS06eprlj2I
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