FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT

SCANNERS
 

• WHAT CAN I ACTUALLY "HEAR" ON A RADIO SCANNER?
  A - Some of the Interesting transmissions that can be monitored with scanners include: Police, Fire, Ambulance, Civilian and Military Aircraft, Coast Guard & Boats, FBI & DEA, Ham Radio Operators, various state, local & federal agencies, "Commercial interests" such as Plumbers, landscapers, electric companies, Security officers & others using two-way radios; Also Officials & others at various Sporting events, including Race drivers & pit crews. Some scanners will also receive CB channels, FM & AM radio, TV sound, shortwave & more!! Each radio model is different, & of course not Every scanner model is capable of receiving all of those mentioned above.
  
• WHAT DOES "CELL BLOCKED" MEAN?
  A - "Cell Blocked" means that the USA Cellular phone Frequencies are "blocked" from being entered into the Radio Scanner. As of April, 1994, ALL Scanners Sold in the USA must be Cellular Deleted (Blocked) by the Mfgr, & all the scanners we offer therefore are cell blocked. There is No Scanner, new, old, modified or "export", that can hear the current "Digital" Cellphones being sold today. Some radios may also block some additional "non cellular" image freqs to be FCC compliant, because in some radio designs, a "quirk" of the circuit allows 800Mhz cell freqs to be heard in "other" bands too. These additional blocked freqs are usually not in any Public service or "Action" band. See next Question for additional information.
  
• CAN SCANNERS BE "MODIFIED" TO PICKUP CELLULAR PHONE OR OTHER FREQUENCIES?
  A - Only some Older scanners built before 1994 were able to be "modified, or Restored". All Current New scanner models sold in the USA, by law, have the cellular Frequencies Permenently Deleted from their Internal chips, They aren't "hidden" in there, so they can't be "restored or modified". Older Scanners that could be "modified", were actually being "UN-modified", as they were built with these frequencies & then "blocked". Also, Remember, since most newer cellphones are TDMA-CDMA or GSM "Digital", even the older, or export model cellular-capable scanners simply can't "hear" any of the new Digital cellphones, even when tuned to their exact frequency.
  
• WHAT ABOUT THESE NEW "DIGITAL SCANNERS"?
  The New Digital Scanners being released by Uniden in Early 2003 (The BC-785D & BC-250D)will be able to pick up Only Police, & other 2-way radio Transmissions using the Standard non-encrypted "APCO P-25" type 3600 baud Digital signal ONLY. APCO-25 is a standard used by Many, (but not all) 2-way radios that transmit using a newer "Digital" rathar than "normal" Analog method. These new Uniden Models will also require the purchase of an optional BCi-25D APCO 25 "Card" to receive these digital transmissions. The scanners Will NOT be able to get any "Encrypted" or scrambled Digital Transmissions, nor Any Type of Digital Cellphone Transmissions, or other Digital Transmission formats (non of these are "APCO-25"), Nor the APCO p-25 "9600" baud Digital Systems, & the card can't be "modified" to do so. The optional digital card will Not be needed on "normal" non-digital transmissions used by most 2-way radios today.
  
• WHAT IS THE "ctcss (PL) & dcs (DPL)" FEATURE, & HOW DOES IT WORK?
  A - PL & DPL (ctcss & dcs tone squelch)Enable your scanner (if it has this feature), to select who you want to hear or not hear on a frequency that is shared by more than 1 user or department. Many Police & other Radio users have a "PL Tone", & if you know this tone number, you can enter it into the scanner channel, along with the frequency, & you will only hear THAT department when tuned to that channel, even if other users are on the same Frequency!
  
• WHAT IS ALPHA or ALPHANUMERIC DISPLAY?
  A - AlphaNumeric Display allows you to enter a "name" for each channel. For example, you could enter "NY POLICE" or "FDNY-1", & when your scanner stops on that channel, you will actually "see" what you are tuned to. Scanners with this feature will, of course have a limits on the amount of characters you can have in the display, depending on exact model.
  
• WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FREQUENCY, A BAND & A CHANNEL?
  A - An example of a "Frequency" would be "154.740 Mhz". This may be a local Police Frequency. You can store this frequency in one of your radios "Channels" for monitoring & scanning (similar to the presets on your car stereo). A "Band" is a range of frequencies, for example, the "VHF-Hi" Band ranges from 136 to 174 Mhz. The more "channels" & "Bands" your scanner has, the more interesting frequencies you can store, scan, search & monitor!
  
• IS IT LEGAL FOR ME TO HAVE & USE A SCANNER?
  A - "Generally Speaking" it is legal to sell, buy & use FCC-approved Radio Scanners in the USA. HOWEVER, Mobile (automotive) use of scanners may possibly be regulated or restricted by certian State or local laws. For example, last time we checked, in New Jersey it is Legal to have a Scanner in your car, EXCEPT during the commission of a Felony or crime. Scanner Use during a crime brings an additional penalty. Other States laws vary, check with your State & local Authorities before attempting mobile use of a Scanner. Also, use of a Scanner, or any item to "break an existing law" is also usually illegal. Many jurisdictions have laws against tapping into private phone conversations without the persons knowledge, & use of a scanner, or any other item to do this may violate that law. NONE of this information should be considered legal advise, check with your local authorities or a lawyer if you need more information on this subject.
• WILL A "MORE EXPENSIVE SCANNER" HAVE BETTER RECEPTION THAN MY CURRENT "$129" DOLLAR MODEL?
  A - If you want to upgrade your current scanner, Plan on puchasing a "more expensive" scanner primarily for the additional features/channels/frequencies you will get, not nessessarily to get "better reception". It is quite possible that at certian specific frequencies, even a "cheaper" scanner could actually receive as good, or even better than one costing much more. The higher end model may give you a Wider frequency coverage, AlphaNumerics, PL & DPL & other features you may want, however.
• WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SEARCH & THE SCAN FEATURE?
  A - "Scan" allows your Radio to run through your preset memory channels, stopping on any channel that is active. "Search" allows you to search a range, or band of frequencies, without entering "specific" channels or individual frequencies. Some scanners allow you to program an upper & lower freq "limit",("limit search") & will then Search all frequencies between them. Other Scanner Radios may allow only searches within Factory Preset Bands,("Band, or Service Search") or both. Some units do Not have any Search features.
  
• HOW CAN I GET BETTER RECEPTION ON MY SCANNER?
  A - Generally Speaking, the best way to get better reception across a wide range of frequencies is to get a Longer/larger antenna than what you are currently using, & mounted up higher. Trading your 5 inch "rubber duck" for a different brand 5 inch "rubber duck" probably won't make much difference. Go with a 15" rubber duck, or better yet mount an antenna on the roof of your house or car for a more noticeable improvement. Most signals that you will listen to on a Scanner have "Line of Sight" reception qualities.
• WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE WITH A "RACE or SPORT SCANNER" ?
  A - There really is no differece from "regular" scanners & those labeled "Sport" or Racing" on the package. It has become very popular for Racing fans to bring Radio Scanners to the Racetrack & Sporting events, to listen to the drivers & Pit crew, so some of the Scanner makers have been using these "Sport" & "Race" type terms on the Packaging to appeal to Race fans or Coloring the scanner Red or Yellow. You generally want features such as Freq coverage to 956 Mhz, at least 100 channels and AlphaNumerics for the Best "race" use...
• WHAT IF THE SCANNER WON'T ACCEPT MY FREQUENCY?
  A - There are 2 possibilities. Some scanners were designed for "6 digit" freqs only, so trying to enter "462.7125" might cause it to default to a nearby freq like "462.710. In cases like this it is Usually OK to allow the scanner to default to the nearest freq, it should be close enough to receive, in most cases. This is known as the "step Rate" of the scanner. Remember, most scanners will only accept the standard step rates, If you try to enter, say, 452.176, the radio will default to the correct 452.175, since the FCC does not allocate radio users in a 1kz step, & that would not be a vaild user frequency. Some scanners, such as the Alinco Models, have selectable step rates, allowing for great flexibility to enter most frequencies. - The other possibility is that you are trying to enter a frequency the scanner doesn't have the capability to accept at all, such as a cellular phone freq, or other freq band that gives an error.
• WHAT IS TRUNKTRACKING, & DO I NEED IT IN MY SCANNER?
  A - The Trunking, or TrunkTracking feature is Only used to monitor a special computerized "trunked" radio system. Agencies using a Trunked system have a central computer that "handles" multiple frequencies (channels) & Transmitters, putting various & multiple different system users on a vacant frequency(s) as needed. A user could theoretically be on a different "channel" every time he keys his mike. This multiple frequency "jumping" makes it hard or impossible to "follow" conversations when using a non-trunktracking scanner. If the signals you monitor are not part of a "Trunked" Radio system, This extra trunking feature would not be used for them, & gives no additional benifit when monitoring your "regular" channels. Contrary to rumors, "TrunkTracking" has Nothing to do with "radios mounted in cop car's "trunks", nor scrambled or Encrypted signals.