police scanners information and questions?

[l0ck_0ff]

well im looking into getting a police scanner so i can listen to it in my free time although i odnt know squat for 1 and 2 i need to know how can i tell if a frequency will or will not work on my scanner ( trunking or not?)
i would like to listen to my local police station and surrounding towns but how do i know i wont need a special scanner to listen to my town?


any help on these or suggestions on what kind to get????

 

[Outcast]

I cannot be too much help on this subject, but I know that my Rhino GPS picked up some EMS guys when I was out hiking and had it on scan.

 

[l0ck_0ff]

i would like it mainly to hear whats goin on in the town..... i have a cb already...

 

[MysticExotics]

You will need to know what they use (800, vhf) & then program the frequencies they use.

 

[l0ck_0ff]

You will need to know what they use (800, vhf) & then program the frequencies they use.

how can i tell though if i need trunking or not? i think my town is trunking... we have a pretty advanced police force.... are certain frequencies trunking and others not or can i use any frequency with any scanner?

 

[MysticExotics]

You will have to ask someone who knows the local agencies. It will depend on what the area agencies have chosen. 800 & VHF are not the only choices, as well, so you will need to ask local agencies.

 

[l0ck_0ff]

well i found this site called http://www.cityfreq.com i found my town but im not sure which frequency is correct? for my police and fire department

 

[Outcast]

Try them all.

 

[l0ck_0ff]

thats what im gonna have to do lol

 

[insomniac]

scanners are fun... I have had one for two years now and listen to my local PD daily. I see your in Chicago, I'm in Elgin and can get the city from here perfect (with an antenna on the roof) Chicago is cool to listen to Friday and Saturday nights. also try http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/ (for freq's)
and
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?ctid=606
You can go to the last link and listen live from your PC.
There is also more sites out there that you can listen live from without a scanner if you look.

I have a cheap Radioshack pro-528 I got for $100, it's trucking and works with Chicago police but I don't have it on trunking mode even. So you might not need trucking, although you can find good deals. How much are you looking to spend?

BTW here's the Chicago freq's that I got from my scanner... There is also a site out there someplace that you can get which frequency is what beat and a map of where each beat is located. I'll try and find it, but heres the chi freq's... (you will need to add them all in)
460.4750
460.0500
460.2250
460.1500
460.5000
460.4000
460.0750
460.2000
460.0250
460.1000
460.3750
460.4250
460.4500
460.1250
460.1750
460.2750
460.3250
460.3500
460.2500
460.5250
460.3000

 

[l0ck_0ff]

scanners are fun... I have had one for two years now and listen to my local PD daily. I see your in Chicago, I'm in Elgin and can get the city from here perfect (with an antenna on the roof) Chicago is cool to listen to Friday and Saturday nights. also try http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/ (for freq's)
and
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?ctid=606
You can go to the last link and listen live from your PC.
There is also more sites out there that you can listen live from without a scanner if you look.

I have a cheap Radioshack pro-528 I got for $100, it's trucking and works with Chicago police but I don't have it on trunking mode even. So you might not need trucking, although you can find good deals. How much are you looking to spend?

BTW here's the Chicago freq's that I got from my scanner... There is also a site out there someplace that you can get which frequency is what beat and a map of where each beat is located. I'll try and find it, but heres the chi freq's... (you will need to add them all in)
460.4750
460.0500
460.2250
460.1500
460.5000
460.4000
460.0750
460.2000
460.0250
460.1000
460.3750
460.4250
460.4500
460.1250
460.1750
460.2750
460.3250
460.3500
460.2500
460.5250
460.3000

well i already bought a 100 dolalr radio shack handheld scanner i put in my local towns using the site you linked... although how can i seperate them but make it easy to get to one instead of flipping through each channel...? like on mine i have it this way:

bank 1(channel 1-20) is my local
bank 2 is next town
bank 3 is the over from that
bank 4 is next over

so on and so fourth but i gotta go through each channel to reach what i want and its time consuming....

thanks for the freqs though il ldefinetly put them in

 

[l0ck_0ff]

im also in lansing illinois... so i input most of chicago's freqs... my scanner isnt trunking cus the trunking ones cost another 100

 

[insomniac]

well i already bought a 100 dolalr radio shack handheld scanner i put in my local towns using the site you linked... although how can i seperate them but make it easy to get to one instead of flipping through each channel...? like on mine i have it this way:

bank 1(channel 1-20) is my local
bank 2 is next town
bank 3 is the over from that
bank 4 is next over

so on and so fourth but i gotta go through each channel to reach what i want and its time consuming....

thanks for the freqs though il ldefinetly put them in

What model scanner did you get? The way I do it is just like you described, and I only usually listen to one bank at a time. Although you can listen to as many as you want. Make sure you have all the right frequencies in that bank and none are locked out. Then make sure your scanner is not on 'HOLD' or 'PAUSE' radioshacks should say 'HOLD' though. After that it SHOULD start scanning all active frequencies on that bank selected as soon as an officer or dispatcher keys up.

 

[l0ck_0ff]

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3704415

thats my model... although im goin to go through and delete all my settings and re-do everything to organize it more...
i usually either let it scan my presets or let it scan normally.... then whatever pops up i listen to