So I recently got a scanner

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by GhostX, Dec 12, 2016.


  1. GhostX

    GhostX Monkey

    ... and then I realized I have no clue how to use it lol. I've had this thing for months and all I can kind of get on it is the weather broadcasts. I've looked up the frequency for my home town and did my best to program it but so far I have not been able to get a single voice. I got it at a discount because the radio shack was going out of business but it was still pretty expensive. It would be nice to actually make it work.

    I've seen some manuals in the resources and I've found a few posts on scanners here. I was hoping someone could give me a few tips. Does anyone know anything about these?

    RadioShack PRO-651 Handheld Digital Radio Scanner
     
    Motomom34 likes this.
  2. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    If your local CopShop/Fire Dept have converted to digital, then you are out of luck, with an analog Scanner.... Try looking at the local HAM Repeater Frequencies....
     
    GhostX likes this.
  3. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    The 651 is digi. Other than that me noes nudding.
     
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  4. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

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  5. Airtime

    Airtime Monkey+++

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  6. GhostX

    GhostX Monkey

    Hmmm, is there a way to build an external antenna?
     
  7. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Sure. Here's one.
    Build A Simple VHF/UHF Scanner Antenna - A Police Scanner Antenna For The Price of Parts!
    But the truth of the matter is that you will be a lot happier buying a ready made. A search for scanner antenna on Google will kick up more skyhooks than you'll ever want. Not too difficult to find reviews, either, but bear in mind that the reviews are often written by folks that have an axe to grind.
     
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  8. azrancher

    azrancher Monkey +++

    @BTPost ... so if you get a digital scanner, can you listen in on the digital emergency radios in the area? We recently had a fire a couple of canyons North of here, and I turned on "broadcastify.com" and I could only hear the local city up the road police reports, a car had apparently been hit, and all "4 tires were up", but nothing on the fire, which would have been EMT and COOP Fire departments and Forest Service fire units, nothing.

    Rancher
     
  9. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Likely they were Encrypted Comms.... Even if you have a Digital Capable Scanner, they will NOT decode Encrypted Comms, unless they have a Decryption Chip, AND the appropriate Encryption Key, loaded... If you do NOT have those, you hear NO AUDIO, at all...
     
  10. stg58

    stg58 Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Discone antennas are great wideband receive antennas.
     
  11. stg58

    stg58 Monkey+++ Founding Member

  12. azrancher

    azrancher Monkey +++

    Thanks, that's kind of what I figured.

    Rancher
     
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