Thank you Nick for your great post. I'm studying the web site you
referenced. Very informative. Can you tell me, is an outside antenna a good
accessory and can it be attached to the scanner without much technical
knowledge? Is one type of antenna better tyhan another?

Samantha



"cnick6" wrote in message
...
Sam,

As others have suggested, you need to do some quick research. I highly
recommend http://www.radioreference.com
to see what your local PD/Fire/EMS system is using...

In the past, you could just buy one scanner to do it all - but that's not
really the case any more. I have one for trunking and one for
conventional. Then I have a portable handheld scanner as well. (Actually
I have 3 of those, but I only use one regularly.)

If you are in an area that is using a trunked system, then you need to
find out if they're using digital. It's called APCO P25. If you see this
in the description, then you're limited to only a few scanners. Also, I
should point out that there's also no guarantee that the Police won't
encrypt certain channels. If you look at the radio reference site, there
are forums by state. Check around and see what other people are doing in
your area.

I can highly recommend the Uniden BC396T as it comes with programming
software (you can download at no charge.) It can decode the "digital"
mode (P25) and it's also a conventional scanner as well. This model is
right around the 400-500 price range. This is a handheld model. (They
have a 996 model which is the base version.)

If you're in an area that is not digital (you'll see it say Motorola
800mhz Type II or Smartzone) then you have a bit more options. A good
scanner is the Uniden BCT15. This model is around $200 - but you do have
purchase the programming software ($25.) This model is a base scanner
(or mobile.)

So you see it depends on what your local community is using for their
radio system. Like another person suggested... take a trip to your local
radio shack and chances are they can help you figure out what you need.


-Nick