Police Scanners - anyone here use them?

**e30sd** · 11-18-2008, 06:31 AM

I'm too lazy to load the links you posted since I'm on my crackberry, but being a scanner crackhead, I'll give you quick primer.

It would help to know what systems you wanna listen to: edacs, ltr, apco 25, analog, etc. But the two radios I would rec wound be the uniden bcd396 if you want handheld, or bcd996 if you want a base. Both are full digital apco25 compliant and will work once 700mhz rebanding takes hold. As far as form factor, the 996 is single din so you can even install it in a din slot. And has gps input to selectively activate radio systems based on location.

I prefer the sound quality of the motorola astro/spectra, but they are way overpriced and not readily available to the public. For one radio to do it all, I would go with a uni.

**e30sd** · 11-18-2008, 06:36 AM

Oh and if you think having a scanner will help with tickets. Dream on. It's not like cops come up on the radio every 30 seconds and report their position so you can get a headsup on them. Now a days they use MCT's or cell phones to keep all the juicy shit off the air. Sure if there is a major incident it helps to hear about it. But this isn't some end all police warning system and I really wouldn't consider buying it for that reason.

**325_e30** · 11-18-2008, 08:01 AM

Originally posted by e30sd

Oh and if you think having a scanner will help with tickets. Dream on. It's not like cops come up on the radio every 30 seconds and report their position so you can get a headsup on them. Now a days they use MCT's or cell phones to keep all the juicy shit off the air. Sure if there is a major incident it helps to hear about it. But this isn't some end all police warning system and I really wouldn't consider buying it for that reason.

+1 Scanners are really only useful if you wanna chase down accidents and things.

**AndrewBird** · 11-18-2008, 09:14 AM

I have another solution for you. STOP SPEEDING. Guaranteed to work 100% of the time.

**alexw** · 11-18-2008, 09:32 AM

Waste of money.

**JGood** · 11-18-2008, 09:39 AM

Originally posted by NitroRustlerDriver

I have another solution for you. STOP SPEEDING. Guaranteed to work 100% of the time.

Exactly. I never ever ever understand why people have to do 90+ on the highway. I set my cruise to like 5 over the speed limit, and my commute takes 5 minutes longer then if I was doing 90 weaving and getting pissed off at slow cars.

What's with the links you posted? Those guys are EVADING police. You are actually purchasing a scanner so you can evade police? If you think they will announce their positions for radar, you are nuts.

**tonytony** · 11-18-2008, 10:06 AM

The Uniden BCT8 BearTracker® is a sophisticated, multi-band highway communication system that responds to radio waves emitted from special secondary transmitters on most highway patrol vehicles across the United States. BearTracker is preprogrammed to alert you both audibly and visually to the presence of highway patrol units within a three mile radius-even if they're not using radar.

**e30sd** · 11-18-2008, 11:01 AM

Oh yea most states it's illegal to use public safety radio equipment in the commission of a crime. So if you get pulled over and they catch you, buh bye.

**ethirtydavid** · 11-18-2008, 12:07 PM

I think you guys have gotten the wrong impression here, I am not using a scanner to rob a bank and listen to what street corners police are on. I'm actually surprised by such negative responses..

I thought it was cool technology and may give me an edge when I am driving. Yesterday I got pulled over because I was heading North on i-5 and someone called it in that I was going a little faster than everyone else. 15 miles down i-5 was a police officer waiting to pull me over.

I just wonder how things could be different if I would have heard the announcement from dispatch with a report of a speeding driver headed North on i-5 - then heard a receiving officer take note to the information.

..I probably would have pulled off the 5 for a minute or two and let the dust settle.

Originally posted by JGood

Exactly. I never ever ever understand why people have to do 90+ on the highway.

Hey man, I never said I was going 90+ on the freeway. People who speed know why they speed. Whether it is to get to their destination faster, or because they think the speed limit it marked too low - bottom line is you don't have to do it and you don't have to understand it.

Originally posted by NitroRustlerDriver

I have another solution for you. STOP SPEEDING. Guaranteed to work 100% of the time.

I am interested in the technology. This thread is about police scanners not driving ethics - I enjoy a good information based forum. Your comment irritates me because it makes this forum much more unproductive.

e30sd, thanks for the info about the unidens advantages. It all seems to be consistent with what others have said about the brand.
by the way, I don't mean to say that having a scanner will eliminate me getting a ticket - but you'd have to admit it can help reduce the occurrence of being pulled over. right?

I found a good forum for scanners, I think I'll get the rest of my info there. Thanks anyways guys.

**Mtriple** · 11-18-2008, 12:25 PM

Originally posted by tonytony

The Uniden BCT8 BearTracker® is a sophisticated, multi-band highway communication system that responds to radio waves emitted from special secondary transmitters on most highway patrol vehicles across the United States. BearTracker is preprogrammed to alert you both audibly and visually to the presence of highway patrol units within a three mile radius-even if they're not using radar.

That is older VHF technology that most agencies no longer use. Even when it was the standard, catching the repeaters on the squad car didnt work very well. I've used scanners in my personal vehicle since 98 and I think Ive been alerted maybe 3 times. I'm a firefighter and monitor the fire main only in the county where I live. Everything here has gone digital (APCO25) and I cant monitor the police even if I wanted to with the equipment I have. Our fire main is a digital but repeated on VHF to trip the pagers that the Firefighters carry. Also, not only are the APCO25 scanners expensive ($500) you need to get them reprogrammed anytime the county decides to reband. This happens here every 1 to 2 years.

And Pasha is right, most states require that you hold a HAM license in order to have something like this in your vehicle. If you dont have one and they catch you, you're going to wish it was only a speeding ticket...

If you havent already, just purchase a V1, and be a little more careful with your driving.

Here is the scanner that I currently have in my DD. Retails for about $225

Here is the APCO25 scanner from Uniden. Retails for about $500

**ethirtydavid** · 11-18-2008, 12:37 PM

^ interesting.

I like these responses from people who have used them. It seems like I am making these out to be more than they are.. all I am looking for is an edge. Although I don't have a lot of tickets, I get pulled over all the time. Thought maybe a scanner could help out with that.

Yeah, those Valentine one's are intense.

**Scotaku** · 11-19-2008, 11:27 AM

Someone called and tattled on you and you got a ticket fifteen miles down the road? If you're going to try to lie, at least make up something believable.

It doesn't take clairvoyance to infer that you want a scanner to help you speed, dumbass. Just because you didn't post, "What scanner will keep me from getting caught speeding," doesn't cloud your reason for wanting one.

By all means, buy a scanner. Santa will be at the mall soon so go sit on his lap and ask for one. You definitely need another distraction from your speeding. The parts hounds here will be waiting for your car.

**tonytony** · 11-19-2008, 11:42 AM

^^ Aren't you a sharp one? Obviously that's what this post is about, and your rant didn't help out anyone.

**ethirtydavid** · 11-19-2008, 11:46 AM

I've got no reason to lie on a forum - get off your high horse.

I sped up during a stretch of i-5 where police don't radar. One driver there noticed my speed and called the police. Unfortunantly, I was still going a little fast 15 miles down the road where an OSP officer was waiting specifically for a white early model BMW (me).

He pulled me over at mile marker 228 for going 78 in a 60mph zone. At this point I was in the middle lane following the flow of traffic. He picked me out of a group of about 10 cars- said he had received a call from a citizen that I had been driving 85+ during mile marker 210. He did not give me a ticket for the speed that the driver called in saying I was going - he gave me a ticket for the speed he caught me at, 78.

The point is, he would not have pulled me over if someone didn't call it in. If I had a scanner, it was my assumption that I would have heard that call from dispatch to the OSP officer that a white BMW was traveling fast and I could have done something about it. Weather this is true or not that I would have heard the call from dispatch to the state police officer seems somewhat debatable now that I have read more into scanners - but this was my thought at the time I made this thread. I wanted r3v police scanner experts to chime in and give me some advice.

Scotaku, fuck you. I want a scanner so that IF, and WHEN I speed I can have insight to what law enforcement is doing around me. Obviously, this is not the issue in question.

your an asshole dude, get off my thread - you've got no reason to accuse me of lying.

Police Scanners - anyone here use them?

Police Scanners - anyone here use them?

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