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Fr om: ( Bob Par nass, AJ 9S)
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Introduction to Scanning


by Bob Parnass, AJ9S


[ NOTES: Thi s ar t i cl e may not be r epr oduced i n whol e or i n
par t on CDROMS, i n bul l et i n boar ds, net wor ks, or
publ i cat i ons whi ch char ge f or ser vi ce wi t hout per mi ssi on of
t he aut hor . I t i s post ed t wi ce mont hl y on t he USENET
gr oups r ec. r adi o. scanner , al t . r adi o. scanner , and
r ec. r adi o. i nf o. I t i s al so avai l abl e el ect r oni cal l y f r om
t he r ec. r adi o. scanner f t p ar chi ve on t he of f i ci al USENET
FAQ l i br ar y f t p: / / r t f m. mi t . edu/ pub/ usenet - by- gr oup/ r ec. r adi o. scanner
. ]

The aut hor wr i t es a mont hl y " Scanner Equi pment " col umn f or
Moni t or i ng Ti mes magazi ne, publ i shed by Gr ove Ent er pr i ses,
but vi ews expr essed i n t hi s ar t i cl e ar e hi s own.

Thi s i nt r oduct i on i s i nt ended f or peopl e new t o t he
scanni ng hobby and i s or i ent ed t o scanni ng i n t he USA.
Hi gh l evel over vi ews of t he f ol l owi ng t opi cs ar e pr esent ed:


Why Scanni ng?
I s Scanni ng Legal ?
What Scanner Shoul d I Buy?
What i s a CTCSS and DCS Tone Squel ch Feat ur e?
How Do I Det er mi ne t he Pr oper CTCSS or DCS Code?
Scanner Ant ennas
Coaxi al Cabl e Feedl i nes
Wher e Can I Buy A Scanner ?
Modi f yi ng Your Scanner
Scanner Repai r Shops
Wher e Can I Obt ai n Fr equency I nf or mat i on?
Do Your Own Fr equency Det ect i ve Wor k
How Can I Use Equi pment t o Uncover New Fr equenci es?
Scanner Cl ubs and Mai l i ng Li st s



Why Scanni ng?

Ever y day and ni ght , scanner hobbyi st s ar e ent er t ai ned by
what t hey over hear on t hei r r adi os. Pol i ce car s, f i r e
engi nes, ambul ances, ai r pl anes, ar mor ed car s, t r ai ns,
t axi s, and buses ar e al l equi pped wi t h r adi os and you can
l i st en t o t hem. You can moni t or t he l ocal sher i f f and f i r e
depar t ment s t o hear about event s " as t hey happen, " bef or e
t he news r epor t er s hear about t hem. Host age dr amas, bank
r obber i es, car cr ashes, chemi cal spi l l s, nei ghbor and
domest i c di sput es, t or nado si ght i ngs ar e al l f ai r game. I n
a si ngl e af t er noon, you can hear a hi gh speed pol i ce chase,
Dr ug Enf or cement agent s on a st i ng oper at i on, and
under cover FBI agent s as t hey st akeout a suspect .

http://home.comcast.net/~kilowattradio/scanning1.html
How about l i st eni ng t o a t eam of G- men pr ot ect t he
pr esi dent whi l e t r ansmi t t i ng i n t he 167 MHz r ange?

Baby moni t or i nt er coms ar e act ual l y t r ansmi t t er s and you
can hear t hem bet ween 49. 67 and 49. 99 MHz.

St ay ahead of r oad condi t i ons by l i st eni ng t o hi ghway r oad
cr ews, snow pl ows, and t r af f i c hel i copt er pi l ot s. Many
mi dwest er ner s moni t or t he st at e pol i ce and and count y
sher i f f t o l ear n of appr oachi ng t or nados l ong bef or e
war ni ngs ar e br oadcast on TV and commer ci al r adi o. Take
your scanner t o spor t i ng event s and l i st en t o r ace car
dr i ver s, f oot bal l coaches, et c. , i n t he 151, 154, and 468
MHz r anges.

Moni t or t he ever yday hust l e and bust l e of busi nesses, f r om
cabl e TV r epai r cr ews t r acki ng down pi r at e descr ambl er
boxes, t o secur i t y guar ds at your nucl ear power pl ant or
mal l secur i t y guar ds chasi ng a shopl i f t er .


I s Scanni ng Legal ?

I n t he Uni t ed St at es, scanni ng f r om your home or at wor k i s
per f ect l y l egal i n most si t uat i ons. The El ect r oni c
Communi cat i ons Pr i vacy Act of 1986 made i t i l l egal t o
l i st en t o mobi l e phones, common car r i er pagi ng, and a f ew
ot her t ypes of communi cat i on. Publ i c l aw 103- 414, si gned
Oct . 25, 1994, amended t he l aw ( Ti t l e 18 USC, Par t I ,
chapt er 119, sect i ons 25110 and 2511) and out l aws l i st eni ng
t o cor dl ess phones, t oo, but many scanner s cover t hese
f r equenci es.

I t i s i l l egal f or compani es t o sel l or i mpor t i nt o t he USA
r ecent l y manuf act ur ed scanner s whi ch cover or can be easi l y
modi f i ed t o cover t he cel l ul ar phone f r equenci es, but sal es
by pr i vat e i ndi vi dual s wi l l st i l l be al l owed.

The r ul es def i ne " r eadi l y al t er ed by t he user " as " cl i ppi ng
t he l eads of , or i nst al l i ng, a si mpl e component such as a
di ode, r esi st or and/ or j umper wi r e; r epl aci ng a pl ug- i n
semi conduct or chi p; or pr ogr ammi ng a semi conduct or chi p
usi ng speci al access codes or an ext er nal devi ce, such as a
per sonal comput er . "

Speaki ng of pr i vacy, f eder al l aw al so r equi r es you t o keep
what you hear t o your sel f and not use t he i nf or mat i on you
hear on your scanner f or per sonal gai n.

Be awar e t hat sever al st at es have l aws per t ai ni ng t o
scanni ng whi l e i n your car . I ndi ana r est r i ct s some
por t abl e scanner s. A f ew st at es have enact ed t hei r own
l aws agai nst l i st eni ng t o cor dl ess phones. You can f i nd
out about t hese r est r i ct i ons i n a paper back book, Li st ener s
Lawbook, compi l ed by Fr ank Ter r anel l a, Esq. avai l abl e f or
$9. 95 + shi ppi ng f r om Gr ove Ent er pr i ses, 7540 Hi ghway 64
West , Br asst own, NC 28902.


What Scanner Shoul d I Buy?

Radi o Shack and Uni den ( maker of Bear cat , Regency, and
Cobr a br ands) of f er a wi de choi ce of scanner s. Radi o Shack
scanner s ar e act ual l y manuf act ur ed by bot h GRE ( Gener al
Resear ch El ect r oni cs) and by Uni den. Per sonal l y, I don' t
r ecommend Tr i dent nor many of t he AOR br and scanner s,
al t hough t he AR8000 and AR3000 have good r eput at i ons and
t he AR5000 wor ks wel l .

Pr ogr ammabl e ( synt hesi zed) uni t s have r epl aced cr yst al
cont r ol l ed model s as t hey don' t r equi r e cr yst al s and
usual l y have a keypad t hat per mi t s you t o st or e f r equenci es
i nt o channel s. Pr ogr ammabl es ar e now so cheap i t doesn' t
make sense t o buy a cr yst al uni t as your mai n scanner
unl ess you get i t f or under $45 or so.

You can get a bat t er y oper at ed hand hel d scanner , a bi gger
" base" scanner whi ch i s power ed f r om an AC out l et , or a
mobi l e scanner whi ch connect s t o your aut o' s el ect r i cal
syst em. Ther e ar e t r adeof f s - - base and mobi l e scanner s
have l ar ger di spl ays and al most al ways pr ovi de mor e audi o
t han por t abl es, and some por t abl es ar e mor e pr one t o
i nt er f er ence when connect ed t o out door ant ennas t han base
model s. But when sever e weat her knocks out t he power i n
your home, t her e' s not hi ng l i ke havi ng a bat t er y oper at ed
scanner t o moni t or t he power ut i l i t y and pol i ce
f r equenci es!

Make sur e your f i r st scanner has a " sear ch" f eat ur e, whi ch
al l ows i t t o sear ch al l t he f r equenci es bet ween t wo
f r equency l i mi t s of your choosi ng. Bewar e of l ow cost
pr ogr ammabl es whi ch can' t sear ch. Some model s, l i ke t he
ear l y Uni den Spor t Cat s and Radi o Shack PRO- 2046, al l ow
sear chi ng bet ween l i mi t s, but t he l i mi t s ar e f act or y
pr ogr ammed and cannot be al t er ed.

Get a model whi ch cover s t he 800 MHz band. Usage of t he
800 - 950 MHz band i s gr owi ng f ast and you wi l l mi ss out on
t he act i on unl ess your scanner cover s t hi s band.

I f you' r e not sur e whet her you' l l l i ke scanni ng, don' t want
t o spend much money, a 50 channel scanner wi l l do. I n
gener al , t he mor e channel s and banks, t he bet t er .

Most of t he act i on t akes pl ace on f r equenci es bet ween 30
and 1000 MHz, so don' t be mi sl ed by scanner model s boast i ng
cover age f r om 3 t o 2000 MHz. Ther e' s cur r ent l y not much t o
moni t or i n t he 1000 - 2000 MHz r ange.

I f you ar e i nt er est ed i n r ecei vi ng shor t wave, t hat i s,
si gnal s i n t he 3 - 30 MHz r ange, i t ' s best t o get a shor t
wave r adi o speci f i cal l y desi gned f or t hat pur pose.
Al t hough some scanner s r ecei ve t he shor t wave band, t hei r
per f or mance i n t hat r ange i s of t en second r at e. The $1500
I com R8500 and $2000 AOR AR5000 model s ar e except i ons.

Del uxe scanner s can be cont r ol l ed and/ or downl oaded by a
per sonal comput er , a f eat ur e whi ch appeal s t o a smal l but
gr owi ng number of scanner owner s.

Al most al l l ow and mi d- pr i ced scanner s ar e pr one t o
r ecei vi ng i mages - - r ecei vi ng t he same si gnal er r oneousl y
on t wo or mor e f r equenci es. Wi t h a f ew except i ons, i mages
ar e unwel come due t o t he i nt er f er ence t hey cause, e. g. ,
hear i ng ai r cr af t t r ansmi ssi ons whi l e t he scanner i s t uned
t o t he l ocal pol i ce f r equency. Pr emi umqual i t y scanner s
use " up conver si on" ci r cui t r y, a scheme whi ch gr eat l y
r educes, but does not el i mi nat e, i mage r ecept i on.

Cur r ent l y, t he mor e popul ar scanner s i ncl ude t he
di scont i nued Radi o Shack PRO- 2042 and PRO- 2006
base/ mobi l es, t he Uni den/ Bear cat BC895XLT, BC245XLT, SC200,
and Radi o Shack PRO- 91 and PRO- 94 por t abl es. A number of
owner s r epor t pr obl ems wi t h t he I com R1 por t abl e and t he
ol der Uni den/ Bear cat 8500XLT base and 2500XLT por t abl e.
The Uni den BC9000XLT base and BC3000XLT por t abl e wor k ver y
wel l and ar e my cur r ent f avor i t es. The I COM I C- R2 and
Yaesu VR- 500 ar e t he t wo smal l est " pocket " scanner s whi ch
per f or m. Bot h ar e t i ny enough t o f i t comf or t abl y i n a
shi r t pocket so you can moni t or wi t hout at t r act i ng undue
at t ent i on.

Looki ng f or val ue? At $170 di scount pr i ce, t he 100 channel
Uni den/ Bear cat BC278CLT base i s a good val ue and avai l abl e
at most Sear s and Best Buy st or es. The Uni den Spor t cat
SC200 por t abl e per f or ms ver y wel l i s an excel l ent val ue at
i t s $220 st r eet pr i ce.


CTCSS and DCS Tone Squel ch Feat ur e

Upscal e scanner s can be opt i oned wi t h a subaudi bl e t one
decodi ng squel ch ci r cui t . Ther e ar e t wo t ypes: CTCSS
( Cont i nuous Tone Coded Squel ch Syst em) and DCS ( Di gi t al
Coded Squel ch) . I n si mpl e t er ms, t hi s f eat ur e l et s your
scanner i gnor e si gnal s you don' t want t o hear .

Most l and mobi l e t wo way r adi os, except t r unked syst ems,
t r ansmi t ei t her CTCSS or DCS si gnal s subaudi bl y al ong wi t h
t he voi ce i nf or mat i on. U. S. mi l i t ar y f i el d r adi os empl oy
wi der devi at i on and a 150 Hz CTCSS t one, not suppor t ed by
most scanner s or CTCSS decoder s.

Ther e ar e over 40 di f f er ent CTCSS codes and you can pr ogr am
a speci f i c CTCSS or DCS code i nt o each memor y channel .
Usi ng a CTCSS or DCS decoder per mi t s your scanner t o open
t he squel ch onl y i f t he t r ansmi ssi on has a code whi ch
mat ches t he code you pr ogr am.

CTCSS and DCS decodi ng of f er s sever al advant ages:


1. I gnor e unwant ed si gnal s on shar ed f r equenci es: I t i s
common f or sever al user s t o shar e t he same f r equency,
e. g. , my count y sher i f f uses t he same f r equency as
Chi cago Pol i ce, l ocat ed about 60 mi l es away. I want
t o hear my sher i f f ' s t r ansmi ssi ons but don' t want t he
scanner t o st op on or l i st en t o Chi cago Pol i ce
t r ansmi ssi ons. Thi s i s especi al l y a pr obl emwhen
r adi o pr opagat i on i s good, e. g. , dur i ng a " band
openi ng, " when r ecept i on r ange i s t empor ar i l y
i ncr eased.

2. Combat i nt er modul at i on i nt er f er ence: Hel ps keep out
i nt er mod and i mage i nt er f er ence f r om st r ong pager s
and ot her si gnal s whi ch ar e not t r ansmi t t ed wi t h a
mat chi ng code.

3. I gnor e scr ambl ed t r ansmi ssi ons: Many f eder al l aw
enf or cement agenci es ( FBI , Secr et Ser vi ce, et c) and
some l ocal pol i ce agenci es empl oy di gi t al voi ce
scr ambl i ng, whi ch sounds l i ke whi t e noi se and i s
annoyi ng t o hear . The CTCSS or DCS code i s sent onl y
when t he st at i on i s t r ansmi t t i ng unscr ambl ed, or " i n
t he cl ear . " You can pr ogr amf eder al f r equenci es
al ong wi t h t he pr oper code i nt o your decoder - equi pped
scanner so you won' t have t o l i st en t o t he scr ambl ed
mess and onl y hear t hei r t r ansmi ssi ons when t hey ar e
unscr ambl ed.

CTCSS al so goes by var i ous t r adenames: Mot or ol a' s PL
( Pr i vat e Li ne) , GE' s Channel Guar d, and RCA' s Qui et
Channel . Mot or ol a uses t he t r adename DPL ( Di gi t al Pr i vat e
Li ne) f or i t s di gi t al coded squel ch.


How Do I Det er mi ne t he Pr oper CTCSS or DCS Code?

Ther e ar e a f ew ways t o det er mi ne t he CTCSS or DCS code
t r ansmi t t ed by a st at i on:


1. Use an out boar d CTCSS/ DCS r eader whi ch must be
at t ached t o t he di scr i mi nat or out put ci r cui t r y i nsi de
t he scanner . The r eader has an LCD or LED di spl ay
whi ch i ndi cat es t he code when a st at i on t r ansmi t s. I
use a CSI model CD- 1 Communi cat i ons Decoder Uni t , an
an excel l ent r eader whi ch sel l s new f or about $200.
( Connect Syst ems I nc. , Vent ur a, CA, 800- 545- 1349,
ht t p: / / www. connect syst ems. com) .
2. Many of t he Scanner Mast er gui des, as wel l as scanner
cl ub newsl et t er s, pr i nt t he CTCSS codes used by
t r ansmi t t i ng st at i ons.
3. On some scanner s equi pped wi t h t he CTCSS squel ch, you
can pr ogr ami nt o memor y t he f r equency of i nt er est .
Then you " t une" sl owl y t hr ough al l t he di f f er ent CTCSS
and/ or DCS codes unt i l t he squel ch opens and you hear
t he di spat cher t al ki ng. Thi s i s a sl ow pr ocess and
t he st at i on has t o keep t r ansmi t t i ng dur i ng i t .
4. A sl ow, br ut e f or ce met hod i s t o pr ogr amt he same
f r equency but a di f f er ent CTCSS code i nt o sever al
channel s and see wher e your scanner st ops.
5. I n some cases, I ' ve act ual l y exami ned t he wal ki e-
t al ki es I want t o moni t or and f ound t he CTCSS code
pr i nt ed on a l abel on or i nsi de t he r adi o.


Scanner Ant ennas

Al l scanner s come wi t h a bui l t i n ant enna, per mi t t i ng
r ecept i on up t o about 20 mi l es or so.

Por t abl e scanner s ar e suppl i ed wi t h a hel i cal ( spr i ng
shaped) ant enna, cover ed by r ubber . The r ubber i zed
ant ennas f ur ni shed wi t h cur r ent model s ar e t oo st i f f and
pl ace st r ess on t he ant enna j ack. Ol der scanner s t o be
suppl i ed wi t h mor e f l exi bl e ant ennas. I pr ef er t hese
al t er nat i ve ant ennas f or use wi t h por t abl e scanner s:

1. The I com FA- 1433B dual band f l ex ant enna, a t hi n and
ver y f l exi bl e r ubber ant enna, i s sl i ght l y l onger t han
a st ock hel i f l ex but pr ovi des bet t er per f or mance. The
Pr emi er ( Pr i me) RD- 9 and RD- 9SMA ar e about t he same
l engt h but even t hi nner .
2. The Aust i n Condor i s a 12" l ong r ubber i zed ant enna
avai l abl e f or about $30. Whi l e consi der abl y l onger
t han t he st ock ant enna and t he FA- 1443B, t he Condor i s
ver y f l exi bl e and pr ovi des VHF- hi gh band r ecept i on
super i or t o bot h. I t i s not desi gned t o cover t he
VHF- l ow band, but wi l l al l ow r ecept i on t her e at l east
as good as shor t er ant ennas. The Aust i n Condor i s
avai l abl e f r om Gr ove Ent er pr i ses.
3. The " Thi n- St i ck" i s an 18 i nch t el escopi ng ant enna f or
ext ended r ange. I t i s made i n USA by Smi l ey Ant enna
Co. , I nc. and i s desi gned t o cover bot h t he 2 met er
and 220 MHz bands, but i t s var i abl e l engt h means i t
can be adj ust ed f or opt i mumper f or mance on ot her
bands. What makes t he Thi n- St i ck di f f er ent f r om an
or di nar y t el escopi ng ant enna i s t he spr i ng bet ween t he
ant enna and t he connect or por t i ons. The spr i ng
absor bs most of t he i mpact i f t he ant enna col l i des
wi t h an obj ect . The st r eet pr i ce i s about $17 and i t
i s avai l abl e f r om Amat eur El ect r oni c Suppl y, Mi l waukee
and ot her r et ai l er s.

Out door ant ennas, l i ke t he Channel Mast er 5094A ( avai l abl e
f r om Amat eur El ect r oni c Suppl y) or Ant enna Speci al i st s AV-
801 ( r ecent l y di scont i nued) , can ext end r el i abl e r ecept i on
t o 50 mi l es or mor e, dependi ng on t er r ai n. I f you do use
an out door ant enna, be sur e t o di sconnect and gr ound i t
dur i ng st or ms and when not i n use t o avoi d a l i ght ni ng
hazar d. Di scone and gr ound pl ane t ype ant ennas can be mor e
pr one t o cause scanner damage due t o st at i c char ge bui l dup
because t hey ar e not at " DC gr ound. "



Coaxi al Cabl e Feedl i nes

I f your ant enna i nst al l at i on r equi r es mor e t han 50 f eet of
f eedl i ne, use RG213/ U or hi gh qual i t y RG8/ U coaxi al cabl e.
RG213/ U, e. g. , Bel den t ype 8267, has a non- cont ami nat i ng
j acket and wi l l l ast l onger . Each has an out er di amet er of
about 13/ 32" . Si mi l ar l y si zed Bel den 9913 cabl e and cl ones
have l ower at t enuat i on but ar e di f f i cul t t o bend, r equi r e
speci al connect or s, and can accumul at e moi st ur e i nsi de
because t hey ar e hol l ow.

I f you must use a smal l di amet er cabl e f or l ong r uns, use
RG6/ U. Avoi d RG58/ U ( 7/ 32" OD) due t o i t s l osses at hi gh
f r equenci es. RG8/ X ( 1/ 4" OD) i s sui t abl e f or shor t pat ch
cor ds.



Wher e Can I Buy A Scanner ?

Al most ever y communi t y has at l east one Radi o Shack st or e,
and you can f i nd scanner s t her e. Be sur e i t i s on sal e, as
Radi o Shack l i st pr i ces ar e hi gh and t hei r scanner s ar e
of f er ed at r educed pr i ces by mai l or der di scount er s.

Di scount chai n st or es l i ke Wal - Mar t , Best Buy, K- Mar t ,
Ser vi ce Mer chandi se, and Ci r cui t Ci t y sel l scanner s, but
car r y j ust a f ew model s. Depar t ment st or es, l i ke Sear s
Roebuck and Mont gomer y War ds, somet i mes of f er l ow end
scanner s, al t hough at hi gh pr i ces.

The best buys on new scanner s ar e f r om r eput abl e mai l or der
r adi o deal er s, f or exampl e:


- Gr ove Ent er pr i ses, 7540 Hi ghway 64 West , Br asst own, NC
28902. For a f r ee cat al og, cal l ( 828) 837- 9200.
Tel ephone ( or der s onl y) : ( 800) 438- 8155. Web page i s
ht t p: / / www. gr ove- ent . com

- Nat i onal El ect r oni cs ( f or mer l y Nat i onal Tower
Company) , PO Box 15417, Shawnee Mi ssi on, KS 66215.
Tel ephone ( 800) 762- 5049, ( 913) 888- 8864. Web page i s
ht t p: / / www. sound. net / ~ne/

- The HamSt at i on, 220 N. Ful t on Ave. , Evansvi l l e, I N
47719- 0522. Tel ephone ( 800) 729- 4373, ( 812) 422- 0231.

- Scanner Wor l d ( Al bany, NY) . Tel ephone ( 518) 436- 9606.

- Amat eur El ect r oni cs Suppl y ( Mi l waukee, WI ) . Tel ephone
( 800) 558- 0411. Web page i s ht t p: / / www. aesham. com

Bewar e of i nf l at ed " shi ppi ng and handl i ng" char ges and be
sur e t o i ncl ude t hese when compar i son shoppi ng.

Used scanner s may be f ound at hamf est s, f l ea mar ket s,
gar age sal es, or l i st ed i n t he cl assi f i ed adver t i sement
sect i on of your newspaper .


Modi f yi ng Your Scanner

The t er m " mod" i s of t en used as shor t hand f or
" modi f i cat i on. " I f you ar e handy wi t h a sol der i ng i r on,
you may be i nt er est ed i n modi f yi ng ( " moddi ng" ) your scanner
t o add f eat ur es or enhance i t s per f or mance. Be war ned t hi s
usual l y voi ds your war r ant y and cur r ent model s ar e
di f f i cul t t o ser vi ce due t o t he smal l , del i cat e sur f ace
mount component s. Modi f yi ng any scanner t o r ecei ve
cel l ul ar phone si gnal s i s now consi der ed i l l egal . By
f eder al r egul at i on, new scanner model s must be desi gned t o
t hey cannot be easi l y modi f i ed t o t une t he cel l ul ar phone
bands.

The t er m " mod" has been nar r owl y used by some peopl e t o
mean a change whi ch per mi t s a scanner t o r ecei ve cel l ul ar
phone f r equenci es. Thi s def i ni t i on i s f ar t oo r est r i ct i ve
as t her e ar e sever al ways one coul d modi f y a scanner , e. g. ,
changes t o i mpr ove audi o qual i t y, addi ng an S- met er ,
expandi ng t he number of channel s, changi ng t he ear phone
j ack t o accept st er eo headphones, et c.

Modi f i cat i on ar t i cl e f i l es can be copi ed f r om sever al f t p
si t es i ncl udi ng t he / pub/ hamr adi o/ mods di r ect or y at :


gar f i el d. cat t . ncsu. edu
oak. oakl and. edu ( I P addr ess 141. 210. 10. 117)

Modi f i cat i on ar t i cl es post ed on Usenet seem t o have a l i f e
of t hei r own. Fr equent l y, t hey ar e pl agi ar i zed f r om t he
I nt er net and compi l ed by book, CDROM, and magazi ne
publ i sher s, somet i mes r ewor ded, t hen sol d. Hobbyi st s t hen
copy t he modi f i cat i ons f r om t he books, CDROMs, and
magazi nes back ont o t he I nt er net or BBSs ( bul l et i n boar d
syst ems) !

Gr ove Ent er pr i ses and ot her compani es adver t i se a
war r ant ed, modi f i cat i on f or f ee ser vi ce.


Scanner Repai r Shops

I s your scanner br oken? Asi de f r om sendi ng t he scanner
back t o t he manuf act ur er f or r epai r , her e i s one company
whi ch r epai r s scanner s:

- G & G Communi cat i ons ( t el ephone 716- 768- 8151) -
( ht t p: / / www. i i nc. com/ ggcommor emai l ggcomm@i i nc. com
or ggcomm@aol . com) Thi s f ami l y owned company r epai r s
scanner s and pager s and st ocks par t s f or sever al ol der
model s. G & G cannot usual l y r epai r AOR scanner s due
t o l ack of manuf act ur er suppor t . G & G sel l s and
somet i mes buys ol d scanner s and par t s, t oo. They ar e
l ocat ed at 7825 Bl ack St r eet Rd. , LeRoy, NY 14482.

Repai r t i ps f or Bear cat and Radi o Shack scanner s ar e
di scussed i n t wo ot her FAQ ar t i cl es.


Wher e Can I Obt ai n Fr equency I nf or mat i on?

To avoi d chaos, t he FCC l i censes t wo- way r adi o user s and
assi gns t hem speci f i c f r equenci es. Gr oups of f r equenci es
ar e al l ocat ed t o speci f i c t ypes of user s, so you won' t
usual l y f i nd f i r e depar t ment s usi ng t he same f r equenci es as
t axi dr i ver s, f or exampl e.

Scanner ent husi ast s can obt ai n f r equency i nf or mat i on f r om
sever al sour ces, i ncl udi ng books, gover nment mi cr of i che
r ecor ds, or ot her l i st ener s.

Books: The most conveni ent sour ce of f i r e, pol i ce, and
l ocal gover nment f r equenci es i s Gene Hughes' Pol i ce Cal l
Pl us, publ i shed each year i n 9 r egi onal vol umes by Hol l i ns
Radi o Dat a, and sol d at Radi o Shack and l ar ger book st or es.
The newest edi t i ons cont ai n abbr evi at ed busi ness l i st i ngs,
t oo, al t hough cal l si gns and ot her det ai l s ar e l i st ed onl y
f or l ocal gover nment and publ i c saf et y l i censees.

I al so r ecommend t he book, Moni t or Amer i ca, publ i shed by
SMB Publ i shi ng ( now known as Scanner Mast er Publ i shi ng) ,
and avai l abl e f r om Gr ove Ent er pr i ses f or about $30. A 1100
page 3r d edi t i on i s now avai l abl e. Moni t or Amer i ca
cont ai ns sever al pages of pol i ce, f i r e, l ocal gover nment ,
news medi a, spor t s, f eder al gover nment , and commer ci al
br oadcast f r equenci es f or al l 50 st at es. I t cont ai ns
det ai l ed communi cat i ons syst empr of i l es and pr eci nct maps
f or maj or met r opol i t an ar eas. Pol i ce and f i r e r adi o codes
and uni t i dent i f i er s uni que t o l ocal agenci es ar e l i st ed
f or sever al ci t i es. Thi s di f f er s f r om Pol i ce Cal l , whi ch
gi ves a mor e st er i l e, but uni f or mt r eat ment of l i censees,
l i st i ng even t he smal l est of t owns.

Uni den has publ i shed sever al r egi onal di r ect or i es usi ng t he
" Bet t y Bear cat " name, al t hough t her e ar e much bet t er
di r ect or i es avai l abl e f r om Scanner Mast er ( Newt on
Hi ghl ands, MA, t el . ( 508) 655- 6300) f or some r egi ons.

The most r eadi l y avai l abl e sour ce of sensi t i ve US
gover nment f r equenci es i s st i l l TomKnei t el ' s Top Secr et
Regi st r y of US Gover nment Radi o Fr equenci es. Publ i shed by
CRB Resear ch, t he 8t h edi t i on i s avai l abl e f r om Gr ove
Ent er pr i ses f or about $22. Knei t el ' s book cont ai ns
f r equency l i st i ngs f or NASA, mi l i t ar y, FBI , Secr et Ser vi ce,
DEA, I RS, Bor der Pat r ol , ar senal s, ammuni t i on pl ant s,
mi ssi l e si t es, and ot her s i n t he 25 t o 470 MHz r ange.

Tab Books Mast er Fr equency Fi l e, f i r st edi t i on, wr i t t en by
J ames Tunnel l and Rober t Kel t y, l i st s f eder al agenci es and
f r equenci es and deser ves a r ead. However , t her e ar e no
mi l i t ar y l i st i ngs and many pages ar e devot ed t o appendi ces
and r ef er ences whi ch cont ai n no f r equency l i st i ngs. The
space woul d be much bet t er used by a combi ned f eder al
f r equency l i st sor t ed by f r equency.

Commer ci al Magazi nes: Al t hough nat i onal i n ci r cul at i on,
l ocal f r equency i nf or mat i on i s somet i mes avai l abl e i n
Gr ove' s Moni t or i ng Ti mes ( t el . 828- 837- 9200,
ht t p: / / www. gr ove- ent . com) and t he sensat i onal i st i c Popul ar
Communi cat i ons, ( t el . 516- 681- 2922) . Nat i onal Scanni ng
( Nat Scan) i s a nat i onal scanner magazi ne publ i shed
bi mont hl y and i s af f i l i at ed wi t h Uni den' s Bear cat Radi o
Cl ub. The best scanner f r equency l i st s ar e of t en f ound i n
cl ub publ i cat i ons, not commer ci al magazi nes, and ar e
di scussed l at er .

Gover nment Recor ds: Ever y year , t he US Gover nment sel l s FCC
l i cense i nf or mat i on, i n t he f or m of mi cr of i che, f l oppy
di sk, and magnet i c t ape, t o t he publ i c t hr ough t he US
Depar t ment of Commer ce Nat i onal Techni cal I nf or mat i on
Ser vi ce ( NTI S) . The hi gh cost of buyi ng gover nment r ecor ds
l i mi t s t hei r appeal t o har dcor e ent husi ast s. You can wr i t e
f or a cat al og of FCC Mast er Fr equency Dat abase i t ems t o t he
NTI S, 5285 Por t Royal Road, Spr i ngf i el d, VA 22161.

The FCC has an agr eement wi t h Per Con ( t el . 716- 386- 6015) , a
pr i vat e company, t o sel l FCC l i cense i nf or mat i on t o t he
publ i c on CDROMs. You can buy t he f ul l l i cense i nf or mat i on
f or a mul t i st at e r egi on or a l ess det ai l ed l i cense
dat abase cover i ng t he t he ent i r e USA on CDROM. The Per Con
Spect r umCDROM sel l s f or under $29 and cont ai ns a handf ul
of f i el ds f or ever y FCC l i cense i n t he US. The Spr i ng 1995
edi t i on wor ks i n DOS, Wi ndows, and Mac envi r onment s.

Gr ove ent er pr i ses sel l s FCC l i cense i nf or mat i on on CDROM,
t oo.

As I have al r eady done f or hundr eds of r adi o ent husi ast s,
compani es, gover nment agenci es, and or gani zat i ons acr oss
t he count r y si nce 1994, I wi l l l ocat e FCC l i censed and
sel ect ed FAA and CAP t r ansmi t t er si t es i n an ar ea of your
choi ce, i n any st at e, and pr oduce a cust omRadi oMap( TM)
r epor t , i ncl udi ng a beaut i f ul 11" by 17" scal ed col or map,
pr ot ect ed by pl ast i c. The map i s mar ked wi t h t r ansmi t t er
si t es, ci t i es, hi ghways, ai r por t s, mi l i t ar y i nst al l at i ons,
nat i onal par ks, et c. See ht t p: / / www. megsi net . com/ ~par nass
f or a sampl e.

Radi oMap has been adver t i sed mont hl y i n Moni t or i ng Ti mes
magazi ne si nce 1995. The gr aphi cal nat ur e of Radi oMap
al l ows you t o i dent i f y ant enna si t es and vi sual i ze t he
t r ansmi t t er l ocat i ons i n your nei ghbor hood, near your
of f i ce, and ot her pl aces of i nt er est - - f r om VLF t hr ough
mi cr owave. The r epor t l i st s f r equenci es, cal l si gns, and
l i censee names. Radi oMap cover s pol i ce, f i r e, l ocal
gover nment , TV, busi ness, i ndust r y, common car r i er ,
r ai l r oad, t r ucki ng, and many mor e t ypes of t r ansmi t t er
si t es, excl udi ng hamr adi o st at i ons. Wi r el i ne and
nonwi r el i ne cel l ul ar phone and AM/ FM br oadcast t r ansmi t t er
si t es ar e cl ear l y mar ked usi ng uni que col or i cons.

I ndust r i al cust omer s use Radi oMap r epor t s t o sur vey t he
" r adi o envi r onment " pr i or t o i nst al l at i on of r adi os and
wi r el ess mi cr ophones at cust omer si t es. Radi oMap i s used
by t he mar i t i me and br oadcast i ndust r i es, as wel l as ham
r adi o oper at or s t o sol ve i nt er mod i nt er f er ence pr obl ems,
and has been ver y f avor abl y r evi ewed i n RCMA Scanner
J our nal , Amer i can Scanner gr am, and USSN.

The Radi oMap pr ocesses and sof t war e ar e uni que and
pr opr i et ar y. Unl i ke " mor e t ame" maps, Radi oMap shows t he
l ocat i ons of mi l i t ar y bases, ammuni t i on pl ant s, ar senal s,
weapons f act or i es, and ot her mi l i t ar y i nst al l at i ons.

For a f l at f ee, you choose t he cent er l ocat i on, and I
choose t he r ange, dependi ng on t r ansmi t t er si t e densi t y:

subur bs: 5 mi l e r ange ( 100 sq. mi . ar ea)
r ur al ar eas: 10 or mor e mi l es ( 400 sq. mi . ar ea)
dense ur ban ar ea: 1 - 2 mi l e r ange

Longer r anges f or addi t i onal char ge - cal l f or pr i ci ng.

A cust omRadi oMap r epor t cost s $24. 95 pl us $5. 00 shi ppi ng
and handl i ng. For an addi t i onal $10. 00, t he del uxe r epor t
i ncl udes an ext r a i ndex sor t ed by f r equency and a cust om
f r equency al l ocat i on hi st ogr am, a 0 - 1, 000 MHz " spect r um
anal yzer - l i ke" di spl ay showi ng spect r umusage by t he
t r ansmi t t er s i n t he map cover age ar ea. Send check or money
or der payabl e t o Bob Par nass f or $29. 95 f or st andar d or
$39. 95 f or del uxe Radi oMap r epor t wi t h hi st ogr am and
addi t i onal i ndex by f r equency. I ncl ude your name, addr ess,
and t el ephone number , al ong wi t h cent er l ocat i on ( near est
i nt er sect i on of 2 st r eet s, or l at i t ude & l ongi t ude) and
mai l t o: Bob Par nass, 2350 Dougl as Road, Oswego, I L 60543.
t el . ( 630) 554- 3839 6- 10 PM cent r al t i me. For a br ochur e,
send SASE.


Do Your Own Fr equency Det ect i ve Wor k

When you t r y l i st eni ng t o a f r equency f or t he f i r st t i me,
you' l l want t o know who you' r e hear i ng.

Al t hough FCC r ul es r equi r e r adi o syst ems t o i dent i f y t hei r
oper at i ons wi t h t hei r assi gned cal l l et t er s ei t her
aut omat i cal l y or ver bal l y, most i gnor e t he r egul at i on.
Thi s of t en makes i t di f f i cul t t o know who i s t r ansmi t t i ng.
Mor eover , many r adi os ar e now bei ng pl aced i n ser vi ce
i l l egal l y, wi t hout f i r st obt ai ni ng t he r equi r ed FCC
l i cense.

Ther e i s a chal l enge i n der i vi ng new spect r umusage
i nf or mat i on on your own. Somet i mes i t r equi r es sever al
days of l i st eni ng, t api ng, and compi l i ng f r agment s of
i nf or mat i on. Ot her t i mes, t he f r equency i nf or mat i on i s
t her e f or t he t aki ng - wi t hout hassl e.

You can appr oach f r om t wo di r ect i ons:

1. Li st en f i r st : Moni t or a f r equency or f r equenci es, and
t r y t o det er mi ne who' s t r ansmi t t i ng and what pur pose
t he channel ser ves. Once you i dent i f y t he user , l og
t he i nf or mat i on.

2. Compi l e f i r st : Take advant age of oppor t uni t i es, such
as exami ni ng t he f r equency l abel on a guar d' s r adi o,
or r eadi ng t he FCC l i cense hangi ng on t he " r adi o
r oom" wal l , t o compi l e f r equency l i st s, t hen moni t or
t he l i st ed f r equenci es t o conf i r mt hat t hey ar e
r eal l y i n use. Reader s ar e ur ged t o abi de by t he
r ul es of good t ast e and l ocal l aws i n t he quest f or
f r equency i nf or mat i on. Don' t t r espass, wai t f or an
i nvi t at i on.

Most l i st ener s use a combi nat i on of bot h appr oaches.

You can exami ne t he FCC l i cense on pr emi se. I have f ound
t he act ual FCC r adi o l i cense, compl et e wi t h f r equency
assi gnment s, hangi ng on t he wal l s of pl aces l i ke t he mal l
secur i t y of f i ce or company guar d shack. You can exami ne
t he l abel s on r adi o equi pment . Fr equency i nf or mat i on i s
engr aved on l abel s on t he back of many wal ki e- t al ki es, or
i nsi de t he bat t er y compar t ment , l i ke i n t he Mot or ol a HT220
model . Most pager s have l abel s on t he bot t omor i nsi de.
Li ke passwor ds t aped ont o t er mi nal s, i t ' s not uncommon t o
f i nd l abel s embossed wi t h f r equenci es or cal l l et t er s gl ued
t o t he f r ont of base st at i ons.

You can make your own oppor t uni t i es f or eyei ng t he
equi pment or t ake advant age of " open house" event s. I f
i nf or mat i on i s di spl ayed publ i cl y, t hen a r easonabl e per son
coul d assume i t ' s not gover nment secr et . Hobbyi st s ar e
ur ged t o exer ci se a modi cumof r est r ai nt and good
j udgement , however .

How Can I Use Equi pment
t o Uncover New Fr equenci es?

I f you don' t know t he exact f r equency, but have a gener al
i dea of t he r ange ( e. g. 150 - 152 MHz) , use your scanner ' s
" sear ch" mode. Most pr ogr ammabl e scanner s af f or d t he
abi l i t y t o sear ch bet ween t wo f r equency l i mi t s set by t he
user . A f ew model s, l i ke t he I COM R7000/ R7100, and R1, and
ol der Bear cat 250 and Regency K500, have t he abi l i t y t o
aut omat i cal l y st or e act i ve f r equenci es f ound dur i ng an
unat t ended sear ch oper at i on.

To f i nd t he f r equency of a hot el communi cat i ons syst em, one
f el l ow i nst al l ed hi s Bear cat 250 i n hi s car and par ked i n
t he hot el l ot , l eavi ng t he scanner i n t he " sear ch and
st or e" mode. He l ef t t he ant enna di sconnect ed so t he
scanner woul d onl y r espond t o a t r ansmi t t er i n t he
i mmedi at e vi ci ni t y.

Asi de f r om a scanner and ant enna, t he most usef ul pi ece of
equi pment f or sl eut hi ng i s a voi ce act uat ed ( VOX) casset t e
t ape r ecor der . You don' t need a hi gh f i del i t y model or
anyt hi ng f ancy, a Radi o Shack CTR- 82 wi l l do. I t ' s best t o
use a shi el ded, at t enuat i ng cabl e t o f eed t he scanner audi o
i nt o t he r ecor der r at her t han r el yi ng on t he r ecor der ' s
i nt er nal mi cr ophone.

VOX r ecor der s al l ow one t o compr ess a whol e day' s wor t h of
moni t or i ng ont o a si ngl e t ape. I of t en l eave a r ecor der
" ar med" and connect ed t o a scanner at home whi l e I amat
t he of f i ce or doi ng somet hi ng el se. When cal l l et t er s ar e
mumbl ed, I can pl ay and r epl ay t he t ape unt i l I hear and
under st and t hem.

Test equi pment can ai d i n t he quest f or new f r equency
i nf or mat i on. I ' ve used a spect r umanal yzer connect ed t o an
out si de ant enna, and a f r equency count er f or cl ose- i n wor k.


Ar e Ther e Any Scanner Cl ubs or Mai l i ng Li st ?

One of t he best par t s of t he hobby i s shar i ng i t wi t h ot her
r adi o buf f s. Tr adi ng i nf or mat i on wi t h ot her hobbyi st s
about f r equenci es, communi cat i on syst ems, and r ecei vi ng
equi pment i s mor e val uabl e t han any pi l e of magazi nes.

Cl ay I r vi ng admi ni st er s a scanner
el ect r oni c mai l i ng l i st , cal l ed " scanni ng. " To subscr i be,
send an Emai l message t o: maj or domo@l i st s. pani x. com

I n t he body of t he Emai l message, put : subscr i be scanni ng

Ot her scanner mai l i ng l i st s i ncl ude: scanner @onel i st . com,
scan- l @onel i st . com, scanner @qt h. net , and
sonof r cma@onel i st . com.


Al l Ohi o Scanner Cl ub

A smal l er cl ub i s t he Al l Ohi o Scanner Cl ub. I t s bi mont hl y
publ i cat i on, The Amer i can Scanner gr am, i s about 60 pages
l ong. Al t hough concent r at i ng on Ohi o and t he Nor t heast er n
st at es, t her e i s f r equency i nf or mat i on f r om ot her st at es,
and pl ent y of good pr oduct r evi ews and scanni ng t i ps.

Annual dues ar e $18. 50 and mor e i nf or mat i on i s avai l abl e
f r om:


Dave Marshall, Managing Editor
All Ohio Scanner Club,
50 Villa Road,
Springfield, OH 45503.



Chi cago Ar ea Radi o Moni t or i ng Associ at i on

The Chi cago Ar ea Radi o Moni t or i ng Associ at i on ( CARMA) i s
t he f or emost cl ub f or scanner r adi o hobbyi st s i n t he
nor t her n I l l i noi s ar ea. CARMA was f or med f r om t he Chi cago
chapt er of t he Radi o Communi cat i ons Moni t or i ng Associ at i on
( RCMA) , and we have been meet i ng si nce t he ear l y 1980s.

Many CARMA member s ar e act i ve i n hamr adi o and GMRS, but
t he cl ub i s devot ed t o scanni ng and scanner s.

Meet i ngs ar e hel d on Sat ur days, many at ar ea r est aur ant s,
about 6 t i mes a year . Al t hough l unch st ar t s at noon, t he
meet i ngs begi n of f i ci al l y at 1 PM and of t en r un unt i l about
4 PM. You must pur chase a l unch si nce we get t he r oom f or











- 2 -



f r ee. Meet i ngs consi st of a qui ck r evi ew of cl ub busi ness,
somet i mes a speci al pr esent at i on, and a " r ound t abl e"
di scussi on/ quest i on & answer sessi on. Lar ge quant i t i es of
i nf or mat i on and f r equency l i st s ar e of t en di st r i but ed i n
t he f or m of f r ee handout s. Member s of t en sel l r adi o
equi pment at t he meet i ngs, t oo.

I n addi t i on t o r egul ar meet i ngs, t her e ar e t wo CARMA
pi cni c/ f i el d days dur i ng whi ch member s meet at a par k,
er ect ant ennas, eat , and oper at e scanner s f r om bat t er y
power . CARMA member s t ake or gani zed t our s of var i ous
communi cat i ons f aci l i t i es i n t he ar ea.

Cl ub meet i ng dat es and t i mes ar e publ i shed on t he CARMA
emai l l i st , car ma@qt h. net . You can obt ai n a f r ee
el ect r oni c subscr i pt i on t o t he CARMA emai l l i st . For mor e
i nf o, see:

ht t p: / / www. qt h. net


The cl ub' s mai l i ng addr ess i s:


CARMA
P.O. Box 2681
Glenview, IL 60025

Most meet i ngs ar e be hel d on Sat ur days at Phi l l i es Pi zza,
6300S. Ki nger y Hi ghway, l ocat ed i n t he shoppi ng cent er at
t he cor ner Rt . 83 and 53r d St . i n Wi l l owbr ook, I L.

- -
Copyr i ght 2000, Bob Par nass, AJ 9S par nass@bel l - l abs. com
Locat e & i dent i f y t r ansmi t t er s i n your ar ea wi t h a col or Radi oMap( t m)
ht t p: / / www. megsi net . com/ ~par nass

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