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There are always lots of reasons to have a scanner nearby. You can use the
scanner to follow local police and fire activity, often times hearing
about things that could affect you well before they're reported on
the news. You can also use a scanner to listen to ham radio, and get
the benefits of traffic reports ham operators share with one another.
Heck, you can even use a scanner for a good, if unfortunate, laugh
every now and then. Today, for instance, just while writing this article,
I heard about someone in New York with a foot caught in a revolving
door.
To tell you the truth, I was glad to hear about something so minor and
easy to solve. I've had my scanner on a lot lately, listening for stuff
that might be happening nearby in New Jersey, or just a few miles north
in Manhattan. I've got a portable unit, so I can carry it with me when
I'm hiking, biking, or traveling.
Before buying a scanner you'll have to do a bit of homework. First, you should
find out what types of frequencies you're most likely to hear in your
area. Go on the Internet or ask anyone you might know who's used a
scanner near where you live. Depending on where you live, you might
be able to hear anything from civilian aircraft communications, fire
and police frequencies, even taxi and forestry exchanges. Just recently
I was on a train from New York that stalled on the tracks. I had my
scanner with me, so I put in an earbud, did a quick search, and got
to listen to the engineers discuss the possibilities of bringing up
another train to push us into the next station, or else bring one along
side and have us cross over to it. In the end, the problem was solved
and we moved on, but while we were waiting it was relaxing to be in
on what was happening with the train.
You won't be able to hear everything on your scanner - some government
signals are blocked as are cell phones - but you can still use a scanner
to listen to a lot of different things. Take one with you to the drive-through
window of a fast-food restaurant and you might hear what they're saying
about your burger. Take one to the racetrack, and listen in on what
the drivers experience. Some of the bands you should find out about
include the following: 50-MHz, 144-MHz, 440-(430)MHz, and 1.2-GHz.
The most popular is the 144-MHz (2-meter) band. That's where you'll
find a lot of ham radio operators as well as local public safety calls.
If you want to hear the civilian aircraft frequencies, you'll want
to look for a radio that has the 118 to 136 MHz air band.
Once you know which frequencies you can scan locally, you should keep in
mind that not all scanners with that frequency ability will suite your
particular needs. A very sensitive scanner in an area with lots of
traffic might just mean a lot of crossed signals, and you missing out
on some interesting weaker signals. On the other hand, if you live
in a rural area, you might need a very sensitive scanner with a
good scanner antenna - especially if you opt
for a handheld model - since a handheld's standard antenna might not be strong enough to
pull in the more distant signals you want.
Base models ffer the most bells and whistles, and are usually about the
same sensitivity as an average handheld. However, unless you have a
backup source of power, you may want to keep a
handheld around
as a backup in case of a power failure. If you want to get a mobile
scanner for you car be sure to check your local scanner laws first.
In some states its against the law to use a scanner in the car.
Once you get a scanner, or even beforehand if you're figuring out what you
can hear in your area, you may want to visit some of the following Web sites:
Happy scanning.
To view our past articles, please visit our What's
in the News Archives.
As always, please contact us with any comments or
article suggestions you might have.
If you are interested in using C. Crane's articles on your own Web site,
please let me know. I'd be happy to take a look at your Web site and
see what we can do. Good-bye for now, Carlos. About
the author
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