What makes a good police scanner

Pros: Has police, EMS and weather channels in addition to FM radio so you can switch back and forth between pleasure and purpose.

The Uniden BCN base mobile scanner is a great model for beginner police scanner users to get their feet wet.

Like premium handheld models from Uniden, this radio scanner has Close Call RF technology to pull and receive surrounding signals automatically as it scans channels per second. This technology keeps users in the know with the happenings in the local area. The memory bank can store up to frequencies to call upon your favorites quickly. This police scanner is simple to use and inexpensive, making it a great fit for first-time users.

This digital police scanner from Whistler makes it super easy to group your stations according to your preference and cycle between them seamlessly. It has a memory backup so frequencies can be stored in the device for extended periods of time even without batteries, and the memory organization is much more efficient than with lower scanners.

Pros: Very easy to customize your listening experience on the device through frequency memory and station grouping. This mobile police scanner has over 25, channels and a dynamic memory system so you can program the frequencies you prefer to listen to and make them easy to access.

E weather alerts send warnings when there are notable condition changes in your area. You can turn your smartphone into a full-blown police scanner thanks to the Radio Police Scanner app.

You can narrow the feed down to county and get only local happenings in your area. When you want to listen in on feeds, you do so by emailing yourself a link from the app and then opening it up on a laptop or desktop. This is a great way to stay informed without having to buy an additional piece of equipment. Phones and apps are pretty incredible what they can achieve these days.

Home Gadgets Electronics Amazon. Police Scanners There are two types of police scanners: handheld and base models. Courtesy of Amazon. Essentially, a base scanner is a type of desktop model that you can hook up in a permanent spot and leave on. However there are some mobile-base devices that you can mount in your car. These devices are often mounted to the dash in place of a stereo.

Mobile and base scanners are equipped with antennas and tend to feature a more impressive range compared to handheld devices. These scanners are small and highly portable and can fit in a purse, messenger bag or a large coat pocket. Some people prefer to carry them around or even clip them onto their belt. Other models are so small they can easily fit in your pocket. But to remedy this you can improve range and clarity by purchasing an antenna. Each model has a different range to offer.

Often the higher price models will provide a longer range and improved clarity. You cannot use this type of model to listen to a trunk conversation.

Trunking systems allow you to listen to a large number of agencies using just two or three radio frequencies. This design is meant for congested circumstances. Typically a trunking radio system is commonly used in urban areas and has the ability to pick up conventional signals. However a conventional radio system is unable to pick up a tracking signal.

If you live in a larger city than the odds are that most emergency responders and police officers operate using a digital radio scanner. This type of scanner can be switched from digital to analog systems and they often offer the best sound quality and the farthest range. So far these are the most affordable and basic scanners available.

An analog model is typically used in smaller towns and large rural communities. Before you buy this style of scanner make sure that you find out what type of system is commonly used in your area. The number of channels a scanner has will vary from model to model.

How many channels you need will also depend on what type of agency you want to listen in on. Most models will come with at least 10 channels which should be sufficient if you only want to monitor a few agencies in your area.

Banks will allow you to keep track of several channels and categorize them. If you purchase a model that includes memory, then you can also categorize each channel into its own scan list. Search mode can allow you to easily find a wide range of federal government agencies.

If your device features several channels to scan through then a model with a high search speed can be crucial. Some models come equipped with a service search mode which can be used to easily locate certain frequencies for firefighters, EMTs , police, and other types of emergency responders. This type of feature will be crucial if you spend plenty of time on the road.

With a police scanner, you can eavesdrop on all nearby frequencies — basically everything transmitted by radio, except for phone calls and encrypted signals. Nowadays, there are several police and radio scanner apps available for Apple and Android devices.

So, why spend hundreds on an actual police scanner? The apps only transmit the audio communications that agencies decide to make publicly available. So, if your local fire department doesn't offer a live feed, you won't be able to hear their communications. Apps sometimes also transmit feeds from volunteers who share what their personal scanners pick up. However, with a full-featured police scanner, you can manually input the frequencies of all nearby agencies so you don't miss out on any news.

Some models can automatically locate nearby frequencies too. Basically, a police scanner app is a decent option for anyone who wants to get a hint of what radio scanning is all about without spending hundreds of dollars. However, anyone interested in radio scanning as a serious hobby will probably need to invest in an actual scanner.

Tracking local events with police scanners has been a popular hobby for many years. Beyond the entertainment and gossip you can get out of such a device, a police scanner can be an invaluable security tool. By tuning into the frequencies of your local emergency services, you can keep one step ahead of crime incidents, traffic accidents, fires and severe weather events even before news outlets report them.

Even seasoned users sometimes face complications, especially when they purchase a new model. Also, you should know that most of the programming software for scanners is made for Windows. There are, however, professionals who will program the scanner for you for a price, of course , based on your location.

Some can also be mounted in vehicles. Handheld scanners are more compact and run on batteries for complete portability. Figuring out whether you need a digital or analog scanner is perhaps the most important factor when choosing a police scanner.

To figure out if the signals in your area are analog or digital, look up your city or county at RadioReference. Analog signals will be labeled as AM or FM. Digital signals have labels such as P25 or DMR. Most frequencies are now digital, or will eventually be, so you might be better off purchasing a digital model from the start. But not every digital scanner can pick up all known digital signals. Before buying a scanner, make sure the label explicitly states it detects the signals you need.

Nowadays, some models are pre-programmed and able to access a nationwide database of frequencies.