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r om: ( Bob Par nass, AJ 9S)  r gani zat i on: Bel l Laborator i es, Napervi l l e, I L

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Introduction to Scanning

y Bob Parnass, AJ9S

[ NOTES: Thi s art i cl e may not be r epr oduced i n whol e or i npart on CDROMS, i n bul l et i n boar ds, networks, orpubl i cat i ons whi ch char ge f or servi ce wi t hout per mi ssi on oft he aut hor. I t i s post ed t wi ce mont hl y on t he USENETgr oups r ec. r adi o. scanner , al t . r adi o. scanner , andrec. radi o. i nf o. I t i s al so avai l abl e el ect roni cal l y f romt he rec. r adi o. scanner f t p ar chi ve on t he of f i ci al USENETFAQ 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 monthl y "Scanner Equi pment " col umn f orMoni t ori ng Ti mes magazi ne, publ i shed by Gr ove Ent erpr i ses,but vi ews expr essed i n t hi s art 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 hescanni ng hobby and i s ori 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 ure?How Do I Det er mi ne t he Proper CTCSS or DCS Code?Scanner Ant ennasCoaxi al Cabl e Feedl i nesWhere Can I Buy A Scanner ?Modi f yi ng Your ScannerScanner Repai r ShopsWhere Can I Obt ai n Frequency I nf ormat i on?Do Your Own Fr equency Det ect i ve WorkHow 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 are ent ert ai ned bywhat t hey over hear on t hei r r adi os. Pol i ce car s, f i r eengi nes, ambul ances, ai r pl anes, ar mor ed car s, t r ai ns,t axi s, and buses are al l equi pped wi t h radi os and you canl i st en t o t hem. You can moni t or t he l ocal sher i f f and f i r edepart ment s t o hear about event s " as t hey happen, " bef oret he news r epor t ers hear about t hem. Host age dramas, bankr obber i es, car crashes, chemi cal spi l l s, nei ghbor anddomest i c di sput es, t or nado si ght i ngs ar e al l f ai r game. I na si ngl e af t ernoon, you can hear a hi gh speed pol i ce chase,Dr ug Enf orcement agent s on a st i ng operat i on, andundercover FBI agent s as t hey st akeout a suspect .

http://home.comcast.net/~kilowattradio/scanning1.html

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How about l i st eni ng to a t eam of G- men pr otect t hepr 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 ercoms ar e act ual l y t r ansmi t t ers and youcan 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 oadcrews, snow pl ows, and t r af f i c hel i copt er pi l ot s. Manymi dwest erners moni t or t he st ate pol i ce and and count ysher i f f t o l ear n of appr oachi ng tornados l ong bef or ewarni ngs ar e br oadcast on TV and commerci al r adi o. Takeyour scanner t o spor t i ng event s and l i st en t o race cardr 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 omcabl e TV r epai r cr ews t r acki ng down pi r ate descrambl erboxes, t o secur i t y guar ds at your nucl ear power pl ant ormal 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 sper f ectl y l egal i n most si t uat i ons. The El ectr oni cCommuni cat i ons Pri vacy Act of 1986 made i t i l l egal t ol i st en t o mobi l e phones, common car r i er pagi ng, and a f ewother t ypes of communi cat i on. Publ i c l aw 103- 414, si gnedOct . 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 scanners cover t hesef 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 the USAr ecent l y manuf act ur ed scanners whi ch cover or can be easi l ymodi f i ed t o cover t he cel l ul ar phone f r equenci es, but sal esby 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 ngt he l eads of , or i nst al l i ng, a si mpl e component such as adi ode, r esi st or and/ or j umper wi r e; r epl aci ng a pl ug- i nsemi conductor chi p; or programmi ng a semi conduct or chi pusi ng speci al access codes or an exter nal devi ce, such as apersonal comput er. "

Speaki ng of pr i vacy, f eder al l aw al so r equi r es you t o keepwhat you hear t o your sel f and not use t he i nf ormat i on you

hear on your scanner f or per sonal gai n.Be aware t hat sever al st at es have l aws per t ai ni ng t oscanni ng whi l e i n your car . I ndi ana r est r i ct s someport abl e scanners . A f ew st ates have enact ed t hei r ownl aws agai nst l i st eni ng t o cor dl ess phones. You can f i ndout about t hese r est r i ct i ons i n a paper back book, Li st ener sLawbook, compi l ed by Frank Ter r anel l a, Esq. avai l abl e f or$9. 95 + shi ppi ng f r om Gr ove Ent erpri ses, 7540 Hi ghway 64West , Br asst own, NC 28902.

What Scanner Shoul d I Buy?

Radi o Shack and Uni den (maker of Bear cat , Regency, andCobr a br ands) of f er a wi de choi ce of scanners . Radi o Shackscanners are actual l y manuf actur ed by both GRE ( General

Resear ch El ect r oni cs) and by Uni den. Per sonal l y, I don' tr ecommend Tr i dent nor many of t he AOR brand scanner s,al t hough t he AR8000 and AR3000 have good reputat i ons andt he AR5000 works wel l .

Progr ammabl e (synt hesi zed) uni t s have r epl aced cr yst alcont r ol l ed model s as t hey don' t r equi r e cr ystal s andusual l y have a keypad t hat permi t s you t o st ore f r equenci esi nt o channel s. Progr ammabl es are now so cheap i t doesn' tmake sense t o buy a cryst al uni t as your mai n scannerunl ess you get i t f or under $45 or so.

You can get a bat t er y operat ed hand hel d scanner , a bi gger"base" scanner whi ch i s powered f r om an AC out l et , or amobi l e scanner whi ch connect s t o your aut o' s el ect r i calsyst em. There ar e t r adeof f s - - base and mobi l e scannershave l arger di spl ays and al most al ways provi de more audi o

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t han port abl es, and some por t abl es are more pr one t oi nt er f erence when connected to out door ant ennas t han basemodel s. But when severe weat her knocks out t he power i nyour home, t here' s nothi ng l i ke havi ng a bat t ery operat edscanner t o moni t or t he power ut i l i t y and pol i cef r equenci es!

Make sur e your f i r st scanner has a "sear ch" f eat ur e, whi chal l ows i t t o sear ch al l t he f r equenci es bet ween t wof r equency l i mi t s of your choosi ng. Bewar e of l ow costpr ogr ammabl es whi ch can' t search. Some model s, l i ke t heear l y Uni den Sport Cat s and Radi o Shack PRO- 2046, al l owsear chi ng bet ween l i mi t s, but t he l i mi t s ar e f act or y

progr ammed and cannot be al t ered.Get a model whi ch cover s t he 800 MHz band. Usage of t he800 - 950 MHz band i s gr owi ng f ast and you wi l l mi ss out ont 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 wantt o spend much money, a 50 channel scanner wi l l do. I ngeneral , t he more 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 between 30and 1000 MHz, so don' t be mi sl ed by scanner model s boast i ngcover age f r om 3 t o 2000 MHz. There' s cur r ent l y not much t omoni 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 scanners r ecei ve t he shor t wave band, t hei rperf ormance i n t hat r ange i s of t en second r ate. The $1500I com R8500 and $2000 AOR AR5000 model s are except i ons.

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

Al most al l l ow and mi d- pr i ced scanners are prone t or ecei vi ng i mages - - r ecei vi ng t he same si gnal er r oneousl yon t wo or more f r equenci es. Wi t h a f ew except i ons, i magesare unwel come due t o the i nt erf erence they cause, e. g. ,hear i ng ai r craf t t r ansmi ssi ons whi l e t he scanner i s t unedt o t he l ocal pol i ce f r equency. Pr emi um qual i t y scanner suse "up conver si on" ci r cui t r y, a scheme whi ch gr eatl yr 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 hedi scont i nued Radi o Shack PRO- 2042 and PRO- 2006base/ 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 ofowners r eport pr obl ems wi t h t he I com R1 port abl e and t heol 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 ywel l and are my cur r ent f avori t es. The I COM I C- R2 andYaesu VR- 500 ar e t he t wo smal l est "pocket " scanners whi chper f or m. Bot h ar e t i ny enough t o f i t comf or t abl y i n ashi r t pocket so you can moni t or wi t hout att r act i ng undueat t ent i on.

Looki ng f or val ue? At $170 di scount pr i ce, t he 100 channelUni den/ Bear cat BC278CLT base i s a good val ue and avai l abl eat most Sear s and Best Buy st ores. The Uni den Sport cat

SC200 por t abl e per f or ms ver y wel l i s an excel l ent val ue ati t s $220 st reet pr i ce.

CTCSS and DCS Tone Squel ch Feat ure

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

Most l and mobi l e t wo way radi 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 ht 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 oywi der devi at i on and a 150 Hz CTCSS tone, not support ed bymost scanners or CTCSS decoder s.

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There ar e over 40 di f f er ent CTCSS codes and you can programa speci f i c CTCSS or DCS code i nto each memory channel .Usi ng a CTCSS or DCS decoder per mi t s your scanner t o opent he squel ch onl y i f t he t r ansmi ssi on has a code whi chmat ches t he code you progr am.

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

1. I gnor e unwant ed si gnal s on shar ed f r equenci es: I t i scommon f or sever al user s t o shar e t he same f r equency,e. g. , my count y sheri f f uses t he same f r equency as

Chi cago Pol i ce, l ocated about 60 mi l es away. I wantt o hear my sher i f f ' s t r ansmi ssi ons but don' t want t hescanner t o st op on or l i st en to Chi cago Pol i cet r ansmi ssi ons. Thi s i s especi al l y a pr obl em whenr adi o pr opagat i on i s good, e. g. , dur i ng a "bandopeni ng, " when r ecept i on r ange i s t emporar i l yi ncreased.

2. Combat i nt ermodul at i on i nt erf erence: Hel ps keep outi nt ermod and i mage i nt erf erence f r om st r ong pagersand ot her si gnal s whi ch ar e not t r ansmi t t ed wi t h amat chi ng code.

3. I gnore scr ambl ed t r ansmi ssi ons: Many f ederal l awenf or cement agenci es ( FBI , Secret Ser vi ce, et c) andsome l ocal pol i ce agenci es empl oy di gi t al voi cescr 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 ywhen the st at i on i s t r ansmi t t i ng unscr ambl ed, or " i nt he cl ear . " You can pr ogr am f eder al f r equenci esal ong wi t h t he pr oper code i nt o your decoder - equi ppedscanner so you won' t have t o l i st en t o t he scr ambl edmess and onl y hear t hei r t r ansmi ssi ons when t hey ar eunscr ambl ed.

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

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

There ar e a f ew ways t o deter 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 reader whi ch must beat t ached to t he di scri mi nat or out put ci r cui t r y i nsi det he scanner . The reader has an LCD or LED di spl aywhi ch i ndi cat es t he code when a st at i on t r ansmi t s. Iuse a CSI model CD- 1 Communi cat i ons Decoder Uni t , anan 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 ScannerMast er gui des, as wel l as scannercl ub newsl et t ers , pr i nt t he CTCSS codes used byt ransmi t t i ng stat i ons.

3. On some scanners equi pped wi t h the CTCSS squel ch, youcan pr ogr am i nt o memory t he f r equency of i nt erest .

 Then you " t une" sl owl y t hrough al l t he di f f er ent CTCSS

and/ or DCS codes unt i l t he squel ch opens and you heart he di spat cher t al ki ng. Thi s i s a sl ow pr ocess andt 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 orce method i s t o pr ogr am t he samef r equency but a di f f er ent CTCSS code i nt o sever alchannel s and see where 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 codepr i nt ed on a l abel on or i nsi de t he radi o.

Scanner Antennas

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

Por t abl e scanner s are suppl i ed wi t h a hel i cal ( spr i ng

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shaped) ant enna, covered by r ubber . The r ubber i zedant ennas f ur ni shed wi t h cur r ent model s are t oo st i f f andpl ace st r ess on t he ant enna j ack. Ol der scanner s t o besuppl i ed wi t h mor e f l exi bl e ant ennas. I pr ef er t heseal 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 andver y f l exi bl e rubber ant enna, i s sl i ght l y l onger t hana st ock hel i f l ex but pr ovi des bet t er per f or mance. ThePr emi er ( Pr i me) RD- 9 and RD- 9SMA ar e about t he samel engt h but even thi nner .

2. The Aust i n Condor i s a 12" l ong rubberi zed ant ennaavai l abl e f or about $30. Whi l e consi derabl y l onger

t han the st ock ant enna and t he FA- 1443B, t he Condor i sver y f l exi bl e and pr ovi des VHF- hi gh band r ecept i onsuper i or t o bot h. I t i s not desi gned t o cover t heVHF- l ow band, but wi l l al l ow r ecept i on t her e at l eastas good as short er ant ennas. The Aust i n Condor i savai 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 orextended r ange. I t i s made i n USA by Smi l ey AntennaCo. , I nc. and i s desi gned t o cover bot h t he 2 met erand 220 MHz bands, but i t s var i abl e l engt h means i tcan be adj ust ed f or opt i mum per f ormance on ot herbands. What makes t he Thi n- St i ck di f f er ent f r om anordi nary t el escopi ng ant enna i s t he spr i ng between t heant enna and t he connect or por t i ons. The spri ngabsorbs most of t he i mpact i f t he ant enna col l i deswi t h an obj ect . The st r eet pr i ce i s about $17 and i ti s avai l abl e f r om Amat eur El ect r oni c Suppl y, Mi l waukee

and ot her retai l er s.Out door ant ennas, l i ke t he Channel Mast er 5094A (avai l abl ef 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 recept i ont o 50 mi l es or mor e, dependi ng on t er r ai n. I f you do usean out door ant enna, be sure t o di sconnect and gr ound i tdur i ng st orms and when not i n use t o avoi d a l i ght ni nghazar d. Di scone and gr ound pl ane t ype antennas can be morepr one t o cause scanner damage due t o st at i c char ge bui l dupbecause 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 ngj acket and wi l l l ast l onger . Each has an out er di amet er ofabout 13/ 32" . Si mi l ar l y si zed Bel den 9913 cabl e and cl oneshave l ower at t enuat i on but ar e di f f i cul t t o bend, r equi r especi al connect ors , and can accumul ate moi st ur e i nsi debecause t hey ar e hol l ow.

I f you must use a smal l di amet er cabl e f or l ong runs, useRG6/ U. Avoi d RG58/ U ( 7/ 32" OD) due to i t s l osses at hi ghf r equenci es. RG8/ X ( 1/ 4" OD) i s sui t abl e f or shor t pat chcor ds.

Where Can I Buy A Scanner ?

Al most every communi t y has at l east one Radi o Shack st ore,and you can f i nd scanner s t her e. Be sur e i t i s on sal e, asRadi o Shack l i st pr i ces are hi gh and t hei r scanner s ar eof 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, butcar r y j ust a f ew model s. Depar t ment st or es, l i ke Sear sRoebuck and Mont gomer y Wards, somet i mes of f er l ow endscanner s, al t hough at hi gh pr i ces.

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

- Gr ove Ent erpr i ses, 7540 Hi ghway 64 West , Br asst own, NC28902. For a f r ee cat al og, cal l ( 828) 837- 9200.

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Tel ephone ( order s onl y) : ( 800) 438- 8155. Web page i sht t p: / / www. gr ove- ent . com

- Nat i onal El ect r oni cs ( f or mer l y Nat i onal TowerCompany) , PO Box 15417, Shawnee Mi ss i on, KS 66215.

 Tel ephone ( 800) 762- 5049, ( 913) 888- 8864. Web page i sht t p: / / www. sound. net / ~ne/  

- The Ham St at i on, 220 N. Ful t on Ave. , Evansvi l l e, I N47719- 0522. Tel ephone ( 800) 729- 4373, ( 812) 422- 0231.

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

- Amateur 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

Beware of i nf l ated "shi ppi ng and handl i ng" charges and besure t o i ncl ude t hese when compar i son shoppi ng.

Used scanners may be f ound at hamf est s, f l ea markets,gar age sal es, or l i st ed i n the cl assi f i ed adver t i sementsect 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 erest ed i n modi f yi ng ( "moddi ng" ) your scannert o add f eat ur es or enhance i t s per f ormance. Be warned t hi s

usual l y voi ds your warr ant y and cur r ent model s ar edi f f i cul t t o servi ce due to t he smal l , del i cat e surf acemount components. Modi f yi ng any scanner t o r ecei vecel l ul ar phone si gnal s i s now consi der ed i l l egal . Byf ederal r egul at i on, new scanner model s must be desi gned t ot hey cannot be easi l y modi f i ed t o t une t he cel l ul ar phonebands.

The t er m "mod" has been narr owl y used by some peopl e t omean a change whi ch permi t s a scanner t o recei ve cel l ul arphone f requenci es. Thi s def i ni t i on i s far t oo rest r i ct i veas t here 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- meter,expandi ng t he number of channel s, changi ng t he ear phonej ack t o accept st er eo headphones, et c.

Modi f i cat i on ar t i c l e f i l es can be copi ed f rom several 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. eduoak. 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 eof t hei r own. Frequent l y, t hey ar e pl agi ar i zed f r om t heI nternet and compi l ed by book, CDROM, and magazi nepubl i sher s, somet i mes r eworded, t hen sol d. Hobbyi st s thencopy t he modi f i cat i ons f r om t he books, CDROMs, andmagazi nes back ont o t he I nt ernet or BBSs ( bul l et i n boar dsyst ems) !

Gr ove Ent erpr i ses and ot her compani es adver t i se awar 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 scannerback t o t he manuf act ur er f or r epai r , here i s one companywhi ch repai r s scanner s:

- G & G Communi cat i ons ( t el ephone 716- 768- 8151) -( ht t p: / / www. i i nc. com/ ggcomm or emai l ggcomm@i i nc. comor ggcomm@aol . com) Thi s f ami l y owned company r epai r sscanner s and pager s and st ocks par t s f or sever al ol dermodel s. G & G cannot usual l y repai r AOR scanner s duet o l ack of manuf actur er support . G & G sel l s andsomet i mes buys ol d scanners and par t s, t oo. They arel ocated at 7825 Bl ack St r eet Rd. , LeRoy, NY 14482.

Repai r t i ps f or Bear cat and Radi o Shack scanners are

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di scussed i n t wo ot her FAQ ar t i cl es.

Wher e Can I Obt ai n Frequency I nf ormat i on?

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

Scanner ent husi ast s can obt ai n f r equency i nf ormat i on f r omsever al sour ces, i ncl udi ng books, gover nment mi crof i che

records, or ot her l i steners.Books: The most conveni ent sour ce of f i r e, pol i ce, andl ocal gover nment f r equenci es i s Gene Hughes' Pol i ce Cal lPl us, publ i shed each year i n 9 r egi onal vol umes by Hol l i nsRadi o Data, and sol d at Radi o Shack and l arger book st ores.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 yf 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 bySMB 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 1100page 3r d edi t i on i s now avai l abl e. Moni t or Ameri cacont ai ns sever al pages of pol i ce, f i r e, l ocal gover nment ,news medi a, spor t s, f ederal government , and commerci albr oadcast f r equenci es f or al l 50 st at es. I t cont ai ns

detai l ed communi cat i ons syst em pr of i l es and pr eci nct mapsf or maj or met r opol i t an ar eas. Pol i ce and f i r e r adi o codesand uni t i dent i f i er s uni que t o l ocal agenci es ar e l i st edf or several ci t i es. Thi s di f f ers f rom Pol i ce Cal l , whi chgi ves a mor e steri l e, but uni f or m t 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 the"Bet t y Bear cat " name, al t hough there are much bet t erdi r ect or i es avai l abl e f r om Scanner Mast er ( Newt onHi ghl ands, MA, t el . ( 508) 655- 6300) f or some r egi ons.

The most r eadi l y avai l abl e source of sensi t i ve USgover nment f r equenci es i s st i l l Tom Knei t el ' s Top SecretRegi st r y of US Government Radi o Fr equenci es. Publ i shed byCRB Resear ch, t he 8t h edi t i on i s avai l abl e f r om Gr oveEnt 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 , Secret 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 the 25 to 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 byJ ames Tunnel l and Robert Kel t y, l i st s f ederal agenci es andf r equenci es and deserves a r ead. However , t here are nomi l i t ary l i st i ngs and many pages are devoted t o appendi cesand r ef er ences whi ch cont ai n no f r equency l i st i ngs. Thespace woul d be much bet t er used by a combi ned f ederalf 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 nGr 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 arCommuni cat i ons, ( t el . 516- 681- 2922) . Nat i onal Scanni ng

( NatScan) i s a nat i onal scanner magazi ne publ i shedbi mont hl y and i s af f i l i at ed wi t h Uni den' s Bear cat Radi oCl ub. The best scanner f r equency l i st s are of t en f ound i ncl ub publ i cat i ons, not commerci al magazi nes, and ar edi scussed l at er .

Gover nment Records: Every year , t he US Gover nment sel l s FCCl i cense i nf or mat i on, i n t he f or m of mi crof i che, f l oppydi sk, and magnet i c t ape, t o t he publ i c t hr ough the USDepart ment of Commerce Nat i onal Techni cal I nf ormat i onServi ce ( NTI S) . The hi gh cost of buyi ng government r ecordsl i mi t s t hei r appeal t o har dcor e ent husi ast s. You can wr i t ef or a cat al og of FCC Mast er Fr equency Database i t ems t o theNTI S, 5285 Por t Royal Road, Spr i ngf i el d, VA 22161.

The FCC has an agreement wi t h Per Con ( t el . 716- 386- 6015) , apr i vat e company, t o sel l FCC l i cense i nf or mat i on t o the

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publ i c on CDROMs. You can buy the f ul l l i cense i nf ormat i onf or a mul t i st at e regi on or a l ess det ai l ed l i censedat abase cover i ng t he t he ent i r e USA on CDROM. The Per ConSpect r um CDROM sel l s f or under $29 and contai ns a handf ulof f i el ds f or ever y FCC l i cense i n t he US. The Spr i ng 1995edi t i on works i n DOS, Wi ndows, and Mac envi r onment s.

Gr ove ent erpr i ses sel l s FCC l i cense i nf ormat 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 osst 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 yourchoi ce, i n any st ate, and pr oduce a cust om Radi oMap( TM)r epor t , i ncl udi ng a beaut i f ul 11" by 17" scal ed col or map,pr otect ed by pl ast i c. The map i s marked wi t h t r ansmi t t ers i tes , ci t i es , hi ghways, ai rpor t s , mi l i t ary i nstal 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 mesmagazi ne si nce 1995. The gr aphi cal nature of Radi oMapal l ows you t o i dent i f y ant enna si t es and vi sual i ze t het r ansmi t t er l ocat i ons i n your nei ghbor hood, near yourof f i ce, and ot her pl aces of i nt er est - - f r om VLF t hr oughmi crowave. The r epor t l i st s f r equenci es, cal l si gns, andl i censee names. Radi oMap cover s pol i ce, f i r e, l ocalgovernment , 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 ham r adi o st at i ons. Wi r el i ne andnonwi r el i ne cel l ul ar phone and AM/ FM br oadcast t r ansmi t t ersi t es ar e cl ear l y mar ked usi ng uni que col or i cons.

I ndust r i al cust omers use Radi oMap r eport s t o sur vey the"r adi o envi r onment " pr i or t o i nst al l at i on of r adi os andwi r el ess mi cr ophones at cust omer si t es. Radi oMap i s usedby t he mar i t i me and br oadcast i ndust r i es, as wel l as hamr adi o oper at or s t o sol ve i nt er mod i nt er f erence pr obl ems,and has been ver y f avor abl y r evi ewed i n RCMA ScannerJ ournal , Amer i can Scanner gram, and USSN.

The Radi oMap processes and sof t war e ar e uni que andpr opr i et ary. Unl i ke "more t ame" maps, Radi oMap shows t hel ocat i ons of mi l i t ar y bases, ammuni t i on pl ant s, ar senal s,weapons f actori 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 Ichoose 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 areas: 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 om Radi oMap r eport cost s $24. 95 pl us $5. 00 shi ppi ngand handl i ng. For an addi t i onal $10. 00, t he del uxe r epor ti ncl udes an ext r a i ndex sort ed by f r equency and a cust omf r equency al l ocat i on hi st ogr am, a 0 - 1, 000 MHz " spect r umanal yzer - l i ke" di spl ay showi ng spect r um usage by thet r ansmi t t ers i n t he map coverage ar ea. Send check or moneyorder payabl e to Bob Par nass f or $29. 95 f or st andard or$39. 95 f or del uxe Radi oMap r eport 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 tel ephone number, al ong wi t h cent er l ocat i on ( near esti nt er secti on of 2 st r eet s, or l at i t ude & l ongi t ude) andmai 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 to 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 radi o syst ems t o i dent i f y t hei roperati ons wi t h thei r assi gned cal l l et t ers ei t heraut omat i cal l y or ver bal l y, most i gnor e t he regul 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.

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Moreover , many r adi os are now bei ng pl aced i n servi cei l l egal l y, wi t hout f i rst obt ai ni ng the requi red FCCl i cense.

There i s a chal l enge i n der i vi ng new spect r um usagei nf ormat i on on your own. Somet i mes i t r equi r es severaldays of l i st eni ng, t api ng, and compi l i ng f r agment s ofi nf or mat i on. Ot her t i mes, t he f r equency i nf or mat i on i st 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 determi ne who' s t r ansmi t t i ng and what pur poset he channel serves. Once you i dent i f y t he user, l ogt 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, suchas exami ni ng the f r equency l abel on a guard' s r adi o,or r eadi ng the FCC l i cense hangi ng on t he "r adi or oom" wal l , t o compi l e f r equency l i st s, t hen moni t ort he l i st ed f r equenci es t o conf i r m t hat t hey ar er eal l y i n use. Reader s ar e ur ged t o abi de by t her ul es of good tast e and l ocal l aws i n t he quest f orf r equency i nf or mat i on. Don' t t r espass, wai t f or ani nvi tat i on.

Most l i st eners use a combi nat i on of both appr oaches.

You can exami ne t he FCC l i cense on premi se. I have f ound

t he act ual FCC r adi o l i cense, compl et e wi t h f r equencyassi gnment s, hangi ng on t he wal l s of pl aces l i ke the mal lsecur i t y of f i ce or company guard shack. You can exami net he l abel s on r adi o equi pment . Frequency i nf or mat i on i sengr aved on l abel s on t he back of many wal ki e- t al ki es, ori nsi de the bat t ery compart ment , l i ke i n the Motorol a HT220model . Most pager s have l abel s on t he bot t om or i nsi de.Li ke passwords t aped ont o t ermi nal s, i t ' s not uncommon t of i nd l abel s embossed wi t h f r equenci es or cal l l et t er s gl uedt o the f ront of base st at i ons.

You can make your own oppor t uni t i es f or eyei ng t heequi pment or t ake advant age of "open house" event s. I fi nf or mat i on i s di spl ayed publ i cl y, t hen a reasonabl e per soncoul d assume i t ' s not gover nment secret . Hobbyi st s ar eur ged t o exer ci se a modi cum of r est r ai nt and goodj udgement , however .

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

I f you don' t know t he exact f r equency, but have a generali dea of t he r ange ( e. g. 150 - 152 MHz) , use your scanner ' s"sear ch" mode. Most progr ammabl e scanners af f ord t heabi l i t y t o sear ch between two f r equency l i mi t s set by t heuser . A f ew model s, l i ke t he I COM R7000/ R7100, and R1, andol der Bear cat 250 and Regency K500, have t he abi l i t y t oaut omat i cal l y st or e act i ve f r equenci es f ound dur i ng anunat t ended sear ch operat i on.

To f i nd t he f r equency of a hotel communi cat i ons syst em, onef el l ow i nst al l ed hi s Bear cat 250 i n hi s car and par ked i nt he hot el l ot , l eavi ng the scanner i n the "sear ch andst ore" mode. He l ef t t he ant enna di sconnected so the

scanner woul d onl y r espond t o a t r ansmi t t er i n t hei 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 ofequi pment f or sl eut hi ng i s a voi ce act uat ed ( VOX) casset t et ape r ecor der . You don' t need a hi gh f i del i t y model oranyt hi ng f ancy, a Radi o Shack CTR- 82 wi l l do. I t ' s best t ouse a shi el ded, at t enuat i ng cabl e t o f eed t he scanner audi oi nt o t he recor der r at her t han rel yi ng on t he recor der ' si nt er nal mi crophone.

VOX r ecor ders al l ow one t o compr ess a whol e day' s wort h ofmoni t or i ng ont o a si ngl e t ape. I of t en l eave a r ecor der"armed" and connected to a scanner at home whi l e I am att he of f i ce or doi ng somet hi ng el se. When cal l l et t er s ar emumbl ed, I can pl ay and repl ay t he t ape unt i l I hear andunder st and t hem.

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Test equi pment can ai d i n t he quest f or new f r equencyi nf or mat i on. I ' ve used a spect r um anal yzer connect ed t o anout 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 herr adi o buf f s. Tr adi ng i nf or mat i on wi t h ot her hobbyi st sabout f r equenci es, communi cat i on syst ems, and r ecei vi ngequi pment i s more val uabl e t han any pi l e of magazi nes.

Cl ay I r vi ng admi ni st er s a scannerel ectr 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 ordomo@l i st s. pani x. com

I n the 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 , andsonof 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 ypubl i cat i on, The Amer i can Scannergr am, i s about 60 pagesl ong. Al t hough concent r at i ng on Ohi o and t he Nort heast ernst 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 more i nf ormat i on i s avai l abl ef r om:

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

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

The Chi cago Ar ea Radi o Moni t or i ng Associ at i on ( CARMA) i st 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 area. CARMA was f or med f r om t he Chi cagochapt er of t he Radi o Communi cat i ons Moni t ori 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 are act i ve i n ham r adi o and GMRS, butt he cl ub i s devot ed t o scanni ng and scanners .

Meet i ngs are hel d on Satur days, many at area r est aur ant s,about 6 t i mes a year . Al t hough l unch st ar t s at noon, t hemeet i ngs begi n of f i ci al l y at 1 PM and of t en r un unt i l about4 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 ofi nf or mat i on and f r equency l i st s are of t en di st r i but ed i nt he f or m of f r ee handout s. Member s of t en sel l r adi oequi pment at t he meet i ngs, t oo.

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I n addi t i on t o regul ar meet i ngs, t here ar e t wo CARMApi cni c/ f i el d days dur i ng whi ch members meet at a park,er ect ant ennas, eat , and oper at e scanner s f r om bat t er ypower . CARMA member s t ake organi zed t our s of var i ouscommuni cat i ons f aci l i t i es i n the ar ea.

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

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

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

CARMAP.O. Box 2681Glenview, IL 60025 

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

-opyri ght 2000, Bob Par nass, AJ 9S parnass@bel l - l abs. com

Locat e & i dent i f y t r ansmi t t er s i n your area wi t h a col or Radi oMap( t m)ht t p: / / www. megsi net . com/ ~par nass

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