my son works at a firestation that is like 45 minutes away and looking for a scanner that we can tune in to hear his calls. Would this be sufficient?
645422
I know we've heard calls at least an 1 hr away, but probably depends on interference
645423
Probably not--Many , if not most government agencie s require a "digital" scanner to pick up calls.The distance may be a factor also. You may want to do some research before the pricey investment.
645424
I don't know because we haven't programmed in departments that are that far away. Don't they issue pagers/radios to the firefighters? I ask that because our local department does. Sorry ;-(
645425
This is a great scanner. A lot depends on the terrain between you and the fire station. I would suggest a good outside antenna installed correctly. Then I would say yes to your question.
645426
Not easy to answer. The unit is well made and serves my purpose at a local airport, but most traffic is within ten miles. Unit is difficult to program, but works well once desired frequency is placed in the personal area of the unit. Don't know how far 45 min is. Could be five miles in mountains or fifty miles on flatlands. Unit seems to receive up to 10-15 miles adequately, but mountains will interfere as most transmissions in aviation and government are line of sight transmissions.
645427
Depends. It's line-of-sight reception. If there's buildings or high terrain between you and the station, I'd say no. If not, it probably will work or you might have to get an external antenna. Hope this helps...
645428
Probably not. You would need an outdoor antenna for the receiver Higher the better. .
347872
I don't believe so. Mine is worthless so I purchased a different scanner. It is a Uniden Home Patrol. It picks up everything.
2049934
In a word....NO. This scanner is analog only, so can't pick up any broadcast in digital.
127399
absolutely. it would be a great radio. There are some accessories that may make this even better for that use. As always - you would need the EMT department's permission to use their frequencies to transmit.
1421872
Yes, this scanner is top shelf performer on 800 mHz and UHF T-band. It is awkward to program if you are not an "electronic whiz" but once you get past that you will be very satisfied.
1654638
Yes. Just turn up the squelch to drown out the static and hit scan. It can pick up signal from quite far out.
1617620
The radio has a feature that enables it to search for frequencies that are nearby. Once it finds one that is transmitting near by it will allow you to listen to it. It will accept any frequency and will not necessarily be an agency but it could be someone who has a handheld radio or a trucking company using a radio. It allows for any radio transmission initiated by another radio to by played through the scanner.
196334
Yes! I have been happy with this scanner. Has a reasonable price tag. Good luck!
1421874
it depends Russell. Some states have gone digital and with this one since living in the state of Virginia. I can listen to almost anything until they go digital. This is a analog scanner and it does have great features. But if you really want to invest in a scanner, go digital. They cost more, but in the long run it may be best. Check your state to see what type of frequencies they uses, digital or analog.
1578163
I use mine mostly at my job. 99% of the use is through repeaters so I have not really had the oppurtunity to check the range direct. I programmed it myself to the Sheriffs office and jail frequencies which is easy as long as you know all the repeaters input/output freq's and assigned tone codes etc.... All in all I love it.
502286
This unit can be used in a vehicle (if you are licensed to have one in the vehicle) or used in the home or office. It is not a digital scanner so it will probably not pick up most of the newer frequencies that most all the police, fire and ambulance agencies use now. I made this mistake but decised to keep the unit anyway. It comes with a telescopping antenna that plugs in the back of the unit.
1390636
Yes. Which bands you can transmit on depends on your local regulation and scanner settings.
1153845
Update on answer below, duh, I was answering about a different scanner below, my bad. I also own the scanner above and yes, it should pick that frequency up. I recommend spending I bit more and getting the bcd396xt described below. If I was more awake, I would have noticed the question was about my previous scanner. I own them both. Radio reference.com will answer all your questions. Sorry about below. I also enjoyed the scanner above, but it has its limitations. No trunked frequencies and no 800-900 frequencies either. Save your money for a better scanner. I bought both, I got the better one later on. Update on answer below, duh, I was answering about a different scanner below, my bad. I also own the scanner above and yes, it should pick that frequency up. I recommend spending I bit more and getting the bcd396xt described below. If I was more awake, I would have noticed the question was about my previous scanner. I own them both. Radio reference.com will answer all your questions. Sorry about below. I also enjoyed the scanner above, but it has its limitations. No trunked frequencies and no 800-900 frequencies either. Save your money for a better scanner. I bought both, I got the better... » Read More Update on answer below, duh, I was answering about a different scanner below, my bad. I also own the scanner above and yes, it should pick that frequency up. I recommend spending I bit more and getting the bcd396xt described below. If I was more awake, I would have noticed the question was about my previous scanner. I own them both. Radio reference.com will answer all your questions. Sorry about below. I also enjoyed the scanner above, but it has its limitations. No trunked frequencies and no 800-900 frequencies either. Save your money for a better scanner. I bought both, I got the better one later on. « Show Less
1263682
Kind of impossible to say. Most quotes for range by manufacturers are theoretical based on max distance in a vacuum. If you are licensed to use this radio, you will understand its limitations based on the type of antenna and it's transmit power.For listening in, a dedicated scanner would be best. For transmitting, don't do it without a license!
1933477
Yes Christopher. This is exactly what we did. The Bearcat BC345CRS reception was significantly better! I connected it to the RG-6 cable and with an adapter connected it directly to the scanner via my wall plate cable connection being we don't have cable TV and use jacks anyway. Enjoy your scanner's better reception.
2075850
Although I have not used it to scan police frequencies, the range of this radio does cover the150 and 450 MHz bands that are commonly used. Municipalities are often using other methods rather than FM for communications these days.
706172
Dolores,Depends on whether you want to "search" all the frequencies available or "scan" your custom set of frequencies. If your answer is to "scan" then yes you do need to know the local freq's and there are several websites that are searchable for all emergency responders. Check http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/ and search on your location for the appropriate freqs. Hope it helps!!