I'm looking for a not so expensive police scanner for a friend. Where can you even buy these?

8/31/2006 1:23:04 PM

radio/television shop, maybe big chain stores, i'm not sure. galls.com

radio shack came up in a google search

[Edited on August 31, 2006 at 1:25 PM. Reason : .]

8/31/2006 1:24:09 PM

I went to walmart..figuring that rednecks like scanners, right? Well, it was like $150 because you could listen to NASCAR shit on it, he wants it for something stupid, so I refuse to pay 150.

[Edited on August 31, 2006 at 1:26 PM. Reason : THanks^!!]

8/31/2006 1:26:20 PM

the key words here are
1. google
2. search

8/31/2006 1:26:44 PM

Radio Shack does indeed sell scanners. I worked there while in college.

8/31/2006 1:29:02 PM

Well I googled, and I got live feeds, but our work google does some weird shit and blocks like 99.9% of websites...

8/31/2006 1:29:29 PM

You can get scanners pretty much anywhere. Just make sure they go up to at least 800 Megahertz range

8/31/2006 2:29:46 PM

try pawn shops, too. You can hear RPD with a cheapie scanner, anything else interesting in wake co you will need to drop some serious cash ($500). might need to move this to tech talk if you want more info.

8/31/2006 2:40:45 PM

most pd's have gone to sending out calls over the in car computer system. u can hear chatting on there but nothing of real importance.

8/31/2006 8:21:06 PM

police scanners are a hard find,

i'd stick with radar detectors

8/31/2006 9:12:17 PM

Quote :

"most pd's have gone to sending out calls over the in car computer system. u can hear chatting on there but nothing of real importance."

That and cell phones.

8/31/2006 9:23:07 PM

radio shack has a digital scanner that will work

8/31/2006 9:27:49 PM

http://www.scannerworld.com/content/product/category/Scanner%20Radios
I've ordered from Scanner World a few times before for different people. You might try Ham Radio Outlet (http://www.hamradio.com/). eBay always works too.

8/31/2006 9:31:51 PM

Well you can buy a police scanner many places...but what type/cost depends on what you want to listen to....for example:
1) Raleigh PD-Yes you can get by for now with a simple $100 conventional model that covers VHF/UHF as Raleigh PD is stil operating on UHF 460.xxxMhz...for Raleigh PD freqs see my page here:
http://home.nc.rr.com/nctrafficman/rpd.html
2) Most anything else in Wake County Requires a Digital Trunktracking Scanner...be aware this costs some chedda though as the 2 handheld digital models (and their mobile/base conterparts) are around the $400-$500 Range...some of the agencies operating in digital on the Wake County system:
~Wake Sheriff
~Raleigh/Wake Fire/EMS
~Smaller Towns such as Garner PD/Knightdale/Zebulon/Wendell PDs
~NC State Police/Fire
3) Raleigh PD has plans to move to the digital Wake County system as soon as they can get funding (which may be sometime next year)....
If you can afford analog only right now I would look at the Uniden BC246T...you can find a link with info about this scanner below:
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/BC246T
The 246T would allow you to monitor Raleigh PD (until they join the wake county system) along with Cary Police/Fire/Rescue (they are on their own 800Mhz Trunked system) along with the analog activity on the Wake County 800Mhz system...
If you are really interested in learning more about the hobby (and I am considered to be the local scanner guru as I have done scanner work for President of Wake Med, NBC17, WTVD11, and the News & Observer) I would suggest stopping by the following links:
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Main_Page ~Radioreference.com Wiki (gives ya all the 411 you need on the different types of radio systems in use)
http://www.wakegov.com/emergency/fire/scannerguide100404.htm ~Wake Counties site with a pdf describing the Wake County 800Mhz system and some of the users along with digital scanner types on the market
http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&sid=4087 ~Complete system info in the database at radioreference.com...the Wake County system is part of the statewide "VIPER" program and the system has users statewide...
last but not least:
http://www.radioreference.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16 ~Radioreference.com NC forum of which I am a moderator...If after studying the above and you still have questions feel free to PM me and I will help ya out...I know Wake County communications inside and out and listen to all daily...

8/31/2006 9:43:08 PM

Quote :

"most pd's have gone to sending out calls over the in car computer system. u can hear chatting on there but nothing of real importance."

Actually this is a little bit off...yes, some of the routine (ie: boring) calls are sent over MCT/MDT but the interesting stuff is still voice dispatched...I mean it would be hard for a RPD officer to type in his location on a MDT when he is in the middle of a vehicle/foot chase...could you see a cop carrying around a computer while chasing someone on foot? Or a firefighter carrying a computer into a burning building? that is why Raleigh/Wake County will always have some type of voice communication...if anything MDTs are a good thing cause they cut down on the boring radio stuff...

8/31/2006 9:49:26 PM

Just to bring a smile to the conversation LEOs have a hard time learning all of the ins and outs of their radios...a buddy of mine who is a local LEO received a new handheld radio through his department awhile back when they switched from UHF (460.xxxMhz) to the digital Wake County system...I asked him how much he thought the new radio was worth...he said "I dunno, maybe $300-400 like my old handheld radio?"...his jaw dropped when I told him his new Motorola XTS5000 cost in the neighborhood of $2500 So now after every shift he makes sure no dirt has gotten into the case and wipes it down and I also had to show a local PD supervisor how to switch zones (banks) on his XTS5000 so he could monitor the Wake Co. Public Safety TAC on scene channels...no one had ever shown him how to do that

8/31/2006 9:56:02 PM

Quote :

"Actually this is a little bit off...yes, some of the routine (ie: boring) calls are sent over MCT/MDT but the interesting stuff is still voice dispatched...I mean it would be hard for a RPD officer to type in his location on a MDT when he is in the middle of a vehicle/foot chase...could you see a cop carrying around a computer while chasing someone on foot? Or a firefighter carrying a computer into a burning building? that is why Raleigh/Wake County will always have some type of voice communication...if anything MDTs are a good thing cause they cut down on the boring radio stuff... "

a lot of the calls are still dispacthed thru the computers. u don't get the heads up, u just findout as it's going on, once a cop is all ready on the scene.

9/1/2006 8:16:49 PM

ebay? you can buy everything else there.

9/1/2006 8:24:59 PM

Quote :

"a lot of the calls are still dispacthed thru the computers. u don't get the heads up, u just findout as it's going on, once a cop is all ready on the scene."

Again, you are agreeing with (and proving) my point...the calls that do get dispatched over MDTs are calls no one would be interested in monitoring..such as code 18's (security checks)...the interesting calls will still be dispatched out over the radio...hell, this morning I heard a chase in Northeast Wake County involving Wake Sheriff, Highway Patrol, and others...that chase would have been impossible to do over MDT...gotta use the radio on the interesting stuff...

9/1/2006 8:56:09 PM

Quote :

"ebay? you can buy everything else there."

You would get robbed on Ebay...heck..email me and let me know what you want to listen to and I will let you know what type of scanner you need and where you can get one at a good price....

Listening to Raleigh PD ask for supervisor cause he had to pepper spray someone in a fight off Capital Blvd...yep...Friday night always makes interesting listening....

9/1/2006 8:59:22 PM

radio shack

9/1/2006 9:55:51 PM

You could always ask one of the police that read this site.

9/1/2006 10:48:08 PM

Quote :

"You could always ask one of the police that read this site."

don't need to when they ask me for radio/scanner advice..cut out the middle man

9/1/2006 10:51:06 PM

eBay!

9/2/2006 10:33:49 AM