Scanner School - Everything you wanted to know about the Scanner Radio Hobby

Today we remember Rodney Paul "Upman" Opitz. Paul was the Director of Marketing and Product Development for Uniden. It is his work that gave us scanners such as the HomePatrol 1 & 2, The BCD436HP and BCD536HP, and the SDS100 and SDS200. Paul passed away at the age of 59 after losing his battle with cancer on Dec 28, 2019. All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on ou...

Many of you have have been submitting their questions and today I am answering some of them. This month I answer: What GPS should be used on the SDS100 & SDS200 Why is my USB hub transmitting? Why can't I unlock banks on my PRO-2055? Should I trade in my BCD436HP for an SDS100? Does it look like a SDS100 or SDS200 will be required to monitor the Alameda County Trunk System in California?   If you...

The Scanning hobby is ever-changing. Who would have though that at the start of the 2010's we would see touch screen scanners, be able to receive DMR and NXDN, and also use SDR's to pickup almost any signal out there? What will the next one hold? In this podcast, we discuss what has happened over the last decade in scanning and what might be coming in the future. What do you predict we will see in...

I've been in the scanning hobby for about 30 years now.  Here are some of the observations that I've made about the hobby since I started. I hope you enjoy this list!   What are some observations you made about the hobby?   All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at  www.scannerschool.com/session105

In this podcast, we discuss where you can find high-quality reviews for the equipment you are looking for. Are you searching for new or used equipment? What do people think about the products you're looking for? Sometimes "good" review for can be hard to find.   All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at  www.scannerschool.com/session104

Are you not able to afford completely new equipment? How do you go about finding the best "used" equipment? What do you look for when buying "used" gear? In this podcast, we talk about what's changed in finding new gear, how to go about looking for used scanners and the best and safe ways for finding good used equipment. All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our...

Many of you have have been submitting their questions and today I am answering some of them. This month I answer: Should you be scanning NIFOG Frequencies and why they should be programmed into your scanner Scanning the Connecticut Land Mobile Radio Network and where to find the frequencies and talk groups What type of computer should you buy for radio programming What antennas would I recommend f...

The holidays are just around the corner! Here is my scanner radio and accessory buyer's guide for the 2019 Holiday Season. Links to purchase all of these recommendations can be round at the link below. All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at  www.scannerschool.com/session101

We made it to session 100 of the podcast - and I have something new for you. A new community for all of you Scanner School members, called scannerschool.club   This will not replace the existing Facebook Group, but will be a place for anyone to join.  So if you don't like Facebook here is a way to network with your fellow Scanner School classmates.

Harrison Wilson returns to the podcast to discuss some tips and tricks on how to install your scanning in your vehicle. All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at  www.scannerschool.com/session99

Many of you have have been submitting their questions and today I am answering some of them. This month I answer: Why can't I update my SDS 200e? Is there a setting to allow me to listen to just My fire station or equipment that I need to do so? What external antennas do you recommend? How do you input frequencies when not using the Radio Reference Database?   If you have a question about scanning...

We spoke about the dangers of using commercial radios on Session 81 of the podcast In this podcast, we talk about an actual incident of stolen radios that occurred in the Ohio MARCS P25 System. Several people were arrested for "stealing" and "pirating" stolen radios IDS that belong on the OHIO MARC Trunk Radio System. Those arrested were charged with the following: Engaging in a pattern of corrupt...

While Whistler might have thrown in the towel on new radios, they have been busy upgrading the current TRX-1 and TRX-2 platforms, and released new accessories this month In this podcast, we talk about the latest upgrades and updates to Whistler's TRX-1 and TRX-2 Scanners.   We also look at Whislter's new antenna lineup, which is quite interesting.   What You Need To Know Features of the TRX-1e and...

In this podcast, I talk with our guest Nathan McMullin, who is the first repeat guest on the podcast and is an aviation major at Eastern Kentucky University.  He shares today about combating the issues of simulcast, but in his own way. If you remember from Nathan's first interview (link in the notes below) we talked about how to scan on a budget.  This includes monitoring a P25 simulcast system. N...

Are you curious about a wide gamut of hobby radio topics? Have you wondered where you could find the most up-to-date info on hobby radios? In this podcast, our guest Chuck Gysi, who is the editor of National Communications Magazine shares about National Communications Magazine and its role in the industry.  He talks about the ins and outs of producing a quality publication that brings the best inf...

Many of you have have been submitting their questions and today I am answering some of them. If you have a question about scanning, please visit  www.scannerschool.com/ask  and leave us a message via SpeakPipe or the local number on our website.   We'll play your message on next month's #AskScannerSchool If you are a little shy, you can always use the contact form on  www.scannerschool.com/ask  or...

What do preppers need to know about scanners?   Do you know what to do before the emergency? What kind of scanners?  How to set it up? In this podcast, we walk through all you need to know in detail!   All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at  www.scannerschool.com/session92

What do you need to know about Amateur Radio DMR? Everything you need to know from getting your ID's to hardware to use.  Our guest, Kenneth Fowler gives us some great insight into Amateur Radio DMR.   All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at  www.scannerschool.com/session91

Here is a question that I receive often How do I properly set my squelch?   In fact, it isn't always asked often enough, because sometimes I see radios where the squelch is set as high as it will go.   In today's podcast, I explain how to properly set your squelch. All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at  www.scannerschool.com/session90  

This is the "Health and Wellbeing" report of Scanner School.   Find out what it takes to put a podcast together, how it costs, and what I am changing to make the podcast easier to produce and better for you.   What are the additional future plans of Scanner School? Listen to find out

Many of you have have been submitting their questions and today I am answering some of them. If you have a question about scanning, please visit  www.scannerschool.com/ask  and leave us a message via SpeakPipe or the local number on our website.   We'll play your message on next month's #AskScannerSchool If you are a little shy, you can always use the contact form on  www.scannerschool.com/ask  or...

Lou Carollo asked a question on last month's Ask Scanner School and by doing so, he won a free consulting call. This is our conversation as I help him with his SDS100 and why he is having issues listening to certain talk groups on the amateur radio DMR network. We also sort out some Sentinel issues. If you would like to book a consulting session, please visit www.scannerschool.com/consulting    If...

Ben Hilburn is the project lead for GNU Radio. What is GNU Radio? GNU Radio is a free & open-source software development toolkit that provides signal processing blocks to implement software radios.  Ben and I discuss what you can do with GNU Radio, why you might want to use it, and who else is using it and what they are doing with this software suite.   Don't forget to check out GRCon this Septemb...

Pete De Vasto is a self taught scanner radio user.  Pete is also blind since birth. Pete and I discuss the ways that he sets up his scanners so he can keep track of what it is he is listening to, and how he uses text to speech software on his computer to program his radios. Pete and I also talk about the limitations that today's software has in them and how some changes to the software could make...

Many of you have have been submitting their questions via e-mail, and today I am answering some of them. If you have a question about scanning, please visit  www.scannerschool.com/ask  and leave us a message via SpeakPipe or the local number on our website.   We'll play your message on next month's #AskScannerSchool If you are a little shy, you can always use the contact form on  www.scannerschool...