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

Many of you have have been submitting their questions and today I am answering some of them. This month I answer: What is Intermediate Frequency Exchange and when would I need to use it? On an SDS-200 Uniden scanner, do you need to set up a quick key for every favorites list? How do you know if you need upgrades to your SDS-200 scanner? What portable scanner would you recommend for someone who doe...

Do you want to understand how trunking systems work in your Object Oriented Scanner? In this episode, Phil continues his miniseries about trunking systems. He walks through optimizing your Whistler, GRE, and Radio Shack scanners for trunking using their object-oriented scanning.   What You Need To Know Think of a site as a repeater that transmits radio and control channel traffic for its coverage...

Do you want to understand how trunking systems work? In this episode, Phil continues his miniseries about trunking systems, explaining how to most efficiently set up your Uniden DMA scanner for trunking, including sites, groups, quick keys, and more.   What You Need To Know Episodes 129 and 130 are prerequisites for this episode. Trunking systems can have multiple sites that can run on their own o...

Do you want to understand how trunking systems work? In this episode, Phil explains how trunking system networks, sites, channels, and layers all work together and gives some examples both from his local area and more hypothetical use cases.   What You Need To Know This episode ties into last week's episode about programming groups. A Motorola type 2 trunking system is capable of having 28 channel...

Do you understand the difference between a Group and a System your Uniden programming?     In this episode, Phil explains use cases for groups and how to set them up, and how to create quick keys for them.   What You Need To Know Groups are important to optimize your scanners for trunking. Systems are the container for your trunking and conventional systems in your DMA Scanner. Groups are where yo...

This month I answer: Is there any place in the US where law enforcement uses analog, unencrypted signals to allow you to use certain equipment like a radio that's inaccurately being marketed as a scanner? Can you disable certain frequencies in a statewide radio system to make a scan cycle go faster or will you be missing out on something? How do you know which radio and software upgrades will be m...

Do you want to understand how a Yagi antenna works? In this episode, Phil explains the elements of a Yagi antenna, what they're used for, and even how to build your own.   What You Need To Know Shintaro Udo and Hidetsugu Yagi created the antenna. A Yagi antenna is a directional antenna with at least two elements, usually three, mounted on a boom. The main element is the boom, where everything else...

Do you struggle to understand why antenna designs differ? In this episode, I explain antenna polarization and how the design impacts it.   What You Need To Know Your antenna needs to be within the same polarity in order to receive what you're trying to receive. A vertically polarized antenna will pick up vertically polarized signals better than horizontal. Radio waves are oscillating sine waves, a...

The Spring (or Fall) to take inventory and make a note of how your radio setup is doing. Phil covers, antenna, masts, mounting, coax, and grounding. All session notes with links to the items we talked about an be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session125 You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at www.scannerschool.com/support Don't forget to join us for our...

Many of you have have been submitting their questions and today I am answering some of them. This month I answer: Are there any scanners that are commercially available that are capable of Tetra decoding, and if not, what other options are there? What jacks are on the SDS-200?  Is it possible to upgrade an HP2 to make it function more like an SDS-100 or SDS-200? How do you cross-reference what's a...

Do you want to find deals on used equipment on eBay? In this episode, Phil shares his do's and don't's of bidding on eBay auctions. Alls session notes with links to the items we talked about an be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session123 You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at www.scannerschool.com/support Don't forget to join us for our weekly net on Ze...

Are you wondering what it's like to participate in a Scanner School Zello net? In this episode, Phil plays a recent Zello net chat for you to hear what it's like. All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at  www.scannerschool.com/session121 You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at www.scannerschool.com/support Don't forget to...

Yes - Episode 122 is being released before episode 121...   We are all starting to feel a little bit cooped up in our homes.  Social distancing is the new normal and keeping inside may be driving you nuts. Today we go over 12 different radio ways you can keep yourself sane during an insane time.   All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at  www.scanner...

In this episode, Phil plays the live Ask Scanner School session he held on Facebook and YouTube. This month we answer: Has there been anything about new scanners on the horizon from Uniden or Whistler? Where should you look for tips if you're brand new to scanning? How to troubleshoot scanning on a Windows 10 Sentinel machine? What to do about a hum sound on an SDS-200? What impact will the passin...

Today we're talking about a classic, the Uniden BC780XLT.  This radio came out in 2000 and it shook up the scanner radio market.  Learn why the power that was behind it made it a go-to scanner for many people at the time and what was available for this model on the aftermarket.    What You Learn in this Week's Podcast: Learn what the BC780XLT could do right out of the box.  The BC780XLT was strict...

Have you ever wondered what it takes to set up a dispatch center? In this episode, Phil talks to his old friend Rob Bambino to discuss his company RF Designs. Rob's company specializes in consulting with fire departments and local law enforcement to build and maintain their dispatch centers and equipment. All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at  www...

Where can you find frequencies that might have Coronavirus-related traffic? In this episode, Phil shares with you what he's listening to and makes suggestions for you to find what you might want to listen for in your area.   What You Need To Know Some local radio frequencies will be encrypted, but don't expect everything to have encryption. You may be able to find local ambulance companies or EMS....

How can you join the Scanner School community in a live Zello chat? In this episode, Phil walks you through how to create your Zello account and join the Scanner School group, and explains the purpose of the weekly Zello net chat and what sets it apart!  For info, visit https://www.scannerschool.com/zello All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at  www...

Many of you have have been submitting their questions and today I am answering some of them. This month I answer: Difficultly with monitoring in Sacramento California How do I program or add talk groups or frequencies to the GRE-PSR800 handheld scanner? What is the best scanner available? Who is the best source to purchase from? I have an SDS100. Can you tell me the flight watch move for the state...

Did you know you can use a free app to set up a live scanner feed? How can you get started? In this episode, I will walk you through how to set up a live feed of your scanner radio using the free app Zello, including equipment you'll need and how it compares to setting up a broadcast hosted on your own computer. PS - Join our NEW Zello channel! For info, visit https://zello.scannerschool.com   Wha...

Do you want to set up your own scanner live feed? How can you get started? In this episode, I'll walk you through how to set up a live feed of your scanner radio to be hosted on your home computer, from what hardware you need to specific software settings that need to be changed.   All of this in less time than it takes to get a pizza delivered   All session notes with links to the items we talked...

Does your area have a lot of rail traffic that you want to scan? How can you get started? In this episode, we have guest Joe Curtis.  He shares about his background, his setup, how he monitors train location while trackside, and more.   What You Need To Know Guest Joe Curtis shares his background and how he got into scanning rail networks. The equipment Joe uses and what's actually necessary to li...

Many of you have have been submitting their questions and today I am answering some of them. This month I answer: What is the best broadband bay station antenna on the market, and the top-performing mobile scanner? What SDR dongle do I use? How to find out if the radio in your area is encrypted. Is it possible to get around control channel delays? How can you fix it if you are getting no signal fr...

The Uniden SR30C is the newest release by Uniden. Hitting the market in late 2019, this scanner replaces the BC75XLT as a their entry level scanner. With 500 memory channels, 10 banks, and limited features, is this a good scanner for the money? How does it compare to the BC75XLT, BC125AT, or UBC126AT? We break it all down in this week's podcast

Have you ever wondered how to record your scanner audio? What software tools and equipment would you need? In this podcast, we have guest Garrett Farwell.  He shares about his background, his setup, how he records his scanner audio to PC, and why. All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at  www.scannerschool.com/session109 You can help support Scanner...