InterceptRadio.com Forums

Hey everybody....I'm so glad I found this site looks like theres all kinds of good info! :D Anyway I'm looking to buy a handheld scanner that I could use to mostly listen to Everett Police,fire,ect. My neighborhood always seems to have action! Wouldn't mind listening at work as well in the Clearview/Malby area. Soooo if you could give me some suggestions on what type of scanner I would need and your recommendations for models!?

Thanks in advance! :lol:

_________________
"Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it"

I don't want you re looking for but a 396XT is a good scanner to get for a hand held thats what I have I live in the Lake Stevens area

_________________
born to be wild

There's little digital in the N. end, so a Uniden 346XT would save you about $250. I haven't checked to see what the 346 is selling for. I paid $205 about this time last year, so would think it's in the $200-225 range.

Uniden is a PITA to program until you learn how to use software. You can do it by hand, but plan on spending hours and hours! FreeScan is free and excellent software to program Uniden scanners. I'm near Monroe, so if you end up getting a Uniden XT model I can set you up with a file that will have 1,000s a frequencies.

I would suggest either the Uniden BC246T or BC346XT.
The BC246T is discontinued, but can likely be picked up fairly cheap on Ebay.
The BC346XT is current product, but would cost a few extra dollars. Around 200 new on Ebay.

Free programming software for both can be found here:
http://scannow.org/

I have both models and the BC246T's is what I use to provide the Live scanner feeds to this site.

I prefer the BC346XT for these reasons:
The display is better, easier to read.
The battery life is longer. (3AA opposed to 2AA in the 246T)
It has a signal strength meter.
It displays the battery voltage.

My 2 cents...

_________________

And if you're really not going to worry about digital, pick up the PRO-164 radio shack scanner for $119 refurbished... will get everything not digital around here and is cheap to boot. Programming software is from http://www.starrsoft.com (at least that's the stuff I use).

And with this free programming software you can use the file from the message thread above this one (titled "Uniden scanner file"). It has all the frequencies for Snohomish County.

Hey guys thanks for all the quick replies...you guys are great! So I went with the 346xt,I ordered it through the Shack and had it shipped to a store so no shipping cost! Now I hope it's not too hard to program!? :lol:

Thanks again...I'm looking forward to hanging out here!

_________________
"Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it"

Did your 346XT come in? I should have added on my last post if you are planning to use software to control and program you'll need a USB-Serial adapter if your PC/Laptop doesn't have a Serial port. Many computers built in the last 5 years eliminated the Serial port and went strictly to USB. Guess this was overlooked by Uniden!.....:)

You can buy one here http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=103&cp_id=10311&cs_id=1031104&p_id=2276&seq=1&format=2 or buy one at Radio Shack for about $25 more. Another good free programming/control software is bcTool Plus. located here. http://www.bctool.org/

If you do buy a USB to serial adapter, don't go through the trouble I went through

I've ordered from MonoPrice 3-4 times and received excellent service. Win 7 64 bit was problematic with many until new Prolific drivers came out about 6 months ago. I'm running Vista 32 bit and had no problems. The MonoPrice adapter is based on the PL 2303 chipset, so if there's any problem a visit here http://www.prolific.com.tw/eng/downloads.asp?ID=31 will get you the needed drivers.

Not here yet I should be getting it on thursday! I'll definitely need the adapter and software!....I'm a little nevous about programing the darn thing and I don't even have it in my hand yet! :roll:
You guys are awesome thanks for the heads up!

One other thing...Do any of you use the aftermarket antennas like the Center-Loaded Telescoping Whip Antenna or the 800MHz Scanner Antenna from the shack...I read they were must buys!?

_________________
"Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it"

The center loaded telescoping antenna from the shack is great if you want to listing to a range of frequencies and want one antenna for the job. It's a bit "clunky" because it's rigid and very tall when fully extended. But the option to adjust it for the desired frequency range on the fly is a very nice feature.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103159

If you plan to only listen to stuff in the 800 range, then The tuned 800Mhz antenna that they sell is excellent. A few of the guys in my FD picked up this antenna to help boost reception on our dept issued scanners.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102525

I have both and prefer the tuned 800 one.

_________________

Ok cool...I think I'll get both as well. :lol:

_________________
"Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it"

That sucks man....I went with K7car's recommendation and ordered it through Monoprice.

_________________
"Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it"

I have both the center loaded and 800 mhz. The center loaded extended is way too bulky and top heavy for me. It works fine for a desk top antenna if you have a suitable place to mount your radio. I didn't see that much of a performance drop off when I swapped back and forth, so I use the 800 mhz exclusively.

For about $20 more you might want to look at getting a base station antenna that you could mount outside. The Antenna Craft ST2 works well and runs about $35 here. http://www.electotronics.com/antennacraftst-2scannerbaseantennafor30-1300mhz.aspx It's small/light enough to mount just about anywhere.

Go here, http://www.daronjohnson.com/SnohomishCountyFeed/faq.html#18 and download Daron's scanner file. Install FreeScan and establish computer control with your scanner. Load Daron's file in your scanner and you will have a good chunk of the frequencies from Seattle to northward and east.