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

Latest Episodes:

235 - Radio Reference Database 2.0 Jun 21, 2022

Show notes

Radio Reference released version 2.0 of their Database. This is the first complete overhaul and rewrite of the database in about 10 years.

There are many changes when it comes to navigating the new database and once you learn where things are, the new database is much quicker and easier to navigate.

If you are looking for a video version of this podcast, you can view one at https://www.scannerschool.com/session235v

What You Need To Know

When we open the database for the first time, we will see a quick guide that will walk us through everything that we need to adjust to with the new database.
If you need a refresher on where to find things, you can always put your website browser into Incognito mode, which will reestablish a brand-new connection between you and the radio reference.
The main page of the new database has shortcuts to browse, search, and submit data.
Many of us will press the browse button, and this takes us to the country page.
Country, State, and County Pages now have "Hamburger Menus" that have additional links.
On the left side of each database page, we have shortcuts to popular links and reports.
RRDB 2.0 took what the RRDB was and made it better!

====================================

🔗 Links from today's podcast

====================================

RRDB 2.0 https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db

Video Tour of RRDB 2.0 https://www.scannerschool.com/session235v

====================================

🎙 Join our new Scanner Radio Community

====================================

Join our FREE Discord server and connect with other Scanner Radio Users!

By using Discord, a free, multi-platform community portal, you can now be part of the Scanner Radio Discussion!

Chat real time, share photos, ask questions, and give feedback to other's in chat.

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/discord

====================================

🎓 Check out our online courses

====================================

Our free Software Defined Radio course will have you up and running with a SDR in a weekend.

Upgrade to our Advanced Course, and learn how to setup SDR Software like a pro.

🔗 https://www.courses.scannerschool.com

====================================

⚠️ I want to answer your questions

====================================

I am always looking to answer your scanner radio question.

If you have a question you'd like answered, please leave me a voicemail with your question:

📞 516-308-2885

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/ask

====================================

🏆 Thank you Patreon Supporters

====================================

Thank you to all monthly Patreon Supporters.

Supporting the podcast can be done for as little as $1 per month.

Supporters at the $3 and $5 level will receive the podcast without the middle commercial break.

Supporters at the $5 level not only receive the podcast early, but they also get access to discount codes, monthly zoom meetings, and Squelchy sticker packs.

🔗 Join our Patreon program at https://www.scannerschool.com/patreon

====================================

🎥 Subscribe to our growing YouTube Channel

====================================

We are live once a month on YouTube to answer your questions. 2022 will be the year of Video for Scanner School Be ready for the upcoming videos by subscribing now to our YouTube channel

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/youtube

====================================

➡️ Follow Scanner School on Social Media

====================================

▶︎ Twitter - https://www.scannerschool.com/twitter

▶︎ Facebook Page - https://www.scannerschool.com/facebook

▶︎ Facebook Community - https://www.scannerschool.com/faceboo...

▶︎ Instagram - https://www.scannerschool.com/instagram

▶︎ TikTok - https://www.scannerschool.com/tiktok

====================================

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at

https://www.scannerschool.com/session235

#podcast

234 - Anytone 878 UV-II Plus Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

The Anytone TT-878UVII Plus is a very popular Amateur Radio used for DMR.

Since it also covers outside the VHF and UHF Ham Band and covers DMR, it could be used to scan some conventional traffic. Or can it?

Let's discuss using this popular radio for scanning and decide if this radio is worth adding to our scanner radio collection.

What You Need To Know

Since DMR is included out of the box, this could be a cheaper alternative to buying a Digital Radio with the optional DMR upgrade
Out of the box, t transmits and receives 136-174 MHz and 400-480 MHz on US models.
However, expanding the range to 520 MHz is a simple modification you can do via software.
DMR support is limited to Tier I and Tier II, which means it will work fine for simplex and repeater DMR transmissions.
It supports both TS1 and TS2
Promiscuous can be set so the radio will monitor any Talk Group that is transmitting.
Some of the Anytone radios will transmit APRS, but this radio UVII plus will receive APRS packets, and you don't need to be an amateur radio operator to receive APRS.
The UVII Plus includes Bluetooth and mine included a BT PTT Button in the box.
It has got plenty of room in there for conventional memories supporting 4000 memory locations.
Memories are broken down into a maximum of 250 zones with 250 memories per zone.
You can store 500,000 DMR Radio IDs in Memory.
DMR programming supports 10,000 Talk Group IDs
While not type accepted to do so, if one was inclined, you could program this radio for FRS and GMRS use.
The Anytone 878 supports Dual Receive, which is something we are long overdue for on a scanner radio.
This means you can put two frequencies or two memories on display and hear them both simultaneously.
In addition to VHF and UHF frequencies, you can also monitor FM Broadcast.
PL, DPL, and CC are all supported.
2-Tone and 5/6 Tone Paging are supported as well. Think of using this as a fire pager or to mute the radio until tones are transmitted.
One of my biggest complaints about scanning with this radio is that it is a pain in the neck to go and change through the scan list.
Scanning is very slow when compared to a traditional scanner
You can only put 50 memories into a single scan list

==================================== 🎙 Join our new Scanner Radio Community

====================================

Join our FREE Discord server and connect with other Scanner Radio Users!

By using Discord, a free, multi-platform community portal, you can now be part of the Scanner Radio Discussion!

Chat real time, share photos, ask questions, and give feedback to other's in chat.

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/discord

====================================

🎓 Check out our online courses

====================================

Our free Software Defined Radio course will have you up and running with a SDR in a weekend.

Upgrade to our Advanced Course, and learn how to setup SDR Software like a pro.

🔗 https://www.courses.scannerschool.com

====================================

⚠️ I want to answer your questions

====================================

I am always looking to answer your scanner radio question.

If you have a question you'd like answered, please leave me a voicemail with your question:

📞 516-308-2885

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/ask

====================================

🏆 Thank you Patreon Supporters

====================================

Thank you to all monthly Patreon Supporters.

Supporting the podcast can be done for as little as $1 per month.

Supporters at the $3 and $5 level will receive the podcast without the middle commercial break.

Supporters at the $5 level not only receive the podcast early, but they also get access to discount codes, monthly zoom meetings, and Squelchy sticker packs.

🔗 Join our Patreon program at https://www.scannerschool.com/patreon

====================================

🎥 Subscribe to our growing YouTube Channel

====================================

We are live once a month on YouTube to answer your questions. 2022 will be the year of Video for Scanner School Be ready for the upcoming videos by subscribing now to our YouTube channel

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/youtube

====================================

➡️ Follow Scanner School on Social Media

====================================

▶︎ Twitter - https://www.scannerschool.com/twitter

▶︎ Facebook Page - https://www.scannerschool.com/facebook

▶︎ Facebook Community - https://www.scannerschool.com/faceboo...

▶︎ Instagram - https://www.scannerschool.com/instagram

▶︎ TikTok - https://www.scannerschool.com/tiktok

====================================

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at

https://www.scannerschool.com/session234

#podcast

233 - Ask Scanner School v45 Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

Every month I answer your questions on the podcast.

If you have a question you would like me to answer, please leave me a voicemail at 516-308-2885 or by visiting www.scannerschool.com/ask

Don't forget to join us on YouTube on the first Tuesday of every month for our live Q&A session. Click here to Subscribe!

Questions answered on this week's podcast

Dan has a Bearcat BCD 536HP and has an issue receiving marine and rail traffic.
Joe has a SDS100 and is looking for some best practices for using filters.
Michael wanted to know whether there is a way to put NASCAR frequencies into his scanner.
An Anonymous caller has an SDS 100, and he asks how he can make the duplicate backup of his SD card.

====================================

🔗 Links for this week

====================================

AAR Frequencies: https://www.radioreference.com/db/aid/7747

2022 NASCAR Frequencies https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/2022-nascar-drivers-frequencies.438087/

====================================

🎙 Join our new Scanner Radio Community

====================================

Join our FREE Discord server and connect with other Scanner Radio Users!

By using Discord, a free, multi-platform community portal, you can now be part of the Scanner Radio Discussion!

Chat real time, share photos, ask questions, and give feedback to other's in chat.

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/discord

====================================

🎓 Check out our online courses

====================================

Our free Software Defined Radio course will have you up and running with a SDR in a weekend.

Upgrade to our Advanced Course, and learn how to setup SDR Software like a pro.

🔗 https://www.courses.scannerschool.com

====================================

⚠️ I want to answer your questions

====================================

I am always looking to answer your scanner radio question.

If you have a question you'd like answered, please leave me a voicemail with your question:

📞 516-308-2885

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/ask

====================================

🏆 Thank you Patreon Supporters

====================================

Thank you to all monthly Patreon Supporters.

Supporting the podcast can be done for as little as $1 per month.

Supporters at the $3 and $5 level will receive the podcast without the middle commercial break.

Supporters at the $5 level not only receive the podcast early, but they also get access to discount codes, monthly zoom meetings, and Squelchy sticker packs.

🔗 Join our Patreon program at https://www.scannerschool.com/patreon

====================================

🎥 Subscribe to our growing YouTube Channel

====================================

We are live once a month on YouTube to answer your questions. 2022 will be the year of Video for Scanner School Be ready for the upcoming videos by subscribing now to our YouTube channel

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/youtube

====================================

➡️ Follow Scanner School on Social Media

====================================

▶︎ Twitter - https://www.scannerschool.com/twitter

▶︎ Facebook Page - https://www.scannerschool.com/facebook

▶︎ Facebook Community - https://www.scannerschool.com/faceboo...

▶︎ Instagram - https://www.scannerschool.com/instagram

▶︎ TikTok - https://www.scannerschool.com/tiktok

====================================

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at https://www.scannerschool.com/session233

#podcast

232 - Scanning San Francisco, San Mateo, and Alameda Counties May 31, 2022

Show notes

Garrett Farwell returns to the podcast today to talk about scanning in California, where he lives.

He will break down the systems that he monitors, including a couple of counties like San Francisco, San Mateo, and Alameda counties in California and what he has learned about each County's trunk system using a scanner.

What You Need To Know

Garrett will talk about three simulcast systems in the San Francisco Bay Area that he has been scannin.
The San Francisco city and county system went through a sizable transition last year.
This system recently changed from an analog simulcast system but has changed to a P25 system in recent years.
On this sytem, the 800 megahertz simulcast site is where all of the voice traffic is available, like police, fire, emergency services.
The 700 megahertz simulcast site for the San Francisco TRS seems to be mostly for data packets and information.
This does not align with the notes for this trunk system in the Radio Reference Database that states that all TDMA talk groups (P-II) are on the 800-megahertz system, and then all the FDMA talk groups (P-I) are on the 700
Garrett explained how did he conclude that there is not much on the 700 layers by listening to this system and keeping a close ear and eye on the traffic he is monitoring.
Another interesting tidbit about the San Francisco TRS is there is a difference between the mobiles and the portables from an encryption perspective.
Garrett optimizes his scan lists by avoiding all the full encryption stuff because there is no point in monitoring that.
Garrett tends to listen to law enforcement primarily in San Mateo County as well as some of the local law enforcement in the County.
The way Mateo County works geographically is we have a mountain range that splits it almost in half, and on the east side of the County, there are a lot of little valleys and areas where I'm sure transmission and reception are difficult.
Garrett has concluded that didn't need to scan all the different simulcast systems to hear what he needed. This has helped him to further optimize his scan lists.
In Mateo County, the fire response and fire resources are not on the simulcast system.
The East Bay regional communication system is primarily located within the East Bay and the San Francisco Bay region. It covers Contra Costa County, Alameda County, and some small parts of Solano County.
Garret has been trying to understand how the fire dispatch talk groups are geographically dispatched.
So far, Garret has only been primarily using a scanner to monitor and outline each trunk system he monitors.
Eventually, Garret would like to start logging the systems with computer software to see more information about how each system is used.

==================================== 🎙 Join our new Scanner Radio Community

====================================

Join our FREE Discord server and connect with other Scanner Radio Users!

By using Discord, a free, multi-platform community portal, you can now be part of the Scanner Radio Discussion!

Chat real time, share photos, ask questions, and give feedback to other's in chat.

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/discord

====================================

🎓 Check out our online courses

====================================

Our free Software Defined Radio course will have you up and running with a SDR in a weekend.

Upgrade to our Advanced Course, and learn how to setup SDR Software like a pro.

🔗 https://www.courses.scannerschool.com

====================================

⚠️ I want to answer your questions

====================================

I am always looking to answer your scanner radio question.

If you have a question you'd like answered, please leave me a voicemail with your question:

📞 516-308-2885

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/ask

====================================

🏆 Thank you Patreon Supporters

====================================

Thank you to all monthly Patreon Supporters.

Supporting the podcast can be done for as little as $1 per month.

Supporters at the $3 and $5 level will receive the podcast without the middle commercial break.

Supporters at the $5 level not only receive the podcast early, but they also get access to discount codes, monthly zoom meetings, and Squelchy sticker packs.

🔗 Join our Patreon program at https://www.scannerschool.com/patreon

====================================

🎥 Subscribe to our growing YouTube Channel

====================================

We are live once a month on YouTube to answer your questions. 2022 will be the year of Video for Scanner School Be ready for the upcoming videos by subscribing now to our YouTube channel

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/youtube

====================================

➡️ Follow Scanner School on Social Media

====================================

▶︎ Twitter - https://www.scannerschool.com/twitter

▶︎ Facebook Page - https://www.scannerschool.com/facebook

▶︎ Facebook Community - https://www.scannerschool.com/faceboo...

▶︎ Instagram - https://www.scannerschool.com/instagram

▶︎ TikTok - https://www.scannerschool.com/tiktok

====================================

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at

https://www.scannerschool.com/session232

#podcast

231 - What Happens When Trunk Systems Fail? May 24, 2022

Show notes

What happens when a trunk system fails?

Where do the radio users go?

How do they communicate?

In this session, we'll go over how trunk systems are supposed to work, what happens when they fail, and what can happen if an administrator plans for failure.

What You Need To Know

I was able to watch our new P25 system fail several months after it was populated with radios and users
These users were part of the county police system and they needed to fall back to cell phone communications while the system was offline
Trunk systems are a pool of frequencies with group of users called Talk Groups
All radios on the system listen to the control channel, which acts as a director, and tells all users what frequencies to go to and when to go.
What happens when that controller fails?
If the radio fails, we would have the alternative control channels kick in and resume control of the system.
The entire site could go offline or become an island site
Or we can have full loss of all trunking, and this is called Failsoft in a Motorola systems
When we are in fail soft mode, a system acts as a conventional repeater system
Radios are assigned a home frequency based on the talk group they are currently using.
The trunk system will send out a beacon to alert the radios they are supposed to fall into Failsoft mode, and all radios will beep to notify the end user they are in Failsoft.
As a scanner radio user, we would need to program the trunk system's voice channels in our radios as conventioal frequencies in order to continue to hear the system once it is in Failsoft.
A good System Administrator would have thought of a backup plan and would have programmed a backup zone into all the radios on the system.
You might be able to find your local county's radio guides by doing some google searching for the trunk system.

====================================

🎙 Join our new Scanner Radio Community

====================================

Join our FREE Discord server and connect with other Scanner Radio Users!

By using Discord, a free, multi-platform community portal, you can now be part of the Scanner Radio Discussion!

Chat real time, share photos, ask questions, and give feedback to other's in chat.

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/discord

====================================

🎓 Check out our online courses

====================================

Our free Software Defined Radio course will have you up and running with a SDR in a weekend.

Upgrade to our Advanced Course, and learn how to setup SDR Software like a pro.

🔗 https://www.courses.scannerschool.com

====================================

⚠️ I want to answer your questions

====================================

I am always looking to answer your scanner radio question.

If you have a question you'd like answered, please leave me a voicemail with your question:

📞 516-308-2885

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/ask

====================================

🏆 Thank you Patreon Supporters

====================================

Thank you to all monthly Patreon Supporters.

Supporting the podcast can be done for as little as $1 per month.

Supporters at the $3 and $5 level will receive the podcast without the middle commercial break.

Supporters at the $5 level not only receive the podcast early, but they also get access to discount codes, monthly zoom meetings, and Squelchy sticker packs.

🔗 Join our Patreon program at https://www.scannerschool.com/patreon

====================================

🎥 Subscribe to our growing YouTube Channel

====================================

We are live once a month on YouTube to answer your questions. 2022 will be the year of Video for Scanner School Be ready for the upcoming videos by subscribing now to our YouTube channel

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/youtube

====================================

➡️ Follow Scanner School on Social Media

====================================

▶︎ Twitter - https://www.scannerschool.com/twitter

▶︎ Facebook Page - https://www.scannerschool.com/facebook

▶︎ Facebook Community - https://www.scannerschool.com/faceboo...

▶︎ Instagram - https://www.scannerschool.com/instagram

▶︎ TikTok - https://www.scannerschool.com/tiktok

====================================

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at

https://www.scannerschool.com/session231

#podcast

230 - Business Band Hidden Treasures May 17, 2022

Show notes

Business band frequencies.... what can we find when we search these ranges?

These frequencies are used in places like department stores, home centers, nurseries or garden centers, schools, etc.

Building a scan list of these frequencies will strange results that may surprise you.

What You Need To Know

"Business Band" is an unofficial name to common frequencies used by businesses
In the past, businesses and other organizations could obtain a GMRS license, and some radios were sold with color-coded GMRS channels for business use.
In 2017, the FCC rules were changed, and FRS frequencies were combined with GMRS. As a result, the businesses can operate in lower power and lower bandwidth FRS radios on these same frequencies shared with GMRS.
MURS is a multi-use radio service, and these are VHF narrowband frequencies with a power limit of two watts.
The FCC formerly defines MURS as a private two-way short-distance voice or data communication service for personal or business activities of the public.
While FRS was primarily set up for use by personal use, it got grabbed up and became a part of business use.
Family Radio Service frequencies should be in your business band scan lists.
CB can be used for businesses
There is no need to get a license for CB, which makes it attractive again for businesses, and there is CB all over the world, which is another crazy thing.
We can find forestry services on "low band" vhf frequencies in the neighborhood of 27MHz.
We have already heard that some companies like Walmart are now switching over to their own IP-based radio systems.
Some business have begun using Spread Spectrum Radios which are not scannable.
For the most part, most businesses are going to buy the bubble pack radios or the radios they get from their local radio dealers, and they're going to be put on some of the business band channels that are free to use.
Simply scanning these business band frequencies will find plenty of results you only need to program in your scanners.
We can find national radio services offering business solutions
Many business might be using local "community" trunk systems if they need a larger footprint to communicate. (Tow Trucks, Oil companies, Security)

====================================

🔗 Links from Today's Podcast

Radio Reference Wiki Page for Itinerant Frequencies: https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Common_Itinerant_and_Business

Radio Rental Companies: https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Common_Itinerant_and_Business#Radio_Rental_Companies

==================================== Frequency bands used (US) (In MHz)

====================================

🎙 Join our new Scanner Radio Community

====================================

Join our FREE Discord server and connect with other Scanner Radio Users!

By using Discord, a free, multi-platform community portal, you can now be part of the Scanner Radio Discussion!

Chat real time, share photos, ask questions, and give feedback to other's in chat.

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/discord

====================================

🎓 Check out our online courses

====================================

Our free Software Defined Radio course will have you up and running with a SDR in a weekend.

Upgrade to our Advanced Course, and learn how to setup SDR Software like a pro.

🔗 https://www.courses.scannerschool.com

====================================

⚠️ I want to answer your questions

====================================

I am always looking to answer your scanner radio question.

If you have a question you'd like answered, please leave me a voicemail with your question:

📞 516-308-2885

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/ask

====================================

🏆 Thank you Patreon Supporters

====================================

Thank you to all monthly Patreon Supporters.

Supporting the podcast can be done for as little as $1 per month.

Supporters at the $3 and $5 level will receive the podcast without the middle commercial break.

Supporters at the $5 level not only receive the podcast early, but they also get access to discount codes, monthly zoom meetings, and Squelchy sticker packs.

🔗 Join our Patreon program at https://www.scannerschool.com/patreon

====================================

🎥 Subscribe to our growing YouTube Channel

====================================

We are live once a month on YouTube to answer your questions. 2022 will be the year of Video for Scanner School Be ready for the upcoming videos by subscribing now to our YouTube channel

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/youtube

====================================

➡️ Follow Scanner School on Social Media

====================================

▶︎ Twitter - https://www.scannerschool.com/twitter

▶︎ Facebook Page - https://www.scannerschool.com/facebook

▶︎ Facebook Community - https://www.scannerschool.com/faceboo...

▶︎ Instagram - https://www.scannerschool.com/instagram

▶︎ TikTok - https://www.scannerschool.com/tiktok

====================================

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at

https://www.scannerschool.com/session230

#podcast

229 - GMRS - General Mobile Radio Service May 10, 2022

Show notes

GMRS is a personal radio service that you and your family can use or you. It's a great time to get your license if you haven't gotten one already because the FCC last month has dropped the price to $35 for a 10-year license.

What You Need To Know

GMRS is a family Radio service
The license covers you and your family, and you can use a single license to talk to each other.
General Mobile Radio service sits in the UHF spectrum in the United States
These frequencies are intertwined or even the same as FRS.
On most frequencies, you can use higher power than FRS users if you are licensed to use GMRS
You can use your GMRS license to communicate with anyone on FRS.
GMRS allows you to use Repeaters to extend your range
Some repeaters are open to all users, others are closed to an organization, while others may be for private use.
In 2017, the FCC expanded GMRS to allow short data messaging applications, including text messaging and GPS location information, to be sent over GMRS frequencies.
GMRS is analog and never encrypted give you something you can monitor with any scanner radio on the market
There are versions of GMRS in many countries so GMRS is not limited to just the US.

====================================

🔗 Links from Today's Podcast

MyGPRS https://mygmrs.com

Repeaterbook: https://www.repeaterbook.com

RadioReference: https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/General_Mobile_Radio_Service

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Mobile_Radio_Service

==================================== FRS/GMRS Channel Table 01 - 462.5625 02 - 462.5875 03 - 462.6125 04 - 462.6375 05 - 462.6625 06 - 462.6875 07 - 462.7125 08 - 467.5625 09 - 467.5875 10 - 467.6125 11 - 467.6375 12 - 467.6625 13 - 467.6875 14 - 467.7125 15 - 462.5500 16 - 462.5750 17 - 462.6000 18 - 462.6250 19 - 462.6500 20 - 462.6750 21 - 462.7000 22 - 462.7250

====================================

🎙 Join our new Scanner Radio Community

====================================

Join our FREE Discord server and connect with other Scanner Radio Users!

By using Discord, a free, multi-platform community portal, you can now be part of the Scanner Radio Discussion!

Chat real time, share photos, ask questions, and give feedback to other's in chat.

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/discord

====================================

🎓 Check out our online courses

====================================

Our free Software Defined Radio course will have you up and running with a SDR in a weekend.

Upgrade to our Advanced Course, and learn how to setup SDR Software like a pro.

🔗 https://www.courses.scannerschool.com

====================================

⚠️ I want to answer your questions

====================================

I am always looking to answer your scanner radio question.

If you have a question you'd like answered, please leave me a voicemail with your question:

📞 516-308-2885

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/ask

====================================

🏆 Thank you Patreon Supporters

====================================

Thank you to all monthly Patreon Supporters.

Supporting the podcast can be done for as little as $1 per month.

Supporters at the $3 and $5 level will receive the podcast without the middle commercial break.

Supporters at the $5 level not only receive the podcast early, but they also get access to discount codes, monthly zoom meetings, and Squelchy sticker packs.

🔗 Join our Patreon program at https://www.scannerschool.com/patreon

====================================

🎥 Subscribe to our growing YouTube Channel

====================================

We are live once a month on YouTube to answer your questions. 2022 will be the year of Video for Scanner School Be ready for the upcoming videos by subscribing now to our YouTube channel

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/youtube

====================================

➡️ Follow Scanner School on Social Media

====================================

▶︎ Twitter - https://www.scannerschool.com/twitter

▶︎ Facebook Page - https://www.scannerschool.com/facebook

▶︎ Facebook Community - https://www.scannerschool.com/faceboo...

▶︎ Instagram - https://www.scannerschool.com/instagram

▶︎ TikTok - https://www.scannerschool.com/tiktok

====================================

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at

https://www.scannerschool.com/session229

#podcast

228 - Ask Scanner School v44 May 03, 2022

Show notes

Every month I answer your questions on the podcast.

If you have a question you would like me to answer, please leave me a voicemail at 516-308-2885 or by visiting www.scannerschool.com/ask

Don't forget to join us on YouTube on the first Tuesday of every month for our live Q&A session. Click here to Subscribe!

Questions answered on this week's podcast

Wayne has a few questions about CTCSS and PL Tones
Dennis is looking for tips about setting up a scanner at a remote location
Gary would like to know when to use the "Force Write Database to Scanner" option when programming his scanner in Sentinel
Roger is looking for information about filters in the SDS series scanners

====================================

🎙 Join our new Scanner Radio Community

====================================

Join our FREE Discord server and connect with other Scanner Radio Users!

By using Discord, a free, multi-platform community portal, you can now be part of the Scanner Radio Discussion!

Chat real time, share photos, ask questions, and give feedback to other's in chat.

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/discord

====================================

🎓 Check out our online courses

====================================

Our free Software Defined Radio course will have you up and running with a SDR in a weekend.

Upgrade to our Advanced Course, and learn how to setup SDR Software like a pro.

🔗 https://www.courses.scannerschool.com

====================================

⚠️ I want to answer your questions

====================================

I am always looking to answer your scanner radio question.

If you have a question you'd like answered, please leave me a voicemail with your question:

📞 516-308-2885

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/ask

====================================

🏆 Thank you Patreon Supporters

====================================

Thank you to all monthly Patreon Supporters.

Supporting the podcast can be done for as little as $1 per month.

Supporters at the $3 and $5 level will receive the podcast without the middle commercial break.

Supporters at the $5 level not only receive the podcast early, but they also get access to discount codes, monthly zoom meetings, and Squelchy sticker packs.

🔗 Join our Patreon program at https://www.scannerschool.com/patreon

====================================

🎥 Subscribe to our growing YouTube Channel

====================================

We are live once a month on YouTube to answer your questions. 2022 will be the year of Video for Scanner School Be ready for the upcoming videos by subscribing now to our YouTube channel

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/youtube

====================================

➡️ Follow Scanner School on Social Media

====================================

▶︎ Twitter - https://www.scannerschool.com/twitter

▶︎ Facebook Page - https://www.scannerschool.com/facebook

▶︎ Facebook Community - https://www.scannerschool.com/faceboo...

▶︎ Instagram - https://www.scannerschool.com/instagram

▶︎ TikTok - https://www.scannerschool.com/tiktok

====================================

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at https://www.scannerschool.com/session228

#podcast

227 - Is this the end of the scanner radio hobby? Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

Have we reached the end of the scanner radio hobby?

I know many feel this way due to encryption and a lack of new scanner radio models being released.

However, this hobby has been around for decades and there is no reason why we can't enjoy this hobby in some form or another for decades to come.

Some Feel / Think:

Live feeds are killing the hobby
Many agencies will be going encrypted to keep people from listening
Scanners are becoming too much money due to simulcast
Other agencies are going off radio and onto IP solutions
Manufacturers won't invest in scanners due to widespread encryption
UK laws and going fully encrypted is the future in the US
Current chip shortages hurt hobby
Lack of interest from whistler

How is might be wrong

There will always be skeptics
Some aren't happy unless they are making noise and being negative
There will always be something to listen to
Secrets are in the searches – what else is out there to hear?

What can we listen to now that should always be there?

Aviation
Rails
Ham
CB
GMRS
Businesses
DMR / NXDN Systems
Utilities
Security Firms

My Thoughts

Resurrection of the hobby due to new hardware and interest
Software Defined Radios are introducing more people to the hobby
They get into it because it's something to do with a computer
Learn about NOAA weather satellite reception
Opens them to more projects and learning opportunities
Manufacturers will continue to make low end analog only scanners as they have for years
Top of the line scanners today will become mainstream designs and hardware, dropping the overall costs as time goes on.
Pandemic had people dusting off old hobbies and picking up new ones

Conclusion:

Scanning is following the same course as other hobbies
As technology changes, we see changes in scanning.

No More crystals
Evolution of Motorola Trunking
Inclusion of EDACS and LTR
Eventual support of P25 phase 1
Support for phase 2
NXDN and DMR
Simulcast
Will Tetra come to the next evolution of scanners?

Scanning will continue to be here for years and decades to come, as long as there is something out there to listen to.

====================================

🎙 Join our new Scanner Radio Community

====================================

Join our FREE Discord server and connect with other Scanner Radio Users!

By using Discord, a free, multi-platform community portal, you can now be part of the Scanner Radio Discussion!

Chat real time, share photos, ask questions, and give feedback to other's in chat.

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/discord

====================================

🎓 Check out our online courses

====================================

Our free Software Defined Radio course will have you up and running with a SDR in a weekend.

Upgrade to our Advanced Course, and learn how to setup SDR Software like a pro.

🔗 https://www.courses.scannerschool.com

====================================

⚠️ I want to answer your questions

====================================

I am always looking to answer your scanner radio question.

If you have a question you'd like answered, please leave me a voicemail with your question:

📞 516-308-2885

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/ask

====================================

🏆 Thank you Patreon Supporters

====================================

Thank you to all monthly Patreon Supporters.

Supporting the podcast can be done for as little as $1 per month.

Supporters at the $3 and $5 level will receive the podcast without the middle commercial break.

Supporters at the $5 level not only receive the podcast early, but they also get access to discount codes, monthly zoom meetings, and Squelchy sticker packs.

🔗 Join our Patreon program at https://www.scannerschool.com/patreon

====================================

🎥 Subscribe to our growing YouTube Channel

====================================

We are live once a month on YouTube to answer your questions. 2022 will be the year of Video for Scanner School Be ready for the upcoming videos by subscribing now to our YouTube channel

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/youtube

====================================

➡️ Follow Scanner School on Social Media

====================================

▶︎ Twitter - https://www.scannerschool.com/twitter

▶︎ Facebook Page - https://www.scannerschool.com/facebook

▶︎ Facebook Community - https://www.scannerschool.com/faceboo...

▶︎ Instagram - https://www.scannerschool.com/instagram

▶︎ TikTok - https://www.scannerschool.com/tiktok

====================================

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at

https://www.scannerschool.com/session227

#podcast

226 - Social Media and Scanning Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

In today's podcast, we are going to talk with our special guest Esteban Reyes. Esteban is a Tik Tok creator who helps people with scanner radio hobby, and he is here today to talk about how social media and scanning go together.

You can find Eteban on TikTok under the username 626HawkEye

What You Need To Know

Social media is an important tool when it comes to bringing people together online.
It gives people access to others who share the same interests, beliefs, and thoughts.
Tik Tok was used to be for kids, but now you can find a ton of short educational form content over on Tik Tok.
Many radio operators on social media share their thoughts and ideas about scanner radio hobby and what they love to do with their radios.
Esteban has been creating TikTok videos for some time to teach others about the scanner radio hobby.
Esteban came to scanner radio hobby back in 2005 or 2006 as an interest in security in Los Angeles.
Tik Tok is more personal social platform because you get to see the person talking or doing something.
You can easilty interact between audience and creater
Tik Tok is very personal because it's very raw. When you go over to YouTube, you expect a steady camera, a little bit of editing, and a good microphone, but when you are on Tik Tok, simple expectation is handheld phone in your face, which makes it easy to get into.
Esteban sees scanner programming questions more on social platforms, and there are people that will walk you through the comments or private messages until you get it.
There are people in the social media groups already that are familiar with scanners, and these groups can help you, either get into the hobby or help you with your scanner if you have problems.
There are a lot of different layers in the scanners, and it's not as simple as turning switches off and on anymore, and we can see how a lot of people get very frustrated with it.
One of the things Esteban enjoy is seeing other people's radio shacks and even antenna ideas. There are several ways you can set up your radios, from having a custom-built rack to getting scanner master cell racks for radios.

====================================

🔗 Links from today's podcast:

Esteban's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@626hawkeye

Scanner School's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scannerschool

====================================

🎙 Join our new Scanner Radio Community

====================================

Join our FREE Discord server and connect with other Scanner Radio Users!

By using Discord, a free, multi-platform community portal, you can now be part of the Scanner Radio Discussion!

Chat real time, share photos, ask questions, and give feedback to other's in chat.

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/discord

====================================

🎓 Check out our online courses

====================================

Our free Software Defined Radio course will have you up and running with a SDR in a weekend.

Upgrade to our Advanced Course, and learn how to setup SDR Software like a pro.

🔗 https://www.courses.scannerschool.com

====================================

⚠️ I want to answer your questions

====================================

I am always looking to answer your scanner radio question.

If you have a question you'd like answered, please leave me a voicemail with your question:

📞 516-308-2885

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/ask

====================================

🏆 Thank you Patreon Supporters

====================================

Thank you to all monthly Patreon Supporters.

Supporting the podcast can be done for as little as $1 per month.

Supporters at the $3 and $5 level will receive the podcast without the middle commercial break.

Supporters at the $5 level not only receive the podcast early, but they also get access to discount codes, monthly zoom meetings, and Squelchy sticker packs.

🔗 Join our Patreon program at https://www.scannerschool.com/patreon

====================================

🎥 Subscribe to our growing YouTube Channel

====================================

We are live once a month on YouTube to answer your questions. 2022 will be the year of Video for Scanner School Be ready for the upcoming videos by subscribing now to our YouTube channel

🔗 https://www.scannerschool.com/youtube

====================================

➡️ Follow Scanner School on Social Media

====================================

▶︎ Twitter - https://www.scannerschool.com/twitter

▶︎ Facebook Page - https://www.scannerschool.com/facebook

▶︎ Facebook Community - https://www.scannerschool.com/faceboo...

▶︎ Instagram - https://www.scannerschool.com/instagram

▶︎ TikTok - https://www.scannerschool.com/tiktok

====================================

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at

https://www.scannerschool.com/session226