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

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**Scanner School – Everything you wanted to know about the Scanner Radio Hobby**

Welcome to Scanner School, a podcast dedicated to the Scanner Radio Hobby.

Each week we cover another topic related to scanning and will be answering all of your questions to take you from Scanner Radio Student to Scanner Radio Scholar.

Latest Episodes:

195 - How 9/11 and Katrina Changed Scanning Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

What changed in the radio landscape in 20 years post 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina here in the US?

Have you ever wondered why we have so many new P25 systems showing up in the 700 MHz band?

These are the questions we are asking in today's podcast.

What You Need To Know

9/11 really brought to light some of the changes that had to happen with interoperability.
Hurricane Katrina, which happened just four years later in 2005, also revealed that changes needed to happen.
Responding agencies on 9/11 had communication problems on their own two way systems.
They also lacked a structured plan for communicating to other agencies in real time to alert them of urgent risks to life and health.
In order to open frequencies for public safety, Congress enacted Spectrum Act 2012
This directed the Commission to allocate the D block from 758 to 763 MHz and 788 to 793 MHz to public safety for use in a nationwide broadband network.
FirstNet is charged with responsibilities for deploying and operating a nationwide public safety broadband network.
In February of 2006 U.S. house of representatives voted 216 to 214 and approved a budget package that required analog television broadcasters to clear the 700-megahertz airwaves.
Channels 70 to 83 are now part of the mobile radio system's public safety and trunk system.
The National Interoperability Field Guide is a technical reference for multi-communication planning and for radio technicians responsible for radios that will be used in disaster response.
This is why we see so many new P25 systems showing up in the 700Mhz band

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at https://www.scannerschool.com/session195

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

🧐 Free SDR Course!

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

Our new free course will introduce you to Software Defined Radios. "The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Software Defined Radio: Everything you need to know to get started with SDR in an afternoon" is now open for enrollment.

🔗 Register now at https://courses.scannerschool.com

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

🎓 Would you like 1 on 1 help?

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

If you need help with your scanner and are looking for some one on one tutoring, I'd love to help you out.

Visit http://www.scannerschool.com/consulting to book your one hour appointment today!

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

😀 Help support Scanner School

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

You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at http://www.scannerschool.com/support

We have links on this page where you can purchase scanners from our affiliate partners and software from BuTel.

So if you are in the market for a new scanner, accessories, or software, please use the above link to help Scanner School at no additional cost to you.

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

⚠️ 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/session195

194 - Ask Scanner School v36 Sep 07, 2021

Show notes

I love answering your scanner radio questions, and today I answer some questions that have been submitted via our ask page, email, and social media platforms, including YouTube. You can submit your questions at www.scannerschool.com/ask.

What You Need To Know

Rick asks, "Can I listen to cell phones?
James has a question about Close Call.
Jim wants to know what he should do about the extra coax in his shack.
Joe is wondering about control channel encryption on P25 systems.
Garret has a question about CHP and their talk group usage.

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at https://www.scannerschool.com/session194

🧐 Free SDR Course!

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

🔗 Register now at https://courses.scannerschool.com

🎓 Would you like 1 on 1 help?

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

If you need help with your scanner and are looking for some one on one tutoring, I'd love to help you out.

Visit http://www.scannerschool.com/consulting to book your one hour appointment today!

😀 Help support Scanner School

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

You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at http://www.scannerschool.com/support

We have links on this page where you can purchase scanners from our affiliate partners and software from BuTel.

So if you are in the market for a new scanner, accessories, or software, please use the above link to help Scanner School at no additional cost to you.

⚠️ 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

193 - DTV - The P25 Killer ? Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

In today's podcast, I am going to talk about P25 digital technologies on the UHF T-band and how this decision has caused many problems for P25 Trunked Systems.

👉 What You Need To Know

In the early 1970s, the FCC permitted eleven major cities of the US to use 470 to 512 MHz as additional public safety frequencies, and these were part of the UHF T band.
The original UHF band was just 450 to 470 MHz
UHF-T band was reserved for two-way radio around a 50 mile radius from each city.
Issues arise when we have E-Skip and Tropo Ducting in the UHF spectrum.
Digital TV from out of the market is causing problems on the digital spectrum in the UHF T band.

✅ All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at https://www.scannerschool.com/session193

--------------------------------------------------------------

🧐 Free SDR Course!

Our new free course will introduce you to Software Defined Radios.

"The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Software Defined Radio: Everything you need to know to get started with SDR in an afternoon" is now open for enrollment.

🔗 Register now at https://courses.scannerschool.com

---------------------------------------------------------------

🎓 Would you like 1 on 1 help?

If you need help with your scanner and are looking for some one on one tutoring, I'd love to help you out. Visit http://www.scannerschool.com/consulting to book your one hour appointment today!

--------------------------------------------------------------

😀 Help support Scanner School

You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at http://www.scannerschool.com/support

We have links on this page where you can purchase scanners from our affiliate partners and software from BuTel.

So if you are in the market for a new scanner, accessories, or software, please use the above link to help Scanner School at no additional cost to you.

--------------------------------------------------------------

⚠️ 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 📨 SpeakPipe

🔗 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

--------------------------------------------------------------

💻 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/facebookgroup - Instagram - https://www.scannerschool.com/instagram -TikTok - https://www.scannerschool.com/tiktok

--------------------------------------------------------------

🎥 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

192 - Frequency Bands Aug 24, 2021

Show notes

What are frequency bands and why are they important when it comes to global frequency management?

What You Need To Know

To keep geographical RF uses standard, there are well organized frequency bands.
Globally, there is a radio spectrum plan by ITU (International Telecommunications Union), and there are three sections worldwide.
The ITU or radio regulations divide the world into three regions to manage the global radio spectrum. Each region has its own set of frequency allocations.
ITU is important because we want to keep neighboring countries and governments on the same block to frequencies.

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at https://www.scannerschool.com/session192

--------------------------------------------------------------

Free SDR Course!

Our new free course will introduce you to Software Defined Radios.

"The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Software Defined Radio: Everything you need to know to get started with SDR in an afternoon" is now open for enrollment.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Would you like 1 on 1 help?

If you need help with your scanner and are looking for some one on one tutoring, I'd love to help you out. Visit http://www.scannerschool.com/consulting to book your one hour appointment today!

--------------------------------------------------------------

Help support Scanner School

You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at http://www.scannerschool.com/support

191 - P25 TDMA Control Channels Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

What are TDMA Control Channels on P25 trunk systems, and what does this mean for the scanner radio hobby?

What You Need To Know

P25 TDMA control channels are different from P25 phase two voice channels.
Every single P25 system out there up until this point has used an FDMA control channel.
A new addition to the P25 suite of standards defines a TDMA control channel for P25 trunking operations similar to the FDMA control channel.
The TDMA control channel supports the same functionality as the FDMA control channel. However, with the use of that TDMA control channel, a single 12.5 K Hz channel supports two virtual channels and can be configured to utilize one or both virtual channels for inbound outbound signaling.
Before current P25 systems can migrate over to TDMA, they need to only have Phase 2 Talk Groups

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at https://www.scannerschool.com/session191

--------------------------------------------------------------

Free SDR Course!

Our new free course will introduce you to Software Defined Radios.

"The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Software Defined Radio: Everything you need to know to get started with SDR in an afternoon" is now open for enrollment.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Would you like 1 on 1 help?

If you need help with your scanner and are looking for some one on one tutoring, I'd love to help you out. Visit http://www.scannerschool.com/consulting to book your one hour appointment today!

--------------------------------------------------------------Help support Scanner School

You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at http://www.scannerschool.com/support

190 - Lessons Learned - Vacationing with a Scanner Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

Today's guest, Bill Sawyer, recently wrote a column for National Communications magazine about vacation scanning.

Bill joins us today to discuss his successes and failures when it comes to taking his scanner on family vacations.

What You Need To Know

Bill and I talk about the big difference between shortwave listening to the world and listening local with the scanner radio.
He shares which one was more challenging to him and which ones were challenging in general.
If you are willing to do a little research online, you can find your frequencies on Radio Reference as well as other sites.
Bill suggests, "Try to visualize who you want to listen to and when you want to listen to them" when planning your scanner's setup for vacation.
Before going on a vacation, go through the manual and use your scanner to refresh your memory on how to use the basic functions.
Traveling with a scanner will be more enjoyable when you don't have to keep referring to the manual.
Make sure you do your homework about where you will be traveling and your scanning will be a lot more enjoyable.

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at https://www.scannerschool.com/session190

--------------------------------------------------------------

Free SDR Course!

Our new free course will introduce you to Software Defined Radios.

"The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Software Defined Radio: Everything you need to know to get started with SDR in an afternoon" is now open for enrollment.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Would you like 1 on 1 help?

If you need help with your scanner and are looking for some one on one tutoring, I'd love to help you out. Visit http://www.scannerschool.com/consulting to book your one hour appointment today!

--------------------------------------------------------------

Help support Scanner School

You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at http://www.scannerschool.com/support

189 - Ask Scanner School v35 Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

Free SDR Course!

Our new free course will introduce you to Software Defined Radios.

"The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Software Defined Radio: Everything you need to know to get started with SDR in an afternoon" is now open for enrollment.

---------------------------------------------------------------

I love answering your scanner radio questions and today I answer some questions that have been submitted via our ask page, email, and social media platforms, including YouTube.

Submit your questions for future podcast episodes here.

Don't forget to check out our monthly Q&A Session on YouTube by subscribing to our YouTube Channel.

Questions answered this month:

Jeff asks about simulcast interference.
- How do we know that the interference that we are getting is simulcast interference?
- "How do I diagnose the spectrum on the radio, analyzing from where the signals are coming from?"
Nick seeks help for a handheld or mobile ham radio that can also do the scanning.
Danny asks a question via Twitter
- Is there any software for Uniden in Mac, or is this something that will never happen?
Joe asks for antenna advice for his Uniden BC355N

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session189

---------------------------------------------------------------

Would you like 1 on 1 help?

If you need help with your scanner and are looking for some one on one tutoring, I'd love to help you out. Visit https://www.scannerschool.com/consulting to book your one hour appointment today!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Help support Scanner School

You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at https://www.scannerschool.com/support

188 - Are Vintage Scanners Becoming Too Expensive? Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

Free SDR Course!

Our new free course will introduce you to Software Defined Radios.

"The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Software Defined Radio: Everything you need to know to get started with SDR in an afternoon" is now open for enrollment.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Is it a seller's market when it comes to used scanner radios? Are older, "vintage" scanners prices out of control?

What You Need To Know

There is a shortage in the new market for P25 type scanner radios, especially SDS100 and 200, but prices are the same as for new ones in the used markets.
The used market will dictate a solid price for that kind of radio because of less supply and high demand.
eBay is the largest second-hand market for used scanner radios.
The Facebook marketplace is another option for scanner radio purchases, but it is advised not to use the Facebook payment program as there is no protection.
One can also find scanner radio-like stuff at Craigslist, and it's better to find some cash-only deals from Craigslist.
Don't be fooled by a scanner listing if someone simply puts the word "vintage" in the title.
If a radio has been well maintained or in collective items or still in the box with manual and never been used, those radios collect a premium.

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at https://www.scannerschool.com/session188

--------------------------------------------------------------

Would you like 1 on 1 help?

If you need help with your scanner and are looking for some one on one tutoring, I'd love to help you out. Visit http://www.scannerschool.com/consulting to book your one hour appointment today!

--------------------------------------------------------------Help support Scanner School

You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at http://www.scannerschool.com/support

187 - Scanner Radio Shortages Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

Free SDR Course!

Our new free course will introduce you to Software Defined Radios.

"The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Software Defined Radio: Everything you need to know to get started with SDR in an afternoon" is now open for enrollment.

---------------------------------------------------------------

In today's episode, I will discuss shortages of scanner radios, which models of scanners may be out of stock, and why this could be.

What You Need To Know

Brand new P25 style scanners have become hard to find in the last year and a half.
This is especially true for the SDS100 and 200, as well as the TRX-1, and TRX-2.
They seem to be out of stock from everywhere in the market.
A partial and obvious reason for the shortage of P25 scanners is COVID.
In this Pandemic situation majority of people were staying home or working remotely. Many of them come back into scanner radio hobby after being not involved for some time.
During the pandemic, numerous people were introduced to scanner radio hobby or something they want to do, and now they are just picking on that hobby.
It's not only the scanner radio market with shortage issue; it's also beyond the radio and communication market.
In the shipping industry, we have a shortage of dock workers due to COVID, and they are not working in total capacity, which causes ships not to load and unload fast, and ships are queued for longer than their routine trip.
Containers from the ship are unloaded on trains or trucks, but as the truck drivers are sick due to COVID, the movement, loading, and unloading of containers are significantly less, causing a shortage of containers to difficulty in moving inventory.
Silicone issue or the microchip problem has been a global issue, and everyone is looking for these microchips.
Demand for microchips is exceptionally high due to a surge in people wanting electronics equipment as they are stuck at home.
It takes almost a year to get the chip designed and ready to be manufactured from start to finish, and these are built on wafers.
Everything is based on microchips and all these come from the part of the world where there is a shortage of workers due to another wave of coronavirus.
If you are in the market for new scanner radio, put your name on any email list that you find by major scanner sellers like scanner master.
Because of the shortage of new scanners, the used market for some of these hard to find scanners is very strong.
eBay, Facebook, and the Radio Reference Classifieds are a great place to find scanners radios on the secondary market.

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at https://www.scannerschool.com/session187

--------------------------------------------------------------

Would you like 1 on 1 help?

If you need help with your scanner and are looking for some one on one tutoring, I'd love to help you out. Visit http://www.scannerschool.com/consulting to book your one hour appointment today!

--------------------------------------------------------------Help support Scanner School

You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at http://www.scannerschool.com/support

186 - Discovering a New Federal Trunk System Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

Free SDR Course!

Our new free course will introduce you to Software Defined Radios.

"The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Software Defined Radio: Everything you need to know to get started with SDR in an afternoon" is now open for enrollment.

---------------------------------------------------------------

In today's episode, I will talk about how a community came together to help uncover a brand-new federal trunk system.

What You Need To Know

A user from Radio Reference posted that they discovered a Federal System and wanted to know if anyone recognized the WACN and NAC
This was discovered when this user entered the search mode in his scanner
It was quickly uncovered that this was a new Trunk System in the NY / NJ / CT area
People from the area were contributing to the new trunk system in forums.
They looked at systems and sites and reported what they saw, heard, and observed in the system.
Within two weeks of the initial post on radio reference, we got updates on frequencies, control channels, neighbors, talk groups, radio ids, and changes in sites and cold nation to identify from where signals are coming out.
Can we expect a nationwide system with over a hundred sites?
This is exciting because the local scanner radio community came together to uncover this new system.
The secrets are in the searches!

All session notes with links to the items we talked about can be found on our website at https://www.scannerschool.com/session186

--------------------------------------------------------------

Would you like 1 on 1 help?

If you need help with your scanner and are looking for some one on one tutoring, I'd love to help you out. Visit http://www.scannerschool.com/consulting to book your one hour appointment today!

--------------------------------------------------------------Help support Scanner School

You can help support Scanner School by visiting our support page at http://www.scannerschool.com/support

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