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

Latest Episodes:

155 - Uniden's Close Call Dec 08, 2020

Show notes

Do you have questions about how to use Uniden's close call function?

In this episode, Phil explains the purpose of close call, shares examples of times he has used it successfully, and what the different close call settings on your scanner mean in practice.

What You Need To Know

Close call is an option on just about every available Uniden radio.
It's a way to find frequencies that are close to you with a very strong signal.
Close call does not work over long distances or with weak signals.
Close call won't help you monitor local agencies while you're traveling.
It generally picks up signals for communication within a few hundred feet.
I have used this feature in situations like when there's a helicopter hovering overhead and he wants to know what's going on.
There are 3 ways to set your Uniden scanner for close call: Close call only, close call priority, and close call do not disturb.
Changing things like your antenna, the height you're trying to receive, and power levels can affect how well close call may work on your scanner.

All session notes with links to the items we talked about an be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session155

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

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 Zello. For info, visit https://www.scannerschool.com/zello

Ask Scanner School v27 Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

Many of you have have been submitting their questions and today I am answering some of them.

This month I answer:

On the SDS100, what are the most useful items to have shown on the display screen to get the most information out of the scanner as possible?
What should someone do if their SDS200 isn't locking on to the control channel right away?
Should the Service Types name be changed on an SDS100?
How can someone whose laptop uses the same plug for both the speaker and microphone set up their system for Zello?
How can someone set up their SDS200 with ProScan where you can listen in and control the scanner remotely from your phone?

All session notes with links to the items we talked about an be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session154

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

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 Zello. For info, visit https://www.scannerschool.com/zello

153 - Splitting and Sharing Antennas Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

Splitting and Sharing Antennas

Do you need to split or share the signal from a single antenna to multiple scanners?

In this episode, Phil explains the hardware you need to achieve this setup, how the technology works, and what to look for when purchasing the accessories you need. He also walks through his personal setup.

What You Need To Know

You can use diplexers, duplexers, Triplexers ,and the like to share or split antennas based on frequency
A simpler setup would be to split an antenna equally between radios using a multicoupler.
A multicoupler can be thought of as a splitter, but the ports are separated so the scanners aren't able to "talk" to each other.
Passive multicouplers are less expensive and have no gain, but introduce loss between the ports.
Active multicouplers have to be plugged in and powered, and it mimics connecting directly to an antenna.
Active multicouplers are Phil's recommendation, especially if you plan to do a lot of splitting or daisy-chaining your multicouplers.
Don't use T-connectors because it may cause cross-talk and interference between scanners.
When you're buying a multicoupler, make sure that it passes the frequencies you want to monitor.
Also, pay attention to the types of connectors on your multicoupler, and whether it's a passive or active multicoupler.
Phil uses a Stridsberg multicoupler, model MCA208M.
Phil also recommends looking at the website Digital Loggers for their 16-port multicoupler.

All session notes with links to the items we talked about an be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session153

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

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 Zello. For info, visit https://www.scannerschool.com/zello

152 - 2020 Holiday Buyer's Guide Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

2020 Holiday Buyer's Guide

Are you wondering what should be on your holiday shopping list this year?

In this episode, Phil shares his 2020 holiday buyer's guide, helping you compare radios, scanner software, and accessories.

What You Need To Know

This year's buyer guide is the same as the 2019 buyer guide because no new equipment has been released.
East Coast Pagers will have great Black Friday deals.
Uniden SR30C: A radio at the lowest price point with minimal features.
Phil recommends instead upgrading to the Uniden BC125AT.
Recommended analog trunking scanner: Uniden BCT15X
For digital radios, Phil compares and contrasts the Uniden BCD325P2, BCD996P2, and the UBCD325P2, which all support P25 Phase 2.
If you don't need Phase 2 P25, Phil recommends the Whistler WS1040 and the WS1065.
The next step up is the Whistler TRX1 and TRX2, which come with NXDN and DMR right out of the box.
The Uniden BCD436HP and BCD536HP radios are Phil's current go-tos.
Internationally, Phil recommends the UBCD3600XLT, which is the overseas version of the BCD436HP scanners.
Phil's current "holy grail" scanners are the Uniden SDS100 and SDS200, despite some of the issues they have had.
The Unication G2 through G5 are pagers work well in P25 Phase 2 Simulcast environments.
We also have a top 10 accessories in the second half of this podcast

All session notes with links to the items we talked about an be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session152

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

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 Zello. For info, visit https://www.scannerschool.com/zello

151 - How to Combine Antennas Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

Have you wanted to learn about how to combine multiple antennas?

In this episode, Phil discusses some best practices for using multiple antennas, including how to set them up to avoid interference, how to bring the signal into your house to connect to your radios, and more.

What You Need To Know

LMR 400 Coax costs around $1 per foot, so running multiple coax lines for many antennas can get very expensive.
Diplexers have a low port, high port, and a common port.
Triplexers have a low port, mid port, high port, and a common port.
You should not use a T connector to combine multiple antennas.
It's possible to run multiple antennas into the same coax line and then split them again at the bottom to feed them into specific radios.
Diplexers have a wide separation between Frequency A and Frequency B, and are fairly inexpensive compared to duplexers.
Duplexers are tunable and used for frequencies that are very, very close together, like same band combiners.
Duplexers are larger and are typically ground-mounted, but diplexers/triplexers/quadplexers can be mounted indoors or outdoors.

All session notes with links to the items we talked about an be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session151

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

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 Zello. For info, visit https://www.scannerschool.com/zello

150 - Ask Scanner School v26 Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

Ask Scanner School v26

This month I answer:

What are some troubleshooting tips to improve audio quality and overall reception on a Uniden scanner?
Can Unication G-series pagers support Motorola type 2 systems?
What can someone do or what antenna can they buy if the scanner app on their cell phone is picking up more than their actual scanner radio?
Is it worth putting a scanner in your car if most of what you scan is digital?
What SDR antenna would I recommend?

All session notes with links to the items we talked about an be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session150

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

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 Zello. For info, visit https://www.scannerschool.com/zello

149 - T-Band Giveback Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

Have you wondered about the impact a potential T-band giveback would have?

In this episode, Phil walks you through the FCC's plan, the opposition it faces, and what it would mean for public safety and scanner radio hobbyists alike.

What You Need To Know

The FCC T-band giveback is reallocating the 470-512 MHz spectrum.
The T-band spectrum was part of the TV band that ran from Channel 14-20.
This spectrum was allocated to certain major urban areas for public safety, broadcast television, transportation, and private land mobile services to reduce congestion.
The FCC is aware that the giveback is a bad idea and will harm public safety as licenses in these bands are crucial for first responders, but it is currently the law to move forward with it.
Congress has bipartisan support to get rid of the T-band giveback.

All session notes with links to the items we talked about an be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session149

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

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 Zello. For info, visit https://www.scannerschool.com/zello

148 - Discovering and Logging Radio IDs with Kenneth Fowler Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

Do you want to discover the radio IDs broadcasting in your area?

In this episode, Phil welcomes back guest Kenneth Fowler. They discuss how Kenneth logs and verifies the radio IDs he finds, issues you may run into, and developments in the hobby coming soon.

What You Need To Know

Everything that transmits on a trunk system documents itself with a radio ID.
Kenneth started in the scanner radio hobby because of friends who volunteered with the fire department.
Every digital radio and radio on a trunk system are programmed with an ID and alias so others know who you are when you broadcast.
When Kenneth uses Uniden scanners, he runs ProScan and has radio IDs display on the screen so he can determine what he wants to pay attention to based on who is broadcasting.
Radio IDs assignments can change, and the person using a particular radio with a particular ID can change, especially if they're portables.
Kenneth started by logging IDs in a notebook, and he still keeps a hard copy but transfers the information into a spreadsheet.
Phil got interested in this when he wanted to map out an encrypted trunk system.
Many radio IDs are defined by department, location, or some other way of organizing the information, and it can help you figure out what each ID is on an encrypted system.
Sometimes Radio Reference will have collected radio IDs published on their wiki pages.
Different scanners and software have different ways of programming radio IDs.

All session notes with links to the items we talked about an be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session148

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

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 Zello. For info, visit https://www.scannerschool.com/zello

147-Ham Radio Prep Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

Do you want to learn more about getting your Ham radio license?

In this episode, Phil welcomes back guest Chuck Gysi from Ham Radio Prep. They discuss the Ham radio licensing exams, the new extra course launching soon, and more.

What You Need To Know

Chuck runs National Communications Magazine, and it has existed since 1988.
Chuck got interested in radios because his father was a volunteer fireman and got calls through a radio.
Ham Radio Prep was started in 2017 by people who got licensed as a way to communicate during hurricanes when national systems are down.
They are developing a new course to teach new licensees on how to program a radio by hand so that it serves them in an emergency situation.
The course has some interactivity, including games and flashcards to prepare you for the licensing exam.
Because of COVID, the number of registrations for the ham radio prep course rose 700%.
Also due to COVID, if may not be possible to take the licensing exam virtually.
Many have reported that they are receiving their license from the FCC within 24 hours.
The length of time it will take to complete the course depends on how fast you can pickup the content.
There's a Facebook support group for students to ask questions and answer each other.
Go to ARRL.org to find a testing location.
No matter what your other hobbies are, there is probably a tie-in you can make to amateur radio.

All session notes with links to the items we talked about an be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session147

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

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 Zello. For info, visit https://www.scannerschool.com/zello

146 - Ask Scanner School v25 Oct 06, 2020

Show notes

Many of you have have been submitting their questions and today I am answering some of them.

This month I answer:

How can he improve my current antenna setup?
What scanner should I buy if I wanted to listen to my local area and also stream it to my phone?
Is there a scanner that can do P25 phase 1 and 2, and NXDN at the same time?
Would Phil recommend spending additional money to get a desktop Whistler scanner over a handheld?

All session notes with links to the items we talked about an be found on our website at www.scannerschool.com/session146

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

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 Zello. For info, visit https://www.scannerschool.com/zello

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