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Encyclopedia > Scanner (radio)
Uniden BCD396D handheld trunktracking scanner.

A scanner is a radio receiver that can automatically tune, or scan, two or more discrete frequencies, stopping when it finds a signal on one of them and then continuing scanning when that frequency goes silent. Generally, scanners cover the non-broadcast radio bands between 30 and 950 MHz using FM, although there are models that cover more of the radio spectrum and use other modulation types. The traditional use of scanners is to monitor police, fire, Emergency Medical Services, and similar radio systems that use a number of frequencies but with only sporadic use of each. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 2000 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 2000 pixel, file size: 1. ... Uniden Corportation ) (TYO: 6815 ) is a Japanese company established on February 7, 1966 by its founder Hideo Fujimoto. ... A trunked radio system is a radio system used to maximize available capacity in a two-way radio system, usually UHF. Groups of users are given a logical talkgroup to share for their communications, rather than a dedicated radio frequency. ... In radio terminology, a receiver is an electronic circuit that receives a radio signal from an antenna and decodes the signal for use as sound, pictures, navigational-position information, etc. ... FreQuency is a music video game developed by Harmonix and published by SCEI. It was released in November 2001. ... A megahertz (MHz) is one million (106) hertz, a measure of frequency. ... Frequency modulation (FM) is a form of modulation that represents information as variations in the instantaneous frequency of a carrier wave. ... In telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying a periodic waveform, i. ...


Scanners developed from earlier tunable and fixed-frequency radios that received one frequency at a time. Non-broadcast radio systems, such as those used by public safety agencies, do not transmit continuously. With a radio fixed on a single frequency, many minutes could pass between signals, while other frequencies used in the area might be active. The scanning function allows the radio to move on to the next frequency after a transmission ends on the first frequency.


Popular amongst hobbyists, off duty emergency services personnel, reporters, corporate spies, criminals and lawyers, scanners allow chosen frequencies to be stored in memory banks to allow them to be monitored later and will only stop scanning when there is a signal strong enough to break the radio's squelch setting. This article is about pastimes. ... A Female Reporter A reporter is a type of journalist who researches and presents information in certain types of mass media. ... Corporate redirects here. ... Spy and Secret agent redirect here. ... for other uses please see Crime (disambiguation) A crime is an act that violates a political or moral law. ... A lawyer, according to Blacks Law Dictionary, is a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law. ... FreQuency is a music video game developed by Harmonix and published by SCEI. It was released in November 2001. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Look up monitor in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In telecommunications, squelch is a circuit function that acts to suppress the audio (or video) output of a receiver in the absence of a sufficiently strong desired input signal. ...


Scanners first became popular and widely available during CB Radio's heyday in the 1970s. The first scanners often had between four and ten channels and required a separate crystal for each frequency received. Modern programmable scanners allow hundreds or thousands of frequencies to be entered via a keypad and stored in various 'memory banks' and can scan at a rapid rate due to modern microprocessors. A typical CB base station. ... Channel, in communications (sometimes called communications channel), refers to the medium used to convey information from a sender (or transmitter) to a receiver. ... A crystal oscillator is an electronic circuit that uses the mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal of piezoelectric material to create an electrical signal with a very precise frequency. ... A microprocessor is a programmable digital electronic component that incorporates the functions of a central processing unit (CPU) on a single semiconducting integrated circuit (IC). ...

A hand-held wide band communications receiver.
A hand-held wide band communications receiver.

Many recent models will allow scanning of the specific DCS or CTCSS code used on a specific frequency should it have multiple users. One memory bank can be assigned to air traffic control, another can be for local marine communications, and yet another for local police frequencies. These can be switched on and off depending on the user's preference. Most scanners have a weather radio band, allowing the listener to tune into weather radio broadcasts from within 50 miles (or even greater) of a weather radio transmitter. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 460 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2300 × 3000 pixel, file size: 470 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 460 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2300 × 3000 pixel, file size: 470 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... DCS is an acronym and can mean: a Digital Cellular System (DCS 1800 or GSM-1800), a mobile communications-based PCS network used outside of the U.S. a digital cross connect system a type of telecom equipment a Distributed Control System (Industrial Automation) an illness related to pressure changes... In telecommunications, squelch is a circuit function that acts to suppress the audio (or video) output of a receiver. ... Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCTs) at Amsterdams Schiphol Airport Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. ... Marine is an umbrella term for things relating to the ocean, as with marine biology, marine geology, and as a term for a navy, etc. ... Preference (or taste) is a concept, used in the social sciences, particularly economics. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Some Scanners are equipped with Fire-Tone out. Fire tone out decodes Quik call II tones and activates as a pager when the correct sequence of tones is detected.

Active frequencies can be found by searching the internet and frequency reference books or can be discovered through a radio's search function. An external antenna for a desktop scanner or an extendable antenna for a hand held unit is a good idea for optimum performance. A yagi antenna Most simply, an antenna is an electronic component designed to send or receive radio waves. ...

Contents

Legal issues

Radio scanners have had a mixed response from law enforcement agencies and sometimes championed by those supporting civil liberties. In some communities, law enforcement has chosen to encrypt their communications. Although scanners capable of following trunked radio systems and demodulating some digital radio systems such as APCO Project 25 are available, decryption-capable scanners would be a violation of United States law and possibly laws of other countries. For the band, see The Police. ... This article is about algorithms for encryption and decryption. ... A trunked radio system is a radio system used to maximize available capacity in a two-way radio system, usually UHF. Groups of users are given a logical talkgroup to share for their communications, rather than a dedicated radio frequency. ... P25 (Project 25) is a standard for digital radio communications for use by federal, state/province and local public safety agencies in North America to enable them to communicate with other agencies and mutual aid response teams in emergencies There are two standards defined defined by the Association for Public... This article is about algorithms for encryption and decryption. ...


A law passed by the Congress of the United States (under the pressure from cellular telephone interests) prevented scanners sold in the U.S. from tuning the 800 MHz cellular band. Later, the law was amended to make it illegal to modify radios to receive those frequencies, and also to sell radios that could be easily modified to do so. This law remains in effect even though few cellular subscribers still use analog technology. Typically, there are Canadian and European "unblocked" versions available, however these are illegal to import into the U.S. The cordless phone bands at 43.720--44.480,46.610--46.930 MHz and 902.000 – 906.000 MHz can still be picked up by many scanners. These bands, too, are illegal to monitor in the U.S. The proliferation of scanners led to cordless phone manufacturers going to a much more secure 2.4 GHz system using spread-spectrum technology. Certain states in the U.S., such as New York and Florida, prohibit the use of scanners in a vehicle unless licensed by the FCC. Congress in Joint Session. ... An analog or analogue signal is an allergy continuous in both time and amplitude. ... A European is primarily a person who was born into one of the countries within the continent of Europe. ... Lady Justice or Justitia is a personification of the moral force that underlies the legal system (particularly in Western art). ... A portable phone or cordless phone is a wireless telephone which is associated with a fixed telephone landline (POTS) and can only be operated close to (typically less than 100 metres of) its base station, such as in and around the house. ... Spread-spectrum techniques are methods by which energy generated at one or more discrete frequencies is deliberately spread or distributed in time or frequency domains. ... The abbreviation FCC can refer to: Face-centered cubic (usually fcc), a crystallographic structure Federal Communications Commission, a US government organization Farm Credit Corporation/Farm Credit Canada, a Canadian government organization Families with Children from China, an adoption support organization Florida Christian College, a college in central Florida Fresno City...


In the United Kingdom and France, it is illegal to listen to almost anything outside the amateur radio and broadcast bands. Canada allows any analog transmission to be monitored but content of the communication may not be disclosed. In some parts of the United States, there are extra penalties for the possession of a scanner during a crime. Other countries consider possession of a scanner at any time an offense. Lady Justice or Justitia is a personification of the moral force that underlies the legal system (particularly in Western art). ... Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. ... A penalty is a punishment: a legal sentence, e. ...


In the United States, the general guidelines to follow when using a radio scanner are that it is illegal to:

  • listen in on cellular and cordless phone calls,
  • intercept encrypted or scrambled communications,
  • sell or import radio scanners that are capable of receiving cellular phone frequencies (Note: This rule does not apply to sales by individuals and radio scanners made before 1985),
  • modify radio scanners so that cellular phone frequencies can be received,
  • use information received for personal gain (A common example is where a taxi driver listens to a competitor's dispatch channel to steal a customer),
  • use information received to aid in the commission of a crime, or
  • disclose information received to other persons.

A full text copy of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 can be found here: "Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986"


Scanner laws by country

  • United States of America: It is illegal to receive or listen to cellular phone frequencies in the 800 MHz band, or to cordless phone calls, and to use information gained from listening to a scanner in furtherance of the commission of a crime. It is also illegal to use for personal gain information obtained from any radio transmissions not intended for public reception, or to disclose such information to a third party. Several states have laws further restricting the use of scanners. For example, in Minnesota, the mobile use of a scanner by anybody other than a police officer, a licensed amateur radio operator, or the holder of a permit from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is illegal.
  • New Zealand: According to the [Act 1989] It is legal to possess and use a scanner at any time to tune to any private voice radio (not encrypted data) provided that private information is not passed on or disclosed to any other person(s) or party(s).
  • Australia: It is legal to possess a scanner. It is legal to listen to any transmission that is not classified as telecommunication (i.e. anything not connected to the telephone network).
  • Mexico: It is legal to have an unlocked scanner and listen to any radio spectrum frequencies including encrypted and cellular band. But according to the Federal Law of General Ways of Communication it is restricted to any individual to spread information obtained on a mass media.

Most countries with a federal constitution are made up of a number of subnational entities called states or provinces. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... A police officer is a warranted employee of a police service. ... Amateur radio station with modern solid-state transceiver featuring LCD display and DSP capabilities Amateur radio, often called Ham radio, is a hobby enjoyed by about six million people[1] throughout the world. ... Copy of the original phone of Alexander Graham Bell at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris Telecommunication is the transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. ...

See also

Electronics Portal

Image File history File links Nuvola_apps_ksim. ... A two-way radio is simply a radio that can both transmit and receive (a transceiver). ... A trunked radio system is a radio system used to maximize available capacity in a two-way radio system, usually UHF. Groups of users are given a logical talkgroup to share for their communications, rather than a dedicated radio frequency. ... A communications receiver is a type of radio receiver characterised by its frequency coverage, frequency selection, and range of adjustments to the radio signal. ... A discone antenna is a version of a biconical antenna where one of the cones is replaced by a disc. ...

External links

Radio Frequency Sources

There are numerous websites which provide lists of frequencies for emergency services and businesses in various areas of the world. These are among the most prominent.

Scanner Manufacturers

  • AOR (Authority on Radio Communications)
  • Radio Shack
  • Uniden under the Bearcat brand, but also OEM under Radio Shack brand in the United States
  • Icom US, CA, AU, NZ
  • GRE (formerly exclusively OEM's for Radio Shack in the United States, but as of 2007 also as the "GRE-COM" brand)

Scanner Laws

Other links


  Results from FactBites:
 
Scanner (radio) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (801 words)
A scanner is a radio receiver that automatically tunes, or scans, two or more discrete frequencies.
Scanners first became popular and widely available during CB Radio's heyday in the 1970s.
Radio scanners have had a mixed response from law enforcement agencies and sometimes championed by those supporting civil liberties.
radio: Definition and Much More from Answers.com (9297 words)
A radio wave acts as a carrier of information-bearing signals; the information may be encoded directly on the wave by periodically interrupting its transmission (as in dot-and-dash telegraphy) or impressed on it by a process called modulation.
Radio waves are a form of electromagnetic radiation, created whenever a charged object (in normal radio transmission, an electron) accelerates with a frequency that lies in the radio frequency (RF) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
AM radio uses amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the transmitted signal is made proportional to the sound amplitude captured (transduced) by the microphone while the transmitted frequency remains unchanged.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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