Scanner School - Everything you wanted to know about the Scanner Radio Hobby
335 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 130 ratingsWelcome 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.
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Episodes
Scanning San Francisco, San Mateo, and Alameda Counties
May 31, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 79.3 MBGarrett 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 wen...
What Happens When Trunk Systems Fail?
May 24, 2022 12:00 - 30 minutes - 28 MBWhat 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 communication...
231 - What Happens When Trunk Systems Fail?
May 24, 2022 12:00 - 30 minutes - 28 MBWhat 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 communication...
230 - Business Band Hidden Treasures
May 17, 2022 08:00 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MBBusiness 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 wit...
229 - GMRS - General Mobile Radio Service
May 10, 2022 08:00 - 40 minutes - 37.6 MBGMRS 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 e...
228 - Ask Scanner School v44
May 03, 2022 08:00 - 44 minutes - 41.3 MBEvery 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...
227 - Is this the end of the scanner radio hobby?
April 26, 2022 08:00 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBHave 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 agenci...
226 - Social Media and Scanning
April 19, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 71.4 MBIn 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 To...
225 - Did live scanner feeds hurt the hobby?
April 12, 2022 08:00 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBDo live scanner feeds have hurt the hobby? There are many different ways to get scanner radios onto the internet, and it’s just a matter of the way of developing or delivering the content. What You Need To Know Many stream to: Their own websites Broadcastify Twitch Zello Private in house systems and applications Live streams are used by: News media Other public safety agencies Hobby How can you listen to live feeds? Host’s website on your computer Smart phone apps like...
224 - Ask Scanner School v43
April 05, 2022 08:00 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBEvery 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 Ed needs help with accessing GMRS repeaters in his area. Jake would like help understanding quick keys on his Uniden BCD996P2 Scot...
223 - The Legacy of Bill Cheek
March 29, 2022 08:00 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBThis week we are talking about Bill Cheek, a huge pioneer in the scanner radio world If he was still alive today and saw what is available in the scanner radio market, he would probably lose his mind Maybe he would have realized his life goal and would have built a scanner that would completely turn the market on its head. What You Need To Know If you were active in the scanner radio hobby in the 90’s, there is a good chance that you have heard the name Bill Cheek. He authored sever...
222 - Optimizing Multiple Site Trunk Systems
March 22, 2022 08:00 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBToday, we discuss optimizing your scanner for multiple sites in a trunk system. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about setting up your scanner and optimizing it for a typical scan list, but today we will dive into this topic a little bit deeper. What You Need To Know When discussing Trunked systems, a site may not be one specific location or one particular transmitter. Instead, it may be one tower, one transmitter location, or a collection of transmitter locations networked together. ...
221 - Scanning at the Super Football Game
March 15, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 69.7 MBChris Parris returns to the podcast to talk about the biggest football game of the year. Chris was last on the podcast to talk about Federal Scanning. Chris writes a monthly column for the spectrum monitor, an online digital magazine dedicated to the radio monitoring hobby, including scanning and shortwave listening. Chris’s column, “The Fed Files”, has been a favorite of mine since he was writing for Monitor Times magazine, and his website is full of great information when it ...
220 - Optimizing Scan Lists
March 08, 2022 09:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBHere is a question that I get asked from time to time: “How do I optimize the scanning lists in my scanner?” This is an important question, because when our scanners are scanning, we can miss transmissions elsewhere. So it is important to be as efficient as possible when setting up your scan lists. Now, the answer may not be as straight forward as you might think, so here is my thought process on setting up a scan list on a radio: What You Need To Know We break ...
219 - Ask Scanner School v42
March 01, 2022 09:00 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MBEvery 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 from this month Joe has a question about receiving the Connecticut Land Mobile Radio Network (CLMRN) and the Bristol P25 system. Garrett from the San Francisco Bay ...
218 - The Advantages of Multiple Scanners
February 22, 2022 09:00 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBJoe Curtis returns to the podcast this week to share how he uses multiple scanner radios. We also discuss a recent national event that happened outside his door. What You Need To Know Joe uses a Unication G4 to listen to public safety He also uses a SDS 100 as his go-to scanner The SDS100 makes a great do-all scanner since it covers 25Mhz to 1.3Ghz The SDS also supports analog, P25, and multiple trunking modes. One of the benefits of having multiple radios is the ability to be f...
217 - K.I.S.S. - When Good Enough is Perfect
February 15, 2022 09:00 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MBToday’s podcast episode is all about the KISS Principle. Everybody has a different way or thought process on how things should be done. If you are just getting started with the hobby, or you have been in a hobby for a very long time and trying to learn about something new or trying to clean up something you have done, you can get lost in the woods. Today’s podcast gives you permission to take a step back and come at your setup from a different perspective. What You N...
216 - Civil Air Patrol
February 08, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBT Today we have got a great guest on the podcast. I am happy to introduce you guys all to Dave Kalahar. Dave is not only a full-time RV, but he is also a retired commander in the Civil Air Patrol or CAP in the United States. Dave spent about 45 years in broadcasting and you are all in for a great podcast episode. What You Need To Know Like many people, Dave’s interest in radio started with a small handheld crystal control. It was a RadioShack or realistic scanner. But today, he coul...
215 - Ask Scanner School v41
February 01, 2022 09:00 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBEvery 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 from this month: Lloyd asks where he can find the show notes for the podcast sessions Tom asks, how do you connect multiple scanners to a single antenna? And are yo...
214 - RadioShack’s Comeback?
January 25, 2022 09:00 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBThe RadioShack brand is making a comeback. They are getting into the crypto game and are enterin the market with their own coin, $RADIO. What You Need To Know RadioShack was started in 1921 by two brothers who wanted to provide the ham radio market equipment. They started with one physical store and a mail order store in downtown Boston. In 1962, Tandy was looking for a hobby-related business, so they took over RadioShack, restructured it, and gave RadioShack a brand new foundat...
213 - Flagship Scanner Feature Wishlist
January 18, 2022 09:00 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBWhat features would you like to see in the next Flagship Scanner Radio by Uniden, Whistler, or someone else? I have my own wishlist and I think many of these features are overdue in today’s scanner radio market. In fact, many of my requests are already available on other radios, including radios like Baofeng and TYT to name a few. Some of what I’d like to see on a Flagship Radio: Radio Reference Database should remain included in any future Flagship Scanner Bluetooth connectivity i...
212 - 2022 Scanner Crash Course
January 11, 2022 09:00 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBOn today’s episode, I will go through my slides on my presentation for Ham Radio University, which I normally do every year. This is my practice run for the presentation that I gave at HRU on January 8, 2022. If HRU publishes the presentation, we will follow up with a link. This presentation is for those who are new to the scanner radio hobby, or need a quick reset and want to have a bit of a refresher on some scanner radio topics and terms. If you need more help with your scanner, ...
211 - Ask Scanner School v40
January 04, 2022 09:00 - 34 minutes - 32.2 MBEvery 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 I answer this month: DSM Central Iowa from Twitter Asks how to setup weather on his BCD436HP Joseph has questions about sharing his antenna with a CB radio and how ...
210 - Encryption? No Problem!
December 28, 2021 09:00 - 54 minutes - 75 MBKenneth Fowler, a past guest several times over, is today’s guest on the podcast. Kenneth and I discuss how encryption has changed his scanning habits. His local police and fire have encrypted, but this has not stopped Kenneth from enjoying the scanner radio hobby. Today, Kenneth shares how he is scanning other agencies to gather the same information he would have received if he was listening to police or fire. Our conversation fall back to what I like to say: We don’t thow out our T...
209 - Is it time to upgrade your scanner?
December 21, 2021 09:00 - 38 minutes - 35.7 MBLooking at things from multiple angles may help you think about whether it is time for you to consider upgrading a scanner. Do you want a new scanner because it’s time to buy something new, or is it needed to keep up with changes to your local systems? What You Need To Know There are things outside of our control dictating whether or not we need to upgrade our scanners. For example, when rebanding happened here in the US, many of us needed new scanners that would support rebanding...
208 - Home Weather Stations
December 14, 2021 09:00 - 34 minutes - 32 MBScanning goes beyond hearing what comes across the radio. Sometimes we need to take clue on what to listen to by what is happening around us. Having a personal weather station can help us tune into emergency communications that might be happening right outside our doors. Today, we will cover what to look for when selecting a weather station, what your options are, and what mistakes I have made with prior weather stations I have owned in the past. What You Need To Know There are many ...
207 - Ask Scanner School v39
December 07, 2021 09:00 - 49 minutes - 45.8 MBEvery 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 Questions I answer this month: Alan would like to know about SDR software that will run on an Android Device Less has a question about frequency allocations above 774Mhz, setting up DMR in a SDS100/200, and would like to know about the Kraken SDR. Mason wants to know if programming all the sit...
206 - Plectrons and Early Fire Alerting
November 30, 2021 09:00 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBGregg Johnson and I discuss Plectrons and early fire alerting methods before portable radios and pagers were commonplace. We discuss the history of Plectron receivers and how volunteer firefighters were alerted to calls before they had in-home radio alerting or portable receivers. What You Need To Know Plectrons are one of the earliest types of home receivers ever used for volunteer firefighters. The plectron had a different name back in the beginning, and in 1955 it was called FYRCAL...
205 - SDR Holiday Buyer's Guide
November 23, 2021 09:00 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBIt is time for our annual radio buyer’s guide. In the past few years, I have offered a list of scanners that I would recommend. However, since there haven’t been any new releases in the scanner radio world in the last few years, I do not want to repeat the same information that I gave you last year. Instead, I’m going to give you my recommendation for Software Defined Radios. This list will include what to stay away from, and what radios I recommend from beginners to advanced SDR us...
204 - Baofeng Alternatives
November 16, 2021 09:00 - 32 minutes - 30.3 MBLet’s talk about some Baofeng Options. Our objective is to find a radio that has the same price point that many Baofeng models come in at, but are better value for the money. We will be looking at some handheld radios that are less than $100 that might be worth investing in. Links for today’s Podcast: (Some of these links are affiliate links and Scanner School will earn a small commission if you make a purchase using these links) Amazon Baofeng UV-5R Baofeng UV-82 Whistler ...
203 - Baofeng Pros and Cons
November 09, 2021 09:00 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MBIf you listen to the podcast, it’s no big secret that I give Baofeng and similar radios a bad rap. Not surprisingly, I have a list of things I dislike about these radios. But as shocking as it sounds, I have a larger list of things that are great about these affordable two way radios that many use as scanner radios. What You Need To Know With Baofeng radio, you can mistakenly transmit anywhere in the band you are not supposed to transmit. One of the problems with the Baofeng radio ...
202 - Ask Scanner School v38
November 02, 2021 08:00 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBI enjoy answering your scanner radio questions. You can ask a question by leaving a voicemail at 516-308-2885 or by using the links on our ASK page at https://www.scannerschool.com/ask What You Need To Know John has questions about scanning in the San Diego area. Garret noticed that he’s hearing Rail Road Transmission on a known VHF Marine Channel. Why is this? Greg wants to know what factors influence reception on the 800-megahertz band Pete wonders if his telescoping antenna need...
201 - Scanner School's Discord Community
October 26, 2021 12:35 - 27 minutes - 37.4 MBOur brand-new discord server is the ultimate scanner radio community portal. With the ability to host live audio, scanner feeds, video events, photos, and chat, this is the future of communicating and sharing information with your fellow scanner radio users. You can find a step by step setup and log-in by going to https://www.scannerschool.com/discord What You Need To Know Discord will be replacing our Zello channels. The Facebook group will always remain a resource for anybody who ...
200 - An Extra Special Podcast Episode
October 19, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 67.5 MBWelcome to podcast number 200! I can't believe we've recorded, published, and shared this many episodes. It seems like last we just start this a few weeks ago and here we are at episode 200. In these past few years, I've made many friendships and connections due to the podcast. This includes all of those who I've gotten to know as a part of our Patreon Extra Credit Round Table that we hold every month. This podcast episode is a peek into our Extra Credit Club and what it would sound...
199 - Handheld vs Desktop / Mobile Scanners
October 12, 2021 08:00 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBToday, we will talk about the pros and cons of differences between a handheld scanner versus a base or a mobile scanner. What You Need To Know Handheld scanners are kind of like to Swiss army knife You can leave them on the desk or take them with you. They can go mobile and can go into a backpack. Portable radios run off of internal batteries, but they can also run off of commercial power. Not every portable scanner can run off of commercial power and charge batteries at the same ...
198 - Ask Scanner School v37
October 05, 2021 08:00 - 40 minutes - 37.4 MBWe have got four voicemails, and today I am going to answer some questions. You can submit your questions at www.scannerschool.com/ask. What You Need To Know Jim asks what can he do with that ethernet port connection on the front of the SDS200 Scanner? Garrett has been a longtime scanner listener of the CHP, California Highway Patrol, and would like to know if his scanner is setup correctly Les has two questions for this month: Are there any scanners that work like the SDS Scanners...
197 - Do you need an outdoor antenna?
September 28, 2021 08:00 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBDo you need an outdoor antenna? This used to be an obvious question and answer. But now things have changed in the hobby that may have you choosing to skip the antenna installation. A crucial part of getting into the hobby was putting out an antenna on your chimney. It was a rite of passage running coax cable and poking holes in your wall, having your parents or wife scream at you for doing damage to the house. What You Need To Know Depending on your situation, you may or may not...
196 - Multi State Scanning with a Unication Pager
September 21, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 66.6 MBNathan McMullen joins the podcast today to explain how he setup his Unication G-Series pager. Nathan has taken several multi-state road trips with his pager and was able to listen to public safety during his trip. Nathan explains how he setup his pager, what needs to be done before the trip, and some things he wished he did differently while taking a multi-mile trip with his pager. Note – while I am a Unication Dealer, I am coming into this conversation with Nathan as a scanner radio u...
195 - How 9/11 and Katrina Changed Scanning
September 14, 2021 08:00 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MBWhat 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 a...
194 - Ask Scanner School v36
September 07, 2021 08:00 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBI 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 h...
193 - DTV - The P25 Killer ?
August 31, 2021 08:00 - 22 minutes - 21.2 MBIn 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. Issue...
192 - Frequency Bands
August 24, 2021 08:00 - 23 minutes - 22 MBWhat 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. ...
191 - P25 TDMA Control Channels
August 17, 2021 08:00 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBWhat 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 function...
190 - Lessons Learned - Vacationing with a Scanner
August 10, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBToday’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 wi...
189 - Ask Scanner School v35
August 03, 2021 08:00 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBFree 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 --------------------------------------------------------------- I love answering your scanner radio questions and today I answer some questions that have been submitted via our ask page, email, a...
188 - Are Vintage Scanners Becoming Too Expensive?
July 27, 2021 08:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBFree 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 --------------------------------------------------------------- Is it a seller's market when it comes to used scanner radios? Are older, "vintage" scanners prices out of control? What You Nee...
187 - Scanner Radio Shortages
July 20, 2021 08:00 - 28 minutes - 26.6 MBFree 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 --------------------------------------------------------------- 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...
186 - Discovering a New Federal Trunk System
July 13, 2021 08:00 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBFree 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 --------------------------------------------------------------- In today’s episode, I will talk about how a community came together to help uncover a brand-new federal trunk system. What You Ne...
185 - Ask Scanner School v34
July 06, 2021 08:00 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBFree 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 --------------------------------------------------------------- Every month I answer your questions on the podcast. You may submit questions at www.scannerschool.com/ask Questions asked this m...
Budget Friendly P25 Scanners
June 29, 2021 08:00 - 36 minutes - 33.7 MBFree 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 --------------------------------------------------------------- In today’s episode, I will talk about budget-friendly P25 scanners. We will also cover some limitations when trying to stick with...