It definitely is something to think about.  I live in an area for example
that most Public Safety Agencies in my area are Analog and Trunked, but a
few of them have gone digital.  My Pro 97 has become strickly a desktop
radio since it does not work on batteries anymore for some strange reason.
I also use the Pro 164, which is just a newer model of the Pro 97 and the
Pro 106, which is digital.  Since I have programmed the Pro 97 and Pro 164
the same, I do not have to worry about power outages or anything else that
can go wrong.  My only concern, and something I want to go investigate, is
if Radio Reference has the Amateur Radio frequencies correct for this state.
They only have the Northwestern part of Louisiana in the Skywarn section,
and I am not getting really any HAM traffic.  I did a few days ago, but
other than that, nothing.  It usually gets pretty chatty around 3 or so.
Jordan

-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of John Miller
Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2015 9:41 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: question on what kind of desktop scanner to get.

one thing you just learned the hard way is not every scanner is right for
everyone. For example in the local cities and towns near me, everything is
analog and trunking doesn't work, it's been tried so just your basic scanner
will work and many of us even have some around, like I do in the bedroom,
that are 10 channel programmable ones from the 80's. My main one will do
trunking but the only thing around my way on trunking is the state police
and my scanner does trunking or non trunking, we can't mix like some you
can. Do you only have trunking in your area, do you need digital? If you
don't need digital, you'll save a lot of money that way. Used is an option
too, it's hard to kill a scanner, as I said, a lot of us who help either
paid or not in emergency management, fire, police, have scanners in our
bedrooms from the 80's that get our local city/town so we can know and be
ready if something happens in the night, but don't want the main scanner
which picks up a lot more being heard in the bedroom. I generally can figure
out the radio shack scanners as long as I know the key pad, they're not all
that different form one another, or weren't last I knew. I have a couple
portables around here as well and they're the same, my desktop one in the
living room and my mother's, while about 10 years apart and a lot of models
in between, are pretty much the same for programming. I don't know about any
of the real new ones, but you really need to sit and figure out what you
need, what you want to do with it and unless you like to throw money away,
don't waste money on features you don't need like digital, what ever.

-----Original Message-----
From: Linda C Knight
Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2015 8:21 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: question on what kind of desktop scanner to get.

Hi fellow hams,

I made a dumb purchase and its driving me stupid.

Just found out I can=E2=80=99t get my pasco county fire and police on = this
scanner i bought which is a radio shack pro 650=20

I was told it had to be a trunking radio and I don=E2=80=99t know what = to
get.

So would someone please advise me on the following:

1. Is there such thing as a trunking desktop police scanner that =
doesn=E2=80=99t cost as much as a car payment?

2. I live in a condo complex surrounded by iron railings, would this =
affect reception of a scanner? Probably not as I do have a radio shack =
handheld pro 92 scanner which works well. I just want a desktop unit.

3. are there any accessible desktop scanners?

I am really upset with my dumb purchase.

Thanks for any help.
Hugs and 73
Linda C Knight=20
With Sweet Gentle Ben,=20
HamRadiooperator CallSign: KK4HRG
Please note email: [log in to unmask]