My mom wants a police / fire scanner for the holiday. Any input on these things?
I always have my pager from the fire dept so I never need one. I’d like to keep it under $100 as its just going to sit in her window.
Tell her to get a smartphone and get the ScannerBuddy app. Or just go to the computer and go to ScannerBuddy.com when she’s home. $100 saved. LOL
Exactly what I was going to say. This allows you to scan any city/town from what I have heard. lol Could be interesting to hear.
The cost of the phone and the data plan for 2 years would be way more than a $100 scanner.
Yep. That’s why I mentioned the ability to do it on a computer though. If she has a PC, she can just go to the site and turn her speakers up.
The phone app was only if she wanted to take it places, which it sounds like she doesn’t. I think it’s illegal to carry a scanner around in a car anyway.
There is no cable on her road. Thus she only has dial up, and enything else she uses the computers at work for.
So this would mean you cant go anywhere with the cellphone then. lol but really… its funny you bring this up. My buddy was wondering if this one car parked on the wrong side of the road facing the wrong way was a police car or not. His cousin pulled out the phone and put on the scanner. I didnt hear anything on there about the car, but was funny to hear some of the things going on in Buffalo.
Bummer. Sorry man, I tried.
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Yeah I know I thought of that too when I first got the ScannerBuddy app. I don’t really know if it’s illegal for sure, I only think that because I worked with a sketchy guy a long time ago who said he got arrested in Cheektovegas because he got pulled over and they found a portable scanner in his car.
I’m guessing it’s because they don’t want anyone to be able to know where the cops are when they’re out and about, kinda like when in the Fast and the Furious, they waited to race until the cops go tied up across town.
I have had one of these scanners since 2000 and it works well: http://www.uniden.com/scanners/800-mhz-bearcat-base-mobile-scanner/invt/bc355cg/
Has the ability to connect an external speaker, came with home and car power cables, and hooks up to normal CB Antennas. Was recommended by several people when I got it.
scanners are legal iirc.
police agencies are switching to secured channels now though so scanners will be obsolete in the future. Since we’re so fucking poor in WNY, it’ll probably be a long while before they make the switch here.
Perfect actually that was the exact one I was looking at.