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****************************TIPS FROM THE TOWER***************************
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Intercept Inc.
6014 Oak Hill Drive
Flowery Branch, GA 30542
(404) 967-9757
Presenting:
"THE INDESPENSABLE GUIDE TO SCANNING"
By: R.P. Meggs, Pres. Intecept Inc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay this is the issue you've got to have. Whether you're a seasoned vet
of scanning and monitoring, or just a novice, there should be something of
interest to everyone in here, as I will recklessly cover a vast plethora
of hints and kinks for adding that extra measure of versatility to your
monitoring efforts.
For years, I have heard from lots of folks with some very interesting
questions and comments on scanning, and as the same questions keep popping
up, (as well as new ones) I will attempt to cover a lot of these, so pay
attention, cause here we go...........
WHAT IS THE BEST SCANNER I CAN BUY ?
That's a lot like asking what is the best car you might purchase. Buying a
scanner is a lot like buying a car. Start with a low base price, add your
options and watch the price climb! An exceptional dealer will take the
time to find out what type of monitoring you are interested in, and help
you from there. Unfortunately, that is usually not the case, as anyone who
has ventured into a Radio Shack in search of their first scanner can
attest to. I have read other opinions that you shouldn't spend over a
hundred and fifty dollars on your first scanner, but I don't necessarily
agree....You are better off just paying what your budget will allow,
whether it is more or less... It is much more important to choose the
RIGHT RADIO ACCORDING TO YOUR USE AND NEEDS...
IF YOU DO NOT ALREADY HAVE A SCANNER, START WITH A HANDHELD !
And why do we say that? There are several reasons, first, the handhelds
will do just about everything the base scanners will, and in some
instances offer MORE performance features than their mobile or base
counterparts. If you are making your first scanner purchase, a handheld
has several advantages:
1. FLEXIBILITY: The handheld can be used in any one of three configurations:
mobile, base or remote operation. Also, since they are battery powered,
with the capability to run on AC or DC, during power outages, it can be
very useful. Hook up to a good outside antenna, plug in your AC
adaptor, you've got a base. Want to go mobile? Plug up your DC charge
cord, stick on a good magnetic mobile antenna and scan! Note that it's
never a good idea to use a rubber duck antenna inside your vehicle, the
car body will reflect signals away, causing poor reception. And if you
are close to the action, it will be hard to carry a base scanner with
you..cord's too short!
2. PERFORMANCE: The handheld scanner can, in general terms equal or exceed
the performance of it's mobile or base counterpart, case in point being
the BC760XLT (a mobile 800 scanner) vs. the BC200XLT (a handheld
scanner). Though the 760 has service search (it will automatically
locate fire, air and police frequencies in use), and a very nice,
partially lighted keypad, that is about where the advantages end. The
200XLT (the handheld) has TWICE as many programmable channels (200),
and will outperform the 760 in almost every performance catagory:
sensitivity, selectivity and image rejection.
3. MODIFICATION: The handheld 200XLT in our example here, is rather easily
modified to receive the full 800 MHz cellular frequencies, through a
couple of different methods, basically bypassing a leadless resistor on
the main circuit board. The 760XLT (the mobile scanner) also known as a
950XLT (a private labeled version of the exact same radio), is MUCH
MORE DIFFICULT to modify or restore full 800 MHz capability. This
modification SHOULD NOT be attempted by anyone unfamiliar with these
radios, it is easy to DAMAGE DELICATE CIRCUITS. The information
published in the popular "Scanner Modificatin Handbook", by Bill Cheek,
(great book!) is not correct regarding procedure for restoring cellular
in a 760 or 950XLT. There are several traces that must be cut, solder
bridges and parts...and on and on. In short you should get someone who
knows what they are doing to assume the risk of modifying your new
radio......it does void the warranty by the way.
YOUR FIRST RADIO should also be easy to program.....the radios from Uniden
are easy to program and use. AOR makes some fine scanning radios, but they
are not as "user friendly", and require more effort to utilize their
function. RADIO SHACK scanners are fairly easy to operate as well, (made
by GRE AMERICA or UNIDEN, depending on model) and offer good choices for
the beginning scanner enthusiast. In short, there is no point in paying
for features you can't or won't use.......
BASE SCANNERS do have some advantages over handhelds, which may also be
considered when purchasing your first rig. They usually have superior
audio, or the capability to drive a larger speaker than a handheld, and
some models will have more features, or options which are not free. Most
base type scanners have the capability to run on 12 Volt DC, which means
you could possibly mount one in your car, (as I have seen a lot or
PRO2006's installed this way) this may not be easy to do, as the base
units are generally not easily installed without some "inventive
engineering".
MOBILE SCANNERS......Depends on what you're looking for. If you just want
to be able to pick up conventional VHF and UHF communications, great! You
can get into a basic sixteen channel mobile scanner for around a hundred
bucks or so, an antenna to match for 20-50 dollars, and you are ready to
go! These "low-cost" rigs will pick up nearly everything the full featured
rigs will, and represent one of the BEST VALUES as far as getting the MOST
Bang for your BUCK. Mobiles are generally a good second or third radio to
have, and we DO NOT recommend paying the extra money for an 800 Mhz unit
unless the police or public service units in your are are using these
frequencies. If you are a cellular listening fan, doing it mobile is just
not advised, as they are moving, you are moving, signals being handed off,
changing frequency, and making for poor listening fare.
The best mobile scanner we have tested to date is the UNIDEN MR8100, a
police and public safety scanner, not really intended for public
distribution, but for commercial public safety applications. This RUGGED
radio is definitely a cut above most of the current offerings. It is not a
tiny thing though, and in some vehicles would require a bit of imagination
to mount. It's advantages include superior audio (with separate speaker),
incredible scan speed (100 channels per second!) a BRILLIANT backlit
display and keyboard with dimmer and contrast controls, and the ability to
program from a PC or the keyboard. It does have a couple of disadvantages
as well. There is no search function, (the radio cannot find new
frequencies automatically) and there are no controls for delay or mode.
Also, though the unit is 800 Mhz capable, full capability (meaning
cellular phone freq's) is restorable through the use of software requiring
a password. Dealers are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement to not
release the password to the public. Law enforcement agencies, as we
understand, are excepted.
FEATURES and OPTIONS.........MOST IMPORTANT!
When considering your first radio, you WANT the RIGHT FEATURES for YOU! So
in order of importance, we offer the things you might (or might not)
require in your first, or subsequent scanner purchases.....
*ANTENNA...Our MOST important option. You can run circles around an
expensive radio and a cheap antenna with a cheap radio and a good antenna.
period. The antenna is the absolute other half of your radio system. If
you want to get by on just the rubber duck that came with your handheld,
or the whip that came with your base scanner, you will generally suffer
the consequences of poor signal reception in terms of distance and signal
readability. Here again this depends on your intended listening
application. If you're in the heart of the city, there WILL BE a TON of
signals pouring into your rig, and you MIGHT be happy with the antenna
that came with your set, but for MAXIMUM USE, USE MAXIMUM ANTENNA. There
are a number of good optional antennas on the mar- ket, CHANNEL MASTER,
GROVE, ANTENNA SPECIALISTS, MAX-RAD, CELLULAR SECURITY GROUP, CREATE and
INTERCEPT INC. offer some fine alternatives for making your radio hear
everything it should. I get letters from people who have had the same poor
antenna setup in use for years, and when they are lucky enough to finally
come upon an antenna that performs, and they can't believe it! You can
ALWAYS IMPROVE your reception with the PROPER ANTENNA.
*PROGRAMMABILITY....Forget those old crystal-type scanners, though they
are wonderfully nostaligic, they are not capable of changing frequencies
that may be received without changing crystals......and at about five
bucks a crystal, that gets expensive......But WAIT, if there is only one
or two freq's you are interested in hearing, and NEVER want to explore
something else, or can find a crystal unit extra cheap.....say ten bucks,
including crystals, a crystal scanner might be okay. I wouldn't ever
consider buying a new crystal scanner, they just aren't cost-worthy
investments.
*FREQUENCY DISPLAY....It can be difficult, especially for a novice to
identify a station without a readout of the frequency in use....Though
preprogrammed scanners (those with police, fire, etc. already loaded in
memory) offer some interesting possibilities, they generally do not offer
this feature, only an indication of the type of service or state being
scanned (shown in a two-letter LCD or LED display) though they are very
INEXPENSIVE......
*SEARCH .....The search feature is almost like having another radio...it
is new territory just waiting to be explored. The ability to find new
fre- quencies by entering a in a couple of numbers is wonderful....you can
find new, unpublished, or "secret frequencies" utilizing the search
feature. Unfortunately, many scanning enthusiasts rarely use the
feature...they're just not motivated to listen to new things. Also, it is
worth noting that if you are considering adding one of the frequency
converters to your scanner to monitor cellular phones (illegal), a search
function is essential as the hundreds of possible frequencies used by
cellular would prove cumbersome and difficult to program in individually.
*COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT, 118-336, AM MODE.....This coverage of course will
add a bit to the price of any scanner you're considering purchasing. If
you do not wish to be limited in what can be heard, aircraft is
nice.....It is also worthy to note that there is more there to listen to
than just traffic control. We've seen a lot of folks buy scanners and
never utilize the aircraft coverage simply because they didn't know it was
there, or didn't care for after trying it. If you don't want it, don't pay
for it!
*800 MHz.....Is usually the first big jump in price in our option list,
and represents the hottest new frontier for inquisitive minds.....cellular
phone monitoring has become quite the pastime for all ages, though not at
all recommended for children, the conversations can be personal and
x-rated, so if you want to listen to all the folks riding around talking
on the car phone, this is definitely the desired option. It is illegal to
monitor these freq's (ECPA of 1986) but it hasn't kept anyone from
listening, and to date, no one has been prosecuted under the law's
provisions. Make up your own mind. NEW PUBLIC SAFETY OPERATIONS are also
utilizing the 800 range, and this makes the option that much more
desirable, as more services will come to utilize the higher frequencies in
the future, without a doubt. There are other services utilizing the 800
range as well, check our frequency allocation table for details......
*NUMBER OF PROGRAMMABLE CHANNELS....is an important consideration, but
bear in mind that it is difficult, even for a pro, to monitor hundreds of
channels of action with any degree of an idea of who they're listening
to.. In general terms, ten channels may not be enough, four hundred, or
even a thousand may be way too many.....twenty to forty is fine, a hundred
is great, you get the idea.
*EASE OF OPERATION....If you can't work it, it won't do any good! Get a
radio that can be controlled, hopefully without the assistance of a team
of technicians. A good idea is to check out a radio before you buy, make
sure the salesperson or dealer can help you if you hit a snag, and take
the time to READ THE MANUALS! It is surprising the number of people that
had no idea their radio would do THIS or THAT because they never cracked
the cover on the owner's manual. Even those seasoned scanning pros should
once in a while go over their user's manuals. You never know what new
things you may discover your radio might be capable of unless this
material is reviewed. READ IT MORE THAN ONCE!
*POWER.......If you can't power it up, it won't work! The best bet is to
get a scanner that offers AC/DC and or BATTERY operation. That way, when
the ice storm (sand storm) whatever, hits, you'll still be able to get the
action. In severe weather situations, this is most important. Also, if you
plan on going anywhere (traveling), there may not be electrical outlets
available.... IF GOING OVERSEAS, remember it won't be good old American
120 Volts, so get a voltage adaptor to make the conversion.
*MILITARY AIR COVERAGE.......Seems to be one of the hottest options to
become available recently. This 225-400 range features military aircraft
performing refueling ops, tactical ops, satellites and other transmissions
in the AM mode (usually) though narrow and wideband FM, as well as
sideband and some other more exotic modes. But if you're not into military
aircraft and such, this would not be something you'd want to pay for.
Also, please note that we have had a lot of letters from people that
didn't hear much in these bands, and though there WILL be traffic at SOME
TIME almost ANYHWHERE, it is not like the constant chatter on police or
what have you frequencies. Patience is required, along with good frequency
information to program in for a starting point. If you live close to a
military installation, the 225-400 coverage would be considered a must for
the scanner buff. Otherwise, think about this option. It isn't cheap and
there ARE VAST EXPANSES of other mil freq's available on even the most
INEXPENSIVE scanners in OTHER RANGES.
*SCAN SPEED and DELAY....The speed at which a receiver can move through
programmed frequencies (channels) or search through frequencies can mean
the difference between hearing a transmission and not. If only a few
frequencies are being monitored this is not a consideration, but as the
number of channels being monitored increases, so does the proportionate
importance of speed. Some of the newer Turbo Scan models can hit a hundred
or more channels a second, meaning non-stop traffic. That is probably the
nicest feature of the pre-programmed units, along with the fact that they
will generally have frequencies programmed in that you wouldn't think to
put in. DELAY is not nearly so important in our option list, and is only
mentioned in that it should be used SPARINGLY, as this SLOWS DOWN THE
RECEIVER. It does little good to buy a hot scanner and put delay on every
channel (though it is done).......
*SIGNAL (S)-METER......A nice touch, desired by all hard-core scanner
enthusiasts, available in aftermarket (kit) form, or installed (not all
models) the S-Meter gives a good RELATIVE indication of signal strength.
If you're thinking about adding an S-Meter to your rig we STRONGLY
RECOMMEND getting someone to DO IT FOR YOU! First-time installation
attempts with these kits causes PROBLEMS FOR THOSE NOT COMPLETELY FAMILIAR
WITH THE ELECTRONICS. It is worth the money to pay for installation. Nice,
but not essential. You can expect to pay around a hundred dollars, for a
professional S-Meter job, including postage.
*RS232 (COMPUTER CONTROL).....Not really a scanner option, but one mostly
for communications receivers, Icom, Kenwood, Yaseu.....the big 3. Computer
control offers some exciting possibilities, but the jury is still out on
this one, as there is a price to be paid. Computers generate a lot of
interference, and even with the most stringent protection from said
problem, (RF chokes, shielding, location of receiver, etc.) there is sure
to be some band of frequencies that will be a problem to monitor,
especially if you're working with weak signals. This option will only be
available in base units for the time being and is not available on
handhelds. If you're making your first radio purchase, computer control
shouldn't really be a consideration. Software is what really makes these
things go, and it gets better all the time.
SPECIFICATIONS AND THE FIRST-TIME BUYER.....Specifications shouldn't be
too much of a cause for concern for the first time buyer, most of today's
scanners and receivers have excellent sensitivity (ability to receive weak
signals) of around .5mv or so...this is fine. Sensitivity will vary
according to frequency range, the AM aircraft band sensitivity is usually
the least impressive for these radios. If aircraft monitoring is why you
intend to buy, check the sensitivity specs for this band. Dynamic range
(the ability to copy extremely strong signals, as well as weak ones) is
pretty much crap on all of the popular scanners today. They suffer from
strong signal overload at the drop of a hat, but this should really only
be a concern if you're in the heart of the city, where kilowatt signals
abound. For communications receivers, good dynamic range would be around
100db or so, but for scanners, forget it, you won't see this spec. listed.
Selectivity (the ability to copy frequencies closely spaced together) is
pretty good on most scanners, though all will suffer from internally
generated signals (birdies) at some frequencies. This can be a problem!
We've heard from a lot of buyers who wrote saying "I really like this new
scanner, but I am returning it because I can't pick up my favorite so and
so frequency." Birdies are unavoidable and can be dealt with, but that is
for another time. They are easily identified from external interference by
simply removing the antenna..if the signal persists, you've run up on a
birdie, but don't worry, there is miles of radio spectrum to listen to!
WHAT CAN I HEAR, AND WHERE IS IT ?
Truly the million dollar question, because the reason ANYONE wants to buy
a scanner or receiver is to HEAR SOMETHING. Public safety (police, fire,
rescue) monitoring makes up the majority of first-time listening activity
and for some, that's where it remains. THERE IS SO MUCH MORE! Even with
the most basic (cheapest) scanner, you'll have access to thousands of
interesting monitoring possibilities. Let's take a look at the average
conventional scan- ner coverage and a few of the things waiting to be
heard:
29-54 Mhz .....10M Ham, Forestry, Federal Gov't, State P.D.,Cordless
Phones, Mobile Telephones, Military Ops, Business,
Industry, Power, Red Cross, Baby Room Monitors, Wireless
Mikes, Fire, Police, State Highway......
136-174........2M Ham, Civil Air Patrol, Navy, Business, Mobile
Telephones, Business, Taxis, Marine, Trucks, Railroads,
Police, Fire, National Parks, Weather, Satellite
Up/Downlinks, Space Shuttle (retransmitted by 2M Hams,
listen!), Pagers, Press Coast Guard, Press Relays, Trucks,
Federal Government.....
406-512........Federal Government, Amateur 70cm, Motor Carriers, Medical,
Industry, Motor Carriers, Trucks, Police, Land Mobile,
Power, Auto Clubs, Newspapers, Business, Mobile Telephones,
Fire, Alarm and Security Co.'s, Paging, Airline Ops,
Military....
THIS IS A GENERAL QUICK LOOK AT WHAT'S OUT THERE, FOR MORE DETAILS, SEE
YOUR FREQUENCY ALLOCATION CHART! If you don't have a chart, just call us
or write and we'll see that you get a free copy. EVERYBODY MUST HAVE A
GUIDE!
REMEMBER: SCANNER+ANTENNA+SEARCH+FEATURES+FREQ.GUIDE=HAPPINESS!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONNECTIONS AND CONNECTORS
There are dozens of connectors, adaptors and various thingamajigs to
enable hookup of almost any antenna to any radio. It can get
confusing....BNC, TNC MOTOROLA, PL-259, N, RCA, MINI, SUBMINI, it goes
on and on.
MOST SCANNERS will come equipped with one of two connector schemes, BNC
(a very high quality connector) or MOTOROLA (the kind your car radio
antenna uses). Either will work satisfactorily for most applications, but
the BNC is clearly superior in terms of signal transfer.
TIP: Make sure your connections are clean, if you haven't cleaned them in
a year or so, do it. Fine steel wool will work fine, just use
anything that won't damage the metal. Metal oxidizes over time,
reducing the overall performance of your system. If your radio uses a
MOTOROLA type connector, make sure that the tabs on the connector
engage the hole on the back of the scanner securely. They can easily
be bent out just a bit with a knife blade or what have you, then
re-inserted into the radio. YOU'D BE SURPRISED HOW MANY PEOPLE SUFFER
FROM POOR CONNECTIONS! With PL-259 connectors (found on CB's and
shortwave rigs, and some scanners), make sure they're screwed down
all the way! Just because you put it on once doesn't mean it stays
that way forever, I have had outdoor cables with PL-259's come
completely unscrewed due to twisting in the wind (I have several in
the trees) and wondered why reception wasn't so hot! THERE WASN'T
ANY.
TIP: If you're installing an outdoor antenna, PROTECT YOUR CONNECTIONS!
Many installations call for multiple cables, or adaptors and all must
make the connection to the antenna, WHICH MUST BE KEPT DRY! Water
will ruin everything eventually, so keep it out of your connections
with some coax seal. It's a black tar gooey looking substance that
will stick to just about anything (including dirt and your clothes,
so be careful!) sealing out the elements from your precious
connection points. Just make sure your connections are TIGHT (a
little pair of pliers helps), peel off a strip of the coax seal and
mash it all over the connection to seal it completely. Do this right
the FIRST TIME and BE HAPPY!
NO DOUBT, you will at some point in time have an antenna connector that
does not match the radio connector, or vice-versa. This is when do one of
three things:
1. Get another antenna.....ha!
2. Install another connector.....get someone who knows what they
are doing to go this route..and don't use one of those cheap,
no soldering required jobs, they are not worth the problems
they cause.
OR
3. Use an adaptor! And there are all kinds, BNC to PL-259, TNC to
BNC, RCA to whatever.....you get the picture. Your local Radio
Shack has gobs of them on the racks, get plenty, you never know
what you'll be wanting to adapt to next! Using adaptors allows
so much flexibility in what radios can be hooked up to
different antennas, and in just a jiffy you can switch from a
discone to a beam, no problem at all. If you don't know what
adaptor(s) you need, ask your dealer or maybe the guy at the
radio shack....
A GOOD RULE OF THUMB IS TO NEVER USE MORE THAN TWO ADAPTORS PER END, ON
ANY CONNECTION BETWEEN RADIOS AND AMPS, ANTENNAS, ETC. There will be some
signal loss EVERY TIME you put on an adaptor, this is not too critical at
lower frequencies, but the higher you go the more important signal loss
becomes. Also adaptors will add to the cost of your installation, from one
to five or more dollars a pop, worth considering if the budget is tight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CABLES AND MORE CABLES
The listening post here at Intercept Inc. is strewn with cables of all
sizes and types, and as many antennas are to be tested and used, so are
the cables that bring the signal in. Six from the satellite dish, one from
the discone, one from the Channel Master, two from shortwave
installations, one from an active antenna (yes, mounted outside) and
assorted others that aren't in use or have been disconnected due to lack
of performance.
Nomenclature used to describe cables is confusing! Impedance, velocity
factor, type number, percent shielding, core, etc....
UNDER FIFTY FEET, there are really no problems, you can get away with
using almost any cheap cable. RG59/U will do in runs of less than fifty
feet and is easy to work with and connect to. It also comes with F-type
connectors, which are popular with some antenna manufacturers.
OVER FIFTY FEET, is where it starts to get hairy. Particularly at UHF
frequencies and above, loss factor begins to get critical. In this
situation, don't worry about the type TOO MUCH, but be sure to try to get
a larger and better cable than the RG 59/U, if you can, say RG/6U with 100
PERCENT SHIELDING, or RG8/U (still very affordable, though very THICK).
Percentage of shield is probably the most important consideration in
regards to cable selection.
DON'T USE TW0 50FT. CABLES TO MAKE A HUNDRED! Anytime you splice two
cables together, and especially if there are considerable runs involved,
better to get a single cable the proper length to avoid the connectors,
adaptors and associated signal losses right smack in the middle of your
run....
Now the purists and pros will insist on expensive hardline or other exotic
cables to bring the treasured signals down from the antenna, but for 95%
of us, this is not really a consideration. If you do have a little extra
to spend on cable, ask for a good, 100% shielded Belden cable, you'll be
the peak performer on the block.....
REMEMBER, NOTHING LASTS FOREVER.....ESPECIALLY CABLES!
No matter how good the cable, how much you spent on it or how well you
connected it, time will claim it's dues. Poor (or NO) reception,
interference where there once was a good signal two years ago....might be
a tipoff to inspect cable and connections. Water does penetrate the cables
and connections a bit after time. Cables will degrade, so every couple of
years or so, it might be a good idea to replace that cable OUTSIDE.
INSIDE CABLES deserve a good measure of attention as well. This may seem a
bit elementary, but loose or shorted cables between preamps and receivers
or what have you, can ruin the whole show and quickly. Always keep an
extra cable or two for preamps, filter setups, recording cable, etc. to
restore proper performance. THESE FAIL A LOT! Remember this.
GROUNDING CABLES are a necessity if you truly love your outdoor antenna
and new scanner combination. NOTHING WILL PROTECT FROM A DIRECT LIGHTNING
STRIKE ON YOUR ANTENNA, but A STRIKE MILES AWAY HAS ENOUGH DISCHARGE TO
TRASH YOUR NEW "TOY". DISCONNECT ALL ANTENNAS DURING THREAT OF LIGHTNING.
PUT THE CABLE ENDS IN A COFFEE CUP AWAY FROM THE RECEIVERS OR ANYTHING YOU
CARE ABOUT. Grounding receivers can reduce interference sometimes, and is
always a good idea. Just hook up a hunk of wire from the a metal outside
part (chassis screw or something like that) to a water pipe (not a gas
pipe, please) or other convenient ground. You can also get an easy
grounding setup of a copper rod and some aluminum wire from a local dealer
if you want to do a little better job. Many setups get by with no ground
whatsoever and are still working, so if ya' feel lucky.......and if you're
not using an outside antenna, you don't have to be concerned about any of
this grounding business. The majority of people with scanners probably
never think about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AMPLIFIERS AND ANTENNAS.......THE WHOLE TRUTH
An unbelievably mixed bag. Many people have wasted money trying to amplify
a signal that couldn't reach the antenna in the first place. Remember that
YOU CAN'T AMPLIFY ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T GET TO THE ANTENNA.
Properly used, and in certain situations signal preamplifiers can be a
real blessing. NOT ALWAYS. If you are in a city area inundated with RF,
forget the amplifier route for general use. All broadbanded amps open up
your rig to all kinds of strange happenings....signals that appear where
they should not, or losing a signal completely. The realistic best you can
hope for using a signal preamp for your scanner is to "clean up", or
improve a weak signal already being received.
We've tested preamps from Grove, GRE and others, as well as a couple of EL
CHEAPO tv amps, with some interesting results. Some antennas, like the
Channel Master 5094A, showed very little usable gain over most frequency
ranges. Also, if the gain was turned up more than just a little, any
strong VHF frequency was wiped out, meaning the amp/antenna combination
was OVERDRIVING the scanners we tested. 800 reception was improved a bit,
but unless it was somehow critical to pull out a very weak specific
signal, trying to "amp" a Channel Master is not recommended. Trying to
punch too much signal into an already sensitive receiver will actually
reduce or desensitize the receiver, so WATCH THAT GAIN CONTROL! Different
frequency bands will require different gain settings according to many
variables, antenna and receiver type, cable, location of amp, connnectors,
location, conditions, etc. There is NO WAY you can get optimum performance
on all bands running full gain on an amp, though there are exceptions.....
When we hooked the same amps up to an inexpensive Grove Omni dipole
antenna, the results were quite different. There was much more aparrent
control over degree of amplification, without a sharp cutoff between no
signal and too much signal. Still particularly on the VHF frequencies
where the highest gain occurs, all amps tested were capable of overdriving
the scanner at full gain.
A GENERAL OBSERVATION: THE LOWER THE GAIN FACTOR OF AN ANTENNA, THE MORE
SIGNALS MAY BE AMPLIFIED.
This leaves us with a couple of interesting thoughts:
1. The BEST way to go is to use a GAIN antenna WITHOUT an amplifier, for
the MAJORITY of OUTDOOR INSTALLATIONS.
2. AMPLIFIERS ARE GREAT FOR RUBBER DUCKS AND INDOOR ANTENNA SYSTEMS.
3. DON'T be AFRAID to BACK OFF on the GAIN control.
4. The GREATER the gain of an antenna, the LESS an amp will help.
TIP: Always check the USABLE FREQUENCY RANGE on the amplifier you intend
to buy. Case in point: The GRE Super Amplifiers gain starts at 50
Mhz, so if you were planning on buying one to improve your cordless
phone listening, forget it, they are 4 Megs too low to get any help.
The Grove PRE4 amplifier will boost the cordless range, but is not
portable like the GRE model. You get something, you give
something....
If you're using a long cable run, think considerably about using a preamp
to overcome cable losses. The best way to do this is to use an amp that
will mount at the ANTENNA to boost the signals BEFORE they are lost at the
other end of your feedline. The Grove model, as well as one or two from
Radio Shack offer this feature.
FOR HANDHELDS, the GRE is probably the best way to go. It installs
quickly, is completely portable (9V battery or Adaptor), has adjustable
20db gain, and is not going to break your budget, should you choose to
experiment with one. They have also just introduced a model for base
scanners, which will compete with other current offerings. Just about all
of them will work well IF USED WITH CONSIDERATION OF ALL FACTORS.
There is hardly NO WAY to predict how any specific amp and antenna
combination will work in any given situation, a bit of experimentation is
called for here, but that's the fun of it! If you do choose to purchase a
pre-amp for your scanner, try it with different antennas, at different
frequencies and gain settings and see what works best for you. Usually if
there are one or two specific ranges of interest to you, and you can pick
them up, but just not quite good enough, a preamp may be worthy of
consideration.
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BETTER LISTENING THROUGH PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE.........
You can't get it all at once, that's one of the things that makes the
monitoring hobby so enjoyable! It doesn't matter how long you've been
doing it, there is ALWAYS something else to hear, something to learn,
places to explore. If you get bored with police, switch to marine, tired
of that ? Change to an undercover operation on an unlisted frequency. You
get the idea. If you get bored with your scanning efforts, you're not
doing any looking. It takes time for the rare catches....that high speed
chase or triple XXX cordless phone conversation from around the corner
(not so rare), or you might even come across a "BUG" in your office or
home, there's no telling what awaits he (or she) who exercises a little
adventurous listening..
Remember though, that some transmissions, as with those undercover
operations we talked about, may not be of the type you're accustomed to.
There may not be any traffic for minutes, hours or days, and then boom!
Action all over the place! Military monitoring is like this, there is no
way to predict when certain frequencies will be active, or exactly how
long. It's always a good idea to stick a couple of unusual freq.'s in
along with the regular listening fare, that way you'll be ready when it
happens.....and it will!
WHEN TO LISTEN is critical to the consumate scanner buff. For instance
with cordless phones, in the mornings (8-10 A.M), afternoon (12-1 P.M.)
and in the evenings (4-11 P.M) could be considered "Prime Time".
FOR CELLULAR BUFFS the best times would probably be after 7 or 8 P.M. on
week nights running till about midnight. An interesting sidenote is that
just about anything you'll hear AFTER MIDNIGHT is liable to be strange,
interesting or unexpected. Weekends are pretty much the same, except more
early morning antics...During weekdays, it's business for the most part,
but for those with unsavory intentions on gathering insider info via
listening, 9-5 would be "Prime Time".
THE FULL MOON SYNDROME......You've possibly heard about how the moon is
supposed to affect human behavior, most scanner monitors, police and
nurses can attest to this....You'll hear the strangest things, and more
of them during a full moon phase. Try it, make up your own mind.
HOLIDAYS are also a great time for scanner listening, there is more
happening, people are going through the joy of the holiday season...some
people. Others get into unbelievable shenannigans and some just can't take
it and waste them selves. Scanning can be a somber dose of reality.
GOING FOR THE LOOOONG HAUL....or DXing, is a rather fascinating aspect of
the monitoring hobby and when to listen. When conditions are right it is
possible to monitor signals from hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
Early morning and evenings will usually favor this type of activity, as
well as certain times of the year, solar conditions, weather.....it's a
game of chance and patience. The reward is something you've never heard
before or wouldn't have heard at all IF YOU HADN'T BEEN LISTENING AT THAT
PARTICULAR TIME!
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INDOOR ANTENNAS AND THE ACT OF COMPROMISE..............
There are those who will undoubtedly encounter a situation where
installing an outside antenna is simply not possible. In simple terms,
this means that signals will be lost. How much is determined by your
choice in an indoor antenna system.
Maybe you can't install an outdoor antenna outdoors, but how about
indoors? If one of manageable size could be placed in a location out of
the way, preferrably close to windows or a wall, and away from electrical
lines, this might work well, all depending on location.
Depending on frequency of interest, there are several possibilities. Some
of the better active antenna systems (Dressler) offer excellent
performance, but frequency coverage may not be what you would like. The
Dressler ARA1500 coverage picks up at 50Mhz and below that, forget it. No
low band reception. If you use one, you'll be hacking off about 25 Mhz
worth of coverage on your new scanner.
The HIGHER the frequency the LESS a problem an indoor antenna will be. At
UHF and in particular 800Mhz, the radio waves have no problem coming in
and can be received with a very small, unobtrusive antenna. A high-gain
duck, like the Interceptor 800, or a ground plane like the MAX-800 will
work well in this application.
The LOWER you go, the more problematic reception becomes, as the longer
wavelengths require a longer antenna for optimum reception. A good (long
as possible) steel whip is good to have on hand, as it can be peaked for
the different bands of interest (collapsed for high band, fully extended
for low)
If you're STUCK with the antenna that came with the set, or if funds or
opportunity does not allow an additional antenna, try locating the set in
different areas to find the one best for reception. Close to a window is
always a good bet. And don't forget to check for interference from
flourescent lights and dimmers, etc. These can degrade reception through
the introduction of unwanted noise. And don't forget the computer, they
can cause problems as well. We hope that no one has to only use the
antenna with the set, it is a shame what would be missed, and at such a
low cost.
THE BEST BET would be to try to use a small antenna with an amplifier, if
needed, located in a good (test it) spot for optimum reception. The
Dressler we discussed earlier is about $200, you might not want to spend
that much on an indoor system, so you might want the low-cost flexibility
of a separate antenna and amp system, just about anything will work better
than what comes in the box.
We've tested the Grove indoor "hidden antenna" system with the Grove
amplifier and had mixed results. Results were better than the stock
antenna but were not as impressive when we hooked the amp up to some other
models. The antenna is a cleverly fashioned hunk of coax, minus some
insulation and with a connector. Yes, you could build your own.
THE MOBILE OPTION.....We've done some weird things with mobile antennas,
and these shouldn't be overlooked when considering a restricted indoor
installation. All you need is a ground plane (hunk of metal, thin or
thick) to make it work. Stick your mobile antenna on a kerosene can, file
cabinet, metal sill, whatever you can find or use.....or make your own. A
2 x 2 piece of tinmetal will work ok, a little larger wouldn't hurt. You
could even couple this to an amp......We did, it worked great!
AND ON THE SUBJECT OF MOBILE ANTENNAS.......If you don't require 800 Mhz
coverage, just about anything will do. If you're just interested in 800
and nothing else, try a cellular phone antenna with a TNC to whatever you
need adaptor, and you're in business! The best all-band antenna for mobile
use we've tested to date is the ALLGON 2054 series. The thing looks like a
CB antenna, and is very rugged, performance is top-drawer stuff. We found
that if the upper element was peaked for 46Mhz as per instructions
included with the antenna, performance (on all bands) was vastly improved.
THE BEST PLACE to mount your mobile antenna is in the middle of the roof
of the car. In that fashion, omnidirectional reception is assured as well
as can be, as the reception pattern of any mobile antenna will favor the
direction of the greatest mass of metal presented to it. That is, if you
mount the antenna all the way in the back, signals will be favored toward
the front of the vehicle. If mounted on the left rear corner, reception
will be favored toward the right front. If you absolutely do not want the
antenna sticking up from the middle of the roof, try possibly on the back
deck in the middle of and as close to the rear glass as you can get.
Otherwise, put it anywhere you like, it's your antenna, radio and car!
MAG-MOUNT, TRUNK LIP OR PERMANENT?......The choice is yours, but you may
not wish to cut a hole in the roof of your new 'vette, and a trunk lip
will not be the best location for optimum reception, you may want to
consider the mag mount. You can transport from car to car, use as a backup
indoor or outdoor antenna (with a ground plane), and remove it as to not
alert theives who might enjoy your equipment as much as you do. We tested
a rather unusual mount, a suction cup type that goes inside the glass. It
looked great and was easy to install, but performed poorly. Inside is NOT
the way to go in a mobile installation.
AN INTERESTING WAY TO GO is with one of the mobile adaptors for a rubber
duck antenna. It consists of a mag-mount base with BNC connector and cable
for duck. Amateur Electronic Supply is one source for these, they are made
by RF Products Co., among others. About $20
ALL BAND MOBILE PERFORMANCE in one antenna is of course, the goal of the
mobile monitor, we've looked at a few, here is how they fared: The GROVE
mobile antenna, a black fiberglass helix, was compared with some other
popular antennas, the ALLGON and one from ANTENNA SPECIALISTS, their
MON-52 25-1000 MHz mobile antenna. The Grove unit performed well, was
capable of picking up 800 MHz, strong on VHF (as most are) and rated good
on other bands. The only complaint on the Grove unit comes in the fit and
finish department, the magnetic base was machined to less than smooth
standards, and we did encounter some finish scratching. The ALLGON unit
rated good on all bands, but good to excellent after being tuned somewhat.
The Antenna Specialists unit rated excellent on low band, good on VHF,
fair on UHF and poor on 800 Mhz reception. The model we tested came with
an 800 Mhz "Micro-Choke" which upon examination was a hollow tube with an
allen screw to secure it in place upon the whip. Interesting. A couple of
antennas we HAVE NOT tested are the ones from MAX-RAD and the DIAMOND
active mobile antenna. We will be looking at these in the future and let
you know the results.
ALL BAND BASE PERFORMANCE in one antenna is never REALLY possible, you
just try to pick one with the coverage suited to your needs, and take a
chance on what will work. The DISCONE antennas have been highly overrated,
they are expensive and are unity (means 0) gain. The discone is a good
candidate for amplification, and all of the ones we've looked at were weak
particularly in the UHF bands, so an amp would certainly help. If you're
thinking about a beam antenna, be sure and figure in the cost of a rotator
(about $50) to the cost of your system, plus that extra pole to mount on
(about $5). Using a beam without a system to turn the thing means you'll
hear very few signals that are not in the favored direction. Just a few
degrees makes all the difference in the world with a beam, especially
doing weak signal work. Remember the higher the gain, the more directional
your antenna will be, so you MUST be ON TARGET when using a beam antenna.
The problem we encounter here is that if you don't know where the signal
is coming from, you may miss it unless you happen to be pointing directly
at the target. You can expect to pay about $115-$250 for a beam setup,
$100 for a discone, not including cable. I hate to keep talking about the
Channel Master, but at about $50, including 100% shielded (50ft.) RG6
cable, it becomes the most obvious choice for a monitoring setup. Last
Note: Be cautious of antennas that claim to have coverage from shortwave
through UHF freq's, it is physically not possible to get good reception
through such a wide range of frequencies, you would be many times better
off to go with separate antennas for shortwave and scanner list- ening. We
are anxious to begin testing Diamond's new active base antenna, which
claims 150Khz through 1000Mhz coverage on a single antenna! Sounds too
good to be true, and probably is, because the hybrid premplifier
incorporated into the design is sure to be subject to the woes inherent in
amplifier and antenna combinations. ANY ANTENNA will pick up SOMETHING at
almost ANY FREQUENCY, but HOW WELL IS THE WHOLE THING! In short, if there
is a particular band of interest, get an antenna that will cover that area
well, and get another to cover something else on the other end of the
spectrum. You will end up with a higher performing system that will make
you happy!
SPEAKERS AND AUDIO OUTPUT should always be a consideration, but just
because your handheld or base has wimpy audio, fret not, an external
speaker may just be what you've been looking for. After all, what you hear
is the final product, and if you listen for any length of time on a cheap
speaker, it becomes a chore hearing buZZZ. Radio Shack, as well as other
retailers sell speakers (amplified or not) that may serve you well.
Sometimes just an old stereo or radio speaker you had laying around may do
the trick, but don't forget the connector! A lot of handhelds have
sub-mini jacks for audio, many bases have RCA jacks for audio and a lot of
the speakers have something different, so be sure and get the adaptor(s)
to do the job. You will have to experiment a bit to see what will work
best for you, especially if you are using a speaker without some
amplification, because if the speaker is inefficient, it will sound good
but be too faint to hear. We tried one of the shoulder speakers from Metro
West for the BC200XLT scanner, which is a modified Motorola SpeakerMic.
The 200XLT had BARELY ENOUGH power to drive the speaker satisfactorily,
and when we hooked it up to an AOR AR900, the 900 just couldn't drive it!
Out of all the radios we've tested the Radio Shack handheld PRO scanners
had the poorest audio. A good external AMPLIFIED speaker should be the
first order of business after installing a good antenna to maximize
listening pleasure. We don't recommend using any type of a large or
inefficient speaker for external use with ANY handheld, it can seriously
tax their audio amplifier sections, possibly causing damage. Going mobile?
Radio Shack and other electronics retailers sell a CD to cassette adaptor
to utilize the car's own audio amplifier and speakers. Easy to install,
just shove the cassette thing into your player (you gotta' have one of
those), plug into your scanner and do a little volume adjusting, you're
all set! If your car stereo has a graphic equalizer, so much the better!
You can cut out a lot of the highs and lows you don't need, since we're
concerned with voice and not music freq's.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE DARK SIDE..........SCANNING AND SURVEILLANCE
I was a bit hesitant to put this section in, as not to encourage some of
illegal activity in a very fine hobby, but people have a right to know. I
will not get into a lot of talk on the legality of using scanners for
surveillance, that is beyond the scope of this publication. If you have
questions seek the advice of an attorney, and hope he knows what he's
talking about. Electronic surveillance laws aren't exactly the bread and
butter of divorce lawyers, so take any advice with a grain of salt......
EVERY P.I. and ENFORCEMENT OFFICER SHOULD HAVE A SCANNER!...You never know
when the things come in handy. I recall reading just the other day about a
Florida enforcement officer that busted some poor unfortunate who was
foolish enough to carry on his activities on a cordless phone. In simple
terms, a scanner can easily make or break a case when nothing else will do
the job. It is a sure bet that if all officer had scanners, the number of
drug busts would increase proportionally, as use of cordless phones by
drug dealers is more the rule than the exception.
FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, let's say you're an officer on duty in a metro
or suburban area. You pick up your scanner and flip it on. Of course you
did remember to put in the 10 cordless base and HANDSET pairs. Hook up to
an out- side antenna and begin to scan. Chances are, if you are close to
any type of mass housing (apts. condos) you will immediately begin hearing
cordless traffic on the base freq's. A drug deal comes on and pow! You are
ready for the action. Pinpointing the subject is the next problem, but one
that is rather easily dealt with. Even in a moving vehicle, it is fairly
easy to become adept at determining the area the transmission is coming
from as it will become stronger the closer you get to the source. Now,
time to switch to the rubber duck. It's range will be much less than the
mobile antenna, so when you get a decent signal (walk around a bit to get
the best read), it's a safe bet you're within 500 feet or so of the
target, usually much closer. Now for the trick. Switch manually to the
corresponding handset frequency of the phone you're tracking (the power
level is much less) and go for the clearest signal possible. By this time
you should be just about on top of the signal you're chasing. And
remember, since cordless phones are completely legal to monitor (at this
time), any evidence recorded may be used in court against the suspect.
ANOTHER CORDLESS TRICK for the surveillance minded is the use of a DTMF
(touch tone) decoder. There are several models available, but our favorite
is a unit known as the DIGIT-GRABBER from METROTEL. Desinged to be used in
troubleshooting home phone installations, the unit comes equipped with a
standard phone jack for input on the front of the unit. It becomes a very
simple matter to take an old modular plug and cable, strip one of the ends
(the one without the plug) off and connect two of the wires (red and
green) to the audio plug of choice. Plug into your scanner's earphone or
external speaker jack and prepare to decode! Just like magic, as your
subject dials the phone, the numbers appear on the display. And phone
numbers aren't the only thing you can get. Credit card numbers, electronic
voice mail and answering machine access codes, etc. all become available
through this nifty accessory. In our tests, the Metro Tel unit performed
flawlessly nearly every time, though once in a while, it would produce an
extra digit or two, but that was not a problem. To know the numbers a
subject under surveillance is calling can be more important than the
actual content of the conversation. And though not all cordless phones
produce these tones, the majority do, making use of the decoder a
straightforward operation. And don't forget, these decoders will work
equally as well with recorded tape, so you don't have to have the decoder
with you. Just take along a good cassette recorder to get the evidence and
the numbers. DO NOT attempt to decode tones from a tape recorded at half
or non-standard speed, the tones will not be reproduced accurately, and
will produce erroneous results. Use full size cassette tape, if at all
possible for it's superior sound reproduction over the microcassette
units. If you must use a micro unit, be sure and use good tape. The only
two we have found worthy for micro use are Sony and Panasonic, that is it.
And bear in mind that these touchtone tones can be copied at a much
greater distance than voice traffic, meaning if you've got marginal voice
audio, the tones will usually carry on through clearly. Decoding will work
on cellular phones equally as well, and certainly offers an abuse factor
for those with less than honorable intentions. Last note: in determining
whether you've got the right person being decoded, after they dial a
number, dial it yourself, and if it's busy, or you hear the call waiting
beep, you've made confirmation of the target. And bugs, yes it will work
with bugs......
FOR A P.I. there are other surveillance reasons to make a scanner part of
the basic equipment. I can tell you from experience, if you're working a
surveillance on a tough subject or in a difficult area, chances are
someone, at some time will call the police to investigate that guy sitting
out front. Uh Oh. The last thing an investigator wants is a police
confrontation right out in plain view of the surveillance target. Sooo,
you have thought of this, right? You hear the call being dispatched over
your SCANNER and have the good sense to move out of the immediate area to
avoid your subject's observations, and explain your business there. One of
the finer points here is that a P.I. may be called to go to many different
locations and may not know what freq.'s the local boys are using. No
problem. Check our allocation chart for the police frequencies and punch
them in. The odds are then with you that you will have their number in
there somewhere. Or you could buy a guide or even search them out, but
that can prove to be an inconvenience rather than an asset. Also, let's
say for the sake of argument, you've been working a surveillance on a
really tough nut to crack, and you haven't been able to find out anything.
Well, that subject just happens to have a cordless phone and BLAMMO!
You've got access to information effortlessly and could very well get
everything you need without any fear of detection. Most people never think
about using cordless and this leaves an opportunity that shouldn't be
passed up.
SURVEILLANCE RECEIVERS can be priced in a range going from unaffordable to
astronomical and beyond. When we talk surveillance receiver here, what we
really mean is BUG receiver. While a scanner will not do the job of a high
end dedicated bug unit, it can offer performance entirely adequate for all
but the most demanding applications. There are exceptions. If you're using
ultra-tech, spread-spectrum, frequency hopping, sideband, or burst
transmitters, forget a scanner, that is the game for the BIG BOYS who have
all the money needed for a job without regard to cost, and that is NOT
what we are going to get into here.
Simple and reliable function is the order of the day. With the right
combination of BUG, SCANNER and ANTENNA performance rivaling systems at
many times the cost may be realized.
Consider the factors: First, the transmitting frequencie(s) of the bug(s)
being used. If you're using a low band (30-50 Mhz) transmitter you will
want to use a scanner that has the highest sensitivity in the range you'll
be working. Check the specifications before you buy. Ask for a copy of a
user's manual from the dealer, he'll be happy to help. Sensitivity should
be less than .5mv in the range of choice for max performance. Second the
AUDIO OUTPUT of the scanner is VERY important as many types of
transmitters have inherently low microphone amplification and need all the
help they can get. Third, use the right antenna! (see our antenna tips
section). Since we're working with only a few frequencies, hopefully in
the same band, or one particular frequency, the very best way to go is to
use an antenna TUNED to the BAND you're using. You'll want to use an
antenna with the highest gain at frequency possible, as this extends the
range of any transmitter without increasing risk of detection.
Generally speaking, most scanners have the highest gain in the low and
high VHF bands, with the poorest sensitivity in AM and at UHF and above.
Narrow band FM transmitters in one of the aforementioned bands will yield
maximum performance in regards to being matched to the best sensitivity
ranges of a scanner.
A PARKED CAR offers the most possibilities for our scanner surveillance
post. If we choose, a complete remote monitoring setup may be installed in
the car, and left in a location that offers good reception. Start with a
scanner, add a tape recorder (VOX) or recorder and relay, hook into the
vehicle's power supply (if desired). The surveillance vans popularized in
"Miami Vice" and such have alerted many to the plain white van operation..
Our first here would be a beat up pre-80's Chevy, but whatever the
situation calls for, we've even seen motorcycles setup as surveillance
rigs, who'd ever think? Be sure and see our antenna tips section in
regards to antenna placement on a vehicle, this is absolutely critical
in surveillance operations when you're going for maximum distance.
ONE OF THE BEST cost effective transmitter receiver combinations in terms
of bang for the buck I have seen was being used by a Florida enforcement
agency. They used the Radio Shack (49Mhz) cordless mics installed in the
roof liners of vehicles and Bearcat 200XLT's for recievers. At a total
cost of under $350, this was a simple yet elegant solution to the problem
of surveillance at an affordable price. Very nice.
RECENTLY, I was given pause to examine an ad for a "complete" surveillance
receiver and recorder system at a price that was embarassing. Upon
inspection it became clear that the "system", packaged very nicely in a
briefcase, consisted of a Regency programmable scanner (MX Series), a
Norwood Long Play Recorder, recorder relay, battery and antenna. For a
fraction of the cost, any department can put together an identical or
better system, even in a briefcase (everybody loves 'em), box or whatever,
for about $500 or one-third or the price of a "ready-made".
REMEMBER, BABY MONITORS ARE WONDERFUL BUGS! Why go through all the trouble
and expense of a bugging operation when there is one already installed!
The baby room monitors in the low band VHF range will send a signal out
for a mile or more.....see our listings for these freq's. And it is legal
to listen, no paperwork required.
OUR BUG OF CHOICE for use in our scanner surveillance setup will be
crystal-controlled, in the VHF range and use the narrow band FM mode.
Power will vary according to requirements, but for our system, a couple
of low power (less than 100mw) transmitters and a high-power unit (200mw)
will fill the bill nicely. Lithium or mercury batteries will be used for
max runtime. Voice activation would be nice as well, but not an absolute
requirement.
OUR SCANNER(S) would be one that best suited the task at hand, but for our
hypothetical setup here, we will be using a Realistic PRO2006. With it's
wide frequency coverage, 25-550 and 760-1300 Mhz, we'll be able to use it
with not only the bugs we've chosen, but others in different ranges we
might choose to utilize in the future. It's 12 volt power option will
allow us to use our vehicles power supply for extended operation. It's
tape out jack will allow us to make recordings for evidence, and phone
jack will allow real time monitoring. Rapid scan and search will allow us
to check for baby room monitor and cordless as well as cellular activities
of our target. Up-conversion will help to eliminate local strong RF
sources from impinging on our delicate target. We might also have a good
preamp on hand, just in case that extra bit of distance is required. As
you can see, readily available equipment can be adapted to most
surveillance applications without difficulty. Only a little imagination
and knowledge regarding what you're working with is required. For portable
use, we'd choose either a Bearcat XLT (best audio), or a Radio Shack PRO
handheld as the PROS have an additional bit of coverage most handhelds do
not; their coverage in the band runs from 380-512 Mhz rather than the
conventional 406-512 coverage in most handhelds. There are a lot of
transmitters parked in the area just below 400 Mhz, it's such a quiet
place to put a bug!
TRACKING SYSTEMS for keeping tabs on a moving (vehicular) subject have
been much the rage in TV and the movies, but the fact is that they are
EXTREMELY unreliable in certain situations and are nearly unaffordable in
almost all situations. A scanner can be most useful in this role if used
with the right tracking transmitter. The most desirable would be a pulsed
tone transmitter of about 100 or more milliwatts. Since we're dealing with
a target that we will (hopefully) track without being seen, we only need
to establish the general area of the target, and use a little surveillance
savvy. A signal or S-Meter can come in very handy here to serve as an
additional guide. With a little practice, a scanner receiver / tracking
transmitter combination can be a very usable surveillance tool. A dry run
on a practice vehicle is most definitely called for here, as to give the
operator an idea of just how close he is when that signal strength clears
up....Often it is possible to lock onto the carrier before you ever hear a
tone, and as you get closer beep....beep.....beep.....gotcha.
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