Computer hardware and software
How many channels should a police scanner have?
Question : How many channels should a police scanner have?
I live in Chicago(very busy with radio activity) and am thimking of buying a police scanner. Looking through whats available on ebay, they go from 18 channel scanners to 400 channels(which are more money). Are the extra channels worth the extra money? Your opinion/knowledge would be appreciated?
scanner
Best answer:
Answer by dannibrookexx
Serious criminals probaly need all the channels. As an amateur crook, I would go for about 100.
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#2 written by wires 1 year ago
A scanner with only 18 channels is probably too old to be of any real use. You need a scanner with at least 100 channels but more importantly you need some of the extras that newer scanners can offer. Things like trunk radio tracking and digital reception. The digital will add a lot to the cost of a scanner but most police departments are either digital already or will be soon. If you can’t receive the digital you may as well not buy a scanner. Other traffic, such as fire, public works, aircraft, business bands and the like will be analog for a while yet.
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#3 written by randy 1 year ago
go to radioreference.com and click database, then your state, then your county and a list will come up that shows what you have to listen to there. It will help you choose a scanner, there are more features to consider than just the number of channels, such as what radio systems are used in your area.
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It really depends on what you want to listen to… For example, if you just want to listen to police that patrol your district, you do not need 400 channels. But, if you want to listen to the fire department and other police departments, a 400 channel scanner is practically a requirement.
My advice would be to go with a scanner that has the capability to store many frequencies, because there is nothing more frustrating than running out of channels.