scanners

[bulldog72]

wht model # would I need to scan corona fire and pd along with riverside sheriff and Fd and surrounding cities

[cvrules90]

If you want to pick up Corona and Riverside, then you can get by with a plain conventional scanner. I don't know how tight on money you are but if you're very tight, may I recommend the Uniden BC340CRS? It's a conventional scanner so it'll pick up CDF RRU, Corona Police and Fire, Riverside City Police and Fire, and the CHP. That one should cost you 100 bucks or so depending on where you get it. A slightly expensive version of that model is the BC370CRS. This one goes into the 800MHz band as well so you'll be able to get Murrieta Police and Fire Department. You would also be able to get RSO but you would have a hard time knowing which station you're monitoring.

Speaking of county sheriff, they now use an EDACS-type 800MHz trunked radio system that requires a trunktracker. You could go with a Radioshack PRO 164 (about $200) for that matter. Uniden also makes several trunktracker models but the new ones are well overpriced. Trunktrackers also have "backwards capability" meaning that you'll be able to get conventional frequencies.

Be warned that soon (December 2012), RSO will abandon the EDACS system in favor of a digitally encrypted 700MHz P-25 radio system. When that happens, it will all be encrypted and sadly, no RSO transmissions will be receivable with a scanner.

You could, try to get a radio with encryption codes when that happens but that would be, IMO, playing a game of hard-to-get .

[sp1989]

Once the new system is up and running, there will be NO scanners or add-ons that can decrypt it. That would be a federal felony. Just get used to the idea of monitoring security companies, malls, etc. for fun. MilAv is a better alternative, and there are cheap scanners that cover 220-380 band.