Radio Scanning - Is There Anything Left To Listen To??

[@prillewitz]

Remembered when I was a little kid and my father and I couldn’t sleep he was searching on our wireless set for US jazz music. By accident we heard American taxi’s, probably through active sunspots, which was absolutely amazing to me. I will never forget this and this was really the base for my interest in technique.

[@richardjohnson9033]

If I may ask where are you from?

[@prillewitz]

@@richardjohnson9033 I am from The Netherlands.

[@richardjohnson9033]

@@prillewitz now that's some amazing skip.

[@wackadakka3134]

i had a sideband CB radio in the 80s , one night the skip was so strong i picked up truckers chatting on the highways of the US , in britain

[@PERVISJAYFURLONG]

We're getting the USA CB 27MHz on AM modulation on a daily basis in the past few months here in Australia. Usually around 8am to 10am local time in Brisbane. Only 4 to 5 watts are permitted on AM yet I believe many must be running amplifiers. They come through in waves of full scale to nothing every few minutes.

[@davethewhitedevil]

Hi there Lewis 05:00 here in FLA. USA. Just watching another Vid. Of yours W/my wife. She's got a thing for your Golden Voice.😍 I'll have my TX-Iguanna ring you when he warms up later on. Great work. Spot On. Straight Away. &Last but not least BOBS YOUR UNClE😆😆😆

[@adjo82]

I used to love my Realistic base scanner back in the 90's. Fire service was about 71mhz, police was about 440mhz,cordless phones was about 31mhz mobile phones was in the 900's mhz, police helecopyer was out 133mhz, Ambulances was about 166 mhz. Great Times laying in bed for hours eavesdropping, then when I had a car I used to listen to 71.150 which was westmids fire service and used to go to the fires to watch 😂

[@linguisticman]

@Adjo82 Yes I remember all that too. And I'll never forget when my local police went trunked...it was the beginning of the end. I never even bothered to get a trunk-tracking scanner. I just left the hobby behind.

[@theculturedthug6609]

​@@linguisticman What does trunked mean went digital?

[@linguisticman]

@War1888 A trunked system is when every time an officer in that particular zone transmits, all the radios in that zone switch to that frequency. The frequency changes every time someone keys up. So a person with a scanner could only hear one side of the conversation. The newer "trunk tracker" scanners defeat this security measure, but I am just not into the hobby enough anymore to justify getting one.

[@edwardcooke5938]

Thank you for someone finally producing a decent accurate frequency list. Used to be an avid CBer growing up in the 80s and 90s going to get scanning again, and invest in SDR / digital scanning equipment.

[@theculturedthug6609]

What can you pick up with SDR digital equipment nowadays??

[@george5120]

Thank you for not having background music, intro splash screens, and badgering us to subscribe.

[@RingwayManchester]

Thank you for noticing 👍🏻

[@rsattahip]

I remember when you could listen to the primitive car phones in the late 70's with a Bearcat Police and Fire scanner. Listening to the same clown call 5 women in a row and get turned down was more amusing than fiction.

[@RingwayManchester]

Haha great stuff Robin!

[@worwor1721]

Zionism toHell you fucked up by not getting there first

[@chrisbeaudin4421]

I remember picking up cordless phones on 40 to 49 MHz and cell phones at 896.1125 to 918.0000 MHz.

[@chrisbeaudin4421]

Also around here they are still analog. The RCMP is now encrypted and the city is finally planning to go digital this year. The ambulance is now digital and the city police are still analog, the police are going encrypted soon and the fire department will be digital soon.

[@n1rbd]

My best one was an "escort" calling a hotel and asking for a particular room. You hear the guy pick up and she says "Hi, this is Tina. The agency said you are looking for some company tonight." They proceed to discuss the details.

[@andykirby]

This is awesome mate, a non BS approach to what is still a fascinating hobby!

[@RingwayManchester]

Thanks man :)

[@Scotian280]

I was lucky enough to be into scanning in what I think was the golden age of scanning.. Late 80s to late 90s. It was so much fun, I could hear all the police, cordless phones and even the new Mobile phones of the time. In my opinion, all the things that are worth listening to are now encrypted (other than airband) and that is no coincidence.

[@Firthy2002]

My cousin had a scanner in the early 90s. One day when I was at my aunt and uncle's place he got it out and we had a scan. Picked up all sorts. Analogue only scanners are pretty pointless these days unless you're happy with listening to amateur and PMR or live near an airport.

[@MitchLambert]

This is so helpful. Thank you. I'm in East Manchester and after a visit to the RSGB at Bletchley Park about 6 months ago, I have bought an SDR Play Duo and stuck a Discone on a pole on my roof. I'm constantly learning and find it fascinating, but working out where to look has been a challenge. This is going to be an invaluable resource. Thanks again.

[@kristoffersunnhordvik7590]

During many years of youtubewatching, it's the first time I've heard: 18:36! I'll give you a like for this! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@CJ-rf9jm]

There was a friend I worked with 2002-05 we both were into amateur radio. He had a handheld digital scanner that could be setup to listen into the digital trunking & encryption of the time. he did have local & provincial police programmed into the receiver. Can't remember what model it was now but it did work. listented to it at his place a number of times.

[@installtekzdotcom9777]

I used to build small FM transmitters and bug the downstairs of the house while I tuned in on the commercial FM band in my room :D ..Memories

[@jacianmcgurk7424]

NICE ONE. Can hear the audio change thru the years. All the very best. :-)

[@bigsky1970]

A scanner and SDR dongle are great together. I found stuff on my SDR dongle that weren't even listed in local frequency databases. I bought an analog scanner at probably the less opportune time. Police and fire were switching to digital trunking, and now the school district is slowly migrating to digital trunking as well. Scanning gets to be a bit more interesting in the winter months here, when the snow plows are out. Each plow is fitted with a radio, and they transmit through a repeater on top of a hill, so I'm able to hear all the plows loud and clear.

[@mreverybody1150]

Digital scanners are too expensive. I think the SDR dongles or boxes will be able to use software to decode some digital signals.

[@theculturedthug6609]

​@@mreverybody1150 it's the only way forward. People want to listen to the Police so until that is hacked I'm out.

[@MichaelOfRohan]

Jumped on channel 21 on an old cobra walkie I found in tbe garage and happened upon an engaging conversation about underground poker rings. I was surprised, there was only 2 people talking but I could hear them really clearly and god knows where they were or what they were doing. Intercivilian radio will make a comeback. Its just too convenient and the knowledge gained is just as useful because the tech never really changed it just evolved.

[@MrApolloTom]

A bit more detail on marine VHF: The low side goes from 156.000 to 158.5 and is all the simplex channels, and the ship side of split channels. 160.6 to about 162 is the shore side of split channels and some private simplex channels. AIS channels are 161.975 and 162.025.

[@peterjohnson2245]

Nice to see BMRT vehicles, used to be Lowband 86.3125 for Mountain rescue back in my days in the team.

[@danielfrancis4799]

I was able to pick up live TV coverage of my local Premiership Football Match commentary a mile away with no delay that one gets on live tv and radio with honest opinions from the director of whether a foul was a foul or not on 455mhz. I could the live countdown of videos and advertising playing along with how much time the presenter had to wrap an interview up. So much Pressure with all the precise timing makes one appreciate the skill set required in Live Broadcast.

[@seaningram3285]

Hello, from the U.S. I still listen to the scanner from time to time whether Portable or Mobile. Aircraft, VHF Maritime, Railroad, CB, FRS, GMRS, Analog FM VHF/UHF Ham Radio Repeaters, including 255.550 MHz. (the FLTSATCOM Downlink.) Back in the early 1990s I used Police Call, Popular Communications, Scanner Master and Monitoring Times. Now I use Radio Reference.

[@acestudioscouk-Ace-G0ACE]

Useful and thanks for your hard work putting it all together. It's sad that a lot of interesting stuff is no longer listenable but there will be a lot of old gear users around for a while.

[@renny9879]

I listen to the police all the time in fact I’m doing so right now I live in Ventura County California. All analog unencrypted.

[@juliusphiletta5171]

Here in Germany sadly not possible. All digital TETRA standard. But at least the airband and marine radio are still in analog.

[@gothops154]

How hilarious that I’m in VC and watching these videos to learn how to do it haha. (This is the top comment on this video) Send me to freqs!

[@lettaqs]

Ventura police scanner gang 😎

[@jamiesuejeffery]

Last month, I was grading Amateur Radio exams in the U.S. One of our graders stated that she needed a new emergency scanner for her new (additional) vehicle. Sitting at the table with us was the director of communications for our local emergency services. He looked her dead in the eye and said, "Don't bother getting one. In January of 2023, we are moving everything to both spread spectrum and it will be encrypted." About the only thing to listen to now is the businesses that still run radios in their fleet vehicles.

[@acme_tnt8741]

When I was young (late 80s and 90's, I'm 38now) , my uncle was and is an amateur radio license holder. Which one? Im not certain, but it's in the US. His basement was full of radio equipment and computer stuff. I thought it was cool. He taught me a lot of Morse code and the proper phonetic alphabet, he always said that it was important to know and that cops always butchered the military phonetic alphabet. I regretfully have forgotten Morse code (except ••• --- •••) he has an antenna,and he also had something on an even taller antenna down the road from his house. It was pretty cool. We listened to all kinds of conversations. I remember him listening to stations that would constantly rattle off Morse code at an unbelievable rate, but he understood it and he would then change the channel and talk to another person about whatever they understood about the Morse code transmission. It was crazy but it's almost like it was his job. He was self-employed, and no matter what, he would go drop whatever he was doing to listen if he were away from his room he would listen on his handheld in private. I thought it was cool that he took his hobby so seriously because his hobby was his job because he has always had a radio or computer business. I moved away, and we haven't hung out.

[@antonyparkes1784]

Hi just getting into the radio ham hobby and I find your videos and advice invaluable. I have the Ailunce HD1 and from your advice I bought it and I must say what a fine radio it is. Thank you for your clear and precise advice and I look forward to any more content you add.

[@ZadenZane]

My memory of analogue cordless phones was that they broadcast on ordinary radio frequencies, usually on mediumwave and you could just tune in on any radio, which was hardly confidential!

[@SeanTheMac]

Great guide, I'm off to program my Baofeng now. I can stay within the law on a lot of these frequencies including PMR 446 if I use low power and stick with the onboard antenna.

[@M6GOF]

A very informative video, and concisely done. One bunch of frequencies I would've included (seeing as you mentioned Baofeng "factory testing presets") are those for GMRS/FRS, because often they've been bought from eBay and mis-sold as "Super Long Range PMR" or brought back into the UK by tourists - but are set for American UHF frequencies and not PMR 446. Which I think trample on where UHF emergency services in analogue used to reside. Often heard farmers around here use them thinking they were completely fine to use, and other unusual pirate users.

[@snorman1911]

I dont believe the Baofeng defaults are in any appropriate US bands, at least they weren't on mine.

[@THEFINALHAZARD]

​@@snorman1911 same here. Back when it I got mine, it was definitely on public safety freqs. Never reprogrammed a radio faster than I did with that UV82

[@shenghe9876]

You forgot to mention listening to the audio of TV broadcasts. Before the digital TV transition in 2012, you could receive the audio portion of TV channels on a scanner (and also broadcast auxiliary services such as studio-transmitter links and remote pickup units). Since you are only listening to the audio portion of the broadcast, you don't need to pay the licensing fees. This was the only legal use of radio scanners other than listening to FM stations and amateur radio communications.

[@bwc1976]

Very thoroughly done! I'd love to see someone do a guide like this for the USA.

[@joeglennaz]

Hello from Phoenix Arizona USA. When I was a kid growing up in the early 80s I loved listening to the scanner it was very simple and easy I had 100 channel RadioShack programmable scanner I just punched in the frequency in the local Phoenix Police had 10 different frequencies and one hot channel. But when they went to digital I have not been able to listen to it effectively at all. I even spent $700 on a digital scanner and all I got was bits and pieces of voice and it was very hard to understand and there was no set up like hot traffic on one simple channel so I could not follow any kind of police call. I wish today I could still listen I don’t know if it’s just me and not knowing how to work digital radio scanners or if I truly just can’t listen to it anymore.

[@Tiberius291]

Back in the 1990's I was listening to cordless phone conversations of my neighbors, cell phones, police and fire of course and schools, the whole nine yards it was great. I have to get back into the scanning hobby, I haven't been active since the 90's.

[@TheWhiteAfghan]

In the 90s I would modify my cordless phone handset to pickup neighbors cordless phones and stuff.... I was 12....

[@jerrydiver1]

Yeah, I was doing the same, plus a lot of USCG stuff all over Florida. The marine band was always good just about anywhere along the coast, Gulf or Atlantic.

[@insertnamehere5146]

likewise I also listened to analog cell phone calls. some of the calls were scary from corrupt lawyers doing deals, drug and prostitute calls and occasionally the odd celebrity. it was how Princess Diana got caught on a call by someone on a scanner. The mobile phone companies chose not to tell users that their calls were really private. I assume because no one would have paid the hefty contract charges that used to exist back then.

[@mreverybody1150]

Have you tried one of these yet? kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIHXn3SqnMedgM0 Ive got some better antenna on the way. It can be so much fun being able to view the band scope / waterfall.

[@Gracebeliever077]

1:09 Maybe a little historical perspective is due here regarding the issue of frequency availability. Before anyone (in the States, at least) ever heard of an "Internet" the public safety frequencies were very widely published via books such as Police Call (available through Radio Shack; may they rest in peace) and other type mediums available in book or magazine format. As more and more law enforcement fall under the scrutiny of the public eye and are exposed for their oft failures, they seek to withdraw behind the curtain of encryption. No matter how much they say this is not the case; it's hard to believe otherwise.

[@robert-73]

Gracebeliever077 yup radio shack even use to sell the books and the stores would offer to program the scanners bought for a small fee with the local frequencies.

[@b3j8]

@@robert-73 I used to eagerly look forward to the new Police Call editions! Particularly those of neighboring states. These days the only thing I still listen to is the railroads.

[@anthonypalermo8816]

I remember those. Used them with my Realistic Novaho in the 80's.

[@larrygall5831]

It really disgusts me. I'm in the states and would like to see the trend of encryption on police radio banned. These are public records, and the calls should be as well.

[@Gracebeliever077]

@@larrygall5831 I concur with your sentiment.

[@ramsayward]

Damn it. I wish I'd found this last week. I've just bought a uniden base scanner and wondered why I could only get airport transmissions. Great video. Very informative.

[@RingwayManchester]

Cheers mate!

[@jonathaneastwood2927]

Too late to the party lol

[@benmeyer2916]

Here in the states a lot of agencies have moved to the digital trunked P-25 phase two systems, luckily scanning is still possible but it definitely comes at a cost, the lowest price that I’ve seen for desktop scanners is about 350 to 400 dollars, the highest going well into the thousands of dollars.

[@dhutch12345]

I know the prices of scanners is crazy, you can by an awesome magnum cb radio , for that price and yes I’m a radio fanatic, I love to scan through all the uppers and lowers plus with the radios I buy u have around 580 channels , and the sun flairs are coming , it’s suppose to be better than last time.

[@benmeyer2916]

@@dhutch12345 luckily it turns out a year ago I was wrong, mostly everything in my area is on digital p25 so my RadioShack pro 197 does everything I need it to

[@lon3don]

You could do all this with a cheap SDR dongle connected to your computer or even your phone.

[@benmeyer2916]

@@lon3don I would like to explore the sdr stuff at some point

[@THEFINALHAZARD]

Only problem is here a LOT of stuff on P25 gets encrypted. For example I know in Lancaster County PA, fire is fine; but pretty much any and all law enforcement is encrypted.

[@darrylyoung1121]

scanners , 1986-1994. loved listening in. London.

[@sulochanasatyan7228]

Wonderful compilation, thanks.

[@mattmcconnell4814]

In Canada we have general access VHF commercial frequencies called LADDs. They are LADD1 150.29 LADD2 159.27 LADD3 163.98 and LADD4 165.18. I have always wondered what LADD stood for, assuming it's an acronym. Does anyone know?

[@Rmstrjim]

Logging ADministrative Dispatch. Originally intended for trucking, logging, mining, and petroleum.

[@mattmcconnell4814]

@@Rmstrjim I have literally been seeking this knowledge for years. Thank you so much.

[@coondogtheman]

Not much in my area (Small Town) obviously commercial FM, some police/fire, POCSAG paging, LTE data from my phone (shows up as data noise, can also be heard on computer speakers). That's it

[@markplott4820]

I used to drive around in my VAN equipped with a TV antenna, with it I could LOOK at the Screens of PC using a CRT monitor with a RF Adapter or ANYTHING using an RF transmitter for Audio or Video like Video Game Consoles . but with the advent of cheap LCD monitor that too was ended.

[@RingwayManchester]

Wow that's awesome Mark!

[@LeeLocke]

Well put together mate. I enjoyed and will take some notes on these numbers. All the best, 73's Lee.

[@RingwayManchester]

Thanks Lee

[@nadiayorc]

recently bought a uv-k58 (with ezgumer firmware to unlock the full frequency range) and this video was extremely helpful to get to know the active frequency ranges I'm not sure how up to date it is anymore but it's probably still the best starting point for the UK that I could find in 2024

[@1L6E6VHF]

Note about the 10-meter band: True, ionospheric skip is the exception, not the rule, when sunspot numbers are low. However, it is not unusual for 10 meters to open, during the day, around the summer solstice, because another form of ionospheric propagation, called Sporadic-E, can often occur. As the E-layer is at a lower altitude than the F layers, Sporadic-E path distances are generally shorter than paths using F-layer propagation.

[@alangiles2763]

I always find your videos and the contents fascinating. Yours and "The Amp Hour" are the two YT channels I find myself returning to again and again. Thank you.

[@RingwayManchester]

Wow, thanks Alan!

[@Patrickjdee66]

Cheers mate , excellent presentation

[@joecachia2]

I'm 46 ( not from the UK )and I was always fascinated by RF and at 17 I joined a local club to get the licence. However, for various reasons i gave up. I recently came across your channel and something rekindled the interest. I was told the hobby is still quite active locally, but I think modern comms ( internet / mobiles phones ) have made young people loose interest in this. I'm considering getting my licence next year. Hopefully there's still something left in it.

[@ZA-mb5di]

Do you have it now?

[@EvertG8086]

Did you get it?

[@FXCartel]

Has this list changed since 2018

[@josephcote6120]

Where I live (San Mateo county, just south of San Francisco) public service radio is still analog. County fire and all the PDs and public works. SFPD is still fighting with their digital system.

[@don1estelle]

I believe uk fire are trying out dPMR on fire ground Frequencies so they can Double the channels without the need for a repeater (DMR is Wasteful in Simplex mode because it uses TDMA) whereas dPMR uses FDMA so it is more efficient in Simplex mode

[@RingwayManchester]

That's cool where did you hear that?

[@don1estelle]

@@RingwayManchester it was a while ago Im not sure now but it maybe the dPMR Association site! after I Posted my comment I Googled it and it turns out that some are using a realy clever Hytera System that dose Use DMR and they have a portable Backpack Repeat system they can use obviously LFB didn't have it a few years ago because they had Fire Ground communication problems on the last major fire !

[@chicken_schmitty6039]

Best introduction to radio scanning. Good work.

[@johnjohnson2433]

Test

[@morphuk1]

Brilliant, learnt something new!

[@yom73]

Excellent video ! I would really love to find something similar for France. I have just received a DV10 and I am really struggling to figuring out where to listen.

[@mickeythompson9537]

There's loads still to listen to... my router, my neighbour's router... my other neighbour's router... all the routers down the road.

[@wrexhammusic]

I have a Baofeng UV-5REPlus and sometimes use it on PMR446. I also use it on 145 armature band since I've got my M3 licence. It's maximum power is 5W so It's above the specified power allowed on PMR but nobody seems to care all that much. Have even heard people using a bass station on lower power on PMR before now. It's also a nice little scanner if you know what to look for.

[@RGC198]

Thanks for your interesting and informative video. Much appreciated. I live in Melbourne Australia.

[@wisteela]

Fantastic guide. It would be great to be able to download this as a PDF.

[@MattBrunton1965]

Agreed!

[@ivanbuckingham2302]

Thanks for taking the time to make this. It's so confusing when all the other KZbinrs are from America talking about their laws.

[@TheKingOfInappropriateComments]

No rail in the UK? Did I miss it? In the 'states we have about 100 or so railroad frequencies. They're very active but transmissions are extremely brief, like one word, mostly unintelligible. I don't know why so many people listen to it.

[@chrisL50764]

Rail use Gsm-r on 900mhz, its a private cell phone network with push to talk capability.

[@keithtaylor6259]

I listen to aircraft and ships and planes and anything i want to on my baofeng dual band fm transceiver and i tweaked a few older AM/FM radios to receive everything a expensive radio can get

[@matthewjamesvandyke]

Skillz to Pay the Bills... awesome and love to learn how to do what you do!!! got any info how to do what you did? thanks and have a wonderful day..

[@michaelscheel9533]

I know this is old video. I used to get the audio from British TV at 41.50 and France on 41.25 back around 1980. I never really heard much from Central America. However there was a large State Park in Venezuela in the 39 MHz range.

[@royfrye2871]

I remember being able to hear cordless phones with an am radio

[@supertiger2898]

I wish to monitor the security radio where I work during my days off, what frequency should I use

[@rutabagasteu]

The 6m repeaters probably exist in the US, but all of the ones I know of are 2m.

[@Fantazier1]

I'm from the US, and its interesting to see how different and similar some frequencies are in other countries. One think I appeared to miss was your Railroad Frequencies?

[@derekth71]

What a fantastically informative video! Thank you. 😊

[@kg7yts187]

I currently scan (analog) using a PRO-2053. I can actually still get the state trooper frequencies in on it. I also get a small suburb fire department, the gas company, ambulance company, and even the bus service. Sometimes you catch gems of communications. Heard some crazy stuff.

[@RingwayManchester]

Great stuff, there's definitely more over your side of the Atlantic,

[@MoroccanAnwar]

what crazy stuff have you heard? i love these weird random stories

[@Wonkabar007]

Happy memories having a scanner when the poll tax riots were kicking off in London 😄

[@RingwayManchester]

Great to see you Over here, love the vids

[@hamandshortwaveradioirelan4773]

Great information, there is always plenty to listen to on HF and medium wave even during summer months. Plenty of shortwave stations that broadcast news in English

[@London1064]

Top Man. Was not sure whether to buy a scanner or not but think it is probably not worth it now. Very good video. 10/10

[@RingwayManchester]

Thanks mate!

[@TheMisphit]

The FM Broadcast band in the UK doesn't start on 88.000MHz, it actually starts at 87.5 but you will often hear RSL stations as low as 87.7 (which is below 88.0mhz)

[@RingwayManchester]

True mate cheers

[@bingbong7316]

London drum'n'bass pirates Rude FM have been using 88.2 with full RDS, but seem to use 65.55 as well, which survives when 88.2 gets taken down by the meanies.

[@TheMisphit]

@@bingbong7316 That would be their Band I midpoint frequency, then

[@bingbong7316]

@@TheMisphit I've yet to comprehend this, but my brother thought it related to 2x IFO of 10.7 MHz below their broadcast frequency. I have reading to do :-)

[@TheMisphit]

@@bingbong7316 You must be very close to their TX site, then

[@paganphil100]

Mid-band (26.965 Mhz - 27.405 Mhz) is now legal to use for CB in the UK in all modes (FM/AM/SSB).

[@buddysteve5543]

Wished I had information on the bands like this about 30 years ago when I was into listening on a scanner I got for Christmas as a kid!

[@MrEdTraveller]

Hello Ringway Manchester Thanks for this really good video, Please can I make a couple of observations / comments? 1) It IS possible to listen to CB operators using a VHF/UHF antenna... I do it with a colinear sometimes! However the operators will need to be very close to you (within a mile or two), or running more than the legal 4 Watts, or both! 2) SSB is only legal on the CEPT CB frequencies between 26.965 and 27.405MHz , not the UK40 between 27.60125 and 27.99125MHz where only FM should be used. 3) FM broadcast starts at 87.5MHz rather than 88MHz. 87.7MHz is worth monitoring in particular. This frequency often seems to house temporary (28 days maximum), low power (25 Watts maximum) Restricted Service License stations. These are often referred to as RSLs. 4) In the 2 meter amateur band, 144 to 144.050MHz is for things like moonbounce and CW (Morse Code). SSB should be between about 144.150 and 144.395MHz. There are propagation beacons between 144.400 - 144.500MHz which are good for checking for enhanced tropospheric conditions. 5) Full licence holders can transmit digital stuff (e.g. Reduced Bandwidth Fast Scan Television) between 146 and 147MHz. 6) LPD has 69 channels and runs between 433.075 and 434.775MHz. Those overlap amateur radio repeater outputs, simplex frequencies, and repeater inputs in ascending order. However the maximum (legal) power is 10mW so you would need to be very close to the person transmitting. I have never heard a LPD433 user. 7) In my area, channel 1 on the default Baofeng BF-888S frequencies is very popular (462.125MHz). For the same reason, it might also be worth keeping an ear on 462.5625MHz. This is channel 1 of the Family Radio Service, the equivalent of PMR446 in the USA and Canada. Although it's not legal to use the FRS frequencies in the UK, many FRS radios seem to find their way over here... I hope this information is useful, and keep up the good work RW! 73 from Ed M0MNG.

[@RingwayManchester]

Hey Edmund thanks for getting in touch, no problem in adding feedback :) the whole point is to generate discussion. 1) It IS possible to listen to CB operators using a VHF/UHF antenna... I do it with a colinear sometimes! However the operators will need to be very close to you (within a mile or two), or running more than the legal 4 Watts, or both! That's interesting to know, I live close to a few breakers and can never hear them. 2) SSB is only legal on the CEPT CB frequencies between 26.965 and 27.405MHz , not the UK40 between 27.60125 and 27.99125MHz where only FM should be used. Thanks for clearing that up :) 3) FM broadcast starts at 87.5MHz rather than 88MHz. 87.7MHz is worth monitoring in particular. This frequency often seems to house temporary (28 days maximum), low power (25 Watts maximum) Restricted Service License stations. These are often referred to as RSLs. Another interesting point :) I'll have to bear that in mind! 6) LPD has 69 channels and runs between 433.075 and 434.775MHz. Those overlap amateur radio repeater outputs, simplex frequencies, and repeater inputs in ascending order. However the maximum (legal) power is 10mW so you would need to be very close to the person transmitting. I have never heard a LPD433 user. There used to be some LPD users in my local area (I'm guessing within 1/2 a mile) they were quite active but kept getting trampled on by amateurs using the local repeaters. Other than that I've never heard anyone else. Not sure what practical application it could be used for. I hope this information is useful, and keep up the good work RW! 73 from Ed M0MNG. Thanks Ed :) Appreciate the feedback! Best 73 for now. Lewis

[@fredshead7114]

Hi can you tell me what frequencies light aircraft use at small airports, like Andrewsfield in Sailing Essex thanks...Fred.

[@RingwayManchester]

They use 118-136mhz AM.

[@fredshead7114]

@@RingwayManchester Ok thi apparently is 130.550 MHz so in your range F

[@ferretapocalypse]

My scanner was worthless over night. Everyone in the city and county went to simulcast. Don’t feel like spending 650 for a new scanner

[@SeaJay_Oceans]

Police & Fire use encrypted signals in some locations - so, you can't hear them unless you have the decoding keys, and you won't have them...

[@RingwayManchester]

We know!

[@RingwayManchester]

And it’s A LOT more complex than that

[@Warp2090]

Me and My dad got a radio scanner from a store, and the guy programmed it for us, We can hear police radio, and when a 911 call comes in, it beeps. I just turn it on and listen to it, I don't know much about it yet, im still learning. Can someone tell me some information? Is it even legal?

[@Patrickjdee66]

Hi mate , your the man in the know and clearly know your way around, do you rate the Whistler 1065? Cheers for your help

[@samglaim4274]

Great video Lewis. Many thanks for all the work you put into producing the info in the video. Nice one! 73

[@RingwayManchester]

Thanks as always mate :) Much appreciated.

[@waynemoggeridge5340]

Some brilliant information thanks for posting!!

[@BFsTransportVideos]

I tend to tune in to military and airband most active nowadays

[@thiscorrosion900]

So then, what is the general range of the handhelds using a stock antenna? I just bought a Uniden scanner handheld, I'm assuming the range is not massive, maybe what, 10 miles or 20 tops?

[@RingwayManchester]

Hey Scott range depends on altitude, terrain, conditions, frequency, output power, buildings, trees etc.

[@thiscorrosion900]

@@RingwayManchester Thanks, I see. I got the Uniden yesterday in the mail, set it up and programmed it later on with about 5 banks of channels. It's range isn't bad, I'm on LI NY in the suburbs so the reception isn't too bad. Although, it seems like a lot of stuff is digital trunked now, so the action isn't heavy. I am getting some PD, Fire, Aviation, and a good deal of HAM repeaters. Getting very little RR action, though I live right off a main RR line! I hope that improves. I don't believe they've gone to digital yet.

[@republicoftexas3425]

In my area about 90+% area in the clear of Las Cruces, NM as well as El Paso, TX.

[@stevest.martin3940]

In the beginning of cellphones I used to listen to everything. I even heard a congressman calling his parents on the way up to Alpine Ca.

[@markplott4820]

yup, I had a AOR 1000 Scanner just for that Purpose.

[@KDill29]

I hear quite a bit of radio traffic in my County. Get all the FD, PD, EMS, Staties, Ham, Air, Maritime, Business, security, etc etc. I had to drop $500+ to upgrade to a digital scanner. But I still hear all their traffic, and I love it. I'm afraid when they move on to the next line of comms, although knowing my area, that wont happen fully to the 2040s prob. Took them forever to switch over to trunked.

[@RayVisotski]

And less us not forget the old baby monitors. They were very entertaining 😀

[@starrybob70]

Thoroughly enjoyed this informative video, well done and thanks for clarifying a baffling subject

[@Locateson]

With the rise of fully encrypted digital radio services there are only few things to listen to. What you can still do listen to are pagers who are unencrypted, but listening is probably still illegal. SDR/DVB-T dongles are cheap and really nice, and more flexible solutions come in at around 200 dollars.

[@BFsTransportVideos]

what is the step on short term hire uhf and vhf i might scan through them

[@m1geo]

Great video! Thanks!

Guys - get yourselves a foundation licence - really easy and you can then join in - come on - I promise you won't regret it! The Amateur stuff is growing again in popularity - the more of you come and join the better, and you can expand your scanning knowledge as a well. We'd love to hear from you.

[@mikecawood]

Whistler scanners certainly don't have continuous band coverage, in fact they miss out on the all important 174 to 190MHz band.

[@mikecawood]

The Whistler TRX2E might well be the one to go for, the Uniden SDS200E is the best but it's very expensive. I still have yet to dabble in digital scanning.

[@davidsradioroom9678]

When I was in the UK, I remember police using the FM broadcast band for two-way communication. If I ever get back to the UK, I am taking a scanner with me. Thanks for the info.

[@Firthy2002]

The current analogue FM broadcast band used to be the Police band back in the day.

[@RonanCantwell]

Also worth mentioning weather satellite APT and LRPT transmissions around 137 MHz. NOAA weather sats etc can be picked up and their images decoded easily on a laptop.

[@pete1927]

Looking at coming back to scanning and SWL great video

[@fungimarklinux8658]

I am currently studying for my Tech and general lic. Im so excited to be able to talk to people all over the world.

[@showcasecharlie11]

That's ham...not scanner. Although you do need the amateur license to legally listen to scanners in your vehicle in some states. De WB1BYR

[@sahhull]

Im almost tempted to dig out the 27/81 rig and have a listen.

[@RingwayManchester]

Go for it :)

[@mickgatz214]

Almost a year old, but still a great video, Thanks! :)

[@charliedallachie3539]

Yea, public safety is just a fraction of it so if they all go encrypted, you can hear aircraft and walkie talkies, other events. Worst case it’ll become a paperweight radio to play music and weather reports on.

[@tdhmoose]

Yes and No. I think it all depends on what area a person lives in, but seems that now most police and fire are on 800 trunking. It just depends.

[@Rabixter]

Very useful! I work near an airport, so I can potentially listen in on aircraft/tower radio communications. Might try that just out of interest.

[@jerrydiver1]

There's a wealth of info available on both ATC and airline freqs; when you're on a trip, you can set up banks of channels with some of these and listen to a lot of air traffic while on the road.