Scanners

[AmtrakCrescent20]

I've always heard people talk about scanners, but never had one myslef so I have a few questions. First, are the legal? If they are, do police/security/Amtrak staff hassle you when using them as sometimes happens when taking photographs? Finally, can anyone recommend any inexpensive, but not too low quality scanners and where to purchase them?

 

[had8ley]

I've always heard people talk about scanners, but never had one myslef so I have a few questions. First, are the legal? If they are, do police/security/Amtrak staff hassle you when using them as sometimes happens when taking photographs? Finally, can anyone recommend any inexpensive, but not too low quality scanners and where to purchase them?

They are legal as long as you do not transmit; hence "scan only." Radio Shack has a ton of scanners at every price range you could want.

 

[MrFSS]

Get one that will allow headphones if you use it on the train. We were in a bedroom on the CZ and the guy next door had one we listened to all day long.

 

[trainfan]

I have a scanner I got at Radio Shack lastyear ,I took it ona trip from Chi to Sac last winter. You have to

narrow the scan range to the frequency range that Amtrak uses. or find the proper one for the

area you are going through. If you dont you pick up all kinds of stuff from airplanes to police and

miss the good stuff. Once I figured that out it is really interesting , you can here the dispatcher ,conducter

engineer and computerized axle counter!!! They dont talk alot so be patient! I think it was $150 for

the scanner and earphones.

trainfan

 

[AmtrakWPK]

They are legal as long as you do not transmit; hence "scan only." Radio Shack has a ton of scanners at every price range you could want.

Well, I wouldn't be quite so sure about that. You do need to be a little careful about WHERE you are (what State), in what sort of situation - i.e., standing outside with one, or in a vehicle with one. There are various State laws that govern use of scanners, and you probably ought to look at those, especially if you want to use it while in a vehicle. Some States ban them outright, unless you have a ham radio license from the FCC or are legitimately a public service (police, fire, etc) officer.

For instance, in Florida (and this is a CRIMINAL Statute):

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843.16 Unlawful to install or transport radio equipment using assigned frequency of state or law enforcement officers; definitions; exceptions; penalties.--

(1) A person, firm, or corporation may not install or transport in any motor vehicle or business establishment, except an emergency vehicle or crime watch vehicle as herein defined or a place established by municipal, county, state, or federal authority for governmental purposes, any frequency modulation radio receiving equipment so adjusted or tuned as to receive messages or signals on frequencies assigned by the Federal Communications Commission to police or law enforcement officers or fire rescue personnel of any city or county of the state or to the state or any of its agencies. Provided, nothing herein shall be construed to affect any radio station licensed by the Federal Communications System or to affect any recognized newspaper or news publication engaged in covering the news on a full-time basis or any alarm system contractor certified pursuant to part II of chapter 489, operating a central monitoring system. {emphasis added}

... ... ...

(3) This section shall not apply to any holder of a valid amateur radio operator or station license issued by the Federal Communications Commission or to any recognized newspaper or news publication engaged in covering the news on a full-time basis or any alarm system contractor certified pursuant to part II of chapter 489, operating a central monitoring system.

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So if you have a scanner in your vehicle in Florida, to be safe from prosecution you really need a ham radio license, if you're not press, an alarm system contractor, or in government. Most scanners, right out of the box, automatically cover the frequencies "assigned by the Federal Communications Commission to police or law enforcement officers or fire rescue personnel of any city or county of the state or to the state or any of its agencies".

Now, the purpose of that statute is probably to penalize anyone, like a burglar or armed robber, who uses a scanner to try to keep from getting caught in the act, or to evade capture. But the statute doesn't discriminate, and the unwary scanner listener who happens to get some police officer ticked off for some other perceived threat or perceived bad behavior, is likely to find himself cited for that criminal violation as well.

By the way - ham radio licenses do NOT require knowledge of Morse Code any longer, so if the Morse Code requirement was putting you off from getting a ham license, you no longer have that excuse available

 

[had8ley]

They are legal as long as you do not transmit; hence "scan only." Radio Shack has a ton of scanners at every price range you could want.

Well, I wouldn't be quite so sure about that. You do need to be a little careful about WHERE you are (what State), in what sort of situation - i.e., standing outside with one, or in a vehicle with one. There are various State laws that govern use of scanners, and you probably ought to look at those, especially if you want to use it while in a vehicle. Some States ban them outright, unless you have a ham radio license from the FCC or are legitimately a public service (police, fire, etc) officer.

For instance, in Florida (and this is a CRIMINAL Statute):

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

843.16 Unlawful to install or transport radio equipment using assigned frequency of state or law enforcement officers; definitions; exceptions; penalties.--

(1) A person, firm, or corporation may not install or transport in any motor vehicle or business establishment, except an emergency vehicle or crime watch vehicle as herein defined or a place established by municipal, county, state, or federal authority for governmental purposes, any frequency modulation radio receiving equipment so adjusted or tuned as to receive messages or signals on frequencies assigned by the Federal Communications Commission to police or law enforcement officers or fire rescue personnel of any city or county of the state or to the state or any of its agencies. Provided, nothing herein shall be construed to affect any radio station licensed by the Federal Communications System or to affect any recognized newspaper or news publication engaged in covering the news on a full-time basis or any alarm system contractor certified pursuant to part II of chapter 489, operating a central monitoring system. {emphasis added}

... ... ...

(3) This section shall not apply to any holder of a valid amateur radio operator or station license issued by the Federal Communications Commission or to any recognized newspaper or news publication engaged in covering the news on a full-time basis or any alarm system contractor certified pursuant to part II of chapter 489, operating a central monitoring system.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So if you have a scanner in your vehicle in Florida, to be safe from prosecution you really need a ham radio license, if you're not press, an alarm system contractor, or in government. Most scanners, right out of the box, automatically cover the frequencies "assigned by the Federal Communications Commission to police or law enforcement officers or fire rescue personnel of any city or county of the state or to the state or any of its agencies".

Now, the purpose of that statute is probably to penalize anyone, like a burglar or armed robber, who uses a scanner to try to keep from getting caught in the act, or to evade capture. But the statute doesn't discriminate, and the unwary scanner listener who happens to get some police officer ticked off for some other perceived threat or perceived bad behavior, is likely to find himself cited for that criminal violation as well.

By the way - ham radio licenses do NOT require knowledge of Morse Code any longer, so if the Morse Code requirement was putting you off from getting a ham license, you no longer have that excuse available

Amtrak WPK;

Thanks for the clarification. I was referring to use on the train. Never have I been approached about listening in on crews discussions or dispatchers instructions. In a way train movement authority could be construed as privileged information.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

I think all of us who do use scanners need to be very thoughtful , and exercise discretion in how we do that - technically I believe that under Federal Law, while it may be legal to listen, it is not legal to divulge the contents of an intercepted transmission. Now, by long standing custom and tradition, Amtrak does not, to my knowledge, object to a passenger letting other passengers know, for instance, of the particular reason that the train is stopped (i.e., "we're waiting for train number 97, coming the other way, and we have to stay on the siding until he gets past us so we can continue", or "the brakes came on, three cars behind us, and the conductor is investigating" , or "there is a freight train in front of us that has developed a leaking brake line, and they are troubleshooting the problem. We're stuck until they can move" and such like that). A number of times the OBS folks have ended up gravitating to me to find out what is happening in situations like that, once they realize that I have been listening and have been keeping track of things (no pun intended). In turn, it helps them keep the other passengers informed, and everybody ends up happier than otherwise. Realistically, when we do that it helps Amtrak because it makes the passengers feel like they know what's going on, and they are less likely to fret and stew and get angry, because they know there's a good reason for the delay. While Amtrak apparently doesn't consider scanner use an issue, as long as you are not disruptive to the other passengers, the issue of divulging the information you collect as a result is probably still out there, at least technically. So, use an earphone, and use discretion when it comes to passing information on that you hear on the scanner. I know this is easy to consider "nitpicky", when we all know that the news organizations use that same information, gathered the same way, and immediately rebroadcast it as news, and frankly I have trouble making a distinction there. But I don't write or enforce the laws, and frequently shake my head in wonder at what goes on.

 

[AlanB]

You can find lots of info on Scanners over at OTOL by clicking here.

Also all the frequencies needed for Amtrak can be found there too.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

Alan - OTOL may want to remove the link contained in "The details can be found at the Scanner Reference Laws, Rules and Regulations web site." - MOST of the links on that page came back with 404 NOT FOUND errors, or the sites themselves were "Can't Connect To" errors....

 

[AlanB]

Alan - OTOL may want to remove the link contained in "The details can be found at the Scanner Reference Laws, Rules and Regulations web site." - MOST of the links on that page came back with 404 NOT FOUND errors, or the sites themselves were "Can't Connect To" errors....

I'll let HaRRy know that he's got some problems with that, although he may not be able to fix things until after he returns from the NoCal fest. Thanks!

 

[BobWeaver]

I have the Radio Shack PRO-82 scanner and it performs pretty well for its price ($100). I have taken it on every train trip I have been on since I purchased it and I have never been questioned. I use basic earbud headphones with it, and I can hear everything said without problems. I think having the capability to listen in on radio conversations is great to have because not always will the crew let the passengers know why the train is proceeding slowly, stopped, etc. However, range is not quite equal to the ones that the crew uses, as I get static when they are still receiving a signal sometimes. But for the price, you really can't beat Radio Shack (or Uniden) scanners.