The Legality of Scanners

[railiner]

The telecommunications Act of 1996 made it illegal to listen to cell phone frequencies, some older scanners can do that. Other that that and to other mentioned above you are good to go.

That's good to know.

I suppose the older scanners were legal under the original communication act of 1934 that pretty much stated anybody can monitor any radiofrequency transmission, provided they do not tell others what they heard, nor use such information for personal gain. That law is pretty unenforceable, hence the later mods to it.

 

[George Harris]

Most of these scanner laws are from teh same mindset that gives us gun control laws and about as useful.

Very simply, anyone that has criminal intentions does not care what the laws are that regulate his tools. He has no intent of abiding by them. They only affect the laaw abiding.

Likewise, a law that is too onerous simply results in a much more general disrespect for the laws. Think of how the main result of the 55 mph speed limit was development of a disdain of speed limits by the population in genera.

Attempting to regulate what people can hear is rediculous on the face of if. If you don't want it heard, either don't say it or develop an encryption system.

 

[railiner]

A few weeks ago we rode the LSL from Cleveland to NYP. I had my scanner going in one ear at all times. Enjoyed the heck out of it.

The reason for our trip was to catch the Carnival Glory Cruise out of NYC to St. John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Never gave it much thought about having my digital trunking scanner in my backpack until embarking onto the ship. The security's x-ray scanner picked it out in my backpack and I was pulled aside. The Carnival Cruises Security member explained to me very politely that they don't like (read allow) passengers listening to the ship's business and confiscated the radio. I got the radio back with no problem at all when we arrived back in port.

As a side note, we got to see Via Rail's Ocean leave Halifax from the comfort of our verandah patio in port. Pretty cool looking train still running with the "Park" Observation car on the tail end.

I have been on 17 cruises, and have brought scanners aboard many times with no problem, so that really surprises me. No where in my cruise contracts were any reference to them as "prohibited items". Is this something new? I will have to ask the question on a popular cruise board and see what they say, as well as call my cruise line for my next cruise in December...