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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,827
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mugwump
A few years ago I asked about comms in a bugout scenario and Peregrino gave some advice that I took to heart: In an evacuation scenario, staying together is paramount so local comms is not a priority but situational awareness is incredibly important. Knowing if a bridge is out or if there is a security problem in a particular locale could be the difference between life and death. He recommended getting a scanner and I took his advice.
I got a Uniden BCD396XT digital trunk-tracking handheld that runs on two alkaline or rechargeable AA batteries. It will pick up anything that isn't encrypted, including APCO 25, Motorola, EDACS, and LTR trunked systems. It has a "close by" function that automatically discriminates for nearby signals and it picks up shortwave, ham, family band, local TV, AM/FM, basically everything. It's light, compact, easy on batteries, is incredibly sensitive once you replace the included rubber ducky, and incredibly flexible (read complicated).
If you pick up FreeScan software (free) plus a subscription to the Radio Reference database (cheap) it's ridiculously easy to download all the trunked frequencies in your area from your computer via serial cable, all annotated so you can see exactly what agency is saying what on your scanner display. You can group frequencies into sets and activate and deactivate them at will through the scanner front panel. You could have a set for your county and all of the contiguous ones and activate the sets as needed.
You'd be amazed what you can pick up from the local hospital custodians and public works maintenance crews. In a disaster scenario, knowing what the local, county and state cops are saying along with the utility, safety and public works crews would be invaluable. Having access to all the AM/FM and television news isn't bad either.
It ain't cheap -- around $450 -- but given the finances of county and local municipalities I don't think many will be upgrading to encrypted trunking systems so the investment seems pretty secure. Plan to spend some time learning the ins-and-outs but it's all pretty interesting so it's not really a chore.
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Sounds like a very nice piece of kit, just wish it was a little cheaper.
C'est la vie!
TR
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"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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