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  1. #1

    Default Adding scanner to countermeasures

    I want to add a scanner to my Escort 9500ix+ZR4 setup. No room in the cockpit of the Honda S2000 for a scanner so I want to mount it in the trunk with remote control and speaker in the cockpit. Any one know which scanners have beartracker and can be set up this way ? And anyone have installation suggestions ?

  2. #2
    Yoda of Radar
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    Quote Originally Posted by springadv View Post
    Any one know which scanners have beartracker and can be set up this way ? And anyone have installation suggestions ?
    None of them do, and don't expect any to come out. The face of professional radio communications is simply changing too rapidly and unpredictably for the "Beartracker" concept to keep up. I was never a good idea to begin with, and now it is almost completely unworkable in most parts of the country.

    As for using a regular scanner, unless you are a hardcore scannist, who is very, very well versed at monitoring police communications, both technically and lingo-wise, your chances of ever hearing anything that will be of any use whatsoever to you as a speed trap avoidance measure are almost zero.

    Scanners are so far at the bottom of the list of viable countermeasures these days that they are almost completely off that list altogether. Save your money.

    "Buy the BEST and screw the rest." - fire65

    "im intrested to see how well you do.i never seen a car JTG before would be a first for me.." - radarrob

  3. #3
    Good Citizen
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    If you live in a city that has a police or sheriff dept with a dedicated traffic unit channel, then a scanner might be useful. Of course you will have to get familiar with their codes, etc , but I have found my scanner to be of value on days when the traffic units are out. I guess it all comes down to where you live.

  4. #4
    Speed Demon
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    The precincts out here are switching from codes to normal talk. Both Plano and Allen use only one code ('Code 30') all the rest is straight over the radio.

    It depends upon your police. Plano calls in traffic stops like this: LEO ID, Intersection/Block number, License Plate.
    This way I listen in the morning and know where all the traffic stops are.

    Tom 60, Central South-bound at Steak and Shake on 1 Lincoln X-ray 2 Tom Mary

  5. #5
    Yoda of Radar
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    Quote Originally Posted by danielf View Post
    If you live in a city that has a police or sheriff dept with a dedicated traffic unit channel, then a scanner might be useful.
    Definitely! That is one of the few situations where it has possible worth. But even then, you're usually only going to hear a shooter calling out speeds/distances, and vehicle descriptions every few seconds. That doesn't tell you anything about where they are, as the chase cars commonly don't call in a traffic stop on those details. So you know there is a trap somewhere in the state, but that's about it. Not particularly useful info. It would be very rare that you would actually hear an officer come on the air, on the particular channel you happen to be monitoring, at the moment you happen to be monitoring, and announce, "Hey, we're setting up a laser trap on southbound I35 at I20", and for you to happen to be headed that way. You have as good a chance at getting hit by lightning while picking up your Lotto winnings.

    You'll hear a lot of cool stuff on scanners. I have seven in my car. But unless you are really into the hobby of scanning, you'll quickly tire of all the noise (that you don't understand anyhow, and isn't really that exciting even if you did understand it), and turn it off. The good news is, if you turn it off, you won't miss any useful speed trap info anyhow.

    "Buy the BEST and screw the rest." - fire65

    "im intrested to see how well you do.i never seen a car JTG before would be a first for me.." - radarrob

  6. #6
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    The county I live in is still using 10 codes. But there are really only two or three that pertain to traffic stops. They basically use the same format as Loiosh described.

    There are not many laser traps on the interstate around here. It is mainly traffic officers doing individual stops, sometimes all day long, and definitely on Fri/Sat nights. They do set up laser traps, but will call out each vehicle as they stop it. Anyways, I have had good luck with my scanner but I understand that maybe every area is not the same.
    Last edited by danielf; 07-23-2008 at 07:27 PM.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stealth Stalker View Post

    As for using a regular scanner, unless you are a hardcore scannist, who is very, very well versed at monitoring police communications, both technically and lingo-wise, your chances of ever hearing anything that will be of any use whatsoever to you as a speed trap avoidance measure are almost zero.

    Scanners are so far at the bottom of the list of viable countermeasures these days that they are almost completely off that list altogether. Save your money.
    I agree and disagree. It does depend on the town. In my town/city, they speak code and "normal" talk. The code isn't to hard to "crack". You can find lists of Ten Codes, Signals, and Codes for your area. Usually if you find the ones for your state, they are generally used for all towns/city in that state. In my friends town, they like to use the Ten Codes a lot. I have had a scanner for about 8 months now and I can basically know exactly what is happening in my area and understand what is going on about 90% of the time.

    On a side note the only thing I cannot "crack" is the 10-8 (back in Service). usually the Police will say something like 10-8 G. This only tells you about what previously happened. It is usually used in traffic stops. So far I think T means Ticket was given, W means warning was given, and V means Verbal Warning was given. I do not mean to hijack this thread, but does anyone kno of a website that gives the meanings to the "back in service" code?

    It is up to you on if you want to get a scanner or not. Go to RadioReference.com - Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference and look in your area and see if your town (and towns you travel in) and state/county police use conventional frequencies or Trunking. And if they do use Trunking, see if it is analog or digital. If your area uses conventional and/or trunking analog, I recommend the Radio shack PRO-164. I got mine on sale for $180, i think the regular price is $220. If your area uses digital trunking, you may have to pay an upwards of $400+ for a scanner, even if you get it at Radio shack or online.

    It is pretty neat to have. I heard a fire call that was for down my street. Grabbed a camera, got their just before the Fire department and half the damn house was burned badly. Not that I am saying that is a good thing, but it is good to know what is happening in your area.

    Also find out the legal laws in your state that may prohibit the use of Scanners in a vehicle. I remember that it is only a few states in the US that prohibit Mobile Scanner use, and one of them is Indiana sadly. Using a scanner in a crime anywhere IS ILLEGAL. Here is a site that tells you the State Laws of Scanners (It may take a while to load): http://www.afn.org/~afn09444/scanlaws/

    Hope this Helps!!! In the end, it is up to you if you should have a scanner as a part of defense or not!

  8. #8

    Default scrap bearcat

    Ok, so if I give up the bearcat feature, are there units which can be operated by remote = cockpit to trunk ?

  9. #9
    Yoda of Radar
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    Quote Originally Posted by springadv View Post
    Ok, so if I give up the bearcat feature, are there units which can be operated by remote = cockpit to trunk ?
    Yep! The Uniden Bearcat BCT15 (~$250) and the BCD996T (~$500 if you need digital capability) are both compatible with the BC-RH96 remote head (~$200). That's it. Although the BCD396T handheld (~$500) also works with the remote head, if you prefer.

    "Buy the BEST and screw the rest." - fire65

    "im intrested to see how well you do.i never seen a car JTG before would be a first for me.." - radarrob

  10. #10
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    You are much better with a CB Radio over the scanner as a counter measure.

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