Police scanner

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Originally Posted by x7judy

I know that Paris has gone completely digital, so do they make digital scanners that pick up the regular stuff as well? Im a complete noob when it comes to scanners

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Paris, KY is using NEXEDGE, which no scanner currently on the market can monitor without the aid of a computer.

KSP, on the other hand, use P25, which a digital scanner can handle.

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Im mostly in the Lexington-paris-cynthiana spots.

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Lexington has some analog trunking, and other than that it's mostly just conventional (non-trunking) analog in Fayette, Bourbon, and Harrison counties.

I would suggest the HomePatrol, it monitors analog, digital, Motorola trunking- there is no programming needed. it comes with Home Patrol Sentinel software that installs on your desktop and all you have to do is download the latest updates which are almost daily, and there is a gps unit that you can buy separately and attach to your unit. I have the entire setup including the gps antenna which is the size of maybe a silver dollar. You just enter your zip code and it loads all the frequencies in your area. You can also record the transmission and listen to it later. There are several agencies you can monitor such as hospitals, military, federal, corrections, railroads, schools, aircraft etc etc - you make the choice of what you want to monitor- simple as that.

this what your talking about?
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Also what would be the purpose of the GPS? just for traveling purposes or would it tell my location and pick up those police signals?

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Originally Posted by x7judy

Also what would be the purpose of the GPS? just for traveling purposes or would it tell my location and pick up those police signals?

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The GPS function is useful for distance drivers, as it will note your location, then automatically tune the radio to the agencies in your area as you travel. Keeps you from having to figure out which counties and towns you are near, then manually reprogramming the radio every 30 miles or so. If you don't do much distance driving, or simply don't care about constant scanning while out of town on vacation (trust me, it gets old fast, unless you are travelling alone), then it's not a particularly useful function for you.

The radio you linked is the one that Cactus Man recommended (had to delete it, as commercial links are prohibited here). But be aware that, although that source is reliable and well priced, they tend to screw you on shipping fees to make up for it.

so would you all suggest that the home patrol would be ideal for me? Also what other cheaper brands are out there that i could compare with?

Any APCO 25 digital trunking radio shack scanner will be cheaper

I don't anticipate there being a significant price difference between any of the digital scanners for awhile. If one goes down, they'll all go down. Fifty bucks isn't significant to me, all other factors being equal.

If you do not want to have to become a hardcore scanner enthusiast, and aren't interested in doing a lot of custom programming, then HomePatrol was made for you. It's as close to "plug-and-play" as scanners get. But even it requires a pretty painful learning curve to get used to. There's no way around it. That's just the nature of scanning in the 21st century. There is no plug-and-play.

For me - just me of course, it was easy to learn- just go to menu and select options. I took my homepatrol to a restaurant where we were having dinner one night and I showed it with all the features of course to a county deputy. I showed him all the features and how to access them, etc and he was so impressed that he bought one the next day and come to find out so did another deputy that I don't know all that well.

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Originally Posted by Stealth Stalker

I don't anticipate there being a significant price difference between any of the digital scanners for awhile. If one goes down, they'll all go down. Fifty bucks isn't significant to me, all other factors being equal.

If you do not want to have to become a hardcore scanner enthusiast, and aren't interested in doing a lot of custom programming, then HomePatrol was made for you. It's as close to "plug-and-play" as scanners get. But even it requires a pretty painful learning curve to get used to. There's no way around it. That's just the nature of scanning in the 21st century. There is no plug-and-play.

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Enter the GRE PSR-800 easier and reported to be more reliable than the HP, a RS rebrand probably in the mix but a search on google pulls up results for GRE in a hurry.

But even then it's not a matter of being hardcore, it's a matter of taking the time to do a little setup, like customizing the settings on a V1 or going through the update and lockout process on a 9500ix before hitting the road. A little software and the ability to locate the nearby counties is all you need to be able to get rocking with the basics of digital scanning. It when you get into specifics that it gets hard.

I looked at the GRE PSR-800 and to me it looks like it has a lot going for it. Great price as well.