Two Way Radio

M

marcinek

Joined
Jan 9, 2007
Messages
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Anybody into these things? I have been listening to the police in my town (Chicago!) online, and I just broke down and bought a two way radio/scanner. A Baofeng UV 5R V2+.

Neat (and cheap!) gadget. Buttons, lights, antennas, you gotta program it via a computer, knobs, lcd displays, borderline illegal. What more could a gadget junkie want! Pretty stoked.
 
Tell me you don't want one. :D

IMG_20141220_203449_zps514b0b3c.jpg
 
marcinek said:
Tell me you don't want one. :D
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I don't want one.

I have an old Radio Shack scanner that I haven't turned on in two years. Why? I'm almost deaf. I can't understand much of what is being said. :(

I also sold most of my HAM gear. I kept a Radio Shack 2M HT, but I still have the same problem.

Scanners can be fun to listen to though.
 
UffDa said:
I don't want one.

I have an old Radio Shack scanner that I haven't turned on in two years. Why? I'm almost deaf. I can't understand much of what is being said. :(

Scanners can be fun to listen to though.
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Yes you do. No man can resist all those buttons and lights and stuff. :D

Anyway, looks like a fun toy. And for 35 bucks?!? How can you NOT buy one? :D
 
I've played with them a bit. The biggest problem I had was the stated distance vs actual usable distance which was usually maybe a 1/4 of what they said it could range. Probably on a flat plain with perfect weather it would be fine. Unless you spent bunches and bunches of money they were all pretty much of the talk to your neighbor across the street kind of range, when I was lucky.
 
That's may be good news. The thing transmits across a wide frequency range, including those used by police and fire. Actually you gotta program the thing NOT to. But its good to know that they don't have much transmitting power.

Its going to be just a scanner for me .

Kinda cool, its among the scanners of choice of Chicago overnight crime reporters.
 
I thought the majority of Police radios going to the trunking signal thing kinda messed up all the police scanners for the majority of people?
 
I have a couple apps on my phone that I've used to listen to scanners, mostly for EMS/Fire. Pretty darn cool.
 
RevDevil said:
I have a couple apps on my phone that I've used to listen to scanners, mostly for EMS/Fire. Pretty darn cool.
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I've been doing that too. It is cool. Check out Chicago PD. We got a little bit of a crime problem going on, so its never dull.
 
marcinek said:
I've been doing that too. It is cool. Check out Chicago PD. We got a little bit of a crime problem going on, so its never dull.
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All I have to do is stick my head out the window to hear that. But I still want one.
 
LEGION 12 said:
All I have to do is stick my head out the window to hear that. But I still want one.
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You and me both with the head out the window. Though it would be nice to know exactly why helicopters are hovering over my place. Or why my train is messed up. (Looks like you can pick up Chicago Transit Ops)

And Chicago is not trunked and for CPD you don't need digital. 40 bucks (you need to by a programming cable to plug into a computer), hooks you up. Mine's due in a couple days.

I had to have it. So many glowing buttons .... display full of numbers and symbols. I'm a sucker for stuff like that. It's like kryptonite.
 
I actually had a State Police chopper hover directly over my house in Wellesley Mass for about 5 minutes with searchlights making it as bright as day. It was at least an hour after my wife and I had gone to bed. Scary stuff!

I wish I had a scanner then.

Eric

(They were looking for an armed robber we found out the next day).
 
marcinek said:
You and me both with the head out the window. Though it would be nice to know exactly why helicopters are hovering over my place. Or why my train is messed up. (Looks like you can pick up Chicago Transit Ops)

And Chicago is not trunked and for CPD you don't need digital. 40 bucks (you need to by a programming cable to plug into a computer), hooks you up. Mine's due in a couple days.

I had to have it. So many glowing buttons .... display full of numbers and symbols. I'm a sucker for stuff like that. It's like kryptonite.
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You know why they are hovering over your house. ;) I have an old Bearcat scanner that was my fathers gonna try it out when I get a chance.
 
snippy said:
I actually had a State Police chopper hover directly over my house in Wellesley Mass for about 5 minutes with searchlights making it as bright as day. It was at least an hour after my wife and I had gone to bed. Scary stuff!

I wish I had a scanner then.

Eric

(They were looking for an armed robber we found out the next day).
Click to expand...

Sadly I get copters quite often. I live in a perfectly nice neighborhood, but a bout a half mile away...not so nice. And that is the direction I walk to mass transit.

As cool as the gadget is, it will be nice to have better access to first hand info. See how the thing works out.

Honestly, I am still stunned that the thing transmits. I can't see how we aren't in total anarchy when, for 40 bucks worth of Chinese technology, I can transmit on the police frequency.

Though maybe I can find the frequency the custodial staff uses at work. Tell them to bring more toilet paper for the damn men's room.
 
marcinek said:
I've been doing that too. It is cool. Check out Chicago PD. We got a little bit of a crime problem going on, so its never dull.
Click to expand...
That was the one of the first channels that came up, there is chatter 24/7 all day, every day.

snippy said:
I actually had a State Police chopper hover directly over my house in Wellesley Mass for about 5 minutes with searchlights making it as bright as day. It was at least an hour after my wife and I had gone to bed. Scary stuff!

I wish I had a scanner then.

Eric

(They were looking for an armed robber we found out the next day).
Click to expand...
You should have run outside and pointed towards the neighbors. :D
 
I can totally relate to you. I bought a couple a few weeks ago. And the programming cable. And external antennas, and battery boxes.... these things are addictive! I don't use them as a scanner though. We use them while off roading. Love 'em.
Happy new year, by the way!
 
Got it! Programmed Chicago PD frequencies in it, now scanning for random stuff. It is pretty darn addictive.
 
Most of the cheaper scanners will not pick up trunked or worst multi-trunked Public Safety Communications system. It takes a trunk radio scanner or online radio scanner system to descamble the signal. Go to www.radioreference.com to check out your local or nationwide public safety or aviation radio traffic.
 
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