Where To buy a Police scanner??

[Rookie Shooter Frm Canada]

I'm looking for a scanner to start freelancing and i donno where to look. Any Ideas????

[Oldhuskie]

Try Radio Shack.

[mi3ke]

Go to http://www.strongsignals.net and poke around. They will really be able to answer your question. of course, be prepared to answer the question: "Well, what do you want to listen to." Different agencies use different freqs, therefore different scanner pick up different things.

Cheers, Mi3ke
KOB-TV

[stix]

You can try these guys but they are wholesalers and may only sell to media outlets not individuals. They are in Peterborough, Ont.
http://www.lectronradio.com/products/base_scanners/base_scanners.htm

[Dedline]

www.scannermaster.com has a wide assortment.
Not sure about Canada, but here in the U.S. a great site for scanner frequencies is www.radioreference.com . Just took a quick look and they only have a info for something called MTS Fleetnet System in Manitoba, MAN which has a trunked scanner system, so you'll need a trunking scanner.
hope this helps.

[circle7]

Here's a link to a very good portable scanner at a good price:

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90141747&loc=111&sp=1

The scanner is the uniden bc246t also check here:

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/scanners/0246.html
http://www.scanners-r-us.com/index.php?orbiz0712043=9ff00f7bee5f1f0b6ac2d79e2ef a0e6b&action=full_details&id=195
http://www.123radios.com/BuyItNow.asp?PID=354

Here are some user reviews:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/4753

I just ordered one of these scanners......

[sierra-zulu]

go to www.radioreference.com... register (and then donate for some added help--like web downloads of the trunked systems you will have to deal with) and enjoy. You will find the Canadian forums at: http://www.radioreference.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=8... Helped me a lot when I returned to serious scanning a few yearws ago...

[allpro]

I've purchased my scanners from Scannermaster.com and found them to be very reliable and had excellent pricing.

As sierra zulu mentioned radioreference.com is the very best place on the net to find local fequency info hands down. I wasted a lot of time looking at other sites, but now rr is the only source I use and they truly have the most up to date info anywhere. If you purchase a Bearcat Uniden scanner I'd recomment the Butel ARC software. It makes programing a breeze.

[The Daywood]

Make sure you check to see if the scanner is a "truncated" scanner or just a frequency scanner....

The way "truncated frequencies" were explained to me once...
A city has 3 (or more) frequencies for fire, police, utilities, SWAT, convention center crew, ect. Each entity has a tone that preceedes their broadcast on their walkie/radio. This allows all the other radios in their group to hear them without all the others talking over them. I'm sure it involves computers somehow, but if you are looking for a list of the codes for a particular area, try a CB store or ham radio hobby shop. Normally there is someone in your area who can get them for you. Bad thing is, without those codes, your scanner is basically worthless...

HAVE FUN!!!

[HamCam]

Keep in mind that some agencies/municipalities are switching to digital systems. We can no longer get Niagara Region Police on a scanner now that they have gone digital with encryption. Also the OPP in Ontario and I believe the EMS have switch to a digital system. Basically this means that you have to do your homework to see what type of system you will be scanning in your area. As mentioned before, radioreference.com is a great tool for that.

In Ontario there is a place called Durham Radio (specifically in Whitby - west of Toronto) http://www.durhamradio.com/s/home.php?cat=1820 (http://www.durhamradio.com/s/home.php?cat=1820)
They seem to have some pretty good deals. Check them out.

Do lots of homework first to get what you want.

I personally use a Uniden 250D (without the digital card - not that it is needed in Hamilton/Halton area) and it works just fine. It has a Alpha tag feature for you to program the name of the channel your are listening to. Very handy at a glance.
Good Luck

[Newshutr]

I'd suggest a Radio Shack Pro-96. I run one and it has already paid for itself in overtime for me. It's great and picks up the digital APCO-25 signals.

Go to www.radioreference.com for all the info about scanners and frequencies.

[circle7]

hamcam,

durham radio is charging $349 for the bc246T. I just paid $214 for it - delivered - from scanusa.com ... you may want to shop around.

[Ace Of Nothing]

Try google or local yellowpages. Next time you see a tow truck driver at a Tim Hourtons, ask him what kind to get for your area and where to get it (including the programming, because without that it's useless)

Radioshack usually has a few of the cheapies which if you don't want to spend too much, they should do.

[Rookie Shooter Frm Canada]

Thanks guys looking into it!