complete newb in realm of handheld scanners - advice very much appreciated

I'm interested in purchasing some type of portable radio for my bug-out bag and think I have narrowed it down to a handheld scanner. First I considered one of countycomm's shortwaves, then I considered something from Oregon Scientific or even one of those windup Red Cross pieces of junk. I've decided that I want something a bit nicer that has multiple functions. So I checked out the uniden website for product descriptions and I'm afraid I'm lost.

Here's what I'd like to be able to do:
- monitor S.A.M.E. frequencies (I think these include weather and emergency channels, please correct me if I'm wrong)
- scan for available broadcasts rather than manually type in frequencies
- run on primary cells (preferably CR123's but I realize that may be tough, so probably a few L92 AA lithiums will suffice)
- digital is a must

I can't really think of anything else specifically because I honestly don't know what to look for. Do any handheld scanners have CB capabilities? What I mean by this is the ability to transmit as well as receive. As an example, say it's hurricane Katrina and I'm stuck in my attic while search-n-rescue crews are looking for survivors or whatever. I'd like to be able to either transmit my voice or a beacon signal or something to the appropriate authorities nofiying of my location/health/etc. I realize that you'd likely need a license of sorts in order to legally operate them, I just don't want to have to carry separate devices (GPS, Scanner, CB, etc.). And I'm sure that GPS mapping built-in is probably a no-go too. Do any handheld scanners have a built-in FM/AM frequency receptor for listening to broadcast commercial radio?

Sorry if this is quite a bit and forgive me if I'm vague, I'm just looking for a point in the right direction. I'm having difficulty distinguishing what the difference is between a Uniden BC72XLT for ~$100 and a Uniden BCD396XT for ~$530. I'd ideally like to spend no more than $300 for such a device and I'd like it to be very durable (ie. rubberized moldings, water resistant/proof, that sort of thing). Any help you can provide is much appreciated. Bruce :wave:

Also, when doing my initial research I came across certain "trunking" scanners. Is this a feature that I should be interested in or not?

Bruce, also poke around www.radioreference.com

It is the authority in scanning forums.

If you are gonna go digital, it will be more than $300, they are all trunkers too. They all run on AA's, rechargable or alkaline.

I reccomend the 396, it has FM radio along with everything else. A nice case may improve water resistance.

PoliceScannerMan said:

Bruce, also poke around www.radioreference.com

It is the authority in scanning forums.

If you are gonna go digital, it will be more than $300, they are all trunkers too. They all run on AA's, rechargable or alkaline.

I reccomend the 396, it has FM radio along with everything else. A nice case may improve water resistance.

Click to expand...

Thanks PSM. I did a little research last night after creating my post here and it looks like the Uniden BCD396XT may fit the bill. Takes a separate antenna to use the GPS capabilities but shouldn't be a problem. Now I'm off to find one at a great price. I sure didn't anticipate spending $500+ for my first scanner but I'd much rather do it right the first time than regret not doing it to begin with later on.

Before you spend money, research which frequencies and trunking are being used in your area. Some have gone digital encrypted (in some cases that might be "game over" for some monitoring). Also there is a growing trend for dispatchers to use MDT's (Mobile Data Terminals -- basically emailing dispatch info to the LEO's) so there is a lot less to hear in some areas than there used to be a few years ago. Might not be any problem at all but why spend serious money first?

See if you can borrow or listen in on someone's scanner before you buy. Some web sites let you listen to dispatchers through your computer. Sometimes you can learn about this stuff through local ham radio clubs or "hamfests."

Read up on what is out there to hear, what is out there for radios and antennas, and the other stuff (like antenna amplifiers -- are they worth it?). It would be a shame to spend money and find out it isn't doing what you though it would.

As for scanners that broadcast on any frequency, I've never seen one for CB or GMRS/FRS walkie talkies, and the ones for ham radios of course require a license. Obviously those are more of a ham radio that can monitor than a monitor that can transmit.

Well said and thanks for the advice. I'm completely new to this but am definitely fond of the tinkering that can be involved; the technical inclination is what appeals to me.

Another option that might same you money is to get a wide-range portable receiver. Some even have scanner features but are mostly intended to listen to one frequency at a time.

Some ham transceivers cover most the radio spectrum (less cellular in the US) and transmit on ham frequencies.

For disaster purposes (alone) it is great to spend a little time to acquire a ham license. No Morse code required

Cheers,

Mark

If there's a Radio Shack near you they would know all the in's and out's of what type of signals (data signals, trunking, frequency bands, etc. ) are used in your area. Not sure if they still do, but RS used to have scanner frequency list books for different parts of the county. The internet may have put an end to the books tho. Depending on what features you're looking for and if you want them all in the same unit, but some handheld digital scanners are only ~$100. A pocket AM/FM/shortwave radio might be good to have too. I bought one for $30, digital, and runs on AA batteries.

Light Sabre, you're thinking of the Police Call books RS used to sell. The writer stopped printing them around 2005-2006 I think. RadioReference is excellent for finding freq info and trunking group id's. Brighterisbetter after you get a scanner Uniden has a nice Multi-Band VHF/FRS/AM&FM/AIR Band Receiver MHS550 that might be what you're looking for. Its a Family Radio Service walkie talkie and SAME Weather alert reciever thats waterproof too looks well made, take a look when you can