scanners - the radio sort

peachey · 15-12-2003, 21:21

anybody know anything about scanners?

eg - what can you listen to

and what is the score with breaking the law etc?

zoombini · 15-12-2003, 21:54

You can listen to loads of stuff.

taxis, airplanes, personal radios etc.

Have a search around for scanner frequency listsing that show the bands & what they are allocated to.

Forget about listening to the police etc.
They all changed to encrypted radios a while ago.

as for the law, its an ass, you are not supposed to listen to anything that your not permitted to (like the police). But it never usually stops anyone.

peachey · 15-12-2003, 21:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoombini

You can listen to loads of stuff.

taxis, airplanes, personal radios etc.

Have a search around for scanner frequency listsing that show the bands & what they are allocated to.

Forget about listening to the police etc.
They all changed to encrypted radios a while ago.

as for the law, its an ass, you are not supposed to listen to anything that your not permitted to (like the police). But it never usually stops anyone.

what about mobile calls - how encrypted are they?

downquark1 · 15-12-2003, 22:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by peachey

what about mobile calls - how encrypted are they?

Mobile use very high frequency waves - practically microwaves, if a scanner could get to that high a frequency - I think they are encrypted anyway.

Most phones these days are digital meaning you would need a kind of modem to listen in.

darant · 15-12-2003, 22:34

I used to have a scanner that scanned from 25mhz to 1300mhz. Mobile phones were about 800mhz (anologue) Digital ones are on a complete different wave length.

http://www.dragoninfomart.fsnet.co.uk/hamscan.htm

Good reference site....

**Paul** · 15-12-2003, 23:02

I believe Digital phones are on 900Mhz (BT, Vodaphone) or 1800Mhz (Orange, One to One) - but as the signals are digitally encoded you can't listen to them.

peachey · 15-12-2003, 23:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by pem

I believe Digital phones are on 900Mhz (BT, Vodaphone) or 1800Mhz (Orange, One to One) - but as the signals are digitally encoded you can't listen to them.

ok - thanks for all the help

by way of curiosity - if I made a mobile call to a friend

how secure is that?

can anyone listen in - if so how?

**Paul** · 15-12-2003, 23:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by peachey

ok - thanks for all the help

by way of curiosity - if I made a mobile call to a friend

how secure is that?

can anyone listen in - if so how?

On analogue - totally insecure.

On digital - very secure - you need some serious stuff to tap into and decode it.

Fawkes · 16-12-2003, 00:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by peachey

ok - thanks for all the help

by way of curiosity - if I made a mobile call to a friend

how secure is that?

can anyone listen in - if so how?

If your talking about matters of national security then don't forget yours or your friend phone could be tapped or your house could be bugged but if your just talking about what to get your mum for Christmas I don't think you have too much to worry about

Jon T · 16-12-2003, 08:15

I've got a scanner, also several trancievers that have "wideband recieve" on them. I mostly use them to listen to Amateur Radio(which my transcievers are designed for anyway), and the airband.

When I go the airshows i would say 4 out of every 5 people has a scanner on them, and the military/civilian police never say a word.

However, this is the exception to the rule, the law states as Zoombini said that "it is a offence to recieve anything not intended for general reception", so basically you are legally allowed to listen to Amateur Radio, CB, and Broadcast Radio.

On the security side of things, if a radio user want their transmissions to be secure nowadays they use some kind of digital encryption or frequency hoping, this makes it very hard if not impossible for the conversation to be over heard. Systems that use encryption include digital mobile phones andsome fire fire brigades, ambulance and police forces(TETRA).

Jon

Enterian · 16-12-2003, 08:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoombini

<SNIP>

Forget about listening to the police etc.
They all changed to encrypted radios a while ago.

<SNIP>

Not round here they haven't - my scanner picks them up a treat!

Halcyon · 04-10-2012, 17:46

I know this a bump and a half but thought it was easier than starting a new thread.

Can anyone help me set my scanner up. I used to have a manual easy to use thing and now this one is asking whether to choose band plan A or B.
I'm also trying to put in my airport frequencies and cant hear anything.
Anyone know anything?

Thanks for your help.

I'm using a Uniden EZI33XLT

Kymmy · 04-10-2012, 17:51

A or B will probably just be search bands...

As for airport frequencies how far away is the airport and what's the terrain like between you and them.. Also which airport is it and what freqs do you have?

Wicked_and_Crazy · 04-10-2012, 17:55

I used to use plan b but it was full of some guy rapping!!!

I've got a different uniden that I've not used for a long time but with an external aerial I had much more success

Kymmy · 04-10-2012, 18:09

Doing a quick search the bands are to do with limits and channel steps, looks like you want band b though the channel steps should be programmable after that, for airband though the channel steps are the same in either band