{"id":54951,"date":"2022-12-11T06:58:55","date_gmt":"2022-12-11T10:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=54951"},"modified":"2022-12-11T06:58:55","modified_gmt":"2022-12-11T10:58:55","slug":"why-scan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/why-scan\/","title":{"rendered":"Why scan?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/2-true-IQ-and-trade-trunktracker-x-base-mobile-scanner-SDS200-scanners-uniden_697x320.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-54952\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/2-true-IQ-and-trade-trunktracker-x-base-mobile-scanner-SDS200-scanners-uniden_697x320.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"697\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/2-true-IQ-and-trade-trunktracker-x-base-mobile-scanner-SDS200-scanners-uniden_697x320.jpg 697w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/2-true-IQ-and-trade-trunktracker-x-base-mobile-scanner-SDS200-scanners-uniden_697x320-300x138.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/2-true-IQ-and-trade-trunktracker-x-base-mobile-scanner-SDS200-scanners-uniden_697x320-624x286.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 697px) 100vw, 697px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A while back, Thomas, SWLing\u2019s Maximum Leader, told me the scope of the <em>SWLing Post<\/em> is \u201cshortwave listening first, then all things radio.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a fan of \u201call things radio,\u201d when conditions on the shortwave and HF ham bands are awful, frequently I will turn on a scanner (or two) to monitor local VHF and UHF communications.<\/p>\n<p>So why scan? Here are a few of my reasons.<\/p>\n<p>First, scanning increases my enjoyment of communications monitoring in general. Communications monitoring is about hearing stuff, and the more I hear, the better it is. Depending upon current events and\/or changes in location, I alter the types of communications services that I scan. For example, when I visited Sodus, NY, I monitored maritime frequencies to hear the activity on Lake Ontario. At another location, I might monitor the local air traffic controllers. When an ice storm passed through the area, I monitored first responders.<\/p>\n<p>Second, \u201ccontent DXing.\u201d The content that can be heard on scanners is, on occasion, astonishing. Without doubt, I hear things on a scanner that I can hear nowhere else. To name just a few:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>planes (airport air traffic control and VHF inflight communications),<\/li>\n<li>trains (yes, railroads use radios),<\/li>\n<li>automobiles (where I live State Police communicate on unencrypted analog frequencies);<\/li>\n<li>fire and emergency first responders;<\/li>\n<li>police (if not encrypted);<\/li>\n<li>VHF and UHF ham bands,<\/li>\n<li>business communications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When confronted with all the different kinds of difficulty in which people can find themselves (particularly on the first responder frequencies), I find myself giving thanks for how nicely <u>un<\/u>dramatic my life usually is.<\/p>\n<p>Third, monitoring public service communications \u2013 fire, police, and emergency first responders \u2013 \u00a0increases my awareness of what\u2019s going locally and that, in turn, can be useful in avoiding trouble spots or traffic problems.<\/p>\n<p>Forth, scanner listening can be opportunity to pray for folks who are in trouble. About a month ago, I was monitoring fire and EMS frequencies when I heard a transmission from an ambulance to a local hospital: \u201cWe are inbound with a 14-month-old male found unresponsive in his bed, performing CPR, attempting to establish airway.\u201d Heartbreaking.<\/p>\n<p>If you think you might be interested in a scanner (and I have no commercial interest with any scanner company or retailer), <strong>the type of scanner that you will need depends on the sophistication of the communication systems in your area and the kinds of communications that you want to hear.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you are in the United States, I recommend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radioreference.com\/db\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">consulting the Radio Reference database<\/a> click on the NEAR ME button and follow the prompts. The database will show you what communications are available in your area and what communications systems are involved. If, for example, the database indicates the local Sheriff frequencies are \u201cProject 25 Phase 1,\u201d you will need a scanner capable of receiving P25 Phase 1 communications. If, however, the local Fire and EMS frequencies are labeled FM or FMN, the most basic level of scanner will be capable of hearing those communications<strong>. If the Radio Reference database indicates that some of your local communications services are encrypted, you won\u2019t be able to hear encrypted communications with <u>any<\/u> scanner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you find this all a bit confusing, there are retailers who specialize in scanners, and they can help you figure out what you need, and, if necessary, pre-program a scanner for you. (Again, I have no commercial affiliation.)<\/p>\n<p>Finally, there is a fifth reason why I scan: public service. I use four scanners routinely as part of <a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/05\/a-practical-application-of-ham-radio-the-commuter-assistance-network\/\">the Commuter Assistance Network<\/a>. One scanner monitors the local VHF NY State Police frequencies; another is locked onto the UHF frequencies used by the NY State Police on the New York State Thruway; a third scanner sweeps through three national emergency frequencies and a couple of regional interoperability frequencies, and the fourth scanner monitors first responder frequencies for Rensselaer County here in New York State.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, perhaps scanning can open the door to increased enjoyment of your communications monitoring and \u201call things radio.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM A while back, Thomas, SWLing\u2019s Maximum Leader, told me the scope of the SWLing Post is \u201cshortwave listening first, then all things radio.\u201d As a fan of \u201call things radio,\u201d when conditions on the shortwave and HF ham bands are awful, frequently I will turn on a scanner (or two) to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,5803],"tags":[9323,4316,5455],"class_list":["post-54951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-scanners","tag-jock-elliott-kb2gom","tag-scanners","tag-scanning"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-eij","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":58219,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/11\/uncle-jocks-pro-tip-for-using-the-scan-function\/","url_meta":{"origin":54951,"position":0},"title":"&#8220;Uncle&#8221; Jock&#8217;s Pro Tip for using the scan function","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"November 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The postman delivers a new radio for test. So I unbox it, punch the ON button, start SCAN on AM MW band. Scan works (yea!) but passes by really strong local stations. Sacred poop, I think, this thing is deaf as the proverbial post. Is there some sort of space\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pc7rLGMKi-3420337868-939x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pc7rLGMKi-3420337868-939x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pc7rLGMKi-3420337868-939x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57831,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/the-great-medium-wave-grey-line-challenge\/","url_meta":{"origin":54951,"position":1},"title":"The Great Medium Wave Grey Line Challenge","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"September 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM According to https:\/\/dx.qsl.net\/propagation\/greyline.html: (the image above comes from them) The \"grey line\" is a band around the Earth that separates daylight from darkness.\u00a0 Propagation along the grey line is very efficient.\u00a0 One major reason for this is that the D layer, The \"grey line\" is a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screenshot-2023-09-24-120532.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screenshot-2023-09-24-120532.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screenshot-2023-09-24-120532.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53576,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/08\/a-most-unusual-qsl-card\/","url_meta":{"origin":54951,"position":2},"title":"A most unusual QSL . . . card?","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"August 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM Okay, I realize this is ham related, but I thought it was fun, and I hope you do too. On a quiet Saturday morning in May, the \u201cBig Gun\u201d Motorola 1250 (which is used for running the Commuter Assistance Net) is quietly scanning through half a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ham Radio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Commuter-net-story-001-001-1024x716.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Commuter-net-story-001-001-1024x716.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Commuter-net-story-001-001-1024x716.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64272,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/a-huge-difference\/","url_meta":{"origin":54951,"position":3},"title":"A HUGE difference . . .","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"October 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM It was a remark from Sebastian Schl\u00fcter in response to this post \u2013 https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/some-really-inexpensive-ways-to-perhaps-improve-your-shortwave-listening -- that sparked today\u2019s post. He said: If your RFI is really high, your best weapon is a magnetic loop antenna aka small receive loop. At home, my RFI is so high\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Antennas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Loop-antenna-002-001-1024x669.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Loop-antenna-002-001-1024x669.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Loop-antenna-002-001-1024x669.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49872,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/jock-discovers-the-joys-of-ats-tuning-with-the-c-crane-cc-skywave-ssb\/","url_meta":{"origin":54951,"position":4},"title":"Jock discovers the joys of ATS tuning with the C.Crane CC Skywave SSB","author":"Thomas","date":"August 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jock Elliott (KB2GOM), who shares the following guest post: Really cool trick the CCrane Skywave SSB will do -- the \"radio butler\"? To paraphrase Ratty from Wind in the Willows: \" \u201cBelieve me, my young friend, there is nothing\u2013absolutely nothing\u2013half so much worth doing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CC-Skywave-SSB-Field-e1540119640212.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CC-Skywave-SSB-Field-e1540119640212.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CC-Skywave-SSB-Field-e1540119640212.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CC-Skywave-SSB-Field-e1540119640212.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62693,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/dxing-bats\/","url_meta":{"origin":54951,"position":5},"title":"DXing . . . bats?!!","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"April 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jock Elliott, KB2GOM Just how hardcore are you as a DXer? I received the following from a ham radio friend: Greetings all! I received an interesting opportunity for anyone capable and interested in helping NYS DEC. This was aimed at Warren County, however I thought hams in the Northern\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Batman-Logo-1-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Batman-Logo-1-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Batman-Logo-1-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Batman-Logo-1-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54951"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54955,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54951\/revisions\/54955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}