So you want a police scanner?  There are definitely some things to consider before you get one. And in this day and age the old saying goes “There’s an app for that”.  There are multiple apps you can download for your phone, and they work, but they also have some considerations.

First and foremost, that stream to your app IS SOMEONE ELSE’S SCANNER.  It’s that simple.  And that stream is reliant upon their internet, and your internet.  An app may work for you but if you clicked through on a blog about Police Scanner Selection you’re likely here because you want your own scanner.   Let’s get to the considerations.

How Much Is This Going To Cost

It depends.  Modern Digital Trunking Radio systems require expensive hardware to turn that digital signal into voice.  Radios capable of following trunked radio systems are going to cost you probably at least $250 and probably more like $500 for a decent one.  That being said, if you live in small town USA where they use Analog FM radios or you just want to listen to the local airport control tower you just need an Analog radio which are CHEAP and can be found used for hardly anything on eBay or Facebook Marketplace.

First you need to know what you are up against.  The search begins at RadioReference.com Database pages.  Select your State and then your County.

RR Database for Craven County NC

From here you select the systems you want to monitor.  All my trunked radio systems above are some kind of digital communication so I need a digital trunking radio.
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I have several police scanners and if you turn them all on side by side you’d be amazed that some seemingly pull in more calls than others.  Even if they are configured identically.  Everyone wants to hear EVERYTHING.

There are lots of variables but essentially here is John’s Rule Of Police Scanners:

“The more stuff you try to listen to, the more likely it is you’ll miss more stuff. “

Even in sleepy New Bern, North Carolina there is lots to listen to.  And most police scanners these days have a zip code search.  Put your zip code in and it pulls in EVERY POSSIBLE THING from the RadioReference.com databases.  As your SCANNER tries to SCAN through that massive list it will be searching elsewhere when some call comes in on a system you actually want to hear, and it will miss it.  Some scanners allow you to set Priority on systems, so all is not lost……but then it becomes a lot more complex than just putting your zip code in.

Let’s talk about some things we can do to improve listening and hear more of what you want to hear.
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I have gotten the police scanner bug again.  There are a lot of reasons to have a radio scanner (the proper term for police scanner) with the best reason being informed during emergencies.  Other reasons could include being aware of your surroundings, listening to news as it happens directly from the source, having knowledge of criminal activity in your area, or just plain old being a radio geek who likes to listen to stuff.

Ways To Listen

There are a few ways to listen.

• Having a dedicated hardware radio scanner
• Streaming from the internet on systems such as Broadcastify.  While these are handy and free you are going to hear one system at a time. In my case if I listen to my city system, I will completely miss the statewide system, the sheriff’s system, and all analog broadcasts.  You can listen to just one thing at a time.
• Streaming from smartphone apps (which mostly tie into Broadcastify). You should note that the internet streaming and apps generally are about 30 seconds to a minute or two behind real time.  Bad boys, bad boys could be busting down your door before you hear it on the iPhone app.
• Creating a software radio using an RTL-SDR USB radio device and software designed for digital trunking radio.

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