When theres nothing to do.

[Steve M]

I enjoy listening to the police scanners and Fire and Ambulance. Often I know the news before the reporters do.
I was wondering if your different areas allowed scanners or not. Another question, is if police codecs are similar across the continents. Below is an example of our codecs..

[DaveSims]

Police codes often differ from department to department, or even region to region.  Below is a link to a list of codes that our local uses.  The second link is a scanner of our local frequencies.

http://www.globegazette.com/app/multime ... /codes.pdf

http://www.globegazette.com/app/multimedia/scanner/

[Steve M]

[quote]Police codes often differ from department to department, or even region to region.

[DaveSims]

Most of those codes you won't hear on the radio.  The police usually just use the 10-codes during normal traffic.  There has been pressure post 9-11 to drop any codes and use plain language on the radio to avoid confusion (especially when working with other agencies), but most law enforcment agencies have been resistant.  I can't blame them, would you rather announce to scanner world you have a jumper or an 11-45?

[patchz]

I listened 40+ hours a week for 25 years and had to respond to anything and everything. I don't want to hear it anymore.

[eno]

Here in the UK everything is encrypted on the emegency service bands. Now if I remember correctly owning equipment able to decrypt the emergency bands is not illegal ....... but using said equipment to do so IS illegal.

You used to be able to listen to the police on a normal AM / FM radio.

It gave me and a friend hours of fun in the down at the local beach car park in the early hours of the morning. He had a white van the same make as the police ..... and fitted with a high powered torch on the passenger side (for his work) ...... couple that with the police frequency playing full blast and a slow cruise up and down the car park shining the torch at every car...... I'll leave the rest to your imaginations.

[Steve M]

I,ve actually heard some nice calls on the scanner and a few funny ones. The fire department got a kitten out of a tree for a little girl and when they handed her the kitten it jumped out of her arms and ran back up the tree..
I find the scanners more interesting than watching
television, after all TV shows anymore are Emergency,ER,Cops,badboys this and badboys that, ect..
I'm still surprised that the codecs are so regional though.

And Eno.. You were a badboy. 

[TacitBlue]

I used to listen to a fire scanner all the time when I worked as a security guard. One day I heard the fire department responding to a call at a weight loss center because someone was stuck in an exercise machine.

[Sir_Crashalot]

Listening to police, anbulance and firedepartment radio is not possible here anymore. It's all digitally encrypted. However; there are websites where you can read what is being said, including codes. The broadcasts can be up to a day old and never contain any private information.

Carlo

[Steve M]

Listening to police, anbulance and firedepartment radio is not possible here anymore. It's all digitally encrypted. However; there are websites where you can read what is being said, including codes. The broadcasts can be up to a day old and never contain any private information.

Carlo

I imagine that day is coming here also. As long as I have your attention, Crash.. What do the railroads use to communicate? In your area, I mean.   :)

[Steve M]

I used to listen to a fire scanner all the time when I worked as a security guard. One day I heard the fire department responding to a call at a weight loss center because someone was stuck in an exercise machine.

Those running machines can give you a helluva nose rub!

[Sir_Crashalot]

Listening to police, anbulance and firedepartment radio is not possible here anymore. It's all digitally encrypted. However; there are websites where you can read what is being said, including codes. The broadcasts can be up to a day old and never contain any private information.

Carlo

I imagine that day is coming here also. As long as I have your attention, Crash.. What do the railroads use to communicate? In your area, I mean.

[Steve M]

Thanks Carlo.. Quite interesting. My grandfather retired from a railroad out of Kansas in the 50's. I can't remember which rail service it was right now. After dinner we would walk to downtown Junction City and watch the 5:20 roll in to the station. He would explain to me how the engineers used the mile markers and light signals to tell them how to react to different situations. I wish I could remember all of what he told me but I was only 6 or 7 years at the time. I can still see and hear the locomotive hissing and squealing to a stop but can't put it into words anymore.