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Author Topic: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question  (Read 10327 times)

Offline n00b

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Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« on: March 09, 2010, 05:59:44 PM »
With people using handheld Radios (not the hi-tech ones that police use, but they're also not the wallmart walkie-talkies), is there anyway I can find out the frequency they are on and broadcast on it?  I'd assume I'd need a scanner and a CB Radio or something like that.. Any help would be appreciated.
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Offline Skunkworks

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2010, 06:28:56 PM »
Why not use the googles? http://www.google.com/search?q=frs+frequency+list

I hear they have a lot of secret information like this!
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Offline nyphonejacks

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2010, 07:00:08 PM »
Quote from: n00b on March 09, 2010, 05:59:44 PM
With people using handheld Radios (not the hi-tech ones that police use, but they're also not the wallmart walkie-talkies), is there anyway I can find out the frequency they are on and broadcast on it?  I'd assume I'd need a scanner and a CB Radio or something like that.. Any help would be appreciated.

and what exactly makes the police radio's so high tech? analog 400Mhz radios (NYPD)??? granted there are SOME smaller police departments that upgraded there radios to a digital system - with homeland security money from the phedz that they did not need, cause seriously, aside from NYC, DC, and perhaps a hand full of other major cities in the country there is no need to distribute homeland security money anywhere else... seriously, could you picture alqueda trying to attack iowa or some other ass backwards inbred state?

i have the privlidge of living in a city that does not have a walmart (NYC) so i do not know what kind of "walkie talkies" that they use... but i would assume, they are similar to what the pigs use, just different frequencies...

here is a good place to look for frequencies http://www.cityfreq.com/

then there is also the book that radio shack publishes annually (i think it even came with a CD last time I bought one)

or you could search on the FCCs website...

you will need to know what frequencies that you want to monitor or talk on before you are able to know what equiptment that you will need...

most people end up just using GMRS & FRS radios which use these frequencies http://www.ba-marc.org/writeups/gmrs-frs-freq.htm

GMRS requires a license - and depending on the equiptment that you purchace/use you may also need a license for FRS

other than that -
here is the frequencies for a 40 channel CB
http://www.techlib.com/reference/CB.htm

here are the marine frequencies and NOAA frequencies
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/vhf.htm


learning about RF and scanning around can be fun...
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Offline Godot

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #3 on: March 10, 2010, 09:49:06 AM »
I suggest trying to look it up first. There are plenty of resources on and off line for that kind of thing. Just see the previous posts.

Failing that, you could get a frequency counter, and try to get near them with it when they are transmitting. The only problem is that you have to be pretty close to get a good reading. I have one that can be set to remember a frequency when it gets a strong enough signal. Just keep it in your pocket, and when you see the guy transmitting, walk right by him as close as possible. Then pull out your counter, and make sure you got it.

Keep in mind repeater offsets. If they are not using a repeater, then the frequency from the counter is all you need. However, if the person is using a repeater, you only have the input, or the frequency used to transmit to the repeater. For scanner purposes, you usually want the repeater output, the frequency on which repeater retransmits the signals on. Listening to the output gives you a more consistent and usually stronger signal. If the frequency is near 150 MHz, expect the output to be 600 KHz above or below the input. For around 450 MHz, the offset is usually 5 MHz.
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Offline rbcp

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #4 on: March 10, 2010, 10:01:22 AM »
All the new Radio Shack scanners have that "signal stalker" feature that works just like a frequency counter.  But it seems to pick them up from a lot longer range that any of the frequency counters I've owned in the past.  I never have to be near the people transmitting anymore.
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Offline nyphonejacks

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #5 on: March 10, 2010, 04:14:56 PM »
Quote from: rbcp on March 10, 2010, 10:01:22 AM
All the new Radio Shack scanners have that "signal stalker" feature that works just like a frequency counter.  But it seems to pick them up from a lot longer range that any of the frequency counters I've owned in the past.  I never have to be near the people transmitting anymore.

good to know... wasn't sure if the "signal stalker" that they advertise on the boxes of the newer scanners was worth anything..

guess i am going to have to upgrade from my pro-95...

any recommendations? i want to try to keep it in the $200 range... most of the scanners that i look at with digital capabilities are like $400-500 and i just do not use the scanner enough to justify that kind of expense (plus not sure what benefit going digital would provide me, since NYPD/NYFD use analog, and MTA uses an analog trunked system)
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Offline Lestan Gregor

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2010, 06:09:57 PM »
Quote from: nyphonejacks on March 10, 2010, 04:14:56 PM
Quote from: rbcp on March 10, 2010, 10:01:22 AM
All the new Radio Shack scanners have that "signal stalker" feature that works just like a frequency counter.  But it seems to pick them up from a lot longer range that any of the frequency counters I've owned in the past.  I never have to be near the people transmitting anymore.

good to know... wasn't sure if the "signal stalker" that they advertise on the boxes of the newer scanners was worth anything..

guess i am going to have to upgrade from my pro-95...

any recommendations? i want to try to keep it in the $200 range... most of the scanners that i look at with digital capabilities are like $400-500 and i just do not use the scanner enough to justify that kind of expense (plus not sure what benefit going digital would provide me, since NYPD/NYFD use analog, and MTA uses an analog trunked system)

The signal stalker feature is pretty cool. Heres a good base rig thats non digital that will do a good job for you : http://universal-radio.com/catalog/scanners/0015.html


To the OP: Check out this website: www.radioreference.com
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Offline AmishGangsta

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2010, 06:03:02 AM »
If you want portability, the handheld version of the one Lestan mentioned would work well for you too.

http://www.uniden.com/products/productdetail.cfm?product=BC346XT

The highest price I saw on Google Shopping wasn't much past $200.00.

With regard to "Signal Stalker," I thought it was a big deal before I had it but, at least on my Pro-106, it doesn't seem to be that effective.
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Offline nyphonejacks

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #8 on: March 12, 2010, 07:11:11 AM »
the BC346XT can not be the portable version of the BCT15X  base unit... it does not include the 700Mhz spectrum as the base unit does...

i am not sure that there will be anything worth scanning on the 700Mhz spectrum in the future when 4G comes out... but am concerned that they may block out this range of frequencies in future radios when it starts to be used for cellular - like the 800Mhz band is "censored" from cellular frequencies...

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Offline AmishGangsta

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #9 on: March 12, 2010, 10:23:52 AM »
Quote from: nyphonejacks on March 12, 2010, 07:11:11 AM
the BC346XT can not be the portable version of the BCT15X  base unit... it does not include the 700Mhz spectrum as the base unit does...

Sorry, I was thinking of the BR330T.

Quote from: nyphonejacks on March 12, 2010, 07:11:11 AM
i am not sure that there will be anything worth scanning on the 700Mhz spectrum in the future when 4G comes out... but am concerned that they may block out this range of frequencies in future radios when it starts to be used for cellular - like the 800Mhz band is "censored" from cellular frequencies...

According to Radioreference the BCT15 came out in 2006; the fact that they went out of their way to not include 700mhz in the 346XT, which came out in 2009, says you might be right about this... According to some the majority of 700mhz usage is supposed to be MDT data...
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The only acceptable form of commerce is a proper and shady cash-only weapons deal.

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Offline immabadspellor_

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #10 on: March 14, 2010, 07:23:26 AM »
If money isn't much of an object...
http://www.optoelectronics.com/xplorer.htm
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Offline Godot

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2010, 07:45:34 PM »
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Offline Z3R0-K001

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #12 on: May 19, 2010, 04:16:03 PM »
you could scan if you equipment allows, i found my  old Middle schools freq. by scanning. but this is much better because the freq. my be different were you are located.
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Offline MetatronUK

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #13 on: June 06, 2010, 01:07:45 AM »
Not sure if you can get them in the US but there are bound to be companies online that will be willing to ship them to you, but the Uniden Bearcat UBC-3500XLT  goes from 25MHz - 1.3GHz with no gaps, although most scanners in the UK have no gaps. Uniden scanners mostly have Close Call, which is the same idea as  "signal stalker"

If you want something with a wider range the AR8200 Mark 3 will go from 500kHz - 3000MHz with no gaps. If you want to transmit as well the Icom IC-E90 can be easily modified to cover a much wider Tx range  and will receive from  0.495-999.990MHz with no gaps. If you really like Icom the IC-R20 scanner goes from 0.150 to 3304.999MHz with no gaps.
« Last Edit: June 06, 2010, 01:20:57 AM by MetatronUK »
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Offline Godot

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Re: Handheld Radio Frequencies Question
« Reply #14 on: June 06, 2010, 05:32:30 PM »
No gaps? According to RadioReference: http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/UBC3500XLT
Quote
Frequency Coverage

    * 25 - 512 MHz
    * 806 - 960 MHz
    * 1240 - 1300 MHz
Doesn't look perfectly continuous, but it doesn't appear to have the cell range blocked like all modern US scanners.
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