Legality of a Scanner in my truck ?

In my Home state now...
Been listening to the Statewide Trunking System all day.
Local + Hwy Patrol.


Sure miss the old Misery Highway Patrol Lowband though...

 

Oh no, it is definitely not the agency. Believe me, if the agencies had their ways, nobody could pick up their radio traffic. It is one of the reasons that both cell phones and on board computers are used in most agencies that have moved out of the 20th Century.

And there actually is a certain amount of common sense behind it, though much of it is just that they don't want you to know what they are doing. But they really don't want the crooks/dopers/etc to be able to monitor their traffic, particularly in reference to their observations of said crooks/dopers/etc. And then there is the Lookie Lou" factor. If you have a major incident go down, you don't want a bunch of idiots out driving around the area just to "see what is going on."

 

I definitely think the apps are hurting the hobby..
Where agencies have gone to digital systems those Scanners are quite expensive.
They aren't even easy to program, due to system complexity.
(with the exception of the Uniden xHPs)

If I put up a scanner feed, anybody with a Smartphone can listen easily.

 

At minimum you should get the amateur radio technician study book (call Tiffany at www.w5yi.org) you can write this book off as an tax expense (keep your receipt).

And check out these new digital (some can pick up tdma/p25) po-po scanners:

Uniden
HOMEPATROL -2
BCD 536 HP
BCD 436 HP

Radio Shack

PRO 651
PRO 652

Whistler

WS 1065
WS 1080
WS 1040
aimhigh

 

Not sure of the new tax laws. But as of now The cost of getting your license and the antenna and the radio if you want one are tax deductible. Every thing for the truck is . Ham radio is so much better than CB. I run an older scanner that I get weather and ham radio on it among other things . Don't need a new one as this one does the job I want. There are a LOT of truckers that are ham operators.
Study and go for the General class license. it really isn't that hard. Well worth it. That by its definition will allow you to do much more and a tech savy cop cant argue due to your license class with a scanner. Best of luck in your decision. Be safe in all you do.

 

There seems to be a lot of confusion on the amateur license and scanning laws. Having the license does not exempt you from laws regarding normal scanners. It only pertains to an amateur radio which is also capable of receiving frequencies outside of the amateur bands. The common Bearcat, Uniden , etc. scanner is still illegal if that is state law.

And I have been stopped and aggressively questioned regarding the amateur radios in my truck, DOT cops didn't want to hear anything about licensing, etc. In every case they wanted me to justify why I had them, and I politely but simply replied "because I can". These are the type that just look for anything they don't like and then see if they can make up a law and write a ticket. Have had this happen about once every two years and almost always in mid-western states. Never in NY or NJ where the laws are strictest.