How to Modify Police Scanners
By Marshal M. Rosenthal
A police scanner enables you to listen in on the conversations of law officials during the course of their daily or nightly routine. Police scanners can be adjusted to receive a number of frequencies, or "bands," where communication is taking place. You can modify the scanner so that it will receive additional frequencies, not just those programmed in by the manufacturer. The procedure is straightforward and will not cause any harm to the scanner.
Launch the computer's default Web browser by selecting it from the "Start" > "All Applications" pop-up menu. Enter the Web address for a radio frequency website, such as Radio Reference. (See Resources).
Enter your city and state in the appropriate drop-down menu on the webpage. Press the "Go" button next to the menus to bring up the information on frequencies in your area.
Write down the frequencies that you want to receive, for example, air traffic controllers from the nearest airport.
Press the power button on the scanner to turn it on. Press the "Prog" (program) button on the scanner. Enter one of the frequencies that you wrote down into the scanner using the number keys on the scanner's keypad.
Press the "Delay" button on the scanner immediately after entering the frequency. Then press "Enter" key to lock the new frequency into the scanner's operating system.
Repeat the entire procedure, beginning with the "Prog" key to enter in all of the frequencies that were written down.
References
Warnings
- Inserting new batteries into the scanner will cause all of the frequencies that you have entered to be erased.
Writer Bio
Marshal M. Rosenthal is a technology maven with more than 15 years of editorial experience. A graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography with a Bachelor of Arts in photographic arts, his editorial work has appeared both domestically as well as internationally in publications such as "Home Theater," "Electronic House," "eGear," "Computer and Video Games" and "Digitrends."