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.

×