Don't buy the wrong scanner

1. Is your police department encrypted?

Check this first. Encrypted means the radio traffic is scrambled with a key. No scanner can play it: not a $950 model, not a “decoder,” and not a software trick. If the main reason you want a scanner is police, and they're encrypted, don't buy one for that.

2. What's still open: fire, EMS, something else?

Encryption is usually partial. In most of the counties we've checked, fire and EMS dispatch is still on the air even where police are dark. If fire, medical calls and storms matter to you, a scanner can still be worth it.

3. Is what's open analog or digital?

This decides the price.

• Analog (about $115–140). Plain, old-style radio. Cheap scanners hear it well. They can't follow digital systems. That's the most common wrong buy: an analog scanner in a digital county.
• Digital, P25 Phase II (about $350–600). Most modern county systems. Look for “P25 Phase II” on the box. “Digital” alone isn't enough.
• Digital with simulcast support (about $690–950). For big systems that broadcast from several towers at once. Uniden's SDS series is built for this.

4. Do you want to program it yourself?

Scanners take setup. Reviewers of one popular analog model call it “mind-numbingly difficult to program.” If you'd rather plug it in and listen, buy one that's pre-programmed. ScannerMaster sells them that way.