RAILforum: Scanner advice?

This is topic Scanner advice? in forum Amtrak at RAILforum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.railforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/11/478.html

Posted by mho357 (Member # 1204) on :

My apologies if this is the wrong forum for this question.

We are taking a two+ week trip in June and I have purchased a small scanner (Icom IC-R2) so that I can have an idea of what is going on during our trip. I am not a railfan by any stretch of the imagination. I bought this thing primarily just to give me something else to do during the trip. Also, I wanted to have some insight into what was going on whenever we were delayed.

Anyway, my plan is to program the thing with all of the AAR frequencies plus the defect detector frequencies. I have read Steve's comments but I'm not sure that I'm savvy enough with the railroad or the radio to be able to be selective about the channels that I scan. Also, we will be covering a good portion of the eastern U.S. and riding a lot of different trains.

I was just wondering if anyone might like to share experiences or wisdom.

Thanks,

Mark

Posted by Southwest Chief (Member # 1227) on :

I have the same scanner Steve has and I programed the first couple of banks with the AAR frequencies (actually banks 1 to 5). I travel on the Southwest Chief frequently, so I programed bank 6 with all the frequencies the Chief uses. This way when I'm on the Chief I just scan bank 6. I live close to the BNSF mainline in Southern California(really close to the BNSF-Metrolink colision!) so I programed bank 7 for all the frequencies used by them in the area. Banks 8 to 10 are unused except for some local police frequencies. I'm not familiar with the east coast, but I hope this info can help.

Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :

Have a look at http://communities.prodigy.net/trains/amtfreq.htm, which is also useful for listing railroad frequencies. My scanner can scan the 90+ frequencies in just over a second, so I usually just let it go. You might miss the first syllable of a transmission at that rate.

However, if I'm fairly sure I know the only frequency that's being used, then I might switch it to that channel only. More useful for stretches of track in the wilderness, rather than city/junction areas, where you might miss a useful transmission.

Geoff M.

Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

I got my first scanner last Christmas and I have really enjoyed it.

Geoffm's link didn't work for me. Trainweb has the pretty much the same information here: http://www.trainweb.com/cgi-bin/top/tw_do.cgi?radio/index.htm

If you look at route frequencies you will see that one frequency will be in effect for a given leg of your journey and change every few hundred miles.

One caution: unless you are in a sleeper with the door closed, always use headphones when listening so as not to disturb others. Also, do not repeat what you hear to other passengers. The on-board crew won't appreciate it. It could also get you into legal hot water. Just remember, listening is OK, repeating what you hear is not. (This goes for anything you hear on a scanner, like police calls, not just what you hear on the train).

------------------
Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

The Del Monte Club Car

[This message has been edited by Mr. Toy (edited 05-01-2002).]

Posted by mho357 (Member # 1204) on :

Thanks to all of you for the information. I was aware about headphones and repeating what you know. It's good to remind everybody about these things.

Cheers,

Mark

Posted by royaltrain (Member # 622) on :

A question for Mr. Toy: why would anyone be in "legal hot water" by repeating what was heard over a scanner? After all a scanner is just a radio receiver, what would be the difference between repeating something heard over a commercial am/fm station as opposed to a scanner? I live in Canada and radio frequencies are public property in this country. Is there a different situation in the U.S.?

Posted by mho357 (Member # 1204) on :

quote:
Originally posted by royaltrain:
A question for Mr. Toy: why would anyone be in "legal hot water" by repeating what was heard over a scanner? After all a scanner is just a radio receiver, what would be the difference between repeating something heard over a commercial am/fm station as opposed to a scanner? I live in Canada and radio frequencies are public property in this country. Is there a different situation in the U.S.?

If Mr. Toy will forgive me for answering a question directed to him...

From http://www.nf2g.com/scannist/us_laws.html

To protect the users of the radio spectrum from misuse of their communications, the US Government has enacted legislation to spell out the obligations of any listeners. The earliest and possibly the best known of these laws is contained in the Communications Act of 1934 and is now called Section 705, or popularly "the Privacy Act."

Section 705 (47 USCA 605) states that it is unlawful to disclose the content of radio transmissions overheard unless they are amateur radio traffic, broadcasts to the public or distress calls. It is unlawful under this section to use traffic monitored for personal gain. This might include a tow truck operator going to accident calls heard over a scanner if a response has not been requested, or a taxicab driver jumping calls dispatched to other companies.

I'm pretty sure that I have read from other sources that it is illegal to repeat something that you heard on a scanner.

Mark

Posted by royaltrain (Member # 622) on :

Thank you Mark for your interesting and informative reply as well as the links you provided. In Canada, as far as I can determine, no restrictions are in effect regarding the scanning of radio frequencies. I have used my scanner many times when travelling on trains in the U.S., and I had no idea that I could be committing an offence by telling a fellow passenger that I just heard the engineer give the highball, or heard a hot box detector give the all clear. Perhaps I should keep my scanner concealed from the prying eyes of any FCC inspectors who may happen to be on board.

Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :

Try http://communities.prodigy.net/trains/amtfreq.htm

without the comma at the end. It is similar to Trainweb's one, but with better layout and more information generally, IMHO.

Geoff M.