PHASE 2 TDMA …
The Uniden SDS100 is probably the scanner to buy (especially for portable use) if you live in an area that uses a simulcast 700/800 Mhz radio system (like most major cities / metro areas in the United States). Simulcast with the signals not reaching the radio at the precise instant can “confuse” other TDMA Phase 2 scanners, unless you are stationary and use a Yagi antenna aimed at one of the simulcast towers.
The Uniden SDS100 can be charged and used at the same time, but users have to enable that in the Settings. Press Menu > Settings > Battery Options > Set Charge while On > Enable. Charging may take longer when the radio is on compared to charging when the radio is off.
UNIDEN SCANNERS …
WHISTLER SCANNERS …
IMPORTANT ALERT …
Cardinal Note: As of June 5, 2013 — up to and including the date of this article — police incidents related to the police departments from Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg and Streamwood are not reported in real time or within a prompt time period. Police protecting their realm of investigation and police activity, have chosen to use secret military-grade encrypted radios to withhold their police communications, which were previously open to the public and news media via monitoring of public safety scanning radios — with no known negative results locally.
The delayed knowledge or entirely blacked out knowledge resulting from encrypted police communications may protect certain police operations and investigations, but it also puts the public at risk in situations such as when armed and dangerous offenders are at large and when other similar situations occur, such as when desperate offenders of property crimes are eluding police. In other cases, the delayed or blacked out information inhibits or prohibits the possibility of the public providing early witness accounts before a criminal trail goes cold. Citizens are much more likely to recognize or recall suspicious or criminal activity if they are aware of the criminal incident within minutes or hours of its occurrence. The most serious incident involving dire results would be a trail that is allowed to go cold in the case of child abduction.
The lack of real time information from public police dispatch also weakens an effective neighborhood watch program mostly working to prevent property loss, but also working to prevent possible violent crimes.
Lack of real time information from police dispatch also delays public awareness or eliminates public awareness of disasters, hazardous materials incidents, general hazards and traffic or other situations in everyday living in an otherwise economically thriving community. Without public police dispatch, reports of damage and dangers in the community, or emergency traffic situations causing blocked roads or congested roads are unreliable and inconsistent — or sometimes not revealed at all.
Police have alternate ways to transmit tactical, operational or investigative information, while still keeping their main public dispatch channels open for the best balance of a trusting partnership of community-police relations, public safety and police safety.
Get updates from The Cardinal CRIME BLOG ‘Plus’ on Facebook. Just ‘LIKE’ the ‘Arlington Cardinal Crime & Forensics’ Page (become a fan of our page). The updates cover all posts in the 24/7 Crime Alerts! and sub-categories. See all of The Cardinal Facebook fan pages at Arlingtoncardinal.com/about/facebook …
