February 14, 2010

Radio Shack PRO-107 iSCAN Radio Scanner

RadioShack has just released its all new PRO-107 iSCAN radio. The PRO-107 iSCAN radio is the first of its type to have the look and feel of an mp3 player or even the Apple iPhone.

 iSCAN combines the simplicity and ease-of-use of a portable media player with the power and sophistication of a state-of-the-art radio scanning receiver.

DISCLAIMER: Now, I have not had the oportunity to try the iSCAN radio as I already have a trunking two trunking scanners for use, but I did read the iSCAN manual (although, I am gonna save up to try it).

No Programming Neccessary!

I can already tell what the best feature the PRO-107 iSCAN radio sports. That would be that all frequencies are already programmed into the iSCAN! The entire USA database from RadioReference is stored in on a standard SD card that is included with iSCAN!

This means no more programming! What could be more easier than that! You simply select from a list your state, county and city and of course you can choose multiple cities/regions to monitor. You can then add your selections to any one of 20 customized playlist.

The iSCAN radio runs on two AA batteries and has a simplified keypad and display with familiar play, pause, and navigation controls, similar to an mp3 player (check out the manual  for a peek).

Bottom line: The iSCAN radio is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket and seems to be an outstanding choice for novices and those who don't wish to "play" with the scanner, but rather just listen.

Check out some of these features:
  • Triple Trunking Handheld Scanner
  • Motorola Analog, EDACS, LTR Trunking 
  • MP3 Player Style Controls
  • SAME (FIPS) / Weather alert
  • Skywarn
  • Spectrum Sweeper
  • Backlit Keypad and Display
  • PC Interface
  • And MUCH MUCH MORE! (Too many to list here! See our trusted partner, Scannermaster, for a complete list of features and reviews!) 
Frequency Coverage:  
  • VHF Low: 25.0000 - 54.0000 MHz
  • VHF Aircraft: 108.0000 - 136.9916 MHz
  • VHF High: 137.0000 - 174.0000 MHz
  • VHF High: 216.0025 - 222.2500 MHz
  • VHF High: 225.0025 - 405.9550 MHz 
  • UHF Low/T: 406.0000 - 512.0000
  • UHF High: 806.0000 - 960.0000 MHz (excluding cellular)
  • UHF High: 1240.0000 - 1300.000 MHz
Box Includes:
  • RS PRO-107 iSCAN Radio Scanner
  • Rubber Antenna
  • USB Cable
  • SD Memory Card
  • CD-ROM
  • User Manual 
Get it now at our Trusted Partner
Scannermaster for Only $229.95!

If you have a review or comment on the Radio Shack PRO-107 iSCAN, share it with other scannerheads in the comment section!

That's it for now, till next time stay safe and don't forget to subscribe to my blog.

- RF
Your Bloghost & Webmaster @ Police-Scanner.info

February 3, 2010

National Weather Service (NWS) 24-Hour Weather Broadcast

For those of you who do not know about NOAA's 24-hour automated weather broadcasts, I thought I would cover it in this post. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) continually broadcasts updated weather conditions, warnings, advisories, and forecasts 24-hours a day nationwide from the NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) data center.

NOAA WEATHER BROADCAST RADIO IS THE BEST MEANS TO RECEIVE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. These broadcasts can be received by NOAA Weather Radios sold in many departments stores and by most police radio scanners.

Nationwide NWS Broadcast Station Frequencies

One or more of the following NWS channels can be heard in most areas of the U.S. Most scanners come with these channels pre-programmed and accessed by a one-touch button labeled "WX".

If you have an older model scanner or your scanner does not have a one-touch weather button, simply program these frequencies into your scanner to find the one for your area. Or, if your scanner has a search feature, search between 162.400 and 162.550.

Channel - Frequency

Ch.1 - 162.550
Ch.2 - 162.400
Ch.3 - 162.475
Ch.4 - 162.425
Ch.5 - 162.450
Ch.6 - 162.500
Ch.7 - 162.525

You can also find the location and frequency of your nearest NOAA Weather Radio transmitter by using the index located on the following page:

National Weather Service - Radio Transmitter Stations http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrbro.htm#nwrstations

Scanning Severe Weather Conditions

IF YOU HAVE A SCANNER, MONITOR THE WEATHER FREQUENCIES LISTED ABOVE FOR THE LATEST WEATHER ADVISORIES AND CURRENT CONDITIONS AS WELL AS YOUR LOCAL POLICE & FIRE FREQUENCIES!

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A SCANNER, MONITOR YOUR LOCAL TV OR NEWS RADIO FOR THE LATEST NEWS AND/OR ADVISORIES! MAKE SURE you stock extra batteries for your scanner or portable radio.

Weather Links & Resources 

National Weather Service (NWS)
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
http://www.noaa.gov/

NOAA National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

National Skywarn - Severe Weather
http://www.skywarn.net/

US Doppler Radar Sites
http://weather.noaa.gov/radar/national.html

Intellicast Weather
http://www.intellicast.com/

The Weather Channel
http://www.weather.com/

AccuWeather.com
http://www.accuweather.com/

NOAA Significant Event Imagery
http://www.osei.noaa.gov/OSEIiod.html

Hurricane Preparedness
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/intro.shtml

That's it for now. Till next time, stay safe! As always, if you have a comment or addition to this post, please feel free to share it with others in the comment section and please subscribe to this blog.

-RF
Your Bloghost & Webmaster @ Police-Scanner.info