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(200-0126)            A General Guide to Scanning     Faxback Doc. # 19705

BIRDIES

Birdies are the products of internally generated signals that make some
frequencies difficult or impossible to receive.  If you program one of
these frequencies, you hear only noise on that frequency.

If the interference is not severe, you might be able to rotate SQUELCH
clockwise to cut out the birdie.  The most common birdies to watch for are
listed below.

Birdie Frequencies

             Low Band        Hi Band           UHF Band

            30.730 MHz     140.795 MHz         384.000 MHz
            30.740 MHz     140.805 MHz         396.800 MHz
            32.080 MHz     143.430 MHz         409.600 MHz
            32.105 MHz     143.440 MHz         422.400 MHz
            38.390 MHz     153.595 MHz         435.200 MHz
            38.410 MHz     153.605 MHz
            40.975 MHz     153.675 MHz
            40.990 MHz     153.685 MHz
            44.795 MHz     163.920 MHz
            44.805 MHz     163.935 MHz
            51.195 MHz     166.395 MHz
            51.235 MHz     166.405 MHz

RECEPTION NOTES

Reception on the frequencies covered by your Pro-57 is mainly "line of
sight."  That means you usually cannot hear stations at your listening
location that are beyond the horizon.

During the summer months, you might be able to hear stations in the 30-50
MHz range located several hundred or even thousands of miles away.  This is
due to summer atmospheric condition.  This type of reception is
unpredictable but often very interesting!

One very useful service is the National Weather Service's continuous
weather broadcasts.  These broadcasts contain weather broadcasts and data
for the area around the station, plus bulletins on any threatening weather
conditions.  These stations use three frequencies - 162.40, 162.475, or
162.55 MHz.  In most areas of the country, you can receive one of these
frequencies.

GUIDE TO THE ACTION BANDS

With the right frequencies programmed into your Pro-57, you can monitor
very exciting events.  With a little investigation, you can find
frequencies that are active in your community.  Each area of the country
can and does use different frequencies.  We can give you some general
pointers, and you can take it from there.

Find out if there is a local club that monitors your community's
frequencies.  Perhaps a local electronics repair shop that works on
equipment similar to your scanner can give you channel frequencies used by
local services.  A volunteer police department or fire department employee
can also be a good source for this information.

As a general rule on VHF, most activity is concentrated between 153.785 and
155.98 MHz and between 153.73 and 159.45 MHz.  Here you will find local
government, police, fire, and most other emergency services.  If you are
near a railroad yard or major railroad tracks, look around 160.0 and 161.9
MHz for signals.

In some larger cities, there has been a move to the UHF bands for
emergency services.  Here, most of the activity is between 453.025 and
453.95 MHz and between 456.025 and 459.95 MHz.

In the UHF band, the overall spreads of 456.025-459.95 and 465.025-469.975
MHz are used by mobile units and control stations associated with base and
repeater units that operate 5 MHz lower (that is, 451.025 -454.95 and
460.025-464.975  MHz).  This means that if you find an active frequency
inside one of the mobile unit's frequency spreads, you can look 5 MHz lower
(or higher, as the case may be) to find the major base station/repeater for
that radio service.

Frequencies in the VHF bands are accessible in 5 kHz steps.  In the UHF
 bands, frequencies are 12.5 kHz apart.  Your Pro-57 automatically sounds
the entered frequency down to the nearest valid frequency.  For example if
you try to enter a frequency of 151.473, the Pro-57 accepts this entry as
151.470.

TYPICAL BAND USAGE

The following is a brief listing of the services that typically use the
bands received by your scanner.  This listing can help you decide which
ranges you would like to scan.

Abbreviations:

BA...........................................Remote Broadcast (Radio & TV)
CA..................................................General Mobile (Radio)
CAP.......................................................Civil Air Patrol
IB................................................................Business
IF.........................................................Forest Products
IM.................................................Motion Picture Industry
IP......................................................Petroleum Industry
IS........................Special Industrial (Construction, Farming, etc.)
IT...................................................Telephone Maintenance
IW...............................................Power and Water Utilities
IX...........................................................Manufacturers
IY.......................................Relay Press (newspaper reporters)
LA.......................................Automotive Emergency (tow trucks)
LJ..................................................Motor Carriers, Trucks
LR................................................................Railroad
LU...................................................Motor Carriers, Buses
LX....................................................................Taxi
MC...............................Maritime Limited Coast (private stations)
MG.......................................Maritime Government (Coast Guard)
MP................................Maritime Public Coast (marine telephone)
MS.......................................................Maritime Shipyard
PF....................................................................Fire
PH.....................................................Highway Maintenance
PL........................................................Local Government
PM........................................................Medical Services
PO...................................................Forestry Conservation
PP..................................................................Police
PS.......................................................Special Emergency
RA.............................................Mobile Telephone (Aircraft)
RC.................................Mobile Telephone (radio common carrier)
RT...................................Mobile Telephone (landline companies)
BIFC..........................................Boise Interagency Fire Cache

Government Agencies:

UAF..............................................................Air Force
UAR...................................................................Army
UBW............................International Boundary & Water Laboratories
UCE.....................................Environmental Resarch Laboratories
UCF.............................................Maritime Fisheries Service
UCG............................................................Coast Guard
UCM................................................Maritime Administration
UCO...........................................................Ocean Survey
UCP................................................National Capitol Police
UCW...............................................National Weather Service
UCX.................................................Department of Commerce
UEP........................................Environmental Protection Agency
UER...................................................Department of Energy
UFA........................................Federal Aviation Administration
UFC......................................Federal Communications Commission
UGC..............................................Soil Conservation Service
UGF.........................................................Forest Service
UGS........................................General Services Administration
UGX..............................................Department of Agriculture
UHW................................Department of Health and Human Services
UIB........................................Bonneville Power Administration
UIF.................................Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife
UIG......................................................Geological Survey
UII...............................................Bureau of Indian Affairs
UIL..............................................Bureau of Land Management
UIM........................................................Bureau of Mines
UIP..................................................National Park Service
UIR..................................................Bureau of Reclamation
UIS......................................Southwestern Power Administration
UIX.............................................Department of the Interior
UNO.........................................................United Nations
UNS...................................................................NASA
UPO.........................................................Postal Service
USA................................................Federal Government Misc
USD.......................................................State Department
USN...................................................................Navy
UTC......................................................Bureau of Customs
UTM.....................................................Bureau of the Mint
UTR...........................................Department of Transportation
UTV.............................................Tennessee Valley Authority
UTX....................................................Treasury Department
UVA................................................Veterans Administration
UXX.............................................................Classified

30 - 50 MHz BAND

30.00 - 30.55..........................................USA,UAR,USN,UCG,UAF
30.58 - 31.98...............................................IS,IP,IB,LU,PO
32.00 - 32.99..................................USA,UAR,USN,UCG,UGX,UAF,UIR
33.02 - 33.98............................................PS,PH,IS,IB,IP,PF
34.01 - 34.99..........................UCG,UER,USA,UAR,UAF,USN,UGX,UIP,UIF
35.02 - 35.98............................................IB,IT,RC,RT,IS,PS
36.01 - 36.99...............UIX,UER,USA,UAR,USN,UTR,UCO,IP,UHW,UGF,UGX,UAF
37.02 - 37.98...............................................PP,PL,IQ,PH,PS
38.27 - 38.99..........................USA,USN,UGX,UGF,UAR,UAF,UIX,UTX,UVA
39.02 - 39.98........................................................PP,PL
40.01 - 41.99............UIA,UAR,IP,UAF,USA,UVA,UER,USN,UIF,UIR,UTV,UIM,IP
                                              UIX,UEP,UCG,UIL BIFC,UHW,UTX
42.02 - 42.94...........................................................PP
42.96 - 43.68............................................IB,IS,IT,RC,RT,PS
43.70 - 44.60........................................................LU,LJ
44.62 - 46.58............................................PP,PO,PL,PH,PF,PS
46.61 - 46.99.................................USA,UIL,BIFC,UAF,UAR,UGX,UGF
47.02 - 49.58............................................PH,PS,IS,IW,IF,IP
49.61 - 49.99..............................UIL,UAR,UGC,UAF,UAR,UGX,UGF,USA

150 - 173 MHz BAND

150.775 - 151.985.....................................PM,LA,IF,PH,PO,IS,IB
152.0075- 152.840........................................PM,RC,LX,IF,IB,RT
152.870 - 153.725........................................IM,IS,IP,IX,IF,IW
153.740 - 156.240.....................................PL,PF,IS,IB,PP,PM,PH
156.255 - 157.450........................................IP,MC,MS,MG,MP,PM
157.470 - 158.700.........................LA,LX,IF,IS,IB,RT,IW,IP,IX,IT,RC
158.730 - 159.480...........................................PP,PL,PH,PO,IP
159.495 - 161.565....................................................LR,LJ
161.580 - 162.000..............................................IP,MC,BA,MP
162.025 - 173.9875.........................UIL,UAR,UGC,UAF,UAR,UGX,UGF,USA

406 - 512 MHz BAND

406.125 - 419.975...............................................Misc.Govt.
450.050 - 450.925.......................................................BA
451.000 - 451.700...........................................IW,IF,IP,IT,IX
451.725 - 452.175..............................................IS,IF,IP,LX
452.200 - 452.950..............................................LX,LJ,LR,LA
452.975 - 453.975........................................IY,PL,PH,PF,PO,PP
454.000 - 457.600........................................IP,RC,RT,RA,BA,IB
458.025 - 467.925...............................PM,PP,IB,IX,IF,IP,IT,IW,GM
482.000 - 508.9875.....................................Mixed Public Safety

Unlike the lower bands, frequencies in the 800 MHz band are not allocated 
by the FCC to specific services.  In each area, the channels are licensed
on a first-come, first served basis.  There are two categories for
licensing: Public Safety and Industrial.  Systems using one to five channels might use trunked service, but all systems with more than five
channels must use a trunked service.

851.0125 - 855.9875...................................Conventional Systems
856.0125 - 860.9875................................Conventional or Trunked
861.0000 - 865.9875........................................Trunked Systems
866.0000 - 869.9999.....................................Reserved-Satellite

You might discover one of your regular stations on another frequency that
is not listed.  It might be known as an "image."  For example,  you
suddenly find 453.2750 also on 474.8750.  To see if it is an image, do a
little math.  Double the intermediate frequency of 10.7 MHz and subtract
that number (21.4 MHz) from the new frequency.  If the answer is the
regular frequency, you have tuned to an image.  Occasionally, you might get
interference on a weak or distant channel from a strong broadcast 21.4 MHz 
below the tuned frequency.  This is rare, and the image signal is usually
cleared whenever there is a broadcast on the actual frequency.


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