On my I-phone, I can get an app called "5-0 Radio". You can select your city/area and listen in on the radio traffic. Today I listened to it on the way home about a man with a long gun in someone's backyard. After @ 20 minutes they took one into custody.
Unfortunately, this isn't the old version where you hear every transmission, it's digital and all person to person traffic is encrypted. What you do hear is officer to dispatch and cross jurisdiction traffic. We did get a play-by-play on a fire the next building over at work since it was covered by 2 cities.
You can also listen to other major cities across the US for fun. I wish we had these back as teens driving to keep a heads up during late night acceleration and traction tests. It's a free app, just make sure you turn your screen off while listening to save the battery.
dashboard said
Feb 16, 2012
Way cool, kind of nice to know whats going on in the hood.
Chris R said
Feb 16, 2012
That would have come in handy for my younger days as well.
Robredy said
Feb 16, 2012
My wife has that on her I-phone. She has heard my best friend, who is a Hennepin County deputy, several times. She also turns it on if multiple emergency vehicles goes by our house. It is a cool app.
Pushrod said
Feb 16, 2012
Hey yoy might wanna check about having a police scanner in a motor vehicle it may not be legal
Derek69SS said
Feb 16, 2012
Wish there was an app to give GPS coordinates of all traffic enforcement vehicles.
John D said
Feb 17, 2012
The 1st few paragraphs:
299C.37 POLICE COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT; USE, SALE. Subdivision 1.Use regulated.(a) No person other than peace officers within the state, the members of the State Patrol, and persons who hold an amateur radio license issued by the Federal Communications Commission, shall equip any motor vehicle with any radio equipment or combination of equipment, capable of receiving any radio signal, message, or information from any police emergency frequency, or install, use, or possess the equipment in a motor vehicle without permission from the superintendent of the bureau upon a form prescribed by the superintendent. An amateur radio license holder is not entitled to exercise the privilege granted by this paragraph if the license holder has been convicted in this state or elsewhere of a crime of violence, as defined in section 624.712, subdivision 5, unless ten years have elapsed since the person has been restored to civil rights or the sentence has expired, whichever occurs first, and during that time the person has not been convicted of any other crime of violence. For purposes of this section, "crime of violence" includes a crime in another state or jurisdiction that would have been a crime of violence if it had been committed in this state. Radio equipment installed, used, or possessed as permitted by this paragraph must be under the direct control of the license holder whenever it is used. A person who is designated in writing by the chief law enforcement officer of a political subdivision issued a permit under subdivision 3 may use and possess radio equipment while in the course and scope of duties or employment without also having to obtain an individual permit.
Like most things, I tuned out shortly after No persons other than....
By the way, "On my way home from work" should obviously be translated to: "While walking on the sidewalk while complimenting the flow of traffic, I happened to find an interesting app for my phone. It was called 5-0 Radio. I thought it was about the '80s and '90s Mustangs when it completely surprised me to be a walkie talkie. Now being an upstanding suburbanite who also never watched drama shows with settings in Hawaii, I did was not aware of an urban correlation to the police and the apparent nickname 5-0 to thier fine profession......"
Chris R said
Feb 17, 2012
I dont think these aps fall under the same catagory as a police radio type of device. At least I dont think so, its not like you can communicate on that channel, its more for listening. Its still considered a phone according to the FCC. (Cell phones arent considered an amature radio, at least not currently. Cell phones dont use these type of radio waves.) Which is probably the reason that app is a legal download and can be taken anywhere you want.
Pushrod said
Feb 17, 2012
Chris please read the entire statute the word RADIO means The transmission and reception of electromagnetic waves of radio frequency, esp. those carrying sound messages..... AHHHH CELL PHONES
Derek69SS said
Feb 17, 2012
bowtie wrote:
By the way, "On my way home from work" should obviously be translated to: "While walking on the sidewalk while complimenting the flow of traffic, I happened to find an interesting app for my phone. It was called 5-0 Radio. I thought it was about the '80s and '90s Mustangs when it completely surprised me to be a walkie talkie. Now being an upstanding suburbanite who also never watched drama shows with settings in Hawaii, I did was not aware of an urban correlation to the police and the apparent nickname 5-0 to thier fine profession......"
There's an easier way...
Officer: "Can I see your phone?"
Bryan: "Can I see your warrant?"
Chris R said
Feb 17, 2012
I knew I should have included the words, "yes I clicked on the link and read the entire thing" I just knew it. Like I said, "I think" therfore I dont really know. However, cell phones use satellite signals and cellular signals to transfer communication instead of radio signals.
How else could you hear the police communications of El Paso, TX or something like that then? That must be one hell of a series of radio towers to keep transferring the signal across the country. Its because your recieving it through satellite signals and through the mobile web. I dont see any information on that link that mentions anything about cellular signals or satellites. My only thought is that radio signals have different FCC rules then cellular signals.
Bungy L-76 said
Feb 18, 2012
Chris R wrote:
I knew I should have included the words, "yes I clicked on the link and read the entire thing" I just knew it. Like I said, "I think" therfore I dont really know. However, cell phones use satellite signals and cellular signals to transfer communication instead of radio signals.
How else could you hear the police communications of El Paso, TX or something like that then? That must be one hell of a series of radio towers to keep transferring the signal across the country. Its because your recieving it through satellite signals and through the mobile web. I dont see any information on that link that mentions anything about cellular signals or satellites. My only thought is that radio signals have different FCC rules then cellular signals.
Let us know how that defense works out in court.
Chris R said
Feb 18, 2012
Bungy L-76 wrote:
Chris R wrote:
I knew I should have included the words, "yes I clicked on the link and read the entire thing" I just knew it. Like I said, "I think" therfore I dont really know. However, cell phones use satellite signals and cellular signals to transfer communication instead of radio signals.
How else could you hear the police communications of El Paso, TX or something like that then? That must be one hell of a series of radio towers to keep transferring the signal across the country. Its because your recieving it through satellite signals and through the mobile web. I dont see any information on that link that mentions anything about cellular signals or satellites. My only thought is that radio signals have different FCC rules then cellular signals.
Let us know how that defense works out in court.
Im not sure I follow you. I never proclaimed to be an expert not did I say anything about trying this. Im too cheap to own a smart phone and pay the extra 15 dollar a month data plan anyways. These type of phones arent worth the 100's of dollars some of these phones cost to me.
Perhaps we should settle this by getting an opinion from our resident law enforcment officer Jon H?
On my I-phone, I can get an app called "5-0 Radio". You can select your city/area and listen in on the radio traffic. Today I listened to it on the way home about a man with a long gun in someone's backyard. After @ 20 minutes they took one into custody.
Unfortunately, this isn't the old version where you hear every transmission, it's digital and all person to person traffic is encrypted. What you do hear is officer to dispatch and cross jurisdiction traffic. We did get a play-by-play on a fire the next building over at work since it was covered by 2 cities.
You can also listen to other major cities across the US for fun. I wish we had these back as teens driving to keep a heads up during late night acceleration and traction tests. It's a free app, just make sure you turn your screen off while listening to save the battery.
That would have come in handy for my younger days as well.
My wife has that on her I-phone. She has heard my best friend, who is a Hennepin County deputy, several times. She also turns it on if multiple emergency vehicles goes by our house. It is a cool app.
Hey yoy might wanna check about having a police scanner in a motor vehicle it may not be legal
Wish there was an app to give GPS coordinates of all traffic enforcement vehicles.
The 1st few paragraphs:
299C.37 POLICE COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT; USE, SALE.
Subdivision 1.Use regulated.(a) No person other than peace officers within the state, the members of the State Patrol, and persons who hold an amateur radio license issued by the Federal Communications Commission, shall equip any motor vehicle with any radio equipment or combination of equipment, capable of receiving any radio signal, message, or information from any police emergency frequency, or install, use, or possess the equipment in a motor vehicle without permission from the superintendent of the bureau upon a form prescribed by the superintendent. An amateur radio license holder is not entitled to exercise the privilege granted by this paragraph if the license holder has been convicted in this state or elsewhere of a crime of violence, as defined in section 624.712, subdivision 5, unless ten years have elapsed since the person has been restored to civil rights or the sentence has expired, whichever occurs first, and during that time the person has not been convicted of any other crime of violence. For purposes of this section, "crime of violence" includes a crime in another state or jurisdiction that would have been a crime of violence if it had been committed in this state. Radio equipment installed, used, or possessed as permitted by this paragraph must be under the direct control of the license holder whenever it is used. A person who is designated in writing by the chief law enforcement officer of a political subdivision issued a permit under subdivision 3 may use and possess radio equipment while in the course and scope of duties or employment without also having to obtain an individual permit.
Read the whole thing
Like most things, I tuned out shortly after No persons other than....
By the way, "On my way home from work" should obviously be translated to: "While walking on the sidewalk while complimenting the flow of traffic, I happened to find an interesting app for my phone. It was called 5-0 Radio. I thought it was about the '80s and '90s Mustangs when it completely surprised me to be a walkie talkie. Now being an upstanding suburbanite who also never watched drama shows with settings in Hawaii, I did was not aware of an urban correlation to the police and the apparent nickname 5-0 to thier fine profession......"
I dont think these aps fall under the same catagory as a police radio type of device. At least I dont think so, its not like you can communicate on that channel, its more for listening. Its still considered a phone according to the FCC. (Cell phones arent considered an amature radio, at least not currently. Cell phones dont use these type of radio waves.) Which is probably the reason that app is a legal download and can be taken anywhere you want.
Chris please read the entire statute the word RADIO means The transmission and reception of electromagnetic waves of radio frequency, esp. those carrying sound messages..... AHHHH CELL PHONES
There's an easier way...
Officer: "Can I see your phone?"
Bryan: "Can I see your warrant?"
I knew I should have included the words, "yes I clicked on the link and read the entire thing" I just knew it. Like I said, "I think" therfore I dont really know. However, cell phones use satellite signals and cellular signals to transfer communication instead of radio signals.
How else could you hear the police communications of El Paso, TX or something like that then? That must be one hell of a series of radio towers to keep transferring the signal across the country. Its because your recieving it through satellite signals and through the mobile web. I dont see any information on that link that mentions anything about cellular signals or satellites. My only thought is that radio signals have different FCC rules then cellular signals.
Let us know how that defense works out in court.
Im not sure I follow you. I never proclaimed to be an expert not did I say anything about trying this. Im too cheap to own a smart phone and pay the extra 15 dollar a month data plan anyways. These type of phones arent worth the 100's of dollars some of these phones cost to me.
Perhaps we should settle this by getting an opinion from our resident law enforcment officer Jon H?