Discovering and Logging Radio IDs

20Oct 2020 by Phil No Comments

Radio IDs are a clues you can use

In this episode, Phil welcomes back guest Kenneth Fowler. They discuss how Kenneth logs and verifies the radio IDs he finds, issues you may run into, and developments in the hobby coming soon.

What You Will Learn in This Week's Podcast:

Everything that transmits on a trunk system documents itself with a radio ID.
Kenneth started in the scanner radio hobby because of friends who volunteered with the fire department.
Every digital radio and radio on a trunk system are programmed with an ID and alias so others know who you are when you broadcast.
When Kenneth uses Uniden scanners, he runs ProScan and has radio IDs display on the screen so he can determine what he wants to pay attention to based on who is broadcasting.
Radio IDs assignments can change, and the person using a particular radio with a particular ID can change, especially if they’re portables.
Kenneth started by logging IDs in a notebook, and he still keeps a hard copy but transfers the information into a spreadsheet.
Phil got interested in this when he wanted to map out an encrypted trunk system.
Many radio IDs are defined by department, location, or some other way of organizing the information, and it can help you figure out what each ID is on an encrypted system.
Sometimes Radio Reference will have collected radio IDs published on their wiki pages.
Different scanners and software have different ways of programming radio IDs.

More info:

Are you looking for your first scanner radio?

Download our new e-guide, “5 Thinks You Need to Know Before Buying Your First Scanner”. This free PDF is about 30 pages long and has 5 things you should look for, plus a few extra bonus items to make sure you make an educated purchase.

Find the right scanner for you!

Here are 5 Need to Know items to help you find and pick the right scanner radio for your area so you do not spend money on the wrong scanner and waste time with incorrect hardware or equipment