What is Zello and how to use it as a live scanner

A creative use for a popular app

Can you setup a private live scanner feed in a “PTT” app for your smartphone?  You bet you can!

Did you know you can use a free app to set up a live scanner feed?

How can you get started?

In this episode, Phil walks you through how to set up a live feed of your scanner radio using the free app Zello, including equipment you’ll need and how it compares to setting up a broadcast hosted on your own computer.

What You Need To Know

• Zello is a free app for your smartphone or other smart device that wasn’t originally built for the scanner radio hobby.
• Zello is a push-to-talk application that allows you to mimic the function of a two-way radio.
• It can be set up with “private rooms” where only one user can talk, or a few trusted users can talk, which makes it perfect for scanner radio broadcasts.
• There is almost no delay in the broadcast like there is with other online broadcasts.
• You can keep multiple rooms open at once.
• To broadcast your scanner, you need a Windows computer that’s always on, a wired Internet connection, a radio scanner with output through a patch cable, potentially an additional sound card depending on your setup, and a separate Zello account just for the live stream.
• Know what your audio input is.
• Turn on Vox and set the activation threshold and deactivation threshold.
• To listen to your channel, open the app on your phone and search for the group you’ve created.
• Phil has set up a Scanner School channel on Zello. Go to www.scannerschool.com/zello to get the link.

Links and Sources from this session:

• East Coast Pagers
• Be a guest on the Scanner School Podcast
• Broadcastify
• ProScan software
• Scanner School Club
• Ask Scanner School
• Scanner School Facebook Group
• Scanner School on Youtube
• Scanner School Instagram
• Scanner School Support
• USB Sound Card
• www.Scannerschool.com/zello 

Bonus Material:

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.

 

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Podcast Transcription:

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