Crackhead944S

Anyone using the Uni-den bearcat scanner? From what I have read it is more of a police officer detector, keying on their portable radios that get boosted by the patrol car.

BTW, I have a friend who is due for a major ticket. He drives a BMW to work at a somewhat moderate pace and should either slow down or get some protection.

Ron_H

I use a Bear Tracker. It is on most of the time I'm on the road, and it compromises my enjoyment of whatever is on the CD player or radio. But I pay attention to it. The most important feature is the audible warning if a smokey is using his radio within three miles of the Bear Tracker. Once you are a mile or so away from that bear, the audible warning will sound again and the red light flashing on the radio face plate will disappear. It will NOT tell you if the police are around if they aren't using their radios, and the California HP are a silent bunch. So beware in California. It will tell you if there is an emergency that might compromise your progress like say a chase or a robbery in progress in the area you are approaching. If you hear your license plate number on it, it might be time to assure yourself you know your attorney's phone number by heart.

I also use a CB radio but it is only good for around 5 miles and mostly used by truckers on major freeways or truck routes. The CB is of great value and I have it on all the time when going across unfamiliar territory. It comes in handy to talk to trucks on mountain roads expecially if you want to let them know if something is wrong with their rig or if you want to let them know it is OK to pull out of their lane.

PorKen

I gotta get me one of these!

But 'Honey Bunny', it's cheaper than a (couple of) tickets...!


Uniden BCD396T 6000-Channel Handheld Scanner
w/Close Call RF Capture Technology & TrunkTracker IV

Close Call™ RF Capture Technology - Instantly tunes to signals from nearby transmitters

Crackhead944S

The article I read stated that it keyed in on the signal sent from the patrol car to the handheld unit on their uniform. The cruiser is constantly 'looking' for the handheld. Then the cruiser picks up the signal and then boosts the signal from their radio to relay their communication back to the station. At the time, the article stated that it didn't work only in IL, since the cruiser's repeater in the IL patrol cars did not get triggered until the officer started talking.


I printed this article out over three years ago (about the time I bought my 944) and was wondering if it was still an option for people who might drive slightly over the speed limit. I always wanted to buy one and test it by going past one of the few highway projects in the area.

BTW, I still have the article in my Porsche folders.

Ron_H

I don't know about the hand held model, since mine is fixed in my car.

I do caution that it must be set for the frequency desired. This might be a problem if you are traveling interstate. For instance, if you want to track California Highway Patrol calls, you have a button on the unit that sets the frequency to
CA, and then you pick "local" or "HP". If you choose "local" settings, you'll hear all the chatter between the dispatcher and the patrol units around town. Interesting but not always useful. If you choose "HP" you will only hear highway patrol and only in the state you chose. The problem arises as you pass from one border to another, since you must then reset the frequency. If you forget, and think there is no activity, (and you will because it will be silent), you may be surprised all of a sudden. So I usually stop by the side of the road as I cross the border and re-set the Bear Tracker to that state's HP setting.

Remember that the bears are silent when tracking you unless they are communicating your information. This monitor is just that: a monitor and not even close to substituting for a V-1 or alertness. Alertness should be a given if you drive a P-car or any car. That leaves a V-1 as the next most important device available. If you hear the alert on the bear tracker, it is just a "heads up" warning until you know the bear is out of the area.