VHF, can you?

[kyro_02]

what are the legalities of a VHF that can (like all ones out there?) transmit and receive signals from emergency vehicles etc.

I know police have digital now, but the country cops, don't they still have the old system, just like the fire brigade ?

just wanted to know what they did with their old ones and if you can lawfully obtain one? - stupid question, but i'll throw it up here hahah

[flappist]

Well in that they are almost all on UHF it will not be a huge problem.

But should you acquire a radio that can transmit on Police freqs and actually use it it will be somewhat like acquiring a shotgun and taking it with you when you go to the bank.

i.e. It will end in tears.....DON'T DO IT.......

[redxm]

You will find what happens to the old radios varies, sometimes motorola will trade them in (ses RFS FB) ex police sometimes go to VRA in small numbers. The rest get crushed as to avoid flooding the 2nd hand market
If you dont have authority to use a frequency then dont. There are heavy fines involved.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by kyro_02

what are the legalities of a VHF that can (like all ones out there?) transmit and receive signals from emergency vehicles etc.

Well if no one else is going to ask, I will.

Why would you want to?

[loosey]

As everyone else has said, don't use a radio unless you actually need to.
You might be interested in this though..
http://www.vicscan.org/

[ebxr8240]

We use GRN at work.. trust me keep off these frequencies...
its used so Police, Fire brigade, Elect workers, Ambo's etc can communicate in times of bushfire etc... GRN [Gov radio network]...

[Jim Goose]

certain VHF is also used for aircraft too.... big fines and jail time.

Buy scanner if you want to listen...

[kyro_02]

yeah but vhf can also call out, to land lines and mobiles, and other vhf units, is that a no no in the wrong hands ? obviously its a no go if it can transmit to emergency vehicles(whoever does that, would be stupid!!) lol

[bathurst77]

Transmitters must be type approved before they can be used to transmit. This generally means they must be locked to the authorised frequency the user is licenced for.
A radio that can transmit on frequencies other than the approved frequency is a no no.
There were/are some marine and ham radios floating around that can transmit on other frequencies, but the authorities take a dim view of them. (trust me on this one!)

[jonk]

kyro, there are plenty of Amateur radios's that have been tweaked to work out of band so that naughty kiddies get on there, make all sorts of noise. You can do it, it's just that when you get caught, they confiscate every radio in the house plus a fine is imposed. I know what's happened to bods in Adelaide who've done it... and they're regulars in getting caught.

[The Yeti]

why would you want to tranmit on an emergency frequancy? I cant see any benifit for some one who isnt an emergency service

[atec77]

Originally Posted by kyro_02

what are the legalities of a VHF that can (like all ones out there?) transmit and receive signals from emergency vehicles etc.

I know police have digital now, but the country cops, don't they still have the old system, just like the fire brigade ?

just wanted to know what they did with their old ones and if you can lawfully obtain one? - stupid question, but i'll throw it up here hahah

Generally listening can be ferpectly ok . key the mike and discover you can't hide , you are betting your house on it

But why would you ?

[3vXT]

I had a uniden scanner that was called a 'bearcat'. I thought that was the awesomest name for anything ever. HTH.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by kyro_02

what are the legalities of a VHF that can (like all ones out there?) transmit and receive signals from emergency vehicles etc.

I know police have digital now, but the country cops, don't they still have the old system, just like the fire brigade ?

just wanted to know what they did with their old ones and if you can lawfully obtain one? - stupid question, but i'll throw it up here hahah

Do country cops really run the old system still? If so would be a handy means of monitoring their presence on highways.

[Interceptor]

UHF's, mostly Motorola and Tait are the radio of choice for Queensland, afaik Motorola in NSW

Given the repeater network that is in place, as well as the different area commands, the police have no real need to use VHF transcievers, IMO nowhere near as reliable as a good repeater network.

From what I've been told by several members of the Qld Police (might be different in NSW) its perfectly legal to eavesdrop on the police frequencies (or anyone elses for that matter), as long as you dont use any information you might gain from it to assist in a crime.

However...... The if the police notice that you have an active scanner, be damn sure you're squeaky clean, because it does make you look a lil suss.....

Transmitting, on the other hand....... ohhhhhh boy, transmit on a radio frequency that you arent licenced or authorised to use, and you'd best pray you dont upset anyone who might be listening, as Flappist said, it WILL end in tears, something to the tune of $10k in Queensland.

To be able to transmit, you'll need to spend ~$500+ on a programmable UHF like a ICOM IC400PRO, Tait T2020 or one of the motorola sets (dont know model numbers, waaaaaay out of my price range anyway unless i sell off some of my gear), source a programming cable and the software, then program your radio to suit.....

Having run scanners in all my cars for way too long, i can assure the OP and anyone else interested that unless you know what you're listening for and spend the majority of your day behind the wheel listening to what goes on, what you overhear will generally be of no use to you, and that if avoiding speed traps or the police in general, you're better off listening into the gossip on CH40 or better still, avoiding doing anything the cops would want to hunt you down for to start with.

As to why anyone would want to transmit on restricted channels, I can only assume those people like donating money to the government....

[XRGhia]

Originally Posted by ken2903

I had a uniden scanner that was called a 'bearcat'. I thought that was the awesomest name for anything ever. HTH.

ive got that exact one sitting right next to me. they are cool but little things... and cannot transmit