Scanner Resources
A hub for anyone learning about police scanners, live radio feeds, and emergency communications. Browse the sections below to find guides on getting started, understanding the technology, navigating the law, and using scanner feeds when it matters most.
Beginner Guides
Never listened to a scanner before? Start here. These guides walk through everything from what a scanner actually is to how to find your first active feed and understand what you're hearing.
How to Listen to Police Scanners Online
How to find active feeds, what the streaming delay means, and how to understand what you're hearing for the first time.
How to Find Scanner Frequencies Near You
A step-by-step walkthrough for finding active feeds by state, county, city, or ZIP code without any radio equipment.
Police Scanner Codes and What They Mean
Ten-codes, signal codes, plain language dispatch, and how to follow a call from start to finish.
Online Scanner Feeds vs. Physical Scanner Radios
When an online feed is enough and when it makes sense to buy a dedicated scanner radio. Pros, cons, and price points.
Best Police Scanner Apps for Beginners
The top apps for iPhone and Android, including Broadcastify, 5-0 Radio, and browser-based listening.
Scanner Laws
Listening to police scanners is legal in most situations across the United States, but the rules vary by state and context. These guides cover federal law, state-by-state restrictions, vehicle use rules, and the ongoing debate around encryption.
Are Police Scanners Legal in the United States?
Federal law, what 18 U.S.C. 2511 actually says, and why scanner listening is broadly protected for most everyday uses.
Why Are Some Police Channels Encrypted?
Why agencies encrypt, what it means for the public, and how some states are pushing back with open radio legislation.
Scanner Use in Vehicles: What the Law Says
Some states restrict having a scanner in a car. Here is what those restrictions actually cover and when they apply.
State-by-State Scanner Laws
A state-level breakdown of scanner restrictions, including which states have vehicle use rules and what those laws actually prohibit.
Scanner Apps
You don't need any hardware to listen to scanner feeds. These guides cover the best apps and websites for listening on your phone, tablet, or desktop, including what's free and what costs money.
Best Police Scanner Apps for Beginners
A practical comparison of scanner apps including Broadcastify, 5-0 Radio, and others worth trying.
How to Use Broadcastify: A Beginner's Guide
Broadcastify hosts more live scanner feeds than any other platform. How to find feeds and get the most out of free access.
Listening to Scanners on Your Desktop or Laptop
How to find and bookmark feeds through your browser without downloading anything.
Scanner Apps for Emergency Preparedness
How to set up scanner feeds as part of a broader emergency communications plan for your household.
Radio Technology
Scanner radio has changed a lot over the past two decades. Analog systems are being replaced by digital protocols, and trunked radio networks have become the norm for larger agencies. These guides explain how the technology actually works.
Analog vs. Digital Police Scanners
A plain explanation of why agencies moved from analog FM to digital radio, and what that means for listeners.
What Is a P25 Police Radio System?
P25 is the radio standard used by most public safety agencies in North America. How it works, why it was created, and what trunking means for listeners.
Why Some Police Scanner Feeds Go Offline
Equipment failures, volunteer gaps, encryption, and other reasons feeds go silent and what to do about it.
Trunked Radio Systems Explained
How trunked systems dynamically assign channels, why following them requires a compatible scanner, and how to tell if your local agency uses one.
Software-Defined Radio (SDR) for Scanner Listening
How cheap SDR dongles can turn a computer into a powerful receiver, and how hobbyists use them to monitor public safety frequencies.
Emergency Communications
Scanner feeds are most valuable during emergencies. These guides cover how to use scanner feeds effectively during severe weather, wildfires, and other crisis situations, plus how the emergency communications system is organized.
Using Scanner Feeds During Severe Weather and Storms
How to use fire, EMS, and police feeds during tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes to get information faster than official alerts.
How to Monitor Wildfire Scanner Feeds
Fire scanner feeds are critical tools in fire-prone communities. How to find active fire feeds and what to listen for.
How Mutual Aid Radio Works During Large Incidents
When a major incident pulls agencies from multiple counties together, radio coordination gets complex. How mutual aid channels work.
NOAA Weather Radio and Emergency Alert Systems
The relationship between scanner feeds, NOAA weather radio, and the Emergency Alert System during disasters.
How Emergency Dispatch Centers Work
What happens from the moment a 911 call comes in to the moment units are on scene.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions people ask most often about scanner listening, feeds, and police radio in general.
Why Some Police Scanner Feeds Go Offline
Dead feeds, encrypted channels, offline streams, and other common reasons a feed might be silent or inactive.
Police Scanner Codes and What They Mean
A reference guide to common 10-codes, signal codes, and plain language used in police radio communications.
Are Police Scanners Legal?
Federal law protects scanner listening. Here is what is allowed, what isn't, and how state rules vary.
Why Do Some Scanner Feeds Have a Delay?
The time delay built into online feeds is intentional. This explains why it exists and what it means for listeners.
What's the Difference Between a Police Scanner and Ham Radio?
Scanner listeners receive transmissions passively. Ham radio operators transmit. How the two differ.
Ready to find your local scanner feed?
Browse active police, fire, and EMS feeds by state, county, city, or ZIP code.