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Have you ever wondered what was up with all the lights and sirens? You've seen all the commotion and you think to yourself, what the heck is going on? Have you seen that vehicle marked with ALS racing through your neighborhood - you know something important is happening, but you will have to wait to see if the local news media will pick it up as a news story. After they report it…….if they report it, you will be in the know as to what is (or was) going on. There is another way to know what is going on!
You can listen to the action live as it happens!
Who Would Want to Listen to an On-line Police Scanner?
That's a good question, who would want to listen to an on-line police scanner?
In today's world, interest is high when it comes to personal safety and security. The times we live in, dictate that each of us stay keenly aware of what is going on around us. Here are just a few types of individuals that may have an interest in listening to an on-line scanner:
- Our Man'amko – Let's face it, sometimes our Man'amko just get plain board and lonely, many, may find listening to an on-line scanner to be both interesting and stimulating.
- Parents – Parents may find it critically important to listen during bus transport times of their students. They can be informed of adverse traffic situations or breakdowns of buses that may be taking place. Parents may also find it important to listen on Friday and Saturday nights when their older kids are out on the roadways with their friends.
- News Reporters – They will find that listening can give their news gathering teams vital information concerning breaking news stories.
- Private Security Companies - enhance coordination.
- People interested in Search and Rescue efforts.
- All people could stay informed by listening during times of inclement weather.
- Small Mom and Pop Store operators.
- People who are interested in hearing live drama, as it happens.
- People who would want to listen, before making a decision to invest in their own scanner (try before you buy).
This is the short list. There are many, many more levels of interest people have out there that would find listening to an on-line scanner enjoyable, fascinating and mesmerizing.
- Key users and uses of scanners include -
Public Safety
Patrol cars and dispatch centers use scanners to monitor, and cross-communicate with, neighboring police and fire departments. In today’s world scanners can provide critical communications "interoperability.”
News Media
Photographers, videographers, reporters and assignment desk editors use scanners to learn of breaking news stories the moment they happen.
Home Security & Personal Safety
Keep a scanner on your night table, kitchen, living room or in your car, to stay abreast of all police and fire activity in your community. Stay informed of weather or civil emergencies.
Corporate Security
For disaster planning and operations there is no better way to stay informed of conditions around your building/campus than to monitor the communications of the local emergency services.
Public Buildings, Hospital and School Security
Whether it's for storm alerts or any other local emergency situation, having a scanner can keep your employees, clients and visitors safe and well informed.
Neighborhood Watch
Learn of criminal activity in your neighborhood and what you should be watching out for.
Gain an appreciation for the job performed by police officers, firefighters, EMT's (scanning is a great way to learn about the work our public servants perform).
Do all this while staying informed to the happenings on our Island.
What am I listening to?
You are listening to an On-line Radio scanner. An array of scanners that are programmed to receive a variety of general, routine dispatch, administrative and operational channels for many of the Guam Public Safety Services - Most activity you will hear, will be from the GPD Police and Fire Dispatch. Which channel you hear depends on whether someone is talking when the scanner checks a specific frequency. It is important to understand that what you hear is only a vary small sampling of what is possible to hear on a scanner. If you desire to hear even more, you should consider purchasing a scanner of your own. Scanners of every type and price range are readily available. Scanners today are easy to operate and they cover a much larger range of frequencies than scanners of the past.
I am not hearing anything, why?
Periods of silence are normal, as there are moments where no one is transmitting or when the scanner is searching through the list of assigned frequencies. Listening to the scanner requires a certain amount of patience. And there will be times you won't hear anything due to a system outage. While I try to offer this feed 24/7 there will be times when there is just not enough node space to provide for the streaming of the feed. At times the pipeline just becomes too congested to provide a good reliable feed. The problem is being worked, but the absolute best solution would be for you to purchase a scanner of your own. This would let you listen to what you want, when you want and avoid any system interruptions.
Can I configure my mobile device, such as an Iphone to listen?
Yes! There is an App for that. And that is a good thing - because you will not always have to be tied to your computer.
Are there times when listening to this feed is more interesting than at other times?
Anytime can be extremely interesting. On Guam, it seems like there is always something going on. But make no mistake, there are times when Guam is just quiet, and that's a good thing! I like to listen during the evening hours, late on weekends and especially at times when there is an island emergency taking place, such as an earthquake or typhoon response. But just about anytime you may hear drama, live as it happens. I can personally attest to the fact that what you hear today, you will be reading about in the papers tomorrow.
What are all the codes I'm hearing?
Figuring out all the agency jargon can take some getting use to. A search of the internet can provide you with a number of various 10-Codes used by various emergency services. keep in mind that these are "codes" and each department may develop their own unique codes for communications. The more you listen, the more you will come to understand the codes and terminology you are hearing. Click here to see Police 10-Codes.
Where can I find more on-line scanners like this?
A search of the internet will provide you with hundreds of other real-time scanner feeds. I have not found any on Guam except for this one. If you are really interested in scanning as a hobby (or radio operations in general) the best thing you can do is purchase a scanner for your own use. This would give you the flexibility to program the scanner to your own particular interest, be it aviation, public safety or some other listening venue. At the bottom of this page I have included a link to ScannerMaster - they have the widest and best selection of scanners and they have always been easy for me to work with. You may even want to set-up a live feed of your own! For those of you who would want to set-up a live feed, or better yet, go on the "air" with an internet radio station of your own, I can tell you it is a real challenge, but it can be done.
Where can I find out more about scanning?
Locally it's hard to find a lot of information pertaining to scanning. As far as I know there are no groups or clubs on island devoted exclusively to this hobby. If you should know of any, please let me know and I will add a link. I did find an ebook at one time that was about scanning on Guam, if memory serves me right it was named Uncle Joe's Guide to Scanning on Guam........or something like that. If you want it, and can't find it let me know and I will try to locate it for you. I heard that it had most of the frequencies used on Guam listed, as well as a bunch of military type frequencies like air traffic control, search and rescue and the like. It even had, of all things, taxi cab company frequencies.
Is it legal to own and listen to a scanner?
Yes it is.
Laws regulating the use of radio scanners are enforced by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and spelled out in the ECPA (Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986).
Keep in mind this is not legal advice - In the US and Territories (Guam) it is legal to own and listen to a scanner. A few states have laws on the books regarding the use of scanners in motor vehicles. Kentucky, Indiana, New York and Florida come to mind. There are a few additional states where it is illegal to use a scanner in the furtherance of a crime. This is true for Guam as well. It is illegal to intercept cordless phone communications (most cordless phones today are spread spectrum and cannot be monitored anyway). It is also illegal to monitor cellular phone conversations. Most all cell phones today use CMA, GSM and other advanced types of technology, major scanner manufacturers, by federal law, have not produced a scanner capable of monitoring the cell phones. It is also illegal to decrypt encryped communications. Most public safety communications that use DVP/DES and other types of sophisticated encryption could not be de-crypted without years of work and access to a supercomputer. Relatively few public safety agencies in the US use such systems. Scanners are a well regarded and respected tool for the news media, public safety agencies themselves and for the general public. People of Guam like and need to be in the know. People need to be aware of what's going on around them. So, yes scanners are completely legal to own and operate. Listening to a scanner will help you to build a healthy respect for the job our public servants are doing, while at the same time keeping you in the know during times of emergencies. Buy a scanner today and keep up on what is going around you and enjoy!
