Scanner listening is alive and well: Discover the world of modern scanners and frequencies

Scanner listening: A hobby that is still alive

“There’s nothing left to listen to, is there?”

This is perhaps one of the most common remarks made by people who owned or knew a crystal scanner years ago. Since the introduction of the encrypted C2000 network, police, fire brigade, ambulance, and other emergency services can indeed no longer be eavesdropped on. However, this absolutely does not mean that scanner listening has disappeared; on the contrary!

With a good scanner and a decent scanner antenna, a whole world still opens up to you. From aviation communication to shipping, from amateur radio operators to cycling races and local walkie-talkies: there is an enormous amount of activity to be heard on the airwaves every day.

In fact, scanner listening has become more popular in recent years. Modern scanners are more powerful than ever, and thanks to better antennas, digital technologies, and online frequency databases, discovering new signals is more fun than before.

In this blog, we will explain in detail:

1. What you can still receive with a scanner today
   
2. Why the hobby is still popular
   
3. What types of scanners exist
   
4. Which scanner antenna you need
   
5. Where you hear the most activity
   
6. What beginners should pay attention to

Why is scanner listening still popular?  

Although many people started because of police and emergency service communication, the scanner hobby today is much more about technology, aviation, shipping, and discovering signals. It is precisely that "searching for activity" that makes this hobby interesting.

With a modern portable scanner or base scanner, you can listen to, among other things:

• Air traffic communication
  
• Shipping communication
  
• Amateur radio operators
  
• Marine radio traffic
  
• Cycling races
  
• Business walkie-talkies
  
• Satellites
  
• P2000 messages
  
• Event communication
  
• Amateur radio operators on 10M, 11M, 12M, UHF, VHF, and HF
• Amateur radio repeaters

Many listeners also combine the hobby today with plane spotting, ship spotting, or amateur radio technology.

The difference between C2000 and P2000

Many people confuse C2000 and P2000. Understandably so, because both systems are used by emergency services such as police, fire brigade, and ambulance. Yet, they work completely differently.

This often leads to the misconception that "nothing can be received with a scanner anymore."

What is C2000?

C2000 is the digital communication network of the Dutch emergency services.

It handles, among other things:

• Police communication
  
• Fire brigade communication
  
• Ambulance traffic
  
• Mobile communication of emergency services

In the past, these conversations could be listened to analogously with a scanner. Today, C2000 is completely digital and encrypted.

That means:

❌ Cannot be received with a scanner
❌ Cannot be eavesdropped on
❌ Cannot be decoded

The era of listening to police radio is therefore truly over.

What is P2000?

P2000 is not voice communication, but a digital paging system.

This system is used to:

• Call fire stations
  
• Dispatch ambulances
  
• Alert trauma helicopters
  
• Send KNRM (Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution) messages

P2000 works via text messages sent to pagers. Its frequency is: 169.650 MHz. With a scanner, you will only hear a digital data sound or "rattle." With special software, these messages can be read out and displayed as text.

So:

✅ Can be received
✅ Can be read with software
❌ Not audible as spoken communication

What can you still listen to with a scanner?  

Listening to air traffic communication

For many scanner enthusiasts, aviation is the absolute number one.

The civil aviation band is between 118 and 137 MHz. Here you hear communication between:

• Air traffic control
  
• Towers
  
• Pilots
  
• Approach controllers
  
• Ground traffic at airports

With a good scanner antenna, you can sometimes receive aircraft at high altitudes hundreds of kilometers away. Especially around Schiphol, Rotterdam Airport, Brussels Airport, and Liege, a lot of activity can be heard.

Military aviation is also popular among scanner listeners. In the military UHF airband between 225 and 400 MHz, you regularly hear exercises with F-35s, tanker aircraft, and military transport planes.

Listening to maritime communication

Do you live near the coast, a port, or a large river? Then listening to maritime communication is extremely interesting.

Almost every scanner supports the marine band between 156 and 162 MHz.

Here you hear communication between:

• Ships
  
• Bridge operators
  
• Locks
  
• Harbourmasters
  
• Coastguard
  
• KNRM (Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution)
  
• Traffic control centers

Especially regions such as Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Zeeland are extremely active. Many listeners combine this with live AIS tracking, so you can immediately see which ship you are hearing.

Amateur radio operators: a world full of activity

Amateur radio operators also provide a lot of activity on the scanner daily.

These bands are particularly popular:

• 2 meter band (144 – 146 MHz)
  
• 70 centimeter band (430 – 440 MHz)
  
• 6 meter band (50 - 54 MHz)
  
• 23 centimeter band (1240 - 1300 MHz)

An important part of this are repeaters. These are unmanned transmitting stations that retransmit radio signals, enabling communication over long distances.

With a good base scanner and a decent antenna, you can receive conversations from all over the Netherlands and Belgium.

Receiving satellites with a scanner

Many people think that satellite communication can only be received with expensive professional equipment, but that is not entirely true. With a good scanner, the right scanner antenna, and a bit of knowledge, you can receive surprisingly many signals from space.

There are several satellites that transmit analog or relatively simple digital signals on frequencies that fall within the range of many modern scanners. Especially within the scanner hobby and SDR world, this has become an enormously popular aspect.

Military Satellites (SATCOM)

One of the best-known aspects of satellite reception is listening to military UHF SATCOM satellites. Older American satellites, such as the Fleetsatcom and UFO series, are particularly popular among scanner listeners.

These satellites communicate mainly between 240 and 270 MHz

Remarkably, some of this communication is still analog and sometimes even unencrypted. With a suitable scanner and a good outdoor antenna, you can regularly receive international communication.

The ISS (International Space Station)

The International Space Station (ISS) is also interesting for scanner enthusiasts. On board, there is amateur radio equipment with which connections are regularly made.

When the ISS flies over, you can receive on 145.800 MHz, among other things:

• conversations between astronauts and schools
  
• amateur radio connections
  
• packet radio data
  
• SSTV image transmission

For many listeners, it is a special experience to actually receive signals from space.

Which antenna for receiving satellite communication?

With a standard whip antenna on your scanner, you will hear very little (except for the ISS). Satellite signals are very weak when they reach Earth. For Military SATCOM (250 MHz), you ideally need an X-wing antenna or a directional antenna such as a UHF Yagi (which you point towards the satellite). For Weather Satellites (137 MHz), a Turnstile or a QFH (Quadrifilar Helix) antenna is often used, as these signals are circularly polarized.

Amateur Satellites (OSCAR / CubeSats)

Besides the ISS, dozens of active amateur satellites built by radio amateurs and universities exist. These small satellites, often called CubeSats, transmit signals for experiments and amateur radio.

Many of these satellites operate at 145 MHz (VHF) and 435 MHz (UHF). Here you can receive, for example:

• beacons
  
• telemetry
  
• digital data
  
• voice transponders
  
• NOAA Weather Satellites

One of the most popular aspects of satellite reception are the NOAA weather satellites. The older NOAA satellites continuously transmit weather information around 137 MHz, such as:

• NOAA 15
  
• NOAA 18
  
• NOAA 19

Through a scanner, this sounds like a rattling or ticking signal. With special software, you can then convert these signals into live satellite images of clouds, weather systems, and temperature maps.

Precisely the self-reception of satellite images and communication makes this a fascinating part of the hobby for many scanner enthusiasts.

If you want to try it without immediately buying expensive antennas, the ISS is your best bet. Program the frequency 145.800 MHz (FM) into your scanner, check an app (such as Heavens-Above or ISS Detector) when the space station flies directly over your region, and go outside. If they are active at that moment, you can sometimes pick them up with a simple antenna.

Handheld scanner or a base scanner?

Many beginners wonder which scanner best suits them.

Portable scanner (hand scanner)

A portable scanner is compact and ideal for on the go.

Perfect for:

• Spotting locations
  
• Cycling tours
  
• Events
  
• Travel
  
• Vacation

Advantages:

• Compact
  
• Runs on batteries
  
• Can be taken anywhere
• Optional handheld scanner antennas available for better reception

Disadvantage:

• Small standard antenna
  
• Less reception than a fixed setup 

The most popular antennas for portable scanners

You can replace the original included scanner antenna with a better handheld antenna to receive even more. Always pay attention to the type of connector on your portable scanner, which is usually a Female connector, to which an antenna with a Male connector fits.

For example, if you have a Uniden UBC125XLTC? This has a BNC-Female antenna connection. An antenna with a BNC-Male connection fits onto this. Do you have a scanner with an SMA-Female connection? Then you need an antenna with an SMA-Male connection.

• Comet BNCW100RX and SMAW100RX (25 - 1300 MHz)
• Diamond RH-789 (95 - 1100 MHz)
• Moonraker MRW-222 (25 - 1300 MHz)
• Albrecht 6157 AE (25 - 1300 MHz)
• Comet AB1230 (118 - 136 MHz including tower traffic and ATIS)
• Diamond RH-795 ( 70 - 1000 MHz

Base scanner

A base scanner is used at home in combination with an external scanner antenna.

Advantages:

• Much better reception
  
• Suitable for long-term listening
  
• Ideal for various types of communication

In combination with a good outdoor antenna (which is also properly installed), you will hear significantly more signals than with a standard portable scanner.

The most important factor: the scanner antenna

Many people invest directly in an expensive scanner, but forget that the antenna is at least as important. In fact, a good scanner antenna often has more influence on reception than the scanner itself.

Discone antenna: the all-rounder

A discone antenna is the most popular choice among scanner listeners.

Why?

Because it supports an enormous wide frequency range.

Ideal for:

• Aviation
  
• Marine radio
  
• Amateur radio operators
  
• Satellites
  
• Business communication

Popular discone antennas

• Diamond D-130: 25 - 1300MHz
  
• Diamond D-303:  0.5 - 200MHz
• Diamond D3000N: 25 - 3000MHz.
• Komunica D-130PL:  25 - 1300MHz 
• Sirio SD1300: 25 - 1300 MHz
  
• Sirio SD2000: 100 - 2000 MHz
• Sirio SD3000: 300 - 3000 MHz
  
• Moonraker Royal Discone 2000: 25 - 2000 MHz
• Moonraker Scanking Discone: 25-1300 MHz
• Moonraker Scanking HF-Discone: 0.05 – 2000 MHz
• Moonraker Scanking Royal double discone: 25-2000 MHz
• Moonraker Skyscan Desktop: 25-2000 MHz
• AOR DA3200: 25 MHz - 3000 MHz
• AOR DA6000: 700 MHz - 6 GHz (6000MHz)

Vertical antenna

A vertical antenna is an antenna without side radials; these antennas are often chosen if you don't have space for an antenna with side radials at your home.

Ideal for:

• If you have limited space around your home
• If you don't want an antenna with side radials

Below are some vertical scanner antennas from our range:

• Sirio GP 108-136 : 108 - 136 MHz 
  
• Diamond D-303: 500KHz - 200MHz
• Diamond D-777: 120 MHz - 300 MHz
• Comet AB-380: 108 - 140 MHz & 220 - 400 MHz
  
• Comet GP-95: 100 - 170MHz, 350 - 470MHz and 840 - 1400 MHz
• Moonraker SSS-MK2 Super scan stick: 25 MHz - 2000 MHz
• Moonraker X1-HF Vertical: 1 - 50 MHz

Height makes the difference

When listening to scanners, one golden rule applies: The higher the antenna, the better the reception.

A scanner antenna should preferably:

1. Extend above the ridge of the roof
   
2. Be positioned freely
   
3. Not be installed directly next to a facade
4. Not be placed directly next to another antenna or too close to solar panels

Always use good coaxial cable such as:

• RG58 
  
• Ecoflex-5
• Aircell-5

Interesting regions for scanner listening

Some regions are much more active than others. But with a good antenna, you can go further than just your own region.

Scanner listening in the Northern Netherlands

The Northern Netherlands offers scanner enthusiasts a wide variety of listening opportunities. From military and civil aviation to shipping, amateur radio operators, and local events: in the provinces of Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe, interesting communication is almost always available for listening.

Aviation frequencies in the Northern Netherlands

Due to the presence of Groningen Airport Eelde, military flight routes, and vast airspaces, aviation communication is one of the most popular categories among scanner listeners.

Interesting frequencies are:

• 118.150 MHz – Groningen Airport Eelde (Tower)
  
• 132.350 MHz – Dutch Mil (military air traffic control over the Netherlands)
  
• 337.000 MHz – Rapcon North (military aviation in the UHF band)

Tip: don't just scan individual frequencies, but also search the entire aviation bands:

• 118.000 – 136.000 MHz for civil aviation
  
• 220.000 – 390.000 MHz for military aviation

This often allows you to discover additional air traffic control, approach, and military communication channels.

Shipping and Marine Radio Frequencies

With the many waterways in Friesland and the ports of Groningen, marine radio traffic is an interesting source of communication. Especially during the water sports season, there is a lot of activity on the marine radio channels.

Commonly used frequencies are:

• 156.800 MHz – Channel 16 (international distress, safety, and calling channel)
  
• 156.550 MHz – Channel 11 (ports and block areas in Groningen and Friesland)
  
• 156.625 MHz – Channel 12 (traffic centers and vessel traffic guidance)

On busy days, conversations from commercial shipping, bridge operators, port services, and recreational boating can be heard here.

PMR446, events and business communication

The license-free PMR446 band also regularly provides interesting listening moments. These frequencies are used by traffic controllers, security companies, construction sites, event organizers and recreational users.

Scan the following frequency range for this:

• 446.000 – 446.200 MHz – PMR446

Especially during festivals, markets, sporting events and large public events, a lot of activity can often be heard here.

Rotterdam and Rijnmond

Perfect for:

• Port traffic
  
• Marine radio
  
• Tug services
  
• Industrial communication

Schiphol region

Here you can hear:

• Towers
  
• Ground control
  
• Approach
  
• International aviation

Zeeland & Belgian Coast

Ideal for:

• Coast Guard
  
• KNRM (Dutch lifeboats)
  
• Shipping
  
• SAR operations

Brabant & Limburg

Interesting because of:

• Military aviation
  
• Exercises
  
• Amateur radio operators

Searching scanner frequencies in a database

One of the most enjoyable parts of the scanner hobby is discovering active frequencies in your area. Fortunately, there are now convenient online frequency databases that allow you to easily find out what communication is active locally. This makes scanner listening not only more accessible for beginners but also much more interesting for experienced listeners who want to discover new signals.

In this online database, you can easily look up scanner frequencies based on:

• Place name
• Name
  
• Description
  
• Type of communication

In addition, you can also enter a specific RX or TX frequency to find out which service or user it belongs to. This is especially useful when you encounter an unknown frequency while scanning and want to know what it is used for.

For both novice and experienced scanner listeners, a good frequency database is now indispensable. It helps you find interesting signals faster and makes experimenting with scanners even more fun.

Is scanner listening legal?

Yes. In the Netherlands and Belgium, it is legal to receive radio signals broadcast freely over the air.

However, the following applies:

• You may not make information public
  
• You may not use received communication commercially
  
• Encrypted communication may not be decoded (decrypted)

Scanner hobby: more than just listening

The modern scanner hobby today revolves around:

• Technology
• Discovery
  
• Experimentation
  
• Antennas
  
• Frequency searching
  
• Spotting
  
• Worldwide communication

Many listeners combine the hobby with:

• ADS-B aircraft tracking
  
• AIS tracking systems for ships
  
• Satellite reception
  
• Amateur radio technology

This is precisely what makes scanner listening still incredibly popular today.

Conclusion: scanner listening is definitely not dead

The era of listening in on police, fire department or other emergency services may be over, but the scanner world is still very much alive. With a good mobile scanner, portable scanner or base scanner you can receive hundreds of interesting signals daily. From air traffic communication to maritime communication, from amateur radio operators to marine radio channels: there is more to hear than ever before.

The key to success?

A good scanner antenna, a clever setup, and above all, curiosity. Because discovering new frequencies is what makes this hobby so addictive.

Want to read more about this?

Also read our blog: "More reception on your portable scanner with the right scanner antennaFrequently asked questions about scanners" or "Airband receivers & plane spotting: Everything you need to know about listening to aviation communication"

Frequently asked questions about scanners

1. Which scanner is suitable for beginners?: A simple portable scanner with aviation and marine radio reception is ideal to start with.
2. What is the best scanner antenna?: For beginners, a discone antenna is often the best all-round choice.
3. Can you still listen to the police?: No, police communication via C2000 is fully encrypted.
4. Can you listen to aviation with a scanner?: Yes, aviation still uses analog AM communication and can be received excellently.
5. Is scanner listening legal?: Yes, as long as you do not make received communication public or use it commercially.