 Mobile Scanners
The Lincoln Amateur Radio Club, Inc., in Lincoln, Nebraska, is
one of the most active clubs in Amateur Radio. The Club produces an excellent monthly newsletter called 'The
Lincoln LOG'. Writing in the 'President's Column' of the June issue, Club President Mike Wasserstein, KBØDNP takes a look at mobile scanners and the laws that
different states have against having or
using a mobile scanner in your vehicle.
I am going off the beaten track this
month to talk about scanners—not just
scanners we have lying around the house
monitoring police and fire channels for
our own interests.
This last week I was reading an article
on MSN.com about an individual’s being
ticketed for having a mobile police scanner.
C. Todd was charged in Louisville
with possessing a mobile radio “capable
of either receiving or transmitting other
messages or signals used by law enforcement.”
I decided to check the laws that
different states have against having or
using a mobile scanner in your vehicle.
There is no standard law from state to
state regarding mobile scanners. It is legal
to own a scanner, but how it is used or
connected to your vehicle may be illegal
in some states. See http://www.afn.org/~afn09444/scanlaws/.
Nebraska law “seems to say it is illegal
to use a scanner on your person or in a
vehicle to interfere with police comms, to
evade arrest, or for monetary or personal
gain; but peace officers, Press and those
with written permission are exempt from
this law, and thus, are allowed to use the scanner to those ends.” See http://www.afn.org/~afn09444/scanlaws/
laws/scanner/ne.html.
Individuals licensed by
the FCC (including Amateur Radio operators),
as well as the National Weather Service
and Skywarn weather spotters would
also be exempt.
In some states—Florida, for example—
you can have and use a scanner as
long as it is not hooked up in any way to
the vehicle. So you can’t have an antenna
mounted on the roof or plugged into the
cigarette lighter. A handheld scanner is
legal in Florida.
There is also an issue with the scanner
apps that can be downloaded to your
smartphone. The laws haven’t caught up
to the technology yet, so you may be
breaking the law by having these apps on
your phone. Of course, it is certainly illegal
to use a scanner in the commission of
another crime.
The bottom line is that if you are taking
a mobile scanner on the road, be sure
to check the laws before you travel in
most states. Above all, keep a copy of
your amateur radio license with you at all
times.
(This is provided for information
only. State laws leave it up to you whether you want to
risk getting a ticket or, even worse, having
your scanner confiscated.)
Mike Wasserstein, KBØDNP
2011 LARC President
Visit the Lincoln Amateur Radio Club website
http://k0kkv.org/
To join the Lincoln Amateur Radio Club
e-mail
Bob, WBØRJJ
wb0rjj@gmail.com
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