RadioShack Guide to Scanners

Types of Scanners

Scanners are identified by describing the physical type of the scanner and by the scanning method it uses.

Physical Types

The three physical types of scanners are Handheld, Mobile and Desktop. The primary differences between these three types are shown in the table below. Range is dependent on the antenna used, and a handheld scanner can usually be used in a mobile or desktop environment by attaching it to a vehicle-mounted or base-station antenna (see Scanner Antennas and Other Accessories).

	Handheld Scanners	Mobile Scanners	Desktop Scanners
Primary Usage	Personal use	Vehicle use	Home use
Power Source	Battery AC/DC Jack	DC Power Connections	AC Power Connections
Antenna	Small Rubber Antenna	On-vehicle Antenna	Base-station Antenna
Advantages	Portability Small size	Optimized for Vehicle	Optimized for Desktop
Disadvantages	Shortest Range	DC Power only	AC Power only

Scanning Methods

The three basic scanning methods are Crystal-controlled, Conventional Programmable and Trunktracking Programmable. The primary differences between these three types are shown in the table below.

	Crystal-controlled	Programmable
	Crystal-controlled	Conventional	Trunktracking
Cost	No longer sold	Average	Highest
Ease of Use	Easiest	Average	Average
Frequencies	Very Limited	Average	Excellent
Advantages	n/a	Cost	Trunktracking
Limitations	No longer sold	Cannot trunktrack	Can be more expensive