How to Buy a Police Scanner

The link to our full guide is also here.

Step 1 - Find the Correct Scanner Format

Choosing the correct format is the most important (& confusing) part of buying a police scanner.

To help with this, watch our "How to Buy a Police Scanner" video below:

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Format types:  

• Digital
• Analog

What Format Do I Need?

• Look Up Your Area Here

Where you live & what you want to listen to are the main determinates of what format you need.

Additionally, every county, state, agency & business is different. To add to the confusion—these change without much notice. 

Format Facts

• All communication is moving to digital.
• Encrypted signals cannot be picked up on any scanner.
• Some scanner formats can pick up more than one format (See chart below).
• Digital scanners can pick up all formats (phase 2, phase 1, trunked & analog), trunked scanners can pick up (trunked & analog), analog scanners can only pick up analog.

Step 2 - Choose Police Scanner Type

There are 2 types of police scanners. Click below to view all police scanners for that type.   

• Handheld
• Home & Vehicle

This is all based on personal preference, and how and where you will use the device.

Most people favor the convenience of a portable handheld scanner, but some like to have their radio anchored in one spot or in their vehicles.

Below is a map of the states that prohibit police scanner use while driving:

Step 3 - Compare & Choose A Police Scanner

Now that you've narrowed your search by format & type, you can compare scanners.

There is a side-by-side comparison on each scanner page under Compare. There is no shortage of things to compare on scanners. Some of the most popular considerations are:

• Price
• Brand - Whistler or Uniden
• Programming
• Scanner memory

Step 4 - What To Buy With Your Police Scanner

Which accessories you buy will vary greatly based on what scanner you buy.

On each product page under Included, all accessories for that particular scanner that come with your purchase are listed.

Under the Options section on the righthand side of all of our product pages, we provide a list of popular add-ons that many customers add to their purchase.

You can save some cash by purchasing the package options for the Uniden SDS100 and Whistler TRX-1.

Step 5 - Buy & Enjoy Scanning

Now the fun part - listening to your scanner!  

Why Zip Scanners?

• Great Support
• Free Shipping
• No Tax*
• Best Price Guarantee
• Easy Returns
• 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
• We Specialize in Police Scanners Only
• Great Reputation
• Same Day Shipping

*Excluding Minessota, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Florida