Thanks for the link. It was informative. But I found no mention of scanner radios.

The website indicates a mandated deadline of Jan 1, 2013, for conversion to 12.5 khz channel spacing, from the supposedly current 25khz spacing; with later mandate to 6.25 khz digital or analog. However, A.A.R.'s spectrum allocation is now spaced at 15 khz apart - not 25 khz. as they indicate. So I am now a bit more cornfused than before.

I have a Radio Shack Pro-91 scanner, which I don't think is very good. Its selectivity between AAR channels 15khz apart is not very good. Transmissions two channels over bleed through. Neither is the sensitivity adequate - Not when you have the transmitting train in sight, hear a nearby switchman's portable pick it up just fine, and you still can't hear it on the scanner - can barely be heard even with squelch all the way off.

Hence my thought to get a better one when I retire (soon). I just attempted to test program the Pro-91 for channels at 12.5 khz spacing in the "Transportation Band". It will not take it - just jumps to the nearest currently valid frequency step. Closer reading of the owners manual discovers that it is internally set up to do just that.

That's too bad, it will become useless on Jan 1, 2013. I will have to purchase a new one capable of the newer channel spacings, as well as better selectivity. But I will not spend a dime until some dealer shows that the new one will work after 1/1/13. But so far, asking in-store sales people gets only glazed over blank stares. I might just as well be asking a fence post to recite hamlet.

I hope they are not now selling scanner radios that will become useless obsolete junk in just a year or so - but I haven't been able to find out!


But then again, someone the other day tried to convince me that the Earth itself has been similarly programmed to stop functioning after 2012 - something about the Mayan calendar or something. . . . . Obviously mankind is stupid enough to program stuff that way, but is. . . . .?


OPB