How to Program a Radio Scanner

Programming a radio scanner will allow you to listen to conversations and codes of those who communicate via 2 way radio frequencies. These can include law enforcement and fire departments, companies that have crews working out in the field and individuals who communicate via cell phone and two-way radio frequencies.
1Choose “Program Radio” on the main screen using the menu buttons on your radio scanner. Consult the owner’s manual to make sure you do this properly. Some radio scanners require you to hold down the “Menu” or “Program” button in order to achieve the programming options.
2Notice the flashing channel numbers on your main screen panel. Your radio scanner might have anywhere from 10 to 200 programmable channels.
3Write down the frequencies that you’d like to program into your scanner. Scan through the various frequencies to determine which ones are of greatest interest to you.
4Scan your radio to the first frequency you want to add to your radio scanner. Then, press the correct button to coordinate that particular frequency with the first channel on your radio scanner. Your specific requirements for programming may vary depending on which brand of radio scanner you’re using.
5Repeat Step 4 until you’ve programming your radio scanner for all the frequencies you’d like.
6Press the “Menu” button again to finalize your programming.