Any police scanner users here?

Wife got me an EXCELLENT scanner for Christmas. Pro-2052 Dual Trunking 1000 channel scanner. She got me the newest Police Call book and cd to go with it and I have programmed in all the channels in my area. Trying to locate the CHP(California Highway Patrol) frequencies and cannot seem to locate them. Are there online sources for these frequencies?

Also need tips on hooking this thing to an external antenna as well as to my PC. Radio shack is sold out of the rs-232 cables and software to hook to the pc. Their website says the software isn't compatible with 2000/xp ugh. Need some advice on what to get and what not to get

 

http://www.scancal.org/chp/freq.html

 

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/reports/index.cfm

If you have some time you can find a lot of freq. here

 

Off topic: How come the Police use unencrypted communication? I would have thought in this day and age that some form of digital encryption in their communication would take place to prevent advantage being taken of unecrypted information... Oh well, it is probably down to cost rather than the limitations of technology.

 

they use unencrypted for random chatter, when it gets serious they go encrypted.

 

Most police cars these days have laptops and can access databases and such.
I think it is almost impossible to intercept those transmissions. I think they use some form of IM also.
Most cars also have video and audio recorders in them and if close by you can pick-up their wireless mikes. search for wireless microphone freq. but there are probably hundreds of them.

 

Actual conversation on police frequency when I lived in the NorthEast-

"squawk squawk squawk "

"That was a 11 or 19?"

"Uhhh 2 11's'"

We figured out 11 was hot Dunkin Donuts Coffee

19 was iced....

 

Its been rather entertaining actually. Old lady fell down in apt and couldn't get up, fire dept responded; two fatal crashes blocks from my house; picked up a drug bust on a tactical channel that went down ok; bunch of people driving the town busses wishing a guy Happy Birthday; ambulance drivers constantly calling back for directions because they have no idea where to go, etc etc etc