Building What Works for You, in the Hope It Also Works for Other People

There is something quite satisfying about building software for a hobby that you genuinely care about.

RadioFreakDB has been a labour of love for me. It started because I wanted something that worked the way I wanted to work. I wasn't trying to build the world's greatest radio database, create the next big software platform, or even necessarily build something that anyone else would use. I just wanted something that made sense to me.

Radio scanning can generate an enormous amount of information. Frequencies, tones, locations, radio systems, notes, signals you've heard, dates, times and all those little details that you inevitably want to remember later. Over the years, I've tried different ways of recording and organising all of this information, but I've never quite found a workflow that felt natural and worked for me. So, eventually, I started building one.

One of the things I really enjoy about developing RadioFreakDB is that the feature list isn't driven by some grand product roadmap. It's a mixture of things I need, things I've thought would be useful, and feedback from other people who use it.

Sometimes I'll be scanning and think, "Wouldn't it be nice if it did this?" And because I write the software, I can make it do it.

That's a pretty satisfying feeling.

Finally finding the workflow I've been looking for

The latest feature, the Scanning Event Log, is probably one of the best examples of this. I've been trying to find the right workflow for documenting what I hear while scanning for years. I wanted to be able to update the actual frequency record when I had something permanent or important to add, but I also wanted somewhere to record those individual moments when something interesting happened.

Now I can do both.

If I want to change something about a frequency, I can update the frequency record itself.

But if I'm sitting there scanning and suddenly hear something interesting, I can create a scanning event and link it directly back to that frequency. The event can record things such as the date, time, location and radio used, along with my notes about what I heard.

That might seem like a relatively small feature, but for the way I scan, it has finally created the workflow I've been trying to achieve for a very long time.

The database becomes more than just a list of frequencies, it starts becoming a history of my scanning. I can see the frequency, what I know about it, and the individual occasions when I've actually heard something there.

And that is exactly the sort of thing I wanted RadioFreakDB to do.

Built for me, but hopefully useful to others

There is a slightly selfish element to developing software for a hobby.

I build features because I want them.

I solve problems because they annoy me.

I change things because they don't work the way I think they should.

And honestly, that's part of what makes it enjoyable.

But something unexpected has happened along the way. Other people have started finding RadioFreakDB useful too. That's probably the biggest reward I get from working on it.

A feature that started because I thought, "I really need this," can end up solving a problem someone else has been having as well.

Feedback from users has become an important part of that process. Sometimes someone suggests something I hadn't considered. Sometimes they describe a workflow completely different from mine. And sometimes their feedback makes me look at something I've built and realise that, while it works for me, it could work much better for everyone.

That creates an interesting balance.

I don't want RadioFreakDB to become a piece of software designed by committee. One of the reasons I enjoy developing it is because it reflects how I use the hobby.

But at the same time, knowing that other radio enthusiasts are using it means I have an opportunity to make it better for more than just myself.

That's the real fun of it

I think this is one of the things I enjoy most about software development in general.

You start with a problem.

You build something to solve it.

You use it.

You find another problem.

You improve it.

Eventually, you have something that fits your own workflow almost perfectly.

And then someone else comes along and says, "Hey, I have that problem too."

That's a pretty good feeling.

RadioFreakDB may have started as something I was building for myself, and in many ways it still is. The features, the workflow and the way information is organised are heavily influenced by how I think about radio scanning.

But if something I've built for my own hobby also makes someone else's hobby easier, more organised or simply more enjoyable, then that's an even better reason to keep building.

Build what works for you.

And if you're lucky, you'll discover that it works for other people too.

Uniden EZI30XLT Scanner - Key Press Codes

To activate these codes please press and hold the following keys as you turn on the EZI30XLT.

HOLD = Change country mode (AUS / NZ) Also enables / disables the global 2 second delay

1 + Up arrow = 88MHz search

SRVC + VOL = 136 - 136.1MHz search

SRVC + 2 = Load test frequencies MISC band

SRVC + Down arrow = 477 - 477.1MHz search

SRVC + SQ = Band signal levels (90MHz)

SRVC + 3 = 143 - 143.1MHz search

HOLD + 2 = Full reset

HOLD + Down arrow = Firmware version (1.33 / CbbbH)

VOL + Up arrow = Screen / key test. Shows all screen icons and keys as they are pressed.

2 + Up arrow = full band search 75MHz - 489MHz

Up arrow + Down Arrow = 137 - 147MHz search

Up arrow + SQ = Band signal levels. VHF High -> AIR -> FM -> UHF -> VHF Mid

Up arrow + 3 = Load test frequencies

Link - https://mountainradiochallenge.weebly.com/

I have particpated in the Mountain Radio Challenge (MRC) back in 2005 and 2009, this was with Jason, VK7ZJA (SK). It was a great day out playing radios and enjoying the great outdoors. This is back on this year, on Saturday the 28th November 2026.

https://mountainradiochallenge.weebly.com/mrc-2025-894262.html

What is the Mountain Radio Challenge?

The Mountain Radio Challenge started in 1987. The idea was to see what distances could be achieved on 27MHz Citizens Band radio using direct-wave or line-of-sight propagation only. It is relatively easy to talk interstate or overseas when the skip is running, but to make long distance contacts without using skywave or skip propagation is a challenge.

The MRC originated with CB operators in the North Eastern suburbs of Melbourne who would find different mountains to camp on for the weekend and try and establish contact mountain to mountain.

After doing this a while, and with some knowledge of several mountains, and some confidence in what we could achieve, these events expanded across the country and evolved into a relay format event - where a chain of stations pass a message from the first to the last station and back again being careful to maintain the integrity of the message like a game of Chinese whispers. Over the last 39 years the MRC has operated in Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, the ACT and New South Wales and provided an opportunity for CB radio, camping and 4WD enthusiasts across those states to combine their interests and come together as an on-air community.

We have observed that the best conditions for line-of-sight contacts on 27 MHz are found after dark when the skip has finished and band noise is at a minimum. Under these conditions distances over 200km are commonly achieved with normal type-approved 27MHz CB radios and base or mobile vertical antennas. During daylight, conditions and station distances are sometimes too challenging for direct communication so skip is needed to complete the message relay. Stations monitoring the MRC from more distant parts of Australia have been very helpful over the years to act as skip relays.

If you have an interest in CB Radio, camping or 4WDing then consider the MRC.

Tony355 tony@cat.net.au
Founder and Event Director

Daily Radio Carry Case MK4 - August 2026

Over the past few months, I've been experimenting with different cases for carrying my radio scanning equipment. Some have been smaller and worked well for a minimal daily carry, while others have been larger and better suited to what I would describe as a serious monitoring session.

It seems I've now reached the point where I'm starting to look at just about anything that might make a good radio case!

Recently, my wife purchased some electrical equipment, which arrived packaged in a fairly substantial piece of protective foam. As soon as I saw it, I noticed that the overall dimensions looked remarkably close to my ToolPro radio case. Even more interestingly, the foam already had a cut-out that looked like it might be a very good fit for my Uniden BCD325P2.

Rather than throwing the foam in the bin, I decided to see if I could put it to good use. This is one of those situations where something that would normally be considered packaging suddenly becomes useful once you start looking at it from a different perspective.

Recycling and Reusing

I've always liked the idea of reusing packaging where possible, but this was particularly appealing because the foam was already shaped and sized for what I wanted to do.

There was no need to buy another piece of foam and cut it from scratch. There was no need to throw perfectly usable material away only to purchase something similar later. Instead, I could take something that had already served one purpose and give it a second life protecting a piece of radio equipment.

It's a small thing, but it seems like a much better outcome than simply putting it in the rubbish. And, of course, it gives me another excuse to experiment with radio cases.

Another Case Experiment

The Daily Radio Carry Case MK4 is really the result of this ongoing experimentation. Over the last few months, I've tried cases of different sizes and configurations.

The smaller cases are great when I only want to carry a scanner and a few essentials. They are compact and easy to take with me.

The larger cases are better when I'm deliberately heading out for a longer monitoring session and want to take additional scanners, batteries, headphones, cables and other accessories.

This new setup sits somewhere between those two approaches. The recycled foam gives the BCD325P2 a dedicated, protected space while still allowing the case to remain relatively compact.

It's another example of how the design of a case doesn't necessarily need to start with buying something specifically marketed as a "radio case".

Sometimes the best solution is already sitting in front of you. This new setup ticks all the boxes, allows me to easily carry what I need and keeps everything safe.

Tasmania Local Government Elections 2026: Time to Get Back to the Basics

With the 2026 Tasmanian Local Government elections approaching, ratepayers have an opportunity to ask a fairly simple question of every candidate seeking their vote:

What is local government actually for?

It is an important question because, over the past four years, across a number of council areas, the public has watched councils become increasingly distracted by issues that have little to do with the core business of local government.

Local government is supposed to be about local issues.

It is about roads, footpaths, drainage, rubbish and waste management, planning, community facilities, local parks and reserves, animal control, local development and the many other practical services that affect people's everyday lives.

These things may not always be exciting. They may not generate headlines or passionate social media debates.

But they are the reason councils exist.

Back to the basics

There is nothing wrong with councils having broader interests or supporting their communities in areas beyond their statutory responsibilities. Councils are an important part of the fabric of their communities and can play a valuable role in advocacy.

But there is a difference between advocating on an issue and allowing that issue to consume disproportionate amounts of council time, money and attention.

Over the last four years, ratepayers in multiple council areas have seen examples of councils spending considerable energy on matters that are not central to their responsibilities, while more basic issues continue to generate complaints.

That should concern us.

A council that cannot consistently maintain its roads, manage its infrastructure, provide reliable basic services and deliver projects effectively should be very cautious about taking on additional causes and responsibilities.

Before asking what else council can do, councillors should be asking:

"Are we doing the things we are already responsible for well?"

That should be the starting point for every council budget, every strategic plan and every election.

Ratepayers aren't cash cows

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing local government in 2026 is the rising cost of doing business.

Councils are facing increasing costs for labour, materials, insurance, energy, contracts and infrastructure. These pressures are real, and pretending otherwise would be irresponsible.

But there is an equally important reality:

"Ratepayers cannot simply be treated as an unlimited source of additional revenue."

Anyone who runs a household budget understands the problem. If your expenses increase, you have three broad choices:

1. Increase your income.

2. Find ways to become more efficient.

3. Reduce or change what you spend money on.

Local government needs to apply exactly the same discipline.

Increasing rates will inevitably be part of the conversation. But it should not automatically be the answer.

A council shouldn't simply look at a 5% increase in its costs and conclude that rates need to increase by 5%.

It needs to ask where those additional costs have come from.

Can services be delivered more efficiently?

Are there opportunities to reduce administrative overheads?

Are there projects that can be delayed, redesigned or cancelled?

Are there services that could be delivered differently?

Are council assets being managed efficiently?

Are there activities that council has taken on that are not actually core council responsibilities?

And, importantly, are ratepayers receiving value for the money they are already paying?

Sometimes the answer will genuinely be that rates need to increase. Sometimes the answer will be efficiency. Sometimes it will mean reducing or changing services. Often, it will require a combination of all three.

What shouldn't be acceptable is treating rate increases as an automatic annual adjustment with little meaningful examination of what council is spending.

The councillor sideshow

There is another issue that has become increasingly difficult to ignore.

In some councils, the personalities of individual councillors and the way they interact with each other have become almost a sideshow in their own right.

Public disagreements, personal conflicts, accusations, legal threats, social media battles and ongoing disputes can dominate attention that should instead be focused on council business. Disagreement is not inherently bad. In fact, good government requires disagreement.

Councillors should challenge proposals. They should ask difficult questions. They should scrutinise spending. They should hold each other and council officers to account.

But there is a significant difference between healthy political debate and dysfunction. When personal relationships, grudges and political manoeuvring begin to dominate council meetings, the community loses.

Ratepayers don't elect councillors to spend four years fighting with each other. They elect them to make decisions. Sometimes those decisions will be unpopular. Sometimes councillors will lose votes. Sometimes they will have to compromise. Sometimes they will have to accept that their preferred option wasn't supported by the majority. That is how representative government is supposed to work.

Dysfunction has a cost

The consequences of dysfunctional councils extend beyond embarrassing council meetings or unpleasant headlines.

Dysfunction costs money. It consumes staff time. It consumes councillor time. It creates delays. It can result in additional legal costs. It can damage staff morale. It can make recruitment and retention more difficult. Most importantly, it distracts everyone from the actual work of running a council.

Every hour spent dealing with unnecessary internal conflict is an hour that isn't being spent discussing roads, infrastructure, planning, community facilities, financial sustainability or service delivery.

And when legal threats become part of the normal political process, the community has every right to ask: How much is this costing ratepayers?

That question should be asked every time.

Local government isn't state or federal government

There is also an important distinction that sometimes gets lost in local government politics. Councillors are not state or federal parliamentarians.They don't need to solve every problem facing society.

There are issues that matter deeply to people that are properly the responsibility of state or federal government. Councils can advocate. They can make submissions. They can work with other levels of government. They can support their communities.

But there needs to be discipline about where council's resources and attention are directed. A councillor shouldn't need to have an opinion on everything.

They need to have a strong understanding of what their council is responsible for and a willingness to make sure those responsibilities are being delivered properly.

What should voters look for in 2026?

This election shouldn't simply be about who is the most visible candidate, who has the strongest social media presence or who can generate the most outrage.

Ratepayers should be looking for people who can actually govern. People who can read and understand a budget, who understand that every dollar spent by council ultimately comes from the community.

People who can disagree without turning disagreement into a personal war.

People who can accept losing a vote and move on.

People who are prepared to ask whether council is delivering value.

People who understand the difference between a council's responsibilities and those of other levels of government.

And perhaps most importantly, people who are prepared to put the interests of the entire municipality ahead of their own personality, ego or political agenda.

A simple challenge for the next council

The 2026 election provides an opportunity to reset.

The next council should start with some fairly simple principles:

Focus on core responsibilities.

Spend ratepayer money as though it were your own.

Look for efficiencies before automatically increasing revenue.

Be transparent about difficult financial decisions.

Deliver the basics well.

Debate issues, not personalities.

Keep personal disputes out of council business.

Stop wasting time and money on unnecessary conflict.

And perhaps above all:

Remember who you work for.

Councillors don't own council.

Council doesn't own the community.

The facilities, roads, land, infrastructure and services that councils manage ultimately exist for the benefit of the people who live in those municipalities, and those people pay for them.

The 2026 Local Government elections are therefore about more than choosing a name on a ballot paper.

They are an opportunity for ratepayers to decide what sort of local government they want for the next four years.

I'd like to see one that is less interested in the sideshow and more interested in getting the basics right.

One that understands that financial responsibility isn't optional.

One that recognises that ratepayers have limits.

And one where councillors can sit around a table, disagree strongly, make a decision and then get on with the job.

Because at the end of the day, local government should be about the local community, not the people sitting around the council table.

Uniden Digital Scanners – Search Options for Decoding Digital Signals

Over the past few months, I have been running my Uniden BCD325P2 in AutoStore mode, allowing it to search through sections of the radio spectrum and automatically save the active frequencies it finds.

Reviewing the results has revealed some interesting patterns. In particular, I started noticing that sometimes the scanner would identify CTCSS or DCS tones, while at other times those details were missing. At the same time, I have noticed an increase in the use of DMR and NXDN locally.

The problem was that the local digital activity has generally been too intermittent to spend the time needed to properly test exactly how the scanner's different search settings affect what is decoded and logged.

Recently, however, our local 70 cm DMR amateur radio repeater (VK7RJG) has been active during the evenings. The longer QSO sessions provided a perfect opportunity to sit down and systematically test the different search options.

My initial test was fairly simple. I manually entered the repeater frequency using the familiar:

HOLD → FREQUENCY → HOLD method, however, the DMR signal wasn't being decoded as I expected.

That led me back to the excellent Easier to Read Uniden BCD325P2 Scanner Manual, specifically the section covering Tone/Code Search.

The manual explains that Tone/Code Search determines whether the scanner searches for codes in Search and Close Call modes. It provides three options:

• Off – the scanner does not search for or display tones.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• CTCSS/DCS – the scanner searches for and displays CTCSS/DCS tones.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• NAC/CC/RAN/Area – the scanner searches for and displays NAC, Colour Code, RAN and Area information.
  
  
  
  
  
  

The manual also notes that this setting is ignored in AM, WFM and FMB modes. What I hadn't appreciated was just how much this setting could affect digital signal decoding.

Using the active DMR repeater as my test signal, I tried each of the three settings.

Tone/Code Search: Off

With Tone/Code Search set to off, the scanner decoded the DMR signal. However, no additional digital information was displayed. In other words, I could hear the decoded DMR traffic, but I wasn't getting the useful identifying information that I was looking for.

Tone/Code Search: CTCSS/DCS

This produced a very different result. Instead of clean DMR audio, I was greeted with what can best be described as "machine gun" audio. The scanner was effectively looking for analogue CTCSS/DCS information rather than the digital information associated with the DMR signal. For someone trying to identify digital activity, this is obviously not particularly useful.

Tone/Code Search: NAC/CC/RAN/Area

This was the interesting one. With NAC/CC/RAN/Area selected, the scanner successfully decoded the DMR signal and displayed the Colour Code. This is exactly the sort of information I want when investigating an unknown digital signal. It gives me both the decoded audio and an additional piece of information that can be used to identify and document the transmission.

The unexpected part: this also affects manual frequency entry. The biggest surprise from this testing was that these settings aren't just relevant when performing a traditional Search or Close Call operation. They also appear to affect what happens when using the: HOLD → FREQUENCY → HOLD method, to quickly enter and monitor a frequency.

That means the scanner's Tone/Code Search setting needs to be correct before entering the frequency, if I want the best chance of getting useful information from a digital signal.

This is an important distinction, as it would be easy to assume that manually entering a frequency bypasses the search configuration. My testing shows that it doesn't.

If I am investigating DMR or NXDN and have the scanner configured for CTCSS/DCS searching, I can end up with an entirely different result from what I would get with NAC/CC/RAN/Area selected.

Another limitation is changing the mode from the keypad

Another interesting observation was that, from the keypad, I can change the mode between options such as:

• AM
• FM
• WFM
• FMB

However, I don't appear to have the same direct control over the more specific digital/analogue decoding behaviour from the keypad.

This makes the global search configuration more important than I had previously realised.

It is very easy to change a frequency and start listening without necessarily realising that another setting is influencing what the scanner is actually looking for.

This has changed how I approach spectrum searches. Previously, I had assumed that running a search across a band segment would give me a reasonably complete picture of what was there. My recent testing suggests that this isn't necessarily the case.

If the scanner is configured to look specifically for CTCSS/DCS, I may miss useful digital information.

Likewise, if I configure it specifically for digital code information, I may not get the analogue tone information I was originally looking for.

That creates an interesting problem for anyone trying to document an unknown section of spectrum. Based on this testing, I think I will need to run two separate searches of each band segment.

The first search will use:

CTCSS/DCS: This should allow me to identify analogue FM activity and capture CTCSS/DCS information.

The second search will use:

NAC/CC/RAN/Area: This should give me a better chance of identifying digital activity and capturing information such as:

• DMR Colour Code
• NXDN RAN
• P25 NAC

The exact information available will, of course, depend on the signal type and what the BCD325P2 is capable of decoding.

One of the reasons I enjoy running the scanner in AutoStore is that it produces a large amount of data that can be reviewed later.

In this case, the AutoStore results were what initially made me question why some signals were being logged with useful tone information while others weren't. What I had originally considered to be inconsistent results now appear to have a much more logical explanation.

The scanner wasn't necessarily failing to detect the information, I was simply asking it to search for the wrong type of information. That's an important distinction. This little experiment has changed the way I think about searching for digital signals with the BCD325P2.

The Tone/Code Search setting isn't something I would normally think about when manually entering a frequency, but my testing indicates that it can have a significant impact on what the scanner actually decodes and displays.

For analogue monitoring, CTCSS/DCS is useful.

For digital signal hunting, NAC/CC/RAN/Area is the better choice.

And if I'm trying to comprehensively survey a section of spectrum, I don't think one search configuration is enough.

For my own monitoring, that means running the band segment twice, once looking for CTCSS/DCS, and again looking for NAC/CC/RAN/Area.

It's another reminder that modern digital scanners are considerably more complicated than the old analogue scanners I started with.

Loggings - 23/08/2026

RadioFreakDB Export

Generated: 24/08/2026, 8:58:24 am

Frequency	Callsign	Mode	Service
118.7	TOWER-LTON	AM	Airband
123.8	ATC-LTON APPROACH	AM	Airband
126.5	ATC-NORTH	AM	Airband
129.5	QANTAS	AM	Airband
131.15	AIR UNKNOWN	AM	Airband
132.3	AIR UNKOWN	AM	Airband
146.4	VK7RAA INPUT	FM	Amateur Radio
147.000	VK7RAA 2M Repeater	FM	Amateur Radio
157.775	RAILSWITCH	FM	TasRail
158	TASRAIL SIMP VHF	FM	TasRail
162.375	TASRAIL-MILLERS BLUFF	FM	TasRail
162.525	TASRAIL	FM	TasRail
162.550	TASRAIL	FM	TasRail
163.075	LCC FREELANDS(D)	DMR	Councils
407.950	UNKNOWN	FM	Business
413.35	LGH SECURITY(D)	DMR	Business
414.025	TASRAIL UHF LINK	FM	TasRail
414.26875	METRO UHF LINK	FM	Business
414.425	TASRAIL UHF LINK	FM	TasRail
438.4125	VK7RJG(D)	DMR	Amateur Radio
438.550	VK7RJG 70CM Repeater	FM	Amateur Radio
439.200	70CM SIMPLEX C4FM	FM	Amateur Radio
439.775	VK7RDR-DAZZLER	FM	Amateur Radio
450.68125	TASRAIL	FM	TasRail
454.275	METRO (TX)	FM	Business
463.025	LCC QVMAG(D)	NXDN	Councils
464.275	METRO ABLES	FM	Business
464.375	METRO FREELANDS	FM	Business
474.775	UNI SECURITY (DMR)	DMR	Business
494.925	LAUNCESTON AQUATIC CENTRE	FM	Councils
495.0625	VIZPIX	FM	Business
509.875	OFFICE OF RACING INTEGRITY	FM	Business

Exported from RadioFreakDB by VK7AAL

Video - 17/08/2026 - Launceston Approach

 

Loggings - 17/08/2026

RadioFreakDB Export

Generated: 18/08/2026, 9:10:09 am

Frequency	Callsign	Mode	Service
73.13	B W MANION	FM	Business
118.7	TOWER-LTON	AM	Airband
123.45	AIR SIMP	AM	Airband
123.8	ATC-LTON APPROACH	AM	Airband
125.55	ATC HOBART	AM	Airband
126.5	ATC-NORTH	AM	Airband
126.7	CTAF	AM	Airband
126.9	CTAF NW	AM	Airband
129.5	QANTAS	AM	Airband
130.300	ATC Mt Tassie (Vic)	AM	Airband
130.35	VELOCITY	AM	Airband
146.4	VK7RAA INPUT	FM	Amateur Radio
147.000	VK7RAA 2M Repeater	FM	Amateur Radio
156.425	MARINE WEATHER	FM	Marine
156.6	MARINE VHF 12		Marine
156.7	MARINE VHF 14	FM	Marine
156.8	MARINE VHF 16	FM	Marine
157.9	BORAL - INPUT	FM	Business
162.15	TASRAIL	FM	TasRail
162.375	TASRAIL-MILLERS BLUFF	FM	TasRail
162.500	BORAL	FM	Business
162.525	TASRAIL	FM	TasRail
162.6125	TASRAIL MT ARTHUR	FM	TasRail
163.575	LCC MT ARTHUR(D)	DMR	Councils
413.35	LGH SECURITY(D)	DMR	Business
414.26875	METRO UHF LINK	FM	Business
438.4125	VK7RJG(D)	DMR	Amateur Radio
438.550	VK7RJG 70CM Repeater	FM	Amateur Radio
462.325	SPOTLIGHT LAUNCESTON	FM	Business
464.275	METRO ABLES	FM	Business
464.375	METRO FREELANDS	FM	Business
471.7	PFEIFFER CRANES	FM	Business
473.500	TASRAIL UHF	FM	TasRail
474.775	UNI SECURITY (DMR)	DMR	Business
476.425	UHF CB CH 1	FM	UHF CB
476.5	UHF CB CH 4	FM	UHF CB
476.575	UHF CB CH 7	FM	UHF CB
476.5875	UHF CB CH 47		UHF CB
476.65	UHF CB CH 10	FM	UHF CB
476.75	UHF CB CH 14		UHF CB
476.8	UHF CB CH 16	FM	UHF CB
476.850	UHF CB 18 (TIP)	FM	UHF CB
476.95	UHF CB CH 22		UHF CB
477.05	UHF CB CH 26		UHF CB
477.075	UHF CB CH 27	FM	UHF CB
477.15	UHF CB CH 30	FM	UHF CB
477.1625	UHF CB CH 70		UHF CB
477.225	UHF CB CH 33	FM	UHF CB
477.25	UHF CB CH 34	FM	UHF CB
477.325	UHF CB CH 37	FM	UHF CB
477.375	UHF CB CH 39	FM	UHF CB
477.4	UHF CB CH 40	FM	UHF CB
477.4125	UHF CB CH 80	FM	UHF CB
494.925	LAUNCESTON AQUATIC CENTRE	FM	Councils
509.8875	UHF SIMPLEX	FM	Business

Exported from RadioFreakDB by VK7AAL 

30 Years of Scanning - My Radio Journey

September 2026 marks 30 years since I first started in the radio hobby. Three decades is a long time in radio, and when I look back, the hobby I started with is almost unrecognisable compared with what I do today.

What began as an interest in listening to radio transmissions has developed into a much broader fascination with radio systems, frequencies, antennas, digital modes, spectrum hunting, amateur radio and documenting what I hear.

When I first started
I started in the radio hobby in 1996. Back then, radio scanning was a very different hobby to what it is now in 2026. There was no online frequency database, no easy way of looking up a system on the internet, and very little of the information we take for granted today. We did have some printed books, which I purchased from my local Dick Smith store but these only painted some of the picture.

A lot of the fun was discovering things for yourself. You would find a frequency, listen, try to work out who was using it and write it down. Back then, before the Internet, forums and other online resources had really taken off, other enthusiasts and word of mouth were important sources of information.

Those early experiences were enough to turn radio from something I was simply interested in into a hobby that has stayed with me for three decades.

The first things I monitored
My early interest was primarily in listening to local two way radio communications and trying to understand what was happening around me through the radio spectrum. The first frequency I logged was a local construction / delivery company in the VHF high band, 30 years later, they are still on the same frequency.

The attraction was never simply hearing a voice. It was working out what I was hearing.

Who was transmitting?
Where were they?
What frequency were they using?
What was the purpose of the transmission?

That curiosity has probably been one of the constants throughout my entire time in the hobby.

Early antennas
Like for many scanner enthusists, the antenna became an important part of the hobby.

There is something particularly satisfying about improving an antenna and suddenly hearing stations that were previously weak, noisy or completely absent. I used various discones for many years and have recently been focusing mostly on the VHF airband and high band, so have found a VHF Marine band aerial, mounted on our second story roof is the best I can get for my monitoring needs. The antenna is still one of the most important parts of a monitoring station and it is often overlooked.

My first amateur radio experiences
Amateur radio eventually became another important part of my relationship with radio. I started in 2006 with getting my foundation licnece (VK7FPGB). In 2025, I changed to my new callsign of VK7AAL, this has become closely associated with my radio activities, and amateur radio gave me another perspective on the spectrum.

Radio scanning and amateur radio overlap, but they are also quite different. Radio scanning is often about discovering what other people are doing. Amateur radio gives you the opportunity to actually participate. Over the years, that combination of listening, experimenting and transmitting has helped shape the way I approach radio.

Equipment I've owned
My equipment has changed dramatically over the years. My first scanner was a Pro 25, which was a 100 channel VHF / UHF scanner, it cost me $100 from our lcoal second hand dealer. One of the most significant developments has been the move from conventional analogue scanners to modern receivers capable of handling a much wider variety of digital systems.

Over the years I have owned and used a large mix of equipment, both scanners and wide band recivers. The Icom R8500 was the centre piece of my monitoring station for a while. I also foudn the AOR 8600mkii to be useful, if very complex to use. I have been a fan of the Uniden range, I imported a BCD396T from the USA, prior to the Australian UBCD396T being released. One thing I have found is that the equipment is only part of the puzzle, knowing how to use it to get the most out of it is also very important.

Today my equipment includes receivers such as the Uniden BCD325P2, which has become particularly useful for portable monitoring and Close Call work.

I've also increasingly used computers alongside my radios. Radio monitoring is no longer just about having a scanner sitting on the desk. It can involve databases, logging software, programming files, digital systems and custom tools that I have developed myself. That has led to projects such as my own radio databases, frequency management tools and scanning software. RadioFreakDB has become the centre piece of my monitoring record keeping and it now runs on both my laptop and phone, giving me access to my loggings and other information no matter where I am.

It is difficult to pick a single favourite because different radios have served different purposes. The BCD325P2 is particularly useful for the way I monitor today. Its portability makes it ideal for getting out of the shack and taking the radio to where the signals actually are.

That is important because some of the most interesting monitoring I have done recently hasn't happened sitting at home.

For example, I have taken the BCD325P2 on drives around Tasmania, including a trip to Deloraine, running it in Close Call mode and seeing what signals appeared around me. That style of monitoring, taking the receiver to the signal rather than simply waiting for signals to come to me, has become a major part of my hobby. I often make sure I have this with me in one of the Auto Store modes, so I can review what is received later.

The Icom R20 was also a favorite of mine and I made good use of the audio recorder. I would often leave it setup and recording, espically on unkown frequencies, to review the recording later, this helped me with being able to ID a number of frequencies over the years.

How scanning has changed over 30 years
This is probably the biggest change of all. When I started, scanning was predominantly about analogue voice communications, FM on the buisness bands and AM for aircraft. Today the spectrum contains an enormous mixture of:

• Analogue FM
• P25
• DMR
• NXDN
• Data transmissions
• Telemetry
• Paging and other signalling

Some services have disappeared completely. Others have moved to digital systems. Some systems are now encrypted, making them effectively unavailable to the hobbyist listener.

In Tasmania, the TASGRN system is a good example of how things have changed. Large communications networks have become increasingly sophisticated, while encryption has also changed what can realistically be monitored.

The challenge today isn't necessarily finding a signal. It's understanding what the signal is.

How my interests have evolved
This is where my hobby has probably changed the most. I started as someone who wanted to listen to radio. Over time, I became interested in finding radio signals, then identifying them, then documenting them. Now I am increasingly interested in understanding the technology behind them.

I've also become interested in creating resources for other enthusiasts, including FreeScan configuration files and databases.

I enjoy the process of taking something I have personally discovered and turning it into something useful that somebody else can use.

For me, it is now less about the content and more about what frequencies are in use, where, when and by who.

What I'm monitoring today
Today my main focus is UHF band monitoring, searching for new users and signals and documenting this, Rather than simply programming a list of known frequencies and leaving the scanner running, I enjoy getting out and actively hunting for signals.

I'll take a portable scanner into an area, listen to the spectrum, watch for signals, investigate frequencies and then try to work out exactly what I've found. That might be UHF CB, a data transmission, a digital signal, a TASGRN control channel or something completely unexpected.

And that's still what makes scanning exciting after 30 years. You never quite know what the radio is going to find.

Where I think the hobby is heading
I don't think scanning is disappearing. I do think it is changing. The traditional idea of sitting beside a scanner listening to analogue conversations is becoming less representative of modern monitoring.

The future is likely to involve more digital systems, more data, more encryption, software-defined radio, computer-assisted analysis and increasingly sophisticated methods of identifying unknown signals.

The moment when you discover a signal you've never heard before is still just as exciting as it was when I started 30 years ago.

Looking back, I find it remarkable that something I started in 1997 has remained such a significant part of my life. Radio has gone from being something I listened to into something I research, document, write about, develop software for and actively hunt.

My interests have changed enormously, but the underlying curiosity that first got me started hasn't.

Photo Dump

Since the early 2000's I have keep a large number of radio related photos. Below are some, that show my journey over this time.