Hello (again) Bill,
25-Apr-97 13:02:53, Bill Clark wrote to All
          Subject: radio Frequencies
 BC> Also can anyone tell me the legal position of scanners in various 
 BC> countrys including the UK
The situation in this country is that:
Yes it is legal to own a scanner
You can listen to broadcast stations, hams and a couple of other services,
like frequency standard stations.
THAT IS ALL.
In practice, as long as you are discreet, you can listen to anything without
much fear. But don't take your scanner in the pub and have the police,
cell-phones etc. blasting away! With discretion, anything goes. It is
different in the USA, where all frequencies are public knowledge. I believe
that some European countries have much stricter laws than the UK, and general
coverage scanners are illegal to own, much less use.
 BC> I am a taxi driver in Barrow In furness in England and our frequencies 
 BC> are as follows.
 BC> Base  453.975 Mhz    Mobile   460.475Mhz   Duplex.
Interesting. Here in the Thames valley most Taxis and suchlike are on
166 - 169 MHz. London tends to use UHF (453+) much more, but channels are
at a premium there.
 BC> Occasionally especially on hot sunny days we pick up interference from 
 BC> other users of these frequencies.  I think one is in 
 BC> Lancaster/Morecambe/Blackpool
 BC> area and the other is in Liverpool or North wales.
This is probably due to high pressure causing enhanced propogation. Do you
get TV interference at the same time (wiggly lines, foreign stations)?
Consult any good Ham radio handbook for a full explanation of the physics
involved.
 BC> What are community repeaters and who owns them.  We were thinking of 
 BC> using one
 BC> at work to enhance our radio range but don't know how to go about it or 
 BC> how much it cost.
I think (but could be wrong) this is an American idea, and hasn't reached
the UK yet.
 BC> Finally for now.  Does anyone have the frequencies and CTCSS tones for 
 BC> the new low powered UHF Motorola hand helds.
I have a list of CTCSS tones in general use. Is that what you want? Not much
use really for everyday listening.
Have you bought yourself a good scanner guide/frequency list yet? It will
probably answer many of your questions. A good one is "Scanners" and
"Scanners II" by Peter Rouse. Probably in your nearest big library.
Happy scanning,
  Richard Mekka G4AWY  
--- Terminate 3.00/Pro
---------------