frequency, it stops on that frequency as long as the transmission lasts. If you think the frequency is interesting, you can program it into one of the banks. If not, you can continue to search.

Conventional Scanning

Conventional scanning is a relatively simple concept. Each group of users in a conventional system is assigned a single frequency (for simplex systems) or two frequencies (for repeater systems). Any time one of them transmits, their transmission always goes out on the same frequency. Up until the late 1980’s this was the primary way that radio systems operated.

Even today, there are many 2-way radio users who operate using a conventional system:

Aircraft

Amateur radio

FRS/GMRS users

Broadcast AM/FM/TV stations

Many business radio users

When you want to store a conventional system, all you need to know is the frequencies they operate on. When you are scanning a conventional system, the scanner stops very briefly on each channel to see if there is activity. If there isn’t, the scanner quickly moves to the next channel. If there is, then the scanner pauses on the transmission until it is over.

Simplex Operation

Simplex systems use a single frequency for both transmit and receive. Most radios using this type of operation are limited to line-of-sight operation. This type of radio is frequently used at construction job sites, and with inexpensive consumer radios such as

UnderstandingFeature HighlightsScanning

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Uniden BC95XLT manual Conventional Scanning, Simplex Operation