ok so people have been saying our police channels have "gone digital" not sure what this means as im not to wise on the whole scanning level but... i know some one here is

i also have this but it was done by a old friend i have not been able to track down and ask about

http://www.nettwerked.net/wem_scan_list.txt

perhaps some one here could explain it a bit better the meaning of this document

and also what kind of low end scanner i would be looking for

I'd put money on that no longer being current, given it was from almost 9 years ago.

http://www.radioreference.com/ is where you wanna go, my friend. That'll give you current (and frequently updated) stuff in the database. After that, you can post in their forums or post here and I may be able to help ya out.

you've probably figured a bunch out from radioreference, but it looks like you might have a trunked system? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trunked_radio_system

The definition and all that aren't really important, it's just important to get a scanner that's capapable of trunking. not just one type, either. if you look on wiki you'll see they have a bunch of different systems! my scanner only supports the basic ones. motorola, edacs, etc.

Digital is P25 or APCO-25 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_25 again the definition is good for tech reasons but basically, you're looking for a trunked scanner that's digital.. pretty soon most PD's will be using this, i'm guessing. they already to around here.

I'd try a uniden BCT996T if you can afford it

http://www.scannermaster.com/Digital_Scanners_s/269.htm

some scanners "will not permit users to monitor sensitive, encrypted signals from national and local security services." as the BCT996T does. sooo you might want to check out getting a modded one or doing the mods yourself. not too much info out there on modding p25 scanners, actually I couldn't find anything at all.

well enjoy

edit: in terms of low end, there is no low end digital. craigslist, or ebay mabye

http://www.digitalfotoclub.com/sc/from-froogle.asp?id=964739577&rf=froogle&dfdate=10_12_2008#Description (careful with this one looks real seedy)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Radio-Shack-Pro-96-DIGITAL-POLICE-SCANNER-with-WIN96_W0QQitemZ320309882133QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/Radio-Shack-Pro-2096-DIGITAL-POLICE-SCANNER-with-WIN96_W0QQitemZ320309124830QQcmdZViewItem

cheapest ones I could find =]

Awesome info, Staples.

I'd also say, if you're going to buy new, to be sure to look into GRE machines. I prefer Uniden's memory system, but for a first time user, I think GRE are far more user friendly.

In so far as modding a P25 scanner, good luck finding ANY info on it. P25 systems are pretty new, and not in wide use, so there's not much information out there regarding it.

Encryption isn't something you're going to get around either way. For a variety of reasons, it's simply unrealistic to think you'll decrypt an encrypted communication, not to mention it's illegal as all hell, so govern yourself accordingly.

If you need to purchase a digital ready scanner, prepare to spend in the neighborhood of $500-600.