By Shannon Fiecke, Correspondent 

Lots of people have gone into the Radio Shack store in Shakopee recently to inquire about digital-compatible police scanners, said store Manager Matthew Fiega. But not many have made a purchase.

Police and fire departments in Scott County this month began installing new digital 800-megahertz-compatible radios.

While emergency communication can still be heard on the old analog system as radios are tested, the county expects to pull the plug by the end of the year. Then, local scanner fans will have a choice to make: pony up several hundred dollars for a new scanner or hear a lot less talk.

With a price tag around $500, many people are waiting, hoping digital scanners will come down.

“Like anything when brand new, it’s expensive,” said Charles Jacky, interoperable communications coordinator for the Metropolitan Emergency Services Board.Current analog scanners can be purchased for less than $100. Although most agencies in the metro area have switched to digital radio, Fiega hasn’t seen the price shift in the last few years.New models come out in the $500 range, although, as of Monday, an older model could be ordered through Radio Shack for $380. The store sold out of the few digital scanners it had on clearance.

Scanners can also be purchased at Action Radio in Maple Grove.

Scott County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Haas, who is coordinating the county’s communication overhaul, said for scanners to work locally, they must be “P25” and able to decode a 9600-baud 800 MHz signal.

“Most common police scanners won’t work,” he said. “However, there are scanners that do work.”

Fiega cautions that just because a scanner is “800 megahertz” compatible, doesn’t mean it will work. It must be digital. The digital scanners also will pick up analog signals, so they can be used all over the state.

“People come in looking for 800 megahertz when what they really need is digital,” he said.

After Scott County decommissions its analog radio, the only emergency communication likely still to be heard on the old scanners is fire calls. This is because firefighters’ pagers are not going digital.

“They don’t have to buy new scanners if they want to hear what we’re doing every day,” Shakopee Fire Chief Rick Coleman said.

However, once firefighters arrive on the scene, communication will switch to a digital channel.

People still will be able to listen to companies that communicate on analog radio, such as Canterbury Park and Valleyfair, whose frequencies are listed on radio hobbyist Web sites.

One Web site, www.scanfan.com, lists information about the forthcoming digital switch on its message board.

Most scanner users Fiega has met just like to hear what’s going on. He estimates 99 percent of them listen for fun.

Radio Shack had been decreasing its stock of scanners, Fiega said, because they’re declining in popularity.

Many people don’t know what a scanner is anymore, he said. The younger generation is more preoccupied with the Internet and other technological fads than listening to a scanner for entertainment.

For those still interested in following police and fire calls, Fiega advises making sure the company they’re buying the digital scanner from also will program it. Digital scanners are nearly impossible to program on your own.

“You have to use a computer, pretty much,” Fiega said.

Radio Shack programs models purchased at the store for free. Action Radio in Maple Grove, which offers an array of radio devices, charges $50.

Local newspapers, including the Prior Lake American, which rely on scanners to be alerted to emergencies like house fires and bank robberies, will be affected by the switch.

Because new scanners are so expensive, the American’s parent company plans to purchase just one for its newspapers. It will stream the sound through a computer connection to other offices.

Fiega estimates he’s sold 10 or 20 digital scanners and maybe 50 to 60 overall at the Shakopee store in the last few years.

 “Digital is a good technology,” Fiega said, because it has better audio quality and takes up less space in the airwaves. “It’s expensive, but it’s a good thing.”

 Shannon Fiecke can be reached at (952) 345-6679 or sfiecke@swpub.com