Police Scanner Guide

Complete guide to Uniden scanners, California radio codes, and frequency resources.

Disclaimer: I do not endorse Uniden or any scanner manufacturer. These are my honest opinions as a hobbyist based on personal experience.

My Scanner Recommendations

Top Pick: Uniden Bearcat SDS150

Best For: Serious hobbyists

  • Better antenna & reception
  • Brighter, clearer display
  • Longer battery life
  • More features than SDS100

Branded as "Bearcat"

View SDS150

Budget: Uniden SDS100 Bearcat

Best For: Beginners

  • True I/Q digital reception
  • P25 Phase I/II, DMR, NXDN
  • Built-in GPS receiver
  • 50,000+ channel storage

Branded as "Bearcat"

View SDS100

Base Station: Uniden SDS200

Best For: Home/Vehicle

  • 4.3" color LCD touchscreen
  • Dual independent receivers
  • 100,000+ channel storage
  • 12V DC power

No Bearcat branding

View SDS200
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California Radio Codes

Common codes you'll hear when listening to California public safety frequencies.

Priority Codes

Code 1Respond at your convenience
Code 2Urgent, no lights/sirens
Code 3Emergency, lights and sirens
Code 4No further assistance needed
Code 5Stakeout
Code 6Out for investigation
Code 7Meal break

Common 10-Codes

10-4Acknowledgment / OK
10-7Out of service
10-8In service
10-20Location
10-97Arrived at scene
10-98Finished assignment
10-99Officer needs help

Penal Codes (PC)

187Homicide
211Robbery
245Assault with deadly weapon
415Disturbing the peace
459Burglary
484/488Petty theft
502DUI

Vehicle Codes (VC)

10851Stolen vehicle
20001Hit and run (injury)
20002Hit and run (property)
22350Speeding
23103Reckless driving
23152DUI

Getting Started

Programming Your Scanner

Most modern Uniden scanners can be programmed using:

  • Sentinel - Uniden's official software
  • FreeSCAN - Alternative programming tool
  • RadioReference.com - Database of frequencies

I recommend starting with your local county on RadioReference and importing those frequencies into your scanner.

Useful Resources

Check out my products page for my specific scanner recommendation.