Scanning Legally - Whistler WS1080 Owner's Manual

Scanning Legally

Your scanner covers frequencies used by many
different groups including police and fire departments,
ambulance services, government agencies, private
companies, amateur radio services, military operations,
pager services, and wireline (telephone and telegraph)
service providers. It is legal to listen to almost every
transmission your scanner can receive. However, there
are some transmissions you should never intentionally
listen to.
These include:
• Telephone conversations (cellular, cordless, or other
means of private telephone signal transmission)
• Paging transmissions
• Any intentionally decoded scrambled or encrypted
transmissions
According to the Electronic Communications Privacy
Act (ECPA), you are subject to fines and possible
imprisonment for intentionally listening to, using, or
divulging the contents of such a transmission unless
you have the consent of a party to the communication
(unless such activity is otherwise illegal). This scanner
has been designed to prevent reception of illegal
transmissions. This is done to comply with the legal
requirement that scanners be manufactured so as to not
be easily modifiable to pick up those transmissions.
Do not open your scanner's case to make any
modifications that could allow it to pick up transmissions
that are illegal to monitor. Doing so could subject you to
legal penalties. We encourage responsible, legal scanner
use. In some areas, mobile use of this scanner is unlawful
or requires a permit. Check the laws in your area. It is also
illegal in many areas to interfere with the duties of public
safety officials by traveling to the scene of an incident
without authorization.
SCANNING LEGALLY
6