Scanning Legally - Radio Shack RPO-137 User 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 private means of telephone signal
transmission)
• Pager transmissions
• Any scrambled or encrypted transmissions
According to the Electronic Communications
Privacy Act (ECPA), as amended, 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 is designed to prevent reception of
illegal transmissions, in compliance with the law
which requires that scanners be manufactured
in such a way 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 not
legal to listen to. Doing so could subject you to
legal penalties.
We encourage responsible, legal scanner use.