Silo Frequencies: One solution to capturing simultaneous transmissions on your fire scanner

If you have decided to use multiple scanners to receive simultaneous transmission in order to gather fire leads, one option to do this is by “siloing” frequencies.  What does this mean in plain English???  It means that each scanner has a subset of the total amount of fire frequencies you are looking to scan in order to gather leads. 

If you were to purchase a scanner for each fire frequency you wish to monitor, you will of course receive 100% off all the transmissions in your area including the dispatches to fires and the chatter about the event (whether it is a big fire, small fire, or false alarm). 

This approach is effective but is it practical?  Likely not.  With perhaps dozens of fire frequencies to monitor in just one county, the cost to associate a scanner to each would equal thousands of dollars in investment costs.  Although that money will be made back over time, there is a more practical way.

By putting multiple frequencies into each scanner as well as being mindful of the activity each frequency tends to receive, a balance is created in which dollar for dollar the most leads are captured.  The key is knowing which frequencies are used most often and which are not.  This can be done via a <<site survey>> or by consulting with professions such as those who work at Scanner Master.

This technique is used in news and media radio rooms and in water, smoke, and fire lead generation.  Combined with recording capabilities on a PC powered by such software packages as ScannerStation, fire lead generation is made both easy and affordable.