Why is the scanner feed in stereo?

How was the frequencies chosen that I hear?

Why does the scanner player some times stop, freeze up or repeat?

Why does some channels sound distorted?

Why is there a lag time listening to the online scanner vs live transmissions?

Can I record the on line scanner and listen to it later?

Can I listen to the scanner on my mobile device?


Why is the scanner feed in stereo?
By placing the feed in this format you can hear more action and not miss perhaps a fire dispatch while a police agency is transmitting. Most all scanners today can only hear one transmission at a time. With our feed you can hear two.

Generally the fire traffic is not active all the time and does not become a problem hearing police transmissions.

By keeping it on a single feed and in stereo, and not two separate feeds, you don't have to maintain two audio players to hear all the action.

Some might say "I only want to listen to Police or Fire not both". That's what's nice about stereo. You can go into your sound property > playback > speakers, application and adjust the balance to seperate the feeds according to personal preferences.
If you are using a smart phone plug in headphones and only listen to the side you want. Also most of the audio player apps have the ability to adjust the balance left or right.

How was the frequencies chosen that I hear?
The selection of frequencies that you hear has been well thought out. First they are selected to receive the best sound quality for listening.

Second they are selected to be the most interesting and informative of any emergency activity taking place in the Yakima Valley.

Why does the scanner player some times stop or freeze up or repeat itself?
It is due to internet connection to or from the audio server momentarily failing.
The same can occur with your IP service. When the connection fails for a few seconds depending on the audio player you are using it may not reconnect.
NOTE: The RR server will automatically disconnect after a number of hours. If it still fails to start reload the browser window or restart your player.

If the scanner is repeating itself you may be listening to the feed via the web player . If so, the looping or repeating , echo, re buffering or stopping, of the feed is a known bug with the player & sometimes with WMP and the Java player as well. What you are hearing is audio that was cached by your browser the last time you listened.
This site has always recommended WinAmp for a stable player to listen to the scanner.

Why does some channels sound distorted?
They are "Simulcast" (WSP, Upper & Lower County Fire). It is caused when two transmitters on the same frequency transmit at the same time and result if out-of-phased to the receiver.

Why is there a lag time listening to the online scanner vs live transmissions?
Because packets are sent over the internet some buffer (generally 10-60 seconds) needs to be built to facilitate queuing of MP3 content to the listener. This specifically helps with flash players and listeners on slower links (such as mobile devices etc). The lag is normal and will change based on load, your network connection, your player and other factors.

Can I record the on line scanner and listen to it later?
Yes, there is a great free recording software Scanrec that will record input audio to your sound card. The great thing about this program it only records the transmissions and not the dead air.
Also RadioReference archives all of the scanner radio traffic for the last 30 day and is available if you are a premium member.

Can I listen to the scanner on my mobile device?
Yes, there are a number of free applications available to access the scanner through RadioReference using your mobile phone. With the app you can lookup Yakima, WA. scanner put it in your favorites and link to it when you you hear sirens or just find out what is going on with the Police and Fire in the area. Mobile device apps for listening to the scanner


Launch the player from the home page, set back and enjoy!