How we check

VerifiedRadioData helps you buy radio gear that works where you live. Every claim on the site comes from a public record or the maker's own words, and we link the source.

A county wall map in an emergency dispatch center, marked with pins — Photo: Region 5 Photography, Public domain

Where the data comes from

Police and fire radio by county. The FCC's weekly land mobile license file, dated October 11, 2026. We use 109,091 active licenses in the public safety services: the VHF and UHF public safety pool, and 700 MHz and 800 MHz public safety. We place each license in its county from its address, or from its map point when the address has no county. Mobile radios on a license count wherever that license has a fixed site.
Radio type. Each frequency on a license carries an emission code that says how the signal is built. We sort the codes into analog FM, P25, P25 Phase 2 signs, simulcast signs, DMR and NXDN. The code meanings come from radio maker literature collected by RadioNerds, not from FCC rules, so we call Phase 2 and simulcast "signs."
Which licenses count. The scanner verdict counts every public safety licensee except schools, hospitals, utilities, transit, airports and jails. Those are shown but don't change the verdict.
Scanner specs. Each maker's product page and owner's manual. We keep a spec only when we can find the maker's exact words on the live page again. "Not listed" means the maker's full list of systems leaves it out. We have not bench-tested the scanners.
Encryption. News stories, agency notices and state rules. Each entry needs a source we read, with a quote we found again on the live page. A row says "Encrypted" only when a source says the switch happened, not just that it was planned. We don't use forums or retailer guides.
What we don't use. We don't copy RadioReference or Broadcastify data. Their terms don't allow it. We link to RadioReference so you can confirm your local systems.
Weather radio towers and codes. The National Weather Service county coverage list, checked October 14, 2026: 3,297 counties and 1,036 towers, with each tower's channel, call sign and on-air status. We refresh it each time we update the site, because towers go off the air and come back.
Walkie-talkie approvals. The FCC equipment grant for each radio, read from fccid.io, a mirror of the FCC's equipment authorization database. The rule part on the grant tells us the service: FRS, GMRS, business radio or a Part 15 toy.
Radio rules. Channels, power limits and license rules quoted from the Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), Title 47, Part 95.
Range. Independent tests by OutdoorGearLab, Outdoor Life, Outdoor Empire and OVR Magazine, each quoted and re-checked. We have not range-tested radios ourselves yet.
Prices. Amazon's product API. Prices on the page hide themselves after 24 hours.

How we make money

When you buy through our Amazon links, we earn a small commission. It doesn't change the price you pay. We pick the cheapest product that works for you, even when a pricier one would pay us more.