Police scanner not picking up anything? Seven causes and fixes
The usual reason is that your county's police use digital radio and your scanner is analog. 91% of US counties show licenses for P25, the digital standard most police use. Check that first, then the other six causes below, in order.
Work down this list
Your county uses digital radio, and your scanner is analog
This is the most common cause. Most police use P25 digital radio. An analog scanner like the BC125AT can't decode it. Uniden: “The BC125AT is not a digital scanner and is not capable of Digital Radio system monitoring, (e.g. Project 25, DMR, NXDN).” Check what your scanner can hear in your county.
The police here encrypted their radio
No scanner can fix this. Uniden's SDS100 manual: “Your scanner cannot receive agencies that encrypt their communications”. Digital Uniden scanners mark these calls. The BCD325P2 manual: “ENC appears if the channel is receiving encrypted voice in Scan Receive/Hold Modes.” See which agencies encrypted.
The system is trunked, and your scanner can't follow it
Trunked systems share a few channels among many groups of users, and a computer hands them out. A basic scanner can't follow that. You need a scanner that says "trunking" or "TrunkTracker," set up for your system.
It isn't set up for your area
A digital scanner needs to know your systems. Newer Uniden models pick them by ZIP code, but the database must be up to date. Run the maker's update software, then set your ZIP code or county.
The antenna is too small, or you're indoors
Metal roofs and walls block radio. Uniden's BC125AT manual says: “You might also try changing the height or angle of the rubber antenna.”. Try a window, or an outdoor antenna.
The attenuator is on
The attenuator turns down strong signals near a tower. Uniden: “you can set the scanner’s attenuator to reduce the input strength of strong signals by about 20 dB”. If it's on far from a tower, weak calls vanish. Turn it off.
Simulcast breaks up the audio
In some big cities, one call goes out from several towers at once. Many scanners garble it. Scanners built for simulcast.
If you need a new scanner
Buy the cheapest one that hears your county's radio type. Look up your county, or see the best scanner for each radio type.