[Vinnie]

Good idea. One other item to consider.
There are services you can subscribe to that send out info of disasters, etc. on a pager network, nationwide. I think the cost is around $10-$15 /mo.

Anyone thinking of buying a scanner.... Check your local PD to find out what kind of radio system they have (local Radio Shack can give you the story). If they are on a 'trunk' system you want something other than a plain ole scanner. And 200 channels is barely enough.

[butter pecan fan]

There are services you can subscribe to that send out info of disasters, etc. on a pager network, nationwide. I think the cost is around $10-$15 /mo.

When I was entertaining ideas of investing the time and work needed to set up a computer-based internet news scanning and automatic phone-calling system for myself and my family, I actually thought of creating a subscriber-based service, making it an ongoing for-profit concern.

But then as soon as the FReepAlert idea struck, the advantages were so clear that I haven't thought of the subscriber-service idea again from that time until you mentioned it.

[butter pecan fan]

Anyone thinking of buying a scanner.... Check your local PD to find out what kind of radio system they have (local Radio Shack can give you the story). If they are on a 'trunk' system you want something other than a plain ole scanner. And 200 channels is barely enough.

Important point.