Thanks, Martin. I guess I'll go ahead and bite the bullet at current prices.

I don't know if your area is covered but, in my area, I can get all of the local Fire, Police, Ambulance, State Troopers, Coast Guard, and a few other things online. You could check to see if there is a scanner set up for your area at:
http://www.scanamerica.us/index.php

Interestingly, they just recently added the Washington D.C. police, that should be interesting tomorrow.

Well, I just ordered a GRE PSR 600, on sale for $449.95 plus shipping. Given the complex nature of these scanners, my geek level will likely be tested and, ultimately, raised. No big deal since I enjoy tinkering with stuff like that and I have plenty of time until our area moves to digital trunking.

What a mess down in DC today, listening to the Wash DC police EMS gives you an appreciation for the mess that the innauguration frenzy is creating... trying to contain crowds, ambulances being routed to distant hospitals rather than nearest trauma center because they need to avoid the federal area... DC police and Park Police having different agendas... better to watch on tv.

They were doing roll call for all units to see where available resources are, trying to find some folks to relieve officers that had been at intersections since midnight (it's 11:30am local time), tough to stay sharp after 12 hours on a standing detail.