[Scan-DC] Expect big crowds in front of the US Supreme Court on Tuesday morning, April 28, 2015.

[Blair Thompson]

Today might not be the best day to mosey over to the Supreme Court snack bar for your traditional breakfast of a bagel and grits. The justices are hearing oral arguments today for four cases that have been rolled into one and have acquired the name of Obergefell v. Hodges. This is without doubt the most contentious case the justices will hear this term. 

Crowds of people who want to observe the arguments started building days ago. When I went over to the Supreme Court yesterday at noon, the line was growing along East Capitol Street. There are two lines along 1st Street NE in front of the court. The one between the sidewalk and the Court consists of amateur line sitters. That is, they are people waiting to get in themselves. A second line, between the sidewalk and 1st Street NE, is the Bar line. The people in it are professional line sitters, holding places in line for members of the Bar. In addition of the line sitters, there will be crowds of people who just want to be there for the historic occasion.

Among law enforcement agencies, expect radio traffic from the Capitol Police, the Supreme Court Police, and the MPD. Expecting that there will be a lot of traffic on the FRS and GMRS frequencies, I brought a Motorola 5420 FRS radio with me to work today. 

>From the roof of the building where I work, I can see the roof of the Supreme Court. If it weren't for that pesky Senate wing of the US Capitol, I could probably see the crowds in front of the Supreme Court. The distance is under a mile, so I ought to be able to hear FRS traffic. The 5420 does not scan unless I cycle it through its fourteen frequencies. I think, though, that I have the FRS and GRMS frequencies programmed into my PRO-67, and it does scan.

The professional line sitters probably communicate with their headquarters via cell phones. All the networks will be there, so monitor the frequencies for ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox, and the local TV and news radio outlets. 

There won't be any footage from a helicopter, but you can't rule out coverage from a gyrocopter these days.

Happy scanning.
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