USA - Scanners are 99% Boring

[zerg901]

Radio startup TuneIn launches discovery features - Feb. 28, 2013

Pandora may be the best known "radio" startup, but TuneIn focuses on actual radio stations around the globe -- and its new TuneIn Live features make it easier for users to discover new content.

[GrumpyGuard]

That is just one man's opinion. If the members of this site thought the same way RR would not be a popular hang out and Uniden, GRE and Icom would not be making bank on these radios.

[902]

For people who have a bit of situational awareness and a few "oh s...!" moments in their careers, boring scanner traffic is a really, really good thing - especially at home. It means things in the community are more or less under control. Sure, Sheriff Freddie (a Cop Land reference) still runs on people stealing garbage, or dogs "going" on someone's lawn, but no shootings, muggings, and so forth. No one who actually lives there wants to keep hearing about harrowing things that are happening within a 5 minute walk from their home. We all like excitement from "somewhere else" and would prefer our hometowns stay halcyonic. In the old days as kids, that's why we had crystals for our hometowns just to be nosy and to listen to our friends and neighbors working at the "big one" that happened once every other year or so, and crystals for Jersey City and Newark for the all day/every day adrenaline rush. We'd daydream about being in the big city, but in retrospect, were very relieved that we weren't.

[RadioDaze]

Listening to the scanner is like watching baseball. Long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. (Or words to that effect.)

[DaveNF2G]

^^ or flying.

"Boring" might be too strong a word. Most of what happens is routine. The level and type of activity that constitutes "routine" in any given community depends on population density among other things.

Those who participated in NYSING in the early days probably remember the controversies over what constituted a valid alert, with "shed fire" being the type of event that exemplified the disagreements over where the line was to be drawn by different members in various parts of the state.

[cpd204]

Not in Chicago. Unfortunately, there's always a shooting/chase to listen to.

[Ensnared]

Originally Posted by cpd204

Not in Chicago. Unfortunately, there's always a shooting/chase to listen to.

Yes, if you are living in an area of the country where the people resemble those pictured in a Norman Rockwell painting, I might agree, "scanners are boring 99% of the time."

I've visited areas of the country where I would have preferred watching paint peel from a wall. When I am unfortunate enough to visit the NW section of Iowa, the scanner is extremely boring.

However, in Waco, Texas, where I live, there is hardly ever a dull moment. Being in a large metropolitan area also helps alleviate boredom. At times, it is quite difficult to hear all of the radio traffic. Some people use multiple scanners to catch all of the action.

So, I strongly recommend visiting a large city with a decent scanner or two.

[n5ims]

If your scanner listening is boring, I suggest you expand your listening options. After many hours straight of "Unit 12 on traffic at ..." and "Engine 1, Medic 2, sick person at ..." try scanning other local "attractions" to see what's going on there. I often get the most fun listening to a local golf course. Their food & drink crew is better than a soap opera crossed with a reality show. When they close, the night watchmen crew at a nearby business with a huge campus starts up with their games and comedy routines. Scanner listening isn't just your local PD and FD!

[sjgostovich]

This might be a little off topic, but...My father in law has early onset alzheimers and his doctor recommended anything to keep him mentally engaged/stimulated. I got him a scanner (RS Pro 36, used, nice little unit actually, but I digress..) and he loves it. He asks me questions and writes things down to ask me about later. It keeps his mental wheels turning which he needs to do right now. So yes, one persons boredom is anothers thearaputic measure. Just thought I'd share that. Have a good day!

[car55]

Originally Posted by zerg901

Radio startup TuneIn launches discovery features - Feb. 28, 2013

Pandora may be the best known "radio" startup, but TuneIn focuses on actual radio stations around the globe -- and its new TuneIn Live features make it easier for users to discover new content.

I'm sorry I don't understand you post !!! Your saying 99% of scanners are boring than you go on talking about some thing else some thing about Pandora radio" startup.

What are you trying to say.

[troymail]

It seems that for me, new technology - systems, scanners, etc - are what draws me to the hobby. I want to learn and know as much as I can. Then it shifts to playing detective (in most cases) trying to determine how the system(s) and talkgroups are being used and by whom. Next comes major incidents - if/when I detect they are happening - so I can listen in real time. But that isn't always really necessary anymore with the recording functionality of the PSR800.

Once things "stop changing" I find that my listening drops off for the most part - until that next new things comes along or a major incident occurs. There's only so much "sick person", "car crash", "traffic stop" activity one can take.... that's boring.

[APORATH]

Well, as far as scanning today goes (depends on the area), it is more boring now than a few years ago. Most of the time, the police channels are quiet since most low priority calls go directly onto the officer's MDT and most of the businesses and municipal governments are using cellular push to talk radios than actual two way radios. so for the most part, the radio transmissions are kinda hit and miss.

[902]

Originally Posted by Ensnared

I've visited areas of the country where I would have preferred watching paint peel from a wall. When I am unfortunate enough to visit the NW section of Iowa, the scanner is extremely boring.

My wife packed the kids and me up one year and went to Woodbury County to visit a 90+ year-old relative. It was colder than anything, but what made it a good time was listening to the very active railroad chatter and their Siouxland trunked system. Not necessarily the traffic, but how they put it together and got agencies in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa to work together. But then again, my most favorite part of the trip had nothing to do with any of that - it was going to the SAC museum in Ashland, NE. Got to see a fireball meteor, too. Um... I guess point taken on paint peeling...

[hertzian]

Make no mistake - there is no free lunch - you have to give up *something* to participate. Read their privacy policy.

[pepsima1]

When I got bored with my scanners and then there was nothing to learn I went to the commerical side and starting learning how public safety radios worked and the mortorola programming software and spent big bucks on a Motorola APX 7000 radio and boy was I overwelmed but learned the new radio and it sounds awesome. Way better than any scanner radio I have ever heard. It looks like a SWAT radio as to a secret service radio.

[RadioDaze]

Personally, I don't listen to my scanner for entertainment, I listen to know what's going on. So if it's quiet, it's because there's simply not much happening at the present time. It's just reflecting the reality of the moment. I'm not disappointed that there are fewer heart attacks, accidents, fires or whatever occurring that particular afternoon or evening. It means fewer people are suffering, basically.

[fleef]

along with the other comments, a lot of people don't listen to scanners for excitement, but to hear what's going on in their area. That is what I listen for. I'd think if someone listened just for excitement, they'd get bored quickly.

But what does scanners have to do with "TuneIn radio" etc?

[fourthhorseman]

Originally Posted by cpd204

Not in Chicago. Unfortunately, there's always a shooting/chase to listen to.

Same here in philly,,high murder-robbery-assault and theft rates..high dug activity.,,,foot pursuits and persons with a gun calls are a plenty,,,so yeah,,Boring is a very relative opinion....

[dvendt]

I not only listen to police, MNDOT, aviation but also listen to "sky warn" nets and have s.a.m.e. freqs programed in. I live in tornado country here in sourthern MN. It's also quite comical listening to some of the Barney Fifes of law inforcement.

[kf4uuz]

Boring in this thread is subjective. What may be boring to one listener just mIght be perfect monitoring for another. A car or foot chase is always interesting (for me) to listen to.
However the golf course maintenance crew is OK as well. In many areas there are a wide variety of monitoring options.