Why So Many Scanners?

[Benzman66]

I should be one to keep my mouth shut, but as I get older, I sit every once and a while and look at the desktop full of scanners I have and wonder, do I really need them all? I mean, you can only really listen to one at a time, and a few of mine are really old, but never wear out. They will probably outlast me! LOL..

I just picked up a Pro-160, so that has been the one I have been tinkering and using the most, although I still turn on the Pro-2052 sometimes.

As far as the portables, I rotate and carry a different one each day just to keep them in working condition.

But really, do I need them all? Probably not.

I know a lot of you on here have the same amount as I do and even more. Just kinda interested in finding out what everyone does. Do you use them all, or just for collecting/show purposes?

 

[davidmc36]

Well, I have a 15 and a 996 permanently installed in my car, one obviously running digital and the other analog mainly on the Fleetnet System but with a few other things thrown in. The 246 I carry when I travel out of town. I have the 296 running digital Fleetnet at home and hooked up to my ProScan feed so I can listen to it while out of town and the 2052 beside it running the analog Fleetnet. Then the 2037 runs analog stuff like local fire, busses, FRS/GMRS, voice paging, and Air Traffic. Then the 245 has a tap just for interests sake. Oh yeah, the 2050 is in the shop at work for Air Traffic and local business stuff.

Short answer, yes I need them all. Then again my signature explains why I need more toys.

 

[Devilz311]

For the most part, I use everything I have. I have a 996 and a RS pro-2051 on my desk, the 996 scans everything, and I usually keep the 2051 locked on either our dispatch channel, or our operations TG.

Depending on the mood I'm in at work, I'll rotate between the MTS2000 and the HT1550... If I want to sleep, I'll use the 1550 (I need to get the QCII flash for the MTS2K.)

My HT1000 doesn't get much use anymore though.

 

[RagnarD]

That is like saying you see a girl that is too pretty! Just can't happen!

I have so many scanners that I can't keep up with them. Everything that I rely on consistently right now though is modern stuff; (2) PSR-500, PSR-600, PRO-197 and a Uniden BCD-396T. I have put my PRO-96 in the drawer and loaned out my PRO-2096 as I now consider them obsolete.

Everywhere I travel (for both work and for fun) there is at least something that is digital these days so the old legacy scanners just don't cut it anymore.

RagnarD

 

[N9JIG]

With 3 in my SUV and 14 in my home office I get a lot of comments like that. I use the ones in the vehicle for specific purposes, the 996 for the local StarCom21 and a couple other digital systems here, a BC15 for CloseCall work and another BC15 for railroad and avaition scanning.

At home I use 4 BC15's as fire alert receivers on local and mutual aid channels, a 996 for local digital stuff, 2 pairs of PRO2096/BC785 combination for Trunker and Pro96Com work and a couple other scanners for rail, aircraft and local system use. The Trunker/Pro96Com radios are left on all the time to gather data, the FTO radios are also left on most of the time, the rest are only on when I am in the office.

I also have an HF rig and a couple big Icoms I use for dial twiddles. The wife thinks I am crazy and she is probably right but it makes me happy and she would rather I spend the money on radios than wine, women and song.

 

[Drafin]

I think most people confuse the term "need" with the term "want".

I am the worlds biggest violator of this.

I NEED my full size Dodge pickup for my business. I WANTed my Vette. My wife thinks she NEEDS me to get rid of my motorcycle but I don't WANT to.

Just like scanners...

Draf

 

[ratboy]

I used to have a LOT of scanners, about 30, ranging from a Xtal bearcat III, to a PRO-93. I sold them off, and now only have a Pro-197, a PSR-500, A Pr0 2004 and a 2005. That's it, along with a couple of 2meter ham handhelds and a 2M mobile.

When I lived in Las Vegas during the MGM Grand Fire, I had about 25 scanners and tunable Regency monitoradios, most of them stacked in my closet, and I intended to sell them at a hamfest, or just scrap them. When the fire started, and it was clear how bad it was going to be, I had them ALL going, and since then, I have always had more scanners than "needed" in case of another huge disaster of some kind.

But since the news is more instaneous now, and there are cameras everywhere, I can get by with a lot fewer radios now. I hope I'm right!

 

[flecom]

get some commercial radios, guarantee you will sell all your scanners except for maybe one

 

[RodStrong]

I have 10 active (not stored away) scanners at my home. One in my personal rig, two in my work rig, and several scattered around various workstations and other places I frequent at work.

I won't even get into tranceivers. Someone would probably report me as mentally unstable and I would wind up in the looneybin.

 

[Eng74]

It is just easier to change a radio than the batteries. When someone makes the perfect scanner I will not buy another radio.

 

[w0fg]

Because I don't want to bother with carrying a radio from my living room, to my porch, to the basement, to the bedroom; so I just keep a radio or two running in each room.

 

[mm]

Yes need and want pretty much describes it with radios, it's a lot like women.

You only need 1 wife, 1 Girl friend or 1 mistress but of course we all want more, especially if you rotate them like you do the radios !

 

[ratboy]

get some commercial radios, guarantee you will sell all your scanners except for maybe one

Never, since you need way more than one radio if something huge goes down!

 

[BaLa]

You can never have enough radios/scanners

 

[paperplate9]

It's funny...I have about a half-dozen scanners...but I really only use one of 'em!

 

[gewecke]

get some commercial radios, guarantee you will sell all your scanners except for maybe one

Already did that! But needless to say,scanners have more user freindly features! Most of my commercial rigs are designed to be rugged and ready!
N9ZAS.

 

[digitalanalog]

So your telling me 25 scanners i have is a waste....................?
5 portables
20 base

Power outage today tells me what i have is good.

As long as you have at least 1 digital portable and 1 analog portable.
field ready antenna(s) for when you need to leave the shack.

The more scanners the better, of course you have to be able to handle the noise load as well.

Never have to many........................................

 

[rescue1017]

I have a few and in the living room I have a 433 running 800 trunking and a 2052 running Vhf and Uhf same way in the bed room I dont know why I guess its just one of those habbits that is hard to break

 

[happyscanner]

it is just a natural progression, one is never enough

maycom ar108, icom r-5, bcd996t

 

[georgew0819]

Multiple Scanners

I'm currently down to 4 scanners 2 of which I use regularly due to the mix of digital and analog Police & Fire Deptments I monitor. Since the PD's are the bigest mix I have the 197 monitoring those agencies and the 895XLT covering the Fire Departments. When bored I may turn on one of the others and scan the buiness, air or marine bands just to see what I'll hear. But that's not to say I'm stopping there, if the right deal comes along I'm sure I can squeeze another scanner ot two on the desk.