When was your first addition to the police scanner? - Page 2

w8jjr · #21 (**permalink**) 07-07-2009, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DickH

Who was it? We used to get skip at night on 1.714 from the midwest. Cleveland, maybe?

We would listen to Bay City Michigan durning day and Michigan State Police, Detroit, Cleveland and others at night.

1642 comes to mind for night listening but I was only 5-8 years old, brain doesnt work as well today.. When everyone went low vhf we would listen to the great lake ships on it.

That radio was 2 X 3 X 4 or so Big mother

Check out this mobile

burner781 · #22 (**permalink**) 07-07-2009, 08:57 PM

Back in the 60's my Dad gave me his used four channel Regency. I think I gave up sleeping at night for years after that. That little radio even pushed me into law enforcement for quite some time.

Benzman66 · #23 (**permalink**) 07-09-2009, 04:09 PM

Well, can't remember what age I first got mine, but it was when I was pretty young (maybe 8 or 9?). I am 43 now, but my grandmother bought the first one for my birthday. It was a Bearcat III. She then got me a Bearcat 4-6 Thin Scan to carry a few years later when I got my EMT certification at 16.

Kept adding and subtracting to the table over the years with new models, and still do, but still have the two originals granny got me!

Swipesy · #24 (**permalink**) 07-09-2009, 08:48 PM

Back in 1954 I would monitor the Erie, Pa fire department, that my father was a member of, using a one crystal radio. When scanners became available started using those. Still have it and it still works is one of the first non crystal scanners, Tennelec, which was made in Oak Ridge , Tennessee.

pornodave · #25 (**permalink**) 07-09-2009, 09:43 PM

Back in the late 70's for me. Many trips to RS for crystals. Been listening to the local PD almost 24/7 since.

Then I got my Regency Touch M-100 in what I believe was the early 80's. 82 maybe?? Anyone remember when that came out?? Still have it for old times sake even though it does not work. Served me well for many many years.

I'm still stuck in the past though as my current scanner is a bc8500xlt.

emd001 · #26 (**permalink**) 07-10-2009, 12:19 PM

I can remember what model it was. I was about 7 and my uncle brought me one that had a punch card you had to get made for the area, and a row of lights that would stop on the "channel" that had traffic. That is where it all started.

lowboy654 · #27 (**permalink**) 07-10-2009, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScanningRadio

Mine was when I was about 15.

I got a Radio Shack Pro 64.

I myself dont like the word police scanner, I have scanners they scan everythig not just the police. if yours just's scan the police then you got ripped off.

ratboy · #28 (**permalink**) 07-10-2009, 07:10 PM

My dad sold the little tiger converter that you rubber banded to the back of an AM radio, and he brought one home. The police were on 158.79 back then. I was about 8 or so, and hooked instantly.

I got another one from a neighbor who didn't like listening all that much, and the ham accross the street tweaked it over to the fire freq, can't remember it anymore. A couple years later, I got a multiband portable that I usually had set to the county sheriff. My first scanner was a Bearcat, but I can't remember the model. The lights on the front were bulbs and they died all the time. When I started working, I got a Bearcat III, and soon had a collection of Regency Monitorradios. I got a nearly new BC-210 for $40 from a guy who needed cash to get back home just before the MGM Grand hotel in Vegas burned up in 1980. At one point I was very sick with the scanner illness, and had over 20 handhelds and about 10 base/mobile radios. Now I'm down to one handheld, and 3 bases.

rhalld38 · #29 (**permalink**) 07-12-2009, 04:11 PM

When I was a kid my mom had a I believe it was a General Electric not sure if it was but it was a AM/FM/Air/Police radio. It came out I think in the early 70's. I think it also could pick up tv and weather.

reedeb · #30 (**permalink**) 07-13-2009, 10:53 AM

1978 When I joined my local FD in Maine got a single channel Plectron for alerts and would listen to all the other depts on the freq.154.190, Later got a 4 ch handheld and moved on My last scanner I got was in 1999 from Radio Shack [a 400 channel base] that is in the closet right now. My 100 channel PRO 2046 and 2 portables and ham radio is all I listen to anymore [can't have outside antennas due to HOA regs]

lazierfan · #31 (**permalink**) 07-13-2009, 05:46 PM

My first was a Radio Shack board kit with the springs for terminals and that thin green wire for ground and antenna.
My buddy felt so sorry for me he sold me his Tennelec MCP-1 Direct-entry UHF-VHF 16-channel scanner.
In 1975, this was one of the first you could program from a numeric keyboard and store 16 channels. The internal circuit boards and receptacles for the boards all warped over time, but I still use the thing in my arsenal.