RIVERSMVP09
Member
I say 50/50 either way.
Will scanners/scanning keep upgrading or die off in 5 years
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If I knew, I would concentrate more on lottery numbers.
If encryption keeps becoming used more often, about the only thing left 'in the clear' will be Ham Radio and CB. It would be nice if someone would initiate a Federal law that mandated that Public Safety dispatch be maintained unencrypted so the public can be informed rather than kept in the dark.
And aircraft, and rail, and marine.
Not gonna happen. Unencrypted public safety communications is not necessary to maintain our civil and constitutional rights. And the forces making the push for encryption have a whole lot more resources and clout than scanner hobbyists.
Air and Marine, yes. Rail? They are already going digital, and it's only a matter of time that they pull the security card to encrypt to thwart terrorists.
While I respect air and marine fans, and I even monitor those frequencies daily, I don't think that is enough to keep a user base.
I'm sure if air had a way to encrypt, they would (again, to counter terrorism). Really, marine, too for the same reasons.
I'm not so sure. All of these modes of transportation rely on open communications between controllers and whatever vehicle. Encryption is inherently difficult or impossible to implement without crippling the service that depends on it. Unlike a public safety agency who only really needs to communicate with it's own officers.
How would that work when Air France comes into JFK, and can't talk to the tower because the tower is encrypted. I can see these services eventually going digital, but even with just that, it would be a logistical nightmare making the switch. Encryption would make it impossible.
I could see Uniden dropping the scanner line once it becomes more work that it is worth (as it seems to be headed). It's a dying hobby.
Voyager; It would be nice if someone would initiate a Federal law that mandated that Public Safety dispatch be maintained unencrypted so the public can be informed rather than kept in the dark.[/QUOTE said:
n0esc
Feed Provider
While encryption makes for a good sales line item, and looks nice and shiny, IMO what a lot of agencies are experiencing is buyers remorse of sorts. With statewide inter-op systems going up in even increasing numbers, for user agencies that decided encryption was a good idea, in a lot of places they found out that it left them in the same boat as before with disparate systems and single frequencies, orphaned and alone with no one outside their agency able to communicate with them. Many of the agencies in this area that initially bought into the encryption sale with the upgrade to P25, have backed off and only use it sparingly if at all on tac channels. In some cases they aren't even wasting the $$ on the keys.
MrAntiDigital
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My main interest is in Public Safety. As they go digital, unfortunately, I just have to write them off. I have a portable programmable scanner in my car with a 800 band antenna. I have to pay every time to get the scanner programmed AGAIN for updates or whatever. It's just not worth it anymore.
Unless my local police department goes to digital, I'm certainly not spending $400-$500 on a new scanner for my home. In addition, the distance for digital is far less than the great reception I once had with low, high and even ultra high band.
A friend just recently paid big $$$ for an antenna, cable etc in hopes of picking up one of his favorite public safety channels only about 15 miles away. He wasted his money. It didn't work.
The good days are "Bye-Bye". It's about impossible to keep up with the updates etc if you travel. Somebody mentioned to me about buying a scanner called Tracker. But that also involves locking out the channels you don't want to hear. Not too easy to do as you travel along the interstate.
Based on my own experience, scanner listening is ALREADY dying off. It once was a Great hobby. I miss it but it's not worth the expense and hassle to keep up with it. For me, I just write them off as my favorite channels move on to the greener pastures of the future.
Unless my local police department goes to digital, I'm certainly not spending $400-$500 on a new scanner for my home. In addition, the distance for digital is far less than the great reception I once had with low, high and even ultra high band.
A friend just recently paid big $$$ for an antenna, cable etc in hopes of picking up one of his favorite public safety channels only about 15 miles away. He wasted his money. It didn't work.
The good days are "Bye-Bye". It's about impossible to keep up with the updates etc if you travel. Somebody mentioned to me about buying a scanner called Tracker. But that also involves locking out the channels you don't want to hear. Not too easy to do as you travel along the interstate.
Based on my own experience, scanner listening is ALREADY dying off. It once was a Great hobby. I miss it but it's not worth the expense and hassle to keep up with it. For me, I just write them off as my favorite channels move on to the greener pastures of the future.
Also, to address the original question, I don't think scanning will die anytime soon. Many large urban police agencies are moving to encryption, and as such that particular niche will certainly decline as more of those systems switch over, but many agencies with limited budgets or in rural areas won't be able to build new systems for many years.
Meanwhile, fire, EMS, public services, aircraft, ham radio, businesses, and other non-LE systems should remain in the clear for the forseeable future. They have little incentive to spend the money on encryption when the nature of their business doesn't require confidentiality and/or operational security.
Meanwhile, fire, EMS, public services, aircraft, ham radio, businesses, and other non-LE systems should remain in the clear for the forseeable future. They have little incentive to spend the money on encryption when the nature of their business doesn't require confidentiality and/or operational security.
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The same as its death-knell was sounded when trunking first came to be widely used? And the same as when P25 digital came on the scene?
Carry on.
I live in the NYC metro area in northern NJ... a place where the federal government delivers truckloads upon truckloads of cash in the form of grants, all in the name of interoperability.
This has in many ways been sort of a blessing, as the grant money used to build out communication systems requires certain standards be used (P25) and that interop plays a key role (encryption is not very interop friendly). It's easy to link /\/\ systems together, patching TG's from different systems, etc. This has seen some various success in the NJ area.
For the most part, encryption remains rather infrequent. There are a few systems and independent agencies that utilize it for primary dispatch traffic, but it has been more the exception rather than the rule.
Other exceptions to the rule, including a county-wide OpenSky system that has since failed miserably, and is transition to P25 as we speak, continue to be just that. Exceptions.
As long as the federal government continues to grant huge sums of cash, coupled with smaller departments that cannot afford encryption, I'm hoping I'll get more than 5 years out of this great hobby.
This has in many ways been sort of a blessing, as the grant money used to build out communication systems requires certain standards be used (P25) and that interop plays a key role (encryption is not very interop friendly). It's easy to link /\/\ systems together, patching TG's from different systems, etc. This has seen some various success in the NJ area.
For the most part, encryption remains rather infrequent. There are a few systems and independent agencies that utilize it for primary dispatch traffic, but it has been more the exception rather than the rule.
Other exceptions to the rule, including a county-wide OpenSky system that has since failed miserably, and is transition to P25 as we speak, continue to be just that. Exceptions.
As long as the federal government continues to grant huge sums of cash, coupled with smaller departments that cannot afford encryption, I'm hoping I'll get more than 5 years out of this great hobby.
The original question never made reference to encryption so I didn't address it. Everything that needs to be said has been said about encryption, IMO.
I think my point really revolved around the fact that federal government money will help to keep the scanning hobby limping along as their requirements typically call for circumstances to be met that are hobby-favorable. Hopefully this can continue!
I didn't mean to get into an encryption rant, and you're right Jay. Encryption has been addressed at length in all of these forums.
I didn't mean to get into an encryption rant, and you're right Jay. Encryption has been addressed at length in all of these forums.
N8IAA
Member
If the scanner manufacturers don't step up and start making scanners to monitor the new digital formats, yes. When someone can purchase a SDR dongle and use free software to monitor these systems.
Uniden spends a ton of money to R & D and comes up with technology for HP-2 based on the HP-1 with a new vocoder to decode Phase II. Yes, it will pass the way of the mastodon and dinosaurs.
Whistler needs to be the one to step up and develop a scanner line that covers the new digital modes.
AOR is producing the DV-1. Will wait on the price and updates on the digital modes.
My digital radios work good enough for me not to purchase anything new.
Uniden spends a ton of money to R & D and comes up with technology for HP-2 based on the HP-1 with a new vocoder to decode Phase II. Yes, it will pass the way of the mastodon and dinosaurs.
Whistler needs to be the one to step up and develop a scanner line that covers the new digital modes.
AOR is producing the DV-1. Will wait on the price and updates on the digital modes.
My digital radios work good enough for me not to purchase anything new.
WHY pay to have your scanner updated?? LEARN how to do it yourself! You surely don't pay someone to check your oil or tran fluids in your vehicle do you? Programming your scanner is just as simple ... unless your fingers are missing.
73,
n9zas
MrAntiDigital
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WHY pay to have your scanner updated?? LEARN how to do it yourself! You surely don't pay someone to check your oil or tran fluids in your vehicle do you? Programming your scanner is just as simple ... unless your fingers are missing.
73,
n9zas
"gewecke", I have the fingers but I don't have the brains. I'm just too spoiled from having it so easy before with just pushing a few buttons to listen to any music I wanted to, anyplace I wanted to
I wish I could do that though "geweck". But I can change the oil in my car if I had to..
So now you can see why they call me, Mr Anti Digital.
They will keep upgrading. I just think the next wave will be encryption. And in this digital age if there is something encrypted, there are 100 geeks chomping at the bit to decode it.
So the hobby either gets real expensive or goes free though all the new SDR stuff.
So the hobby either gets real expensive or goes free though all the new SDR stuff.
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