Scanner_Rider
Member
A friend asked me the other day why I always have my scanner running.
After thinking for a minute or two, I told him it was just a 45 year old habit that started when I was a early teen and part of the local police explorers and listened to the LEOs who I knew and mentored our club. Then came my mid teen to early 20s street drag racing period and we put our scanners in our trucks to listen to the traffic at the hang out so we knew which areas not to go to for a street drag.
Now as a old adult homeowner I listen because it's raw feed safety information for my home area and since fewer truckers use their CBs in this cellular age , a scanner in the vehicle offers better information of accidents or road blockages on the road ahead.. Also as when I was a police explorer young teen, I still have friends who are LEOs and it's reassuring to hear them patrol the area and know they are watching my place and hearing them end their tour as they park their vehicles at their homes
He seemed surprised when I told him now that I have been able to retire, I keep my scanner on 24/7 and just lower the volume as I sleep to avoid having to bother with an alarm clock as the morning shift change and school zone traffic wakes me and the pre digital era dispatchers still over and out close a traffic sequence with the time, so I don' have to look at my clock either as I decide if I want to get up or go back to bed.
So how do you answer the question of why you monitor scanner traffic?
After thinking for a minute or two, I told him it was just a 45 year old habit that started when I was a early teen and part of the local police explorers and listened to the LEOs who I knew and mentored our club. Then came my mid teen to early 20s street drag racing period and we put our scanners in our trucks to listen to the traffic at the hang out so we knew which areas not to go to for a street drag.
Now as a old adult homeowner I listen because it's raw feed safety information for my home area and since fewer truckers use their CBs in this cellular age , a scanner in the vehicle offers better information of accidents or road blockages on the road ahead.. Also as when I was a police explorer young teen, I still have friends who are LEOs and it's reassuring to hear them patrol the area and know they are watching my place and hearing them end their tour as they park their vehicles at their homes
He seemed surprised when I told him now that I have been able to retire, I keep my scanner on 24/7 and just lower the volume as I sleep to avoid having to bother with an alarm clock as the morning shift change and school zone traffic wakes me and the pre digital era dispatchers still over and out close a traffic sequence with the time, so I don' have to look at my clock either as I decide if I want to get up or go back to bed.
So how do you answer the question of why you monitor scanner traffic?