SCANNING USA, How They Really Feel!

[cellblock776]

Originally Posted by Rescue4NFD

I stopped receiving 2 years ago because of the POOR customer service,and their "Its not our problem" I realy liked the Mag. but the slow delivery sometimes 2 months behind was too much.

I just received the December 2005 issue in the mail Tuesday of this week. It was my last issue and I doubt that I'll resubscribe. Nearly every article has numerous spelling and grammar mistakes. The magazine really doesn't offer anything I can't find here several months sooner.

[safetyobc]

I was in a book store the other day and was looking for the latest issues of these type magazines....I picked up Popular Communications and Monitoring Times. I saw Scanning USA, but remembered this thread and decided not to support them. I left the Scanning USA magazine on the shelf!!!

The other two magazines are full of great articles and good info. I may subscribe to one of them. Don't know which yet though.

[stockscanner]

Hey Safetyobc

After your posting and others , I decided to go to my local Barnes and Noble in NY and pick up a copy. GUess what, after looking at MT and Pop Comm, which are just full of shortwave, i picked up Scanning USA and left the others in the newsstand.

All this controversy made me want to pick up the magazine lololol, I love it and will continue to read it. See, I work on Wall Street, and when in this business, you're going to spot lots of toes being stepped on; but the ones that make the most noise are the winning horses.

So, if it hadn't been for all the whining and complaining generated, I would not have thought of looking at Scanning USA, which is an excellent publication and I will support it.

Bob L

New York NY

[MacombMonitor]

Originally Posted by stockscanner

Hey Safetyobc

After your posting and others , I decided to go to my local Barnes and Noble in NY and pick up a copy. GUess what, after looking at MT and Pop Comm, which are just full of shortwave, i picked up Scanning USA and left the others in the newsstand.

All this controversy made me want to pick up the magazine lololol, I love it and will continue to read it. See, I work on Wall Street, and when in this business, you're going to spot lots of toes being stepped on; but the ones that make the most noise are the winning horses.

So, if it hadn't been for all the whining and complaining generated, I would not have thought of looking at Scanning USA, which is an excellent publication and I will support it.

Bob L

New York NY

Lets see...new member to RR, first post to RR...are you sure you don't work for SCANNING USA?

[safetyobc]

Originally Posted by MacombMonitor

Lets see...new member to RR, first post to RR...are you sure you don't work for SCANNING USA?

My thoughts exactly! Seems this thread has caught someone's attention.

[csuh13]

Originally Posted by safetyobc

My thoughts exactly! Seems this thread has caught someone's attention.

As long as it's "catching attention," maybe they can improve the magazine... Right now, it's just a rehash of 2 month old google-able scanner news, combined with a bunch of FOIA FCC info. To keep it interesting they throw in a few pages of "Q&A" which are almost always answered "with the help of RR.com."

Oh.. I almost forgot the obligatory patronizing "editorial" written by some stuffed shirt...

Mr. Blanton could just print out the RR forums once a month and send it out via USPS and instantly have a better magazine.

To top it all off, it is the same price as Monitoring Times... That's like adding some chrome and leather to a Cavalier and calling it a Cimarron...

[scancapecod]

Nearly every article has numerous spelling and grammar mistakes.

This was one of the main reasons that I did not renew after a year. For the subscription price, I would expect some proofreading. The magazine certainly had its plus sides, namely IMHO the "Steve's Scanner Shop" section. As I see it, it has not reached the level of professionalism and content exhibited by "Popular Communications" and "Monitoring Times". Hopefully it will at some point, in which case I would consider subscribing again.

[stockscanner]

Originally Posted by MacombMonitor

Lets see...new member to RR, first post to RR...are you sure you don't work for SCANNING USA?

Umm, I am not going to get into a pissing contest. RESPECT my opinion just as you want others to do the same. All this talk of the magazine made me go and buy it and I'm happy; I enjoy the scanning articles.

That is my right, just as you can say what you like. Perhaps you two are paranoid. Since when aren't new folks joining this board, lurking and expressing just as you are, their thoughts. Respect what I say and I respect what you say; we'd don't live Russia or Iran do we???

thank you

Bob L "the LURKER"
NY NY

[K5MAR]

Originally Posted by stockscanner

Umm, I am not going to get into a pissing contest. RESPECT my opinion just as you want others to do the same. All this talk of the magazine made me go and buy it and I'm happy; I enjoy the scanning articles.

That is my right, just as you can say what you like. Perhaps you two are paranoid. Since when aren't new folks joining this board, lurking and expressing just as you are, their thoughts. Respect what I say and I respect what you say; we'd don't live Russia or Iran do we???

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, and can post it here (as long as it conforms to Lindsay's guidelines), but most of us are familiar with all three magazines, and your opinion definately causes the needle on our BS detectors to bounce. You have the same privledge to post here that all of us do, but respect has to be earned.

I've bought ScanningUSA from time to time, but the value for the dollar is kinda low. It's got a ways to go before it approaches the level of PopComm or MT.

Mark S.

[ryangassxx]

Originally Posted by stockscanner

Umm, I am not going to get into a pissing contest. RESPECT my opinion just as you want others to do the same. All this talk of the magazine made me go and buy it and I'm happy; I enjoy the scanning articles.

That is my right, just as you can say what you like. Perhaps you two are paranoid. Since when aren't new folks joining this board, lurking and expressing just as you are, their thoughts. Respect what I say and I respect what you say; we'd don't live Russia or Iran do we???

thank you

Bob L "the LURKER"
NY NY

((Fast forward 3 years..))

Yeah, the guy's first and last post were just to chime in about how cool Scanning USA was just out of left field... He was definitely affiliated with the magazine...

Yeah real creative too,.. "Bob" from "New York"...

Garbage magazine operated by a bunch of crooks and arrogant pricks.. good riddance!

[car2back]

Originally Posted by ryangassxx

((Fast forward 3 years..))

One question- Why?

[frankh]

Well I for one don't think Bob from N.Y. is any way affiliated with Scanning USA, you can tell just by the proper spelling and punctuation of his posts.

[letarotor]

It's all a moot point now. Magazine folded with the March 2008 issue. Some on this list might say, "Oh well." But realize that this was the last magazine that was totally devoted to the hobby of scanning, not shortwave, ham, CB, vintage radio and articles devoted to monitoring in third world countries where most subscribers who read the magazine can't speak the language anyway. Other mags will step in and fill the void for while, like MT, Pop Comm, and National Communications, but eventually they too will succumb to lowering readership and Barnes & Noble's monolopy on magazine circulation rates and fold. It's inevidable, people are getting dumber and reading less, and those who still can read, are getting their information on-line. I wrote articles for Alex on and off for five years and did many scanner reviews. It was a great experience and a privilage and it is my hope that I actually contributed something to the magazine. Alex is a true gentleman and just like the rest of us, hard working and loves the hobby. In the past few years, he became discouraged like Bill Cheek who used to write the World Scanner Report. They both simply got tired of all the whiners and people who wanted something for nothing. I too thought that editorial was kinda harsh, but I fully understood why he wrote it.

I stopped subscribing to MT when the editor and his wife began turning the magazine into their vacation tax write-off vessle. Endless articles about monitoring in different cities and countries with no real content other than history and facts about the place, which they researched on the Internet and frequency lists pulled directly off of Radio Reference. I'm not interested in shortwave and articles about vintage radios. Their radio and scanner reviews contain no real useful information, but never fail to extoll the virtues of the manufacturers who are their advertisers. The magazine has become a total bore and no longer interests me.

Mark