How much longer before scanners become useless?
- Thread starter noshoes
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CrabbyMilton
Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2008
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- 932
The day that our scanners will become obsolete is the day the sun turns to dust. While public saftey is the subject of choice in monitoring for most of us, there are countless other things to monitor. Just use your imagination. Try this....don't listen to any public safety for a day or put your scanner in search and recapture the intrigue that got most of us interested in the first place. You just may find a frequency that you may find you can't hear enough of.
Don_Burke
Member
Only in geological terms...noshoes said:
I agree w/ CrabbyMilton. I get in the rut of just monitoring public safety & forget about the hours of enjoyment I've gotten from searching & monitoring other stuff. Aviation, amateur, trains, business & news agency bands, etc.
Thinking of even digging out my Drake SW8 shortwave & doing the SW/MW/LW thing again!
KC4RAF
Member
For myself, public safety, (leo and fire)
are the only thing I listen to. Have had scanners since back in the 60s, listened to the utilities, railroads, air, on and on, and just didn't care for that stuff. Encryption will be the downfall for many. Out of the 12 to 15 people that I know with scannners here in this area, they only listen to law and fire only also.
Schoolbusses, businesses, so forth, just isn't interesting to me. I know others like that stuff and I am not knocking them.
So, for some, yes there'll be the day the scanner died...
are the only thing I listen to. Have had scanners since back in the 60s, listened to the utilities, railroads, air, on and on, and just didn't care for that stuff. Encryption will be the downfall for many. Out of the 12 to 15 people that I know with scannners here in this area, they only listen to law and fire only also.
Schoolbusses, businesses, so forth, just isn't interesting to me. I know others like that stuff and I am not knocking them.
So, for some, yes there'll be the day the scanner died...
N
N_Jay
Guest
An impartial observer might rightfully conclude that the primary purpose of my scanners is to collect dust and hold down whenever they happen to be sitting on.
In this capacity I am fairly confident that they will never become obsolete.:lol:
In this capacity I am fairly confident that they will never become obsolete.:lol:
I live in Tampa, Florida and the most interesting thing to me is knowing what is happening in my neighborhood by listening to law enforcement activities on 453.550. I monitor this frequency and know where all the accidents, disturbances etc. are.
I appreciate what so many have said about other communications form other sources but in my scanning experience the communication you hear is never as valuable as that of law enforcement and fire. I am thinking that within two years there will be no way to access these communication. What is your thought on the actual time frame for most cities that have not already switched?
The reason I mention this is I recently started shopping around for a hand held to replace my old pro 2021 but I am thinking it will be money wasted if in the near future I cannot hear so many of the communications that interest me.
Oh in there we were all in one place
A reference page lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on Lindsay be nimble,
Lindsay be quick
Joe Disco sat on a candlestick ‘cause
Fire is N_Jay's only friend
Oh and as I watched him hijack the thread
My hands were clenched in fists of dread
No Ray Air born in hell
Could break that N_Jay spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial right
I saw N_Jay laughing with delight
The day, the scanner died
And we were singin'
Bye, bye Miss Uniden Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
Them radio boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
Singin' this’ll be the day that I die,
This’ll be the day that I die
Then on the other hand...
Well that'll be the day, when scannin' says good-bye
Yes that'll be the day, when you make me cry
You say you're gonna encrypt,
you know it's a lie 'cause that'll be the day,
Open Sky.
A reference page lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on Lindsay be nimble,
Lindsay be quick
Joe Disco sat on a candlestick ‘cause
Fire is N_Jay's only friend
Oh and as I watched him hijack the thread
My hands were clenched in fists of dread
No Ray Air born in hell
Could break that N_Jay spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial right
I saw N_Jay laughing with delight
The day, the scanner died
And we were singin'
Bye, bye Miss Uniden Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
Them radio boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
Singin' this’ll be the day that I die,
This’ll be the day that I die
Then on the other hand...
Well that'll be the day, when scannin' says good-bye
Yes that'll be the day, when you make me cry
You say you're gonna encrypt,
you know it's a lie 'cause that'll be the day,
Open Sky.
KC4RAF
Member
Warren, you the man!
I speak for myself, but you did that song real justice by bringing some of our high (put your own words in here) members to fore. Thanks for a good laugh.
I speak for myself, but you did that song real justice by bringing some of our high (put your own words in here) members to fore. Thanks for a good laugh.
I feel very much the same way. The reason I asked this question is because I was getting the itch to purchase a hand held. I find the ability to know what is going on in my nieghborhood when it comes to car accidents and criminal activity very vaulable.
I will not spend the money on a scanner agian if soon they will be of no use to monitor fire and law enforcment. I currently have an old pro 2021 and can hear much of the activity in the area on 453.5500 in Tampa, Florida. I wanted the handheld for in the car on bike rides.
How many of you think that within 2 years most public service will be converted to systems that cannot be monitored by scanners?
I will not spend the money on a scanner agian if soon they will be of no use to monitor fire and law enforcment. I currently have an old pro 2021 and can hear much of the activity in the area on 453.5500 in Tampa, Florida. I wanted the handheld for in the car on bike rides.
How many of you think that within 2 years most public service will be converted to systems that cannot be monitored by scanners?
N
N_Jay
Guest
It takes 2 years to get form the decision to replace a system to a contract with a vendor.
Systems that are up and running usually remain in place 10 to 30 years.
Whatever happens to public safety monitoring will be a SLOW, SLOW process.
Drafin
Member
NC Viper system is a prime example of what N_Jay was talking about. I think it was in 2003 or so that I started hearing the term VIPER when it was being kicked around our law enforcement circles in NC. Well it's now 2009 and it is not fully implemented statewide. It's getting close, but not quite there yet.
You can monitor Viper with any of the digital scanners on the market.
The hobby is going no where in the next 20 years or so I wouldn't think, NC is any indication.
Draf
You can monitor Viper with any of the digital scanners on the market.
The hobby is going no where in the next 20 years or so I wouldn't think, NC is any indication.
Draf
Navycop
Member
Are you in a band?? You should start your own cover band... You have such talent.
N8IAA
Member
Most scanners have a half life of 2 years before something new comes out. Here in GA, the state was going to GEWIN. Georgia Emergency Wireless Interop Nerwork. The only county using the frequencies is Cobb. Some have gone M/A Com, some have gone digital and encrypted. I still can listen to FD in my county (no PD, they're encrypted). I listen to my neighboring counties that are still analog and in the clear digital. There are some that are being courted to going onto systems that are straining the budgets of those that got caught in the claws of Motherola. As has been stated prior, it takes a long time to get the ball rolling on new systems. One county south of me has a digital system running with no one on it. The tax base here is not providing any money to make these overpriced systems viable. The only way I see a great change, is if there is a lot of federal Big Government money available to fund them. Buy the new scanner and enjoy
Larry
57Bill
Member
Still enjoying the use of my RS-2030, and only miss the cell phone images I used to listen to. Everything else is the same for me.
kc4jgc
Member
I second that.... Chanelling Don McLean and Buddy Holly.... Who else can you channel Warren?
D
DaveNF2G
Guest
Scanners will become "obsolete" shortly after guns are outlawed.
Don't start laughing yet. There is a bill to gut if not repeal the 2nd Amendment in the current House of Representatives. You wanted change? Buckle up, you're gonna get it.
Not to mention the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" bill, which is an attempt to overcome the 1st Amendment.
Don't start laughing yet. There is a bill to gut if not repeal the 2nd Amendment in the current House of Representatives. You wanted change? Buckle up, you're gonna get it.
Not to mention the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" bill, which is an attempt to overcome the 1st Amendment.
davidbond21
Member
There's always a bill submitted by someone to completely eviscerate the 2nd Amendment. This doesn't mean it will ever make it out of committee. That is doubly true of the "fairness doctrine." One dem rep submitted it, but the only people who are taking this seriously is the people on the right. The democrats, at least the ones in leadership positions have no intentions of ever reviving that.
Your just lucky that no terrorists that have been caught so far were found with a scanner. That'd be the end of them, for national security purposes.
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