Make money from scanner???

[Diggler]

Has anyone ever made any money from your scanner? I was thinking about doing some freel lance photography and using the scanner to get the inside scoop. Is this wrong? Is it to much like poparazi (sp)? Any other money making ideas?

 

[Universaldecoder]

Buy older non-working scanners, fix them, and them resell them on ebay as "hard to find", "rare", "unique"....etc....

 

[SkipSanders]

There are a great many freelance news photographers who, yes, obviously use scanners heavily. There's nothing wrong with it, but of course, it's only a tool. You can't simply call what you hear 'news' and relay it, you can only use it to go get the info/pictures yourself.

Anyone who has much experience with monitoring knows that 'what you heard' on the scanner is even LESS accurate than the typical mainstream media, which is saying something!

Of course, be aware that being a freelance news photographer is an expensive, complex, and difficult job. You'll be buying your own cameras, and for video, that's an EXPENSIVE camera for real news gathering. You'll probably need to buy your own 'turnout gear', the coat and protection firefighters use, for safety covering fires. You'll be driving all over your area. You'll most likely be doing it mostly late night, when the regular news crews are home sleeping.

Such is the life of the 'news stringer'.

 

[BaLa]

Something else you might run into, is false reports.

As an example, just the other day I wa sitting there at work with a co-worker listening to my scanner.
We heard about a Motorcycle accident basically right infront of the building. So naturally we walked outside to try to see it. We never saw anything and the PD never found it either.

 

[benjaminarthurt]

I got paid using my scanner... Had a fire restoration company pay me a "finders fee" for the address's of structure fires that I heard being dispatched. Now come to think of it I think that was technically against FCC rules... Oh well

 

[N4JNW]

I get paid to listen to the scanner. I work at a local radio station. There is a Uniden BCT-8 in the office, and a RadioShack Pro-2051 in the Studio. Sometimes I bring one of my handheld scanners just to search for new stuff.

I also bought a Pro-528 and kept the recipt. I used it as a tax write off, as a news gathering device.

 

[zz0468]

I would interpret that as a violation of the Communications Act of 1934. But you can read it yourself and decide.

go down to section 705.

http://www.fcc.gov/Reports/1934new.pdf

 

[N_Jay]

I would interpret that as a violation of the Communications Act of 1934.

You would interpret "what" as a violation?

 

[zz0468]

You would interpret "what" as a violation?

Using a scanner, in the OP's own words, "to get the inside scoop".

Nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but my understanding of the intent of the act is to prohibit making money from someone else's 'inside scoop'.

 

[N_Jay]

Using a scanner, in the OP's own words, "to get the inside scoop".

Nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but my understanding of the intent of the act is to prohibit making money from someone else's 'inside scoop'.

I think you are interpreting it overly strictly.

I would see nothing (in federal law) that prevents going out and getting pictures.

It would be illegal to sell the information directly.

 

[zz0468]

I think you are interpreting it overly strictly.

Perhaps I am. I would hope that at some point the Supreme Court doesn't have to make such a strict interpretation. My opinion is only worth the paper it's printed on. Theirs actually counts.

I would see nothing (in federal law) that prevents going out and getting pictures.

Excerpt of Section 705...

"No person having received any intercepted radio communication or having become acquainted with the contents, substance, purport, effect, or meaning of such communication (or any part thereof) knowing that such communication was intercepted, shall divulge or publish the existence, contents, substance, purport, effect, or meaning of such communication (or any part thereof) or use such communication (or any information therein contained) for his own benefit or for the benefit of another not entitled thereto."

Ok... it doesn't specifically prohibit pictures, but it does say you can't "use" what you hear. This is the root of my interpretation. Right or wrong, it's how I'm reading the actual text.

The press regularly uses scanners to gather news information. I know one case where a law enforcement agency provides the local press with tx disabled trunked radios for news gathering purposes, so they are specifically authorized for that use.

It would be illegal to sell the information directly.

Yes, absolutely. The earlier post regarding collecting addresses from fire calls would fall into that category.

Interesting thread. Yes, I'm probably interpreting that in an overly strict manner. Let's hope I'm the only one doing it! =)

 

[hotdjdave]

It would depend one what "inside scoop" means.

If the "inside scoop" is the actual parties to the incident (police, fire, rescue, military, etc.), then it is not really an "inside scoop."

Now if the "inside scoop" is another media (news paper, TV news, etc.) broadcasting information, then there might be some sort of infringement issues.

Just my thoughts on this issue.

 

[b7spectra]

I started calling in traffic conditions to one of the local stations back in 1986. From there, things I heard on the scanner to to news media. In 1994, one of the people at Metro Traffic called and asked if I wanted to go flying with them! Hopped on that in a heart beat. After the flight, I found out it was the operations manager and he offered me a job as a traffic reporter! Did that for a couple years! Now I get to program all their scanners as well as do all the programming of the radio's in all of the local media helicopters! I still get to catch hops on the traffic helo just for the fun of it!

Yeah, I would say it pays off!

 

[SkipSanders]

Reporters tend to get a 'free ride' on the communications act because of the ever-godly '1st amendment' causing courts to shy from damaging their ability to gather news.

Factually, there's no exception in the law for news media, and they are, indeed, violating that law, by 'intercepting for profit'. The government is just ignoring it, in view of, etc, etc. Courts may well have ruled that they have the right to listen (if they can), sometime.

 

[JnglMassiv]

The difference is that they're not reporting what they hear on the scanners but what they see/hear on-scene. They use the scanners to get onscene which allows them to get at the real story.

 

[Archie]

Diggler,

Maybe you could create a service that sells updates to your local media. A photographer from the NY Daily News told me that all NYC media use the services of BreakingNews Network.com from Fort Lee, NJ. Anybody know what they typically charge a big media outlet??? I would guess that the owner may have begun as a buff...they have an impressive roster of customers including some local and fedearl agencies.

Good Luck to you and it's great to be so creative with these entrepeanural( sic) ventures.

 

[kd7rto]

Has anyone ever made any money from your scanner? I was thinking about doing some freel lance photography and using the scanner to get the inside scoop. Is this wrong? Is it to much like poparazi (sp)? Any other money making ideas?

Showing up at the scene of incidents you hear about on your scanner is the wrong thing to do. You don't want to be confronted by the police, and your fellow hobbyists don't want laws passed against mobile scanning.

Our hobby is already viewed by many with suspicion. One US Representative went as far as to characterize us as "electronic stalkers". Showing up, scanner and camera in hand, but with no credentials or legitimate purpose, can only serve to perpetuate the idea that we are some kind of a problem.

Public safety workers have a difficult job to do. Let's let them do it. We certainly don't give them any reason to fear that we might get in their way.

 

[bassmkenk2508]

The difference is that they're not reporting what they hear on the scanners but what they see/hear on-scene. They use the scanners to get onscene which allows them to get at the real story.

I totally agree with that.

Also think... If the big cities'/counties' news crews "famous" for their vehicle chases (e.g. Los Angeles, etc.) didn't have scanners, imagine, how would they get the info really quick that the chases are happening? Wait for the PD/SO to call their station and tell them? I doubt everyday citizens have the local news in their cell's contacts.

But hey, call-ins may be a slice of how they do get word, but i think the scanners in the case of chases may be more of the reason why they get in the chase when they do.

 

[Jay911]

Buy older non-working scanners, fix them, and them resell them on ebay as "hard to find", "rare", "unique"....etc....

I would estimate that 99.995% of eBay radio sellers skip the underlined part....

 

[platinumrx8]

think it would be neat if someone were to put together a Funniest Moments on Scanner audio collection...