Monitoring Times magazine to cease publication

[Bill1]

Very sad news. Monitoring Times is an excellent publication. Not only are the articles well-written but they are well-proofread and well-edited. The magazine has always upheld a standard that has been its hallmark and a legacy its writers and management will leave behind.

My sincere best wishes to Bob, Judy, Chanel (who faithfully sends my electronic edition every month) Larry and all of the other great people who made MT what it is. While I'd hope that someone like CQ Communications could acquire it and continue publishing, I don't hold out much hope for that happening given the closure announcement has been made.

Let's remember to get out there and support those publishers who are left in our hobby. I have no connection to any of them but as a lifelong publishing guy, I feel it's our responsibility to keep our media in business if we want them to be around for us. Do it any way you can be it as a print or digital subscriber.

Farewell MT - I am really going to miss you!

All the best,

Bill

 

[pepsima1]

With encryption, expensive radios and no interest from the younger generation, not only will scanning become a thing of the past, I predict ham radio will be too within 15 years. I also see CQ and QST going under or going to the Internet for publication. Hobby's like ours are dying a fast death with every passing year.

Yes the economy is still pretty tough and these small mom and pop shops just can't keep the doors if they can't make a couple of bucks. I think younger generations are still interested to a select few but they are mostly interested in their smartphones and apps for their phones. They are not interested in a digital unit that needs software and programming. So they just want to download an app and they start to listen.

The radio units are not really that expensive. They have all been between 300 to 500 bucks.

Mostly with P25 upgrades The BIG "E" is killing the hobby unless you live in a specific area where your county and city is not paranoid or worried about their citizens being involved.

 

[AZScanner]

I wonder if there is any future in this? Is there anything new coming that would re-invigorate radio?

Short of a simple, homebrew means of defeating P25 encryption (yeah right), probably not. We're just one or two more "embarrasing publicly streamed" radio moments and/or terrorist attack away from full federally mandated encryption of all public safety communications. But radio scannerheads are an innovative bunch and I expect great things to happen with the scanner hobby when it goes "underground" and all the little rules we follow today, such as what we monitor or not monitor, etc go out the window.

As Tank from the Matrix famously said, those could be "very exciting times".

-AZ

 

[mstephens741]

But radio scannerheads are an innovative bunch and I expect great things to happen with the scanner hobby when it goes "underground" and all the little rules we follow today, such as what we monitor or not monitor, etc go out the window.

As Tank from the Matrix famously said, those could be "very exciting times".

-AZ

Interesting. I am surprised there isn't something like that already somewhere on the 'net.

 

[Larry27]

Oh no!

I too have subscribed to MT since it was a newsprint tabloid.
Remember "Havana Moon"? How about " The Last Radio Signal on Earth"?

I can't say I didn't see it coming. The shortwave schedule used to be 1/3 of the magazine.
Now it is just a few pages, and most of that is domestic broadcasters.

Have a great retirement Bob and Judy!

 

[xm4kie]

Best wishes, Bob

Bob Grove and I started swapping post cards back in the middle 70's while he was still working at WPEC in southern FL. I can't even guess how many cards we exchanged, all about new stations we heard. (Note to those born after 1989ost Cards were the things used before email!)

Our big find was a group of VERY special trucks running all over the US equipped with Collins KWM2 HF rigs checking in every hour.

Then Bob left sunny FL and moved to the mountains and started MT. It was an instant success!.

Best wishes my friend, you have earned it.

Vince

 

[902]

Wow.

For many years, I picked up my copy of MT at the news stand. Most recently, my last trip to Barnes and Noble had a Monitoring Times in the stack I brought home.

I'd like to join the other well-wishers in wishing Mr. and Mrs. Grove, and all the staffers and authors all the best. Thank you for the education you've imparted!

 

[One13Truck]

Wow. I was never a subscriber but seeing this is very sad. I wish them well in retirement as well!

 

[Halfpint]

As another long time reader and subscriber to MT I know that I'll miss receiving my monthly edition just in time for reading and using all the info and various features for the upcoming month like any other subscriber.

However, as a `retiree' myself, I'm glad that Bob and the most wonderfull and beautiful woman in his life, AKA SWMBO, have finally decided to retire and hopefully enjoy many many enjoyable years with a lot fewer `worries' and loads and loads wonderfull adventures together! (While I have basically no `firm hopes' or expectations of either one of them possibly doing so... Occasionally a post from either one *might* just happened to `pop up' here on `RR' letting us know, or maybe giving a bit of a `nudge nudge', about how much well deserved fun they are having `retired'. {VERY *BIG* GRIN!} To quite a few of those of us who were long time subscribers MT was somewhat like having an uncle who would drop in and regale us with wonderous stories, infomation, and an occasional unexpected `goody' we didn't expect. While it was known that we weren't really `family' in the strictest `sense', Bob's and Judy's ways with both MT and `the store' imparted the feeling that one wasn't `just a walking wallet' and someone important instead. Something that a lot of other places, and people, seem to not understand.)

Again, both I and I suspect other `RRers',and `customers/subscribers' are going to miss you two very much. Here's hoping for you to have *many* enjoyable retirement years!

 

[james_ward]

Monitoring Times End of Time 1980's - 2013

I have subscribed since the start (early) 80's) and still have the earlier copies of MT when it was the size of a small newspaper. This is a sad day for me and I just renewed for another for another year. I the yearly MT Anthology's and most print versions.
KC0WVF

 

[BamaScan]

Here is a good video with Bob Groove saying goodbye. Sad Day. I wish he would sell it.

HamRadioNow - Episode 89: Good-bye Monitoring Times

 

[Jimru]

Here is a good video with Bob Groove saying goodbye. Sad Day. I wish he would sell it.

HamRadioNow - Episode 89: Good-bye Monitoring Times

Thanks for that link!

 

[DPD1]

With encryption, expensive radios and no interest from the younger generation, not only will scanning become a thing of the past, I predict ham radio will be too within 15 years. I also see CQ and QST going under or going to the Internet for publication. Hobby's like ours are dying a fast death with every passing year.

I doubt it. People were saying that 25 years ago. There may be less people, but there will always be interest in radio, in some form or another.

 

[AK9R]

Single side band voice, implemented back in the 1950's, was supposed to be the death of amateur radio. Didn't happen.

Incentive licensing, implemented back in the 1960's, was supposed to be the death of amateur radio. Didn't happen.

No-code Technicians, implemented in 1991, were supposed to cause the death of amateur radio. Didn't happen.

Trunked radio systems, implemented in the 1990's, were supposed to be the death of scanning. Didn't happen.

Encrypted radio systems...well...there's always something to monitor even if your favorite system has gone encrypted.

 

[safetyobc]

I get the Monitoring Times Express and read on my iPad. I too wish he would sell it if there was an interested buyer.

 

[lotsofradios]

I get the Monitoring Times Express and read on my iPad. I too wish he would sell it if there was an interested buyer.

If you had seen the video of his interview he clearly said the reason he will not sell it is because he would not have control with new owners. He went on to say, because he would not have control he did not want the "legacy he built to be tarnished". Sorry, but to me it sounds he is more worried about his legacy than the continued growth of the hobby. I now have less respect after seeing the interview.

 

[rdale]

I find it hard to believe that "the hobby" will stop growing because MT stopped. There is nothing to stop anyone else from starting up their own version.

 

[Jimru]

If you had seen the video of his interview he clearly said the reason he will not sell it is because he would not have control with new owners. He went on to say, because he would not have control he did not want the "legacy he built to be tarnished". Sorry, but to me it sounds he is more worried about his legacy than the continued growth of the hobby. I now have less respect after seeing the interview.

I was a bit disturbed by that as well. I mean, he has some very well respected and, it seems to me, trustworthy people on his staff, why not turn it over to them?

What is he afraid of, so far as his legacy is concerned? To use CQ as an example; the magazine was started in 1945, and it seems to me it has stood the test of time, even after the founders are long dead!

 

[WayneH]

Lets keep the topic on Monitoring Times please.

Please no speculation and reasons for the death of scanning print.

 

[bear780ks]

Well i'm kind of Miffed at this as Well seeing that the business & Publication can't go on just because of Legacy)

There are allot of Small to Medium sized businesses through out this country that are Ran just like the Groves are and they Either hand it down to there Kids or to a Long devoted and Trust Worthy Employee but maybe in there Case it just wasn't to be.. I would mention more but i want to keep civilized and Clean so i end with I'll miss what we had Some good readings and a Good place to get our Radio Equipment..