The First Programmable Scanners in An Ad

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twobytwo

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An ad showing the first 4 programmable scanners from Communications Enginnering. This is from 1976 I believe. I had the 101. What an innovation back in the day
 

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w2lie

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Wow. I used this to calculate what the price would be in today's dollars. This is for 2016 it would cost $1252.55. Well above what the SDS scanners are going for.

THIS!

This is exactly what grinds my gears when people complain about the costs of today's scanners. Yes, $700 is more than $296, but you proved the point I keep trying to make with your link.

Yes, $700 is a lot of coin. But $300 was a bigger part of your income 40 years ago.
 

allend

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$296.95 in 1976 → 2016 | Inflation Calculator

Wow. I used this to calculate what the price would be in today's dollars. This is for 2016 it would cost $1252.55. Well above what the SDS scanners are going for.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

If scanner's were in so much high demand then those prices would still be the same. Also, keep in mind that scanners were built a little more rugged too and everything was in the clear. So I understand the inflation calculator but there are so many variables now. If you sold that SDS-200 scanner for over 1200 bucks today they would not sell since the demand is declining. The younger generations are not getting into the hobby. The uptick in the trend in technology is not in the scanner business. People are glued to iphones and social media now. Sign of the times. Also, as the buzz word for "security" gets even greater the scanner market will decline. Privacy is the "buzz" word on the streets now.
 

darkness975

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If scanner's were in so much high demand then those prices would still be the same. Also, keep in mind that scanners were built a little more rugged too and everything was in the clear. So I understand the inflation calculator but there are so many variables now. If you sold that SDS-200 scanner for over 1200 bucks today they would not sell since the demand is declining. The younger generations are not getting into the hobby. The uptick in the trend in technology is not in the scanner business. People are glued to iphones and social media now. Sign of the times. Also, as the buzz word for "security" gets even greater the scanner market will decline. Privacy is the "buzz" word on the streets now.

I'm a "younger generation" individual (millennial). I hope there's at least a few of us somewhere. I am not into social media.
 

allend

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Does anybody know what year this ad was released since 400 bucks back then was a boat load of money most likely
 

RF23

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Does anybody know what year this ad was released since 400 bucks back then was a boat load of money most likely

According to what is stated on the ad itself "New for 1978", but you are correct this was a lot of money then.
 

RF23

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This is late 1975 or early 1976 I think. It definitely predates the BC 101 (a much better radio in every way).

06aTennelecMS1.jpg
 

Archie

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Saw the first Bearcat single band scanners reviewed in the March 1971 issue of S9 Magazine last night, $129.00 for VHF, $139.00 for UHF.
So when using the inflation calculator, I added in NY State sales tax and $6.00 for a few crystals and today's total cost would be a whopping $1200.00...but not to start a debate about economics, remember that a dollar seemed to go further years back and workers received pay raises in excess of the rate of inflation. Example: Xerox was giving a double digit increase each six months, and a merit raise if you deserved it !!! And all of the postings above make very good points...love looking at these old scanner ads...
 

radioman2001

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Paid $265.00 plus 4% tax for a Bearcat 210 in 1977, and I did get an employee discount. I do remember the Tennelec but don't know much about them. Also don't know if it is the same company, but Tennelec made a VHF 110 watt synthsized mobile radio that had fiber optic cables that ran from the head to the trunk pack. I have one but no fiber cables.
My big listening interest at the time was the DEA on 418.625. A few years later I got an actual DEA radio that was left installed in a wrecked car.They had real strange units in the Motrac MST and Micor versions. The Micors had multiple offset generator crystals for all the odd split TX/RX combinations. The one we pryed out of a wrecked 1974 Fury was a GE Master Exec II instead of frequency numbers they were by color.
 
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scanner92us

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Check the sale catalogs on that site. I've seen it in a sale catalog from 1976 I think. I'll look, and provide a link if I can.
 
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