What was the first radio or scanner you ever owned?

[Spankymedic7]

Boy, this is going to take me back a ways...

My first scanner was a Radio Shack 6 channel scanner crystal handheld (I can't remember the model number). It had the 8 mini-bulbs on the top. I remember the first time I turned it on and heard the local PD and FD...I was HOOKED. My next one was a 10 channel crystal scanner, and from that point forward I must've purchased most of Radio Shacks handheld scanners.

My first amateur radio was a Yaesu FT-50R. I was taking my licensure exam, and my wife was next door at AES researching my first HT. She must've been talking to the salesman for 45 minutes. When I came out with good news, my wife handed me an AES bag. If only you could've seen the look on my face. My wife has supported my interest in radio communications ever since. Thanks Honey!

 

[WB4CS]

Oh I love a chance to reminisce about the good ole days

My very first receiver was a Realistic SW 100 that my parents got me for Christmas when I was 13 years old. I got hooked into SWL and spend hours tuning around that radio at night. That very radio is what got me into ham radio. Tuning across the VHF bands I ran across a few guys having a conversation about cars. For weeks I would listen in and get a kick out of the conversations I was hearing, but had no idea that it was Amateur Radio or even what ham radio was. One night one of the guys asked the other station to give him a call on the phone and gave out his phone number. I wrote down the number and called him the next day and asked how I could get on the radio and talk to them. He was my first Elmer and helped me get into ham radio. A few months later I passed my Tech exam.


My first transceiver for ham radio was the Radio Shack HTX 202. Great radio, burned the finals out of it more than twice.

 

[mikegilbert]

My first scanner was a Uniden BC760xlt. It served me well for years. My first radio was a Kenwood TK340, which featured 16 channels, which were programmable using the keypad and channel knob.

 

[marshall58]

1st scanner was a SBE Sentinel 8 ch crystal -- 1977
1st programmable was a Bearcat 250
1st handheld was a Bearcat 100

 

[rescuecomm]

First scanner was a Regency Blue Face crystal unit.

First two way was a 23 channel CB, the model of which, I can't recall.

First 2 meter was a Azden PCS2000 with 10 programmable channels.

FIrst General Coverage receiver was a Radio Shack DX-100.

Bob

 

[N9NRA]

My first scanner was a Uniden Bearcat 10-channel crystal unit, nicest scanner i owned at the time, took the thing to the blind school i attended downstate and we had a blast listening to Janesville PD and fire, a real nice unit, which i sometimes miss to this day. First ham radio was a Realistic HTX-202, and i added an HTX-404 to go with it, unfortunately the `404 finally died in an ERROR 2 contition and wasn`t recoverable. First HF reciever was a Realistic DX-380 i got for Christmas from my folks, used to listen to the guys on HF with just the antenna on the unit, i still recall listening to 4N2Y outta the Republic of Croatia, i miss that unit too, to be honest. N9NRA

 

[n9mxq]

First Scanner Bearcat IV
First Ham Radio Icom Micro2at
First CB Johnson Messenger 2350

 

[NWI_Scanner_Guy]

First Ham radio was/is my Yeasu FT2800M. Have had it for almost fours years now. Even though it's a mobile radio, I use exclusively as a base.

My first scanner, bought back in 1987, was a Regency MX4200. It could save 20 frequencies and I thought I was in heaven.

 

[kf4sek]

My first ham transceiver was the ADI AT-201 2m HT. It had 5 watts out and would burn your hand if you transmitted too long. A QSO didn't last too long with it due to that reason. This was before I found out about the nice little invention called a speaker/mic.

I also had a 100 channel non-trunking scanner, cannot remember the model number. I do remember I purchased it at Radio Shack.

 

[SCPD]

I'm gonna need some help with the models

My first scanner was a handheld made by GE. It was VHF. You tuned in the freqs by taking a little door off the front or back, and inside were four pots. I can't remember the model.

First crystal controlled, I think was made by Bearcat. It was a 4 channel handheld, may of been VHF and UHF. Quite a bit smaller than the GE mentioned above. The antenna had a mono audio jack on it.

First ham rig was 2 meter Heathkit I built. 10 channel, two crystals per channel. Separate receive and transmit knobs. Like the above, I can't remember the model number.

All three were traded off long ago for something else.

 

[Jimru]

My first ham rig was/is a Yaesu VX-5R, it is still in use.

First ham HF rig is a Yaesu FT-450D, which I just got recently, but I do not have a proper outdoor antenna yet.

 

[Blackink]

This was an easy question for me....

I own a BCT15X.......and I love it.

But I've only owner a scanner for about 4 months now. Does that count?!?

 

[kb2hpw]

First radio that really got me going was a Midland portable receiver, I'll be darned if I can remember the model number. About the size of a VHS tape, AM/VHF-Hi, horizontal scale. Probably early/mid 70's vintage, I picked it up at a garage sale in about 1981 or so (was a teenager then). VHF-Hi was cool, discovered 2m ham, local PD, fire dept, pagers, aircraft. I have searched the internet but can't find a decent listing of vintage Midland consumer grade radios.
First ham rig oddly enough was a Kenwood TH-31BT, 220Mhz 1W, thumbwheel tuning. I was only a novice then (1989). I didn't know it but it was a VHF contest in Sept that day, I went up to the high mountian between NY and MA (on rte 2, used to be an old restaurant many years ago, burned down) and heard lots of activity on 223.500 made a ton of contacts that day. Great memories.

 

[scrotumola]

First scanner crystal- Bearcat Electra early 80's
First cb crystal Realistic TRC-23 early 80's
First cb PLL President veep 1985
First scanner programmable Realistic Pro 34 1985
First amateur radio Icom IC-02at 1986
First commercial radio crystal VHF Motorola Motrac/80D 1986
First commercial radio PLL VHF Wilson RH6016 1987
First HF rig Kenwood TS-430s 1988
First SDR Icom R2500 2008

 

[gmclam]

First "police radio" was a converter you placed next to an AM broadcast radio. Single channel. First scanner, Realistic PRO-10.

 

[rescue161]

First two-way was a Robyn 23 Channel CB. I think it was an SK-007.

First scanner was a 10-Channel Pro-38 that I scraped and saved for.

First ham radio was a Yaesu FT-411E. I loved that radio.