Do you think the scanning hobby will die out (for most people) by the next decade?

[David628]

@mmckenna My home away from home when I left. Radio Shack in1991, Westmont, Illinois. Mom sent this photo to me while stationed in Korea near the DMZ.

 

[n6hgg]

Aviation listening rocks, hf, vhf and uhf, especially with good antenna optimization. Works for me. Should be doable 10 years from now. Not concerned with what they do with Public Safety.

 

[trentbob]

Can't tell if serious or..

I think what he was trying to say was even with all the radio gear he has in his car,
he was unable to copy the PD units running Code 3 because of encryption...

I'm very serious, and yes the police in my County are now encrypted 100%. I'm retired from the media so I don't need to hear the police for my job anymore but I have been conditioned for decades and decades to be situationally aware of what's happening on the street I live on.

I know a lot of people don't care about public safety and don't care what the police are up to. I just happen to live in the part of a county that borders Philadelphia just south of Trenton, New Jersey. Both cesspools of crime. Our news sources now are pretty lame and print press releases, true or not, from the police a week after something big happens and something big happens here every day.

No barking dog calls or false burglar alarms. Cops don't respond to barking dog calls, it's referred to the ACO for the next day and burglar alarms are put on hold for 45 minutes before a cop shows up and that's just to do a drive by patrol check. The cops here are constantly dealing with drive-by shootings, hostage situations, pursuits, felony car stops, armed subjects, violent domestics, assaults, armed robberies, hit and run accidents as people don't have insurance and have outstanding warrants so they just flee, a lot of gang activity and drugs... Pretty much always been like that.

I listen to a lot of different things and enjoy a wide coverage of interest, aviation, rail, marine and ham radio to mention a few but I really miss that situational awareness of what's happening in my surrounding neighborhood.

I was always able to listen but now... I really miss it, just listening to my own Zone pulled it all together and gave me that secure feeling of situational awareness.

I've been listening non stop since I was a young kid, had my own darkroom at age 16 and police monitoring led me to a long rewarding career, It does get in your blood.

If there ever was to be a new scanner or technology, I would always be the one who's first in line for the new radio but now, I'm not in the market anymore.

 

[Omega-TI]

Ham radio & scanners: the hobby that's been dying for 30 years™

Well, I don't know if it is or isn't. Assumptions based on impressions from anecdotal input are often wrong, which is why I posted an honest question. Historically, from a business perspective, a market has to be "worthwhile" or there is little point of remaining in the biz. I mean there is a company that still makes Buggy Whips for a niche market, but that does not take a huge investment to produce them, unlike the design and manufacture of a new radio. It was an honest question.

To ascertain a little bit more data, I also started a thread to get some idea of the age range of the average scanner owner/listener. I figured it might be possible to "guesstimate" future demand/market size from some of that data as well. I'm simply curious. In the end though, it will not affect me, as my expiration date is probably somewhere around the same time.

 

[mmckenna]

Well, I don't know if it is or isn't. Assumptions based on impressions from anecdotal input are often wrong, which is why I posted an honest question.

Many of us have been hams and/or been in the two way radio profession for a very long time. Matt is right on.
- No Code Tech was going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- Broadband over power lines was going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- Internet was going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- CCR's were going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- FRS/GMRS was going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- IP linked amateur radio was going to be the end of the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- Cell phones were going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- Cell carriers taking spectrum from ham radio was going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- End of FCC in person testing was going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- Trunked radio systems were going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- 800MHz was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- 700MHz was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- P25 was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- DMR was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- NXDN was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- Encryption was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- High priced scanners were going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- Simulcast was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- Narrow banding was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- Laws against carrying your scanner in your vehicle (some states) was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- Broadcastify streaming scanner traffic was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- Shortwave broadcasts slowly disappearing was going to be the "end of the SWL hobby".

Yes, we've heard all of these claims. You can search them up on here, or if you've been a ham for a while and hung around at least one other ham, you've heard it. If you listen to these folks, the "hobby" has died a hundred thousand times in the last few decades.

The death of the hobby has been announced for years. It's still going. Maybe not as strong as it once was, but it's still here. Hams are famous for proclaiming this, and will continue to do so. Scanner listeners complain of this every time something changes in the LMR industry. Some people like to be the alarmists, they love to get everyone else wound up just like they are, it reinforces their own panic. Panic loves company.

Historically, from a business perspective, a market has to be "worthwhile" or there is little point of remaining in the biz. I mean there is a company that still makes Buggy Whips for a niche market, but that does not take a huge investment to produce them, unlike the design and manufacture of a new radio. It was an honest question.

SDR's are dirt cheap and you can buy them online easily. Maybe some day we'll loose another major scanner manufacturer, but there will always be some sort of market.

To ascertain a little bit more data, I also started a thread to get some idea of the age range of the average scanner owner/listener. I figured it might be possible to "guesstimate" future demand/market size from some of that data as well. I'm simply curious. In the end though, it will not affect me, as my expiration date is probably somewhere around the same time.

Questions like yours are good ones, and as you can see, you received a lot of good responses. I think you are partially right, as time goes on, there may be less interest in the hobby as there will be other ways of getting this info. The demand for this type of gear will shrink, just like buggy whips. Ham and scanner hobbyists will continue to proclaim the demise of the hobby and search for others to commiserate with, and I'll be here poking fun at them as long as I'm able.

 

[trentbob]

Many of us have been hams and/or been in the two way radio profession for a very long time. Matt is right on.
- No Code Tech was going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- Broadband over power lines was going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- Internet was going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- CCR's were going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- FRS/GMRS was going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- IP linked amateur radio was going to be the end of the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- Cell phones were going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- Cell carriers taking spectrum from ham radio was going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- End of FCC in person testing was going to be the "end of the amateur radio hobby".
- Trunked radio systems were going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- 800MHz was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- 700MHz was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- P25 was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- DMR was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- NXDN was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- Encryption was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- High priced scanners were going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- Simulcast was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- Narrow banding was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- Laws against carrying your scanner in your vehicle (some states) was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- Broadcastify streaming scanner traffic was going to be the "end of the scanning hobby".
- Shortwave broadcasts slowly disappearing was going to be the "end of the SWL hobby".

Yes, we've heard all of these claims. You can search them up on here, or if you've been a ham for a while and hung around at least one other ham, you've heard it. If you listen to these folks, the "hobby" has died a hundred thousand times in the last few decades.

The death of the hobby has been announced for years. It's still going. Maybe not as strong as it once was, but it's still here. Hams are famous for proclaiming this, and will continue to do so. Scanner listeners complain of this every time something changes in the LMR industry. Some people like to be the alarmists, they love to get everyone else wound up just like they are, it reinforces their own panic. Panic loves company.




SDR's are dirt cheap and you can buy them online easily. Maybe some day we'll loose another major scanner manufacturer, but there will always be some sort of market.



Questions like yours are good ones, and as you can see, you received a lot of good responses. I think you are partially right, as time goes on, there may be less interest in the hobby as there will be other ways of getting this info. The demand for this type of gear will shrink, just like buggy whips. Ham and scanner hobbyists will continue to proclaim the demise of the hobby and search for others to commiserate with, and I'll be here poking fun at them as long as I'm able.

If you really think about it, the radio hobby will never ever be dead to the world. It only dies or not, for an individual.

 

[n2pqq]

There will always be NOAA or will there

 

[mmckenna]

There will always be NOAA or will there

Maybe. Canada has been researching shutting down some of their weather radio sites. Wouldn't surprise me if NOAA started doing the same sort of research. They seem to allow a considerable amount of downtime on their existing transmitters. I'm sure, eventually, there will be other ways to get more accurate/up to date info. I do know that my Garmin InReach will pull local weather info down from the satellites if I ask it to.

 

[Omega-TI]

SDR's are dirt cheap and you can buy them online easily. Maybe someday we'll lose another major scanner manufacturer, but there will always be some sort of market.

I agree, however the SDR's currently appear to introduce a limiting factor. While they are inexpensive and do the job, they tend to take more effort than opening a box and turning it on. A newbie might get frustrated or confused trying to get an SDR system up and running with P25 decoding software, then give up. After purchasing, one has to download software, install it, possibly even the .NET framework, then find and install the appropriate third party decoding software. Even after one is up and running, they are tied to a computer, which also affects portability. A scannist version of the super-simple idiot-proof KODI like software for a dedicated RPi would be the bomb.

Will the hobby die? I think not. Will our ranks decrease? Probably. By how much is the magic question and that directly relates to business viability and the introduction of new equipment. Yes, I've heard the gloom and doom prophets for years too, but there does seem to be some shrinkage in the hobbyist ranks from just few decades ago. All those examples mentioned above as an aggregate, may not be the death of a thousand cuts, but an injury to say the least.

I've really enjoyed seeing all the comments and differing viewpoints. My hope is that all newbies can somehow find there way here and not be left blowing in the breeze without help after an SDR purchase.

One thing I would truly love to see, perhaps I've missed it, is a ALL-IN-ONE & COMPLETE Rpi image, with a small PDF "for dummies" that could get their SDR up and running with P25, NXDN and the other formats... with no prior experience or knowledge... "basically consumer friendly". Why? Because the truth is everyone is not as knowledgeable as the congregation of experts that reside here. Thankfully 99.9% of the people here are friendly, helpful and not snarky or arrogant to newbies, and that is what retains new blood.

 

[jgorman21]

Answering the question…No!

 

[mmckenna]

I agree, however the SDR's currently appear to introduce a limiting factor. While they are inexpensive and do the job, they tend to take more effort than opening a box and turning it on. A newbie might get frustrated or confused trying to get an SDR system up and running with P25 decoding software, then give up. After purchasing, one has to download software, install it, possibly even the .NET framework, then find and install the appropriate third party decoding software. Even after one is up and running, they are tied to a computer, which also affects portability. A scannist version of the super-simple idiot-proof KODI like software for a dedicated RPi would be the bomb.

I totally agree. I've got a small cheap SDR I've played with off and on. The mess with software and everything else was quite a bother, and it's absolutely easier to just turn a radio on (ignoring the programming challenges). But one of the scanner companies or even a newcomer could roll out something easier, probably something along the lines of Bluetail, that made the user interface much easier and intuitive.

Will the hobby die? I think not. Will our ranks decrease? Probably. By how much is the magic question and that directly relates to business viability and the introduction of new equipment. Yes, I've heard the gloom and doom prophets for years too, but there does seem to be some shrinkage in the hobbyist ranks from just few decades ago. All those examples mentioned above as an aggregate, may not be the death of a thousand cuts, but an injury to say the least.

I think there's a lot of competition for our free time. There's a lot of hobbies and activities to choose from.
What a lot of scanner listeners willingly ignore is that there are much easier ways to get information to a larger population. Law enforcement and fire agencies are discovering this. Social media reaches a wider audience, doesn't require as much technical knowledge, allows different forms of media (video, photos, maps) and offers better control to the agencies regarding what is released.

I've really enjoyed seeing all the comments and differing viewpoints. My hope is that all newbies can somehow find there way here and not be left blowing in the breeze without help after an SDR purchase.

One thing I would truly love to see, perhaps I've missed it, is a ALL-IN-ONE & COMPLETE Rpi image, with a small PDF "for dummies" that could get their SDR up and running with P25, NXDN and the other formats... with no prior experience or knowledge... "basically consumer friendly". Why? Because the truth is everyone is not as knowledgeable as the congregation of experts that reside here. Thankfully 99.9% of the people here are friendly, helpful and not snarky or arrogant to newbies, and that is what retains new blood.

I would love to see Uniden or Whistler enter into the SDR market, beyond SDR based scanners. Packaged device, antenna, software and support.

 

[pinballwiz86]

Encryption is a BAD thing. Whoever says otherwise is wrong. Yes, ENC will kill the scanner hobby this time, because Uniden will not make a product that won't sell. With ENC there isn't a product that will legally decode the signal. It is not like trunking or digital were you just had to upgrade your scanner. With ENC, there is no upgrade. It is RIP.

In 10-20 years there may be some small company out of Chicago or NYC making scanners again. Expect to pay a premium.

All the websites that stream police audio are a major factor towards the death of our hobby. Just my opinion of course!

 

[captainmax1]

I also have listened to scanners and radios since 1969. I will keep listening to my scanners and playing with my ham equipment if all law enforcement and fire rescue are encrypted. My favorite listening is local police/fire rescue and knowing what is going on where I live. My area is still in the clear. I also listen to air, marine, and every flavor of 2-way available. I always take my SDS100, BC125, VHF/UHF and DMR handhelds whenever I leave home even for an hour. For longer travel, I pack other types of handhelds. My local ham club are volunteers that provide emergency communications in concert with the local sheriff dept during hurricane outages. We have practice nets weekly to test repeaters and equipment. We do occasionally get new members who are young and interested in radio but not often. I will be disappointed if all police/fire rescue go big E, but I will enjoy my scanners and radios until the end.

 

[Omega-TI]

@mmckenna My home away from home when I left. Radio Shack in1991, Westmont, Illinois. Mom sent this photo to me while stationed in Korea near the DMZ.

한국 여성은 아름답다

 

[Omega-TI]

I would love to see Uniden or Whistler enter into the SDR market, beyond SDR based scanners. Packaged device, antenna, software and support.

I envision an RPi package that automagically increases the image size, boots up, asks for your time zone, WiFi connection & password, maybe even your Radio Reference ID & PW so you can also get the feeds, not just listen to your local surrounding OTA frequencies.. Who knows, it might even bring in more subscribers. I believe the technical ability resides here to pull it off.

 

[pinballwiz86]

I envision an RPi package that automagically increases the image size, boots up, asks for your time zone, WiFi connection & password, maybe even your Radio Reference ID & PW so you can also get the feeds, not just listen to your local surrounding OTA frequencies.. Who knows, it might even bring in more subscribers. I believe the technical ability resides here to pull it off.

That won't work when everything worth listening to the mainstream scanner buyer is encrypted. They will not be spending the $500+ to listen to their local railyard or civil aviation..

 

[Omega-TI]

That won't work when everything worth listening to the mainstream scanner buyer is encrypted. They will not be spending the $500+ to listen to their local railyard or civil aviation..

Probably true, but we are talking about SDR software for a cheap Raspberry Pi. The expense to get into an RPi and a low-end SDR dongle is under $100.00, and that could be a lot of bang for the buck. So far, not everything is encrypted.

 

[a417]

Yeah, Rinse and Repeat.

Hey, you guys keep bashing the OP like this he will complain that you are "following him in his threads" and then block you.

and to stay on the topic of the thread, no...I don't think it's dying, it's evolving.

 

[Omega-TI]

Hey, you guys keep bashing the OP like this he will complain that you are "following him in his threads" and then block you.

Wow, I recently took you off of ignore status, but it looks like you still trying to cause problems. Seriously, don't you have anything better to do with your time than to stir the pot? May I suggest you grow up, move on, and get a life.

 

[trentbob]

한국 여성은 아름답다

I got a translation of... Korean women are beautiful... If that's correct oh, they are indeed