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

[mmckenna]

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.

If Uniden and Whistler don't step up, someone will come up with a similar service. Maybe Bluetail is on its way.
A plug and play device, download off RR, and work without all the challenges. Add in streaming (both listener and provider) and they may survive.
I think innovation on traditional scanners has about run its course. Encryption and LTE are going to make public safety monitoring difficult/impossible, so it'll be up to hobbyists to find something to listen to. Traditional radio will be around for a long time to come.

 

[KB2GOM]

Ah yes, "EnD oF tHe HoBbY!!!!!!1!!!!!"® "OMG, $€lLing aLl my r@ydI°z!!!!"™ This seems to be the mating call of the radio hobbyist, usually heard emanating from some poor mom's basement, followed by a request for said mom to make him up some of dem pizza rolls.

Encryption is here, and it's not going away. Yet there's still plenty of stuff to listen to. Technology will always be changing, but there still plenty of analog FM out there. P25 was an expensive undertaking, and most agencies can't afford to rip-n-replace just because something new came along. It's going to be around for a long time. Same with DMR, NXDN, etc.
-There -will- be new technology, that's just the way technology works.
-Things -will- change, that's the way the universe works.
-Scanners won't immediately keep up with technology, thats the way manufacturers work.
-A lot of traditional non-public safety users are going LTE, that's the way budgets work.
-Migration to LTE is going to continue (3.5GHz LTE/CBRS anyone?), because it will.
-Encryption is going to happen, because some of us are required to do it because of our jobs.

What will make the difference is how the hobby adapts to these changes. Anyone who's been on this site for more than an hour will know there are those that are not capable of adapting to any change and will sob about it (and hopefully sell all their radios at a nice low price in protest).
And then there are those few left that will find new things to listen to, new corners of the hobby that they can explore, new technology to play with.

I agree with Matt, hams have been saying this the first spark jumped a gap. Scanner listeners have been saying this since the first time they had trouble finding the crystal they needed at the local Radio Shack and had to wait "6-8 weeks" for shipping.

So long as there are signals transiting the airwaves, there will be folks trying to listen or otherwise figure out what's out there, and folks trying to do something new. Maybe someday, Quantum Scanners will crack encryption in real time.

“It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” -- Yogi Berra

 

[trentbob]

So long as there are signals transiting the airwaves, there will be folks trying to listen or otherwise figure out what's out there, and folks trying to do something new. Maybe someday, Quantum Scanners will crack encryption in real time.

“It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” -- Yogi Berra

Good morning Jock... That certainly is possible, but after all the work is done and the radio is marketed, the plant where they are made will be raided and seized by federal agents and that radio will never get in the hands of any of us unfortunately.

I appreciate the concept though! I also love the yogi-ism you quoted... You know "it ain't over till it's over" ... Bob.

 

[riflemin]

The scanning and radio hobbies have survived in other countries where it is severely restricted or where Public Safety comms migrated to modes which can't be decoded by scanners...
I got hooked on a YT channel from the UK which deals with ham radio, scanners and other radio tech. I was aware that their "blue light services" migrated to Tetra years ago. But even in the analog days their radio systems seemed to be complicated compared to the VHF-FM with repeaters which was the norm for Public Safety here in the US when I got into the radio hobby in the late 70's.
For Brits who want to be able to listen to the Police, the YT channel host offers this advice: Join the Police. I think that dispatchers are always in demand...

 

[riflemin]

But seriously, as Trentbob sàid, "situational awareness" is my hook. Pretty sure that i coulda been severely injured or killed a couple times in my life except for being forewarned by my radios.
Years ago when the company I worked for relocated our plant I didn't go with them partly bcus all PS comms in the county they moved to were/are encrypted.

 

[StoliRaz]

But seriously, as Trentbob sàid, "situational awareness" is my hook. Pretty sure that i coulda been severely injured or killed a couple times in my life except for being forewarned by my radios.
Years ago when the company I worked for relocated our plant I didn't go with them partly bcus all PS comms in the county they moved to were/are encrypted.

And to a lesser extent, sometimes it can help you avoid bad traffic quicker than Waze/GPS could. I avoided a huge pileup during a snowstorm last winter because I heard it over my radio while driving to work.

 

[6079smithw]

And to a lesser extent, sometimes it can help you avoid bad traffic quicker than Waze/GPS could. I avoided a huge pileup during a snowstorm last winter because I heard it over my radio while driving to work.

What Mr. StoliRaz said. I drove linehaul over I-80 between Reno and West Sacramento 5 nights a week for almost 10 years. Monitored CalTrans
and CHP with a BCT-7. Can't count the number of times I was able to dodge delays and road closures (especially over the summit during
winter) by listening to that little box...
Pretty much retired now but I still have the radio and it still works like new... (Wish I still did...)

 

[K5MPH]

Ah yes, "EnD oF tHe HoBbY!!!!!!1!!!!!"® "OMG, $€lLing aLl my r@ydI°z!!!!"™ This seems to be the mating call of the radio hobbyist, usually heard emanating from some poor mom's basement, followed by a request for said mom to make him up some of dem pizza rolls.

Encryption is here, and it's not going away. Yet there's still plenty of stuff to listen to. Technology will always be changing, but there still plenty of analog FM out there. P25 was an expensive undertaking, and most agencies can't afford to rip-n-replace just because something new came along. It's going to be around for a long time. Same with DMR, NXDN, etc.
-There -will- be new technology, that's just the way technology works.
-Things -will- change, that's the way the universe works.
-Scanners won't immediately keep up with technology, thats the way manufacturers work.
-A lot of traditional non-public safety users are going LTE, that's the way budgets work.
-Migration to LTE is going to continue (3.5GHz LTE/CBRS anyone?), because it will.
-Encryption is going to happen, because some of us are required to do it because of our jobs.

What will make the difference is how the hobby adapts to these changes. Anyone who's been on this site for more than an hour will know there are those that are not capable of adapting to any change and will sob about it (and hopefully sell all their radios at a nice low price in protest).
And then there are those few left that will find new things to listen to, new corners of the hobby that they can explore, new technology to play with.

I agree with Matt, hams have been saying this the first spark jumped a gap. Scanner listeners have been saying this since the first time they had trouble finding the crystal they needed at the local Radio Shack and had to wait "6-8 weeks" for shipping.

O yes Radioshack and Crystals I remember those days.......

 

[MTS2000des]

Post encryption, I think we will see citizen initiatives to monitor police activity using new technologies. One idea, networked receivers that detect public safety radio emissions (LO and TX) and display on the map where police are congregating. Similar detectors in vehicles to show police radio activity within vicinity.

Funny you mention that, check this out, being reviewed by Lewis over in the UK where all public safety has been on encrypted TETRA for over a decade and a half:
Python UK Police Radio Scanner

 

[ten13]

For those who are, apparently, trying to hold on, desperately, to a 'hobby': just how do you anticipate the ways around, encryption (and the legalities, thereof), expense, and the overwhelming tech issues, etc., of the consumer radio?

And what is the incentive for a radio manufacturer to develop new radios with, at least, those issues above, plus a limited customer base?

 

[GMB951]

made in China

 

[ten13]

Most of them are already "assembled" in China, or somewhere else NOT within the USA, and they're still in the hundreds of dollars.

Besides, that still doesn't get around the encryption thing.

 

[gmclam]

Simple answer: no.

You could have asked if you think Grand Theft Auto was going to end because of locking ignitions & steering wheels. Things evolve and people find a way. You could have asked if delivery of television signals via a cable (not talking about streaming) would die. In reality, many people never started using the service. You could ask if delivery of television signals over-the-air would die. It's evolving too and will become essentially an over-the-air "internet" connection.

People who've monitored their entire lives will die. The ways of the past will largely die. But just like trunking, P25, CAD and streaming based protocols; there will be people who continue to monitor. Perhaps some will do it "under the RADAR", but it will happen. Every time I think the hobby has peaked, along comes something to extend it a few more years.

 

[N8IAA]

Funny you mention that, check this out, being reviewed by Lewis over in the UK where all public safety has been on encrypted TETRA for over a decade and a half:
Python UK Police Radio Scanner

Problem is that one still can't hear the dispatches and responses. Just that there is activity nearby.

 

[iMONITOR]

With more and more systems going digital, and encrypting, and the main draw FOR MOST PEOPLE being police, fire and ambulance, do you think the scanning hobby will start to die off this decade? For first-time scanner buyers, $500.00 and up for a scanner that can pick up digital signals might be a little steep just to try it and get their feet wet.

Now I'm not sure if fewer "new" scanners are being brought into the marketplace or not, but if sales start to decline, will manufacturers even bother with designing and marketing a new scanner? Also, "what if" a new format is released that renders all our current equipment deaf, will you be willing to drop $650.00-$700.00 for yet another scanner that "might" pick up the traffic... until they too encrypt?

Eight to ten years sounds like a long time, but it goes by really fast. I'm not sure how old most of you are, but many of us are getting old and dying off and the younger generations, for the most part, do not seem to be all that interested in any form of radio anymore. If it's not on their cell phone, it seems most of them are oblivious.

Your post is like so many before makes me suspicious that it's just another fear-mongering attempt to panic people and convince them to sell their scanners on the cheap. Good luck with that.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Funny you mention that, check this out, being reviewed by Lewis over in the UK where all public safety has been on encrypted TETRA for over a decade and a half:
Python UK Police Radio Scanner

I have been toying with the idea of an 806 MHz preselector , an LNA and a log detector. The LNA and log detector parts, cheap on e-bay from china on development boards. The log detector could feed a LM3914 chip for a bar graph LED. A comparator and variable pot could activate an alarm.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Problem is that one still can't hear the dispatches and responses. Just that there is activity nearby.

A network of fixed receivers like that could provide situational awareness.

 

[EastCoastSunrise]

For my two sense on this issue, If we are all fearing encryption, and agencies going to formats we cant monitor, we should stand up and say something. Instead of starting threads asking if and when our hobby will be dead we should be starting threads to keep the airwaves clear. I value the fact that I can listen to my scanner, and gather information about highway crashes, working fires, police chases and more. If we dont say or do anything to change the opinions of those who are installing these systems and turning on encryption, we shouldn't complain that they are doing it. If no one says anything, they if nothing else think we are at least neutral on the subject. As I am sure many people have heard over the years, "Be the change you want to see in the world" and right now, I feel the scanning community is not embodying that right now. We all know the Motorola sales men are out there and really good at their jobs. So we need to counter and explain to people why what they are saying is not the right answer. I am sure many of us know what heads of agencies deal with on a daily basis, and in many cases few have a deep understanding of their radio systems. I am sure some do but if I have to guess the majority dont. So when the Motorola sales men roll around, they take their word as if it were law. So we need to get out there as a community and say what the advantages are to open airwaves, and the transparency that it provides. I am sure, many agency heads or comities allow for some for some form of public comment. So we need to take the opportunity, and talk to local leaders if we want to see a change in our communities. Heck even reaching out to national representation may be a good idea. In summary I dont mean to harp on anyone specifically or even those who create these threads. They do end up becoming nice captures of the sentiments of the scanning community. But more a recommendation on how we can spread awareness, and information needed to protect not just our hobby but the transparency we hold so dear.

East

 

[drdeputy]

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.

I'm on board with this and sympathetic. My other half was on the State Patrol and doesn't care a whit about listening. I've been listening for almost 60 years and worked as a reserve LE for 25. It's in my blood and I miss what I can't hear. Worse, we are planning a part time retirement relocation into the relative black hole of scanning - Florida. Yeah, a lot of the people down there have just shifted to milair or whatever, but that does nothing for my situational awareness and so far, doesn't pique my interest either. Somehow I feel entitled to know what's going on around me. It's both curiosity and personal protection. Crucify me if you like, but even coming from a LE background, it makes me less sympathetic to LE when what's going on is hidden from my ears. Maybe I'm old and grumpy. Or maybe I'm right. Or both.

 

[trentbob]

I'm on board with this and sympathetic. My other half was on the State Patrol and doesn't care a whit about listening. I've been listening for almost 60 years and worked as a reserve LE for 25. It's in my blood and I miss what I can't hear. Worse, we are planning a part time retirement relocation into the relative black hole of scanning - Florida. Yeah, a lot of the people down there have just shifted to milair or whatever, but that does nothing for my situational awareness and so far, doesn't pique my interest either. Somehow I feel entitled to know what's going on around me. It's both curiosity and personal protection. Crucify me if you like, but even coming from a LE background, it makes me less sympathetic to LE when what's going on is hidden from my ears. Maybe I'm old and grumpy. Or maybe I'm right. Or both.

I hear you brother. I have a very bad neighborhood nearby my relatively good neighborhood. It's across the highway and it's been gang infested forever and there's quite often drive-by shootings, sometimes founded, sometimes not but they always escape on foot or by car coming across the highway through my neighborhood, mostly in the backyards over fences. That's the kind of awareness I want LOL.

It's not so much the average uniform that gives a hoot. It's the Chiefs and above. The politicians have pedaled encryption in Pennsylvania. Police Department in my neighboring Township is under federal and state investigation. The current chief finally stepped down when he was subpoenaed for documents, computers etc. Investigation is far-reaching including vendors and employees of other disciplines in the township.

Criminals are stupid, that's why they're criminals and they never had the wherewithal to pick up Phase 2 simulcast police until one day they could, that's when my county and all surrounding counties went dark, very quickly. Rats. It is what it is. I've resigned myself to there's nothing we can do about it.

I've been police monitoring Non-Stop since I was a kid in the early to mid 60's, it does get in your blood