How do your family/friends etc. feel about your hobby?

[CcSkyEye]

I doesn't really come up much for me.

 

[bill4long]

In another forum I posted this in reply to someone and it was suggested I follow my own comment and start a new topic. So, here it is!


My wife has been extremely tolerant of my hobby for many years even though she has no interest. Frankly if my wife said no more radios that would be a very big problem😢. We each respect each others hobbies.
Off topic but maybe there should be another topic for discussion as far as one’s husband, wife or significant other and how they feel about the hobby and the money spent. Might be some interesting comments 😵‍💫

It kinda comes down to: more radios, or continued meals and sex. Your choice.

 

[rf_patriot200]

Great responses. Although I already realized that this is a male dominated hobby, it is too bad there are not more women in the hobby or responding. I also know that women have hobbies that we might not care for or understand. I won’t get anymore into genders🙎‍♀️👨‍💼😉

I used to know a ham that enjoyed Embroadering, and I know I spelled that wrong, and it's disturbing because his daughter Taught him how !

 

[n2uhc]

My wife is pretty tolerant of my radio hobby, ham, SWL'ing, and scanning. But everyone is pretty cool with my interest in scanning, and I have often been called by family members to ask what's going on when they hear sirens.

 

[gmclam]

Interesting topic. When I have a(n overnight) date, there's a lot of discussion at first about what it's all about. But sooner or later she's asking me to define terms, codes and the such when she realizes what she is actually listening to. My trips (out of town) usually involve me taking multiple radios and I often know what's going on up ahead before she can learn of it on her cell phone. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. I think the key is to involve your significant other, teach them as needed, and make it an activity for both; not just YOUR hobby.

 

[W8WCA]

My Bride (of 39 years this month) has no interest in it Scanner or Shortwave.
That said she does not have any issues with my interest in it.
Edit: She did like some of the Music back when more Countries were on.

 

[78k10]

My wife is supportive as long as I keep my radios out of "her space" - which means most of my radios are in the garage, basement and my home office Although she doesn't listen, every time the lights flash or we hear fire trucks outside she tells me to check the scanner. I think she is happy that I have a hobby that keeps me home and happy - 37 years in, she's a good woman!!

Exactly. I’ve always told my wife, that at least I’m at home and you know what I’m doing. I could be out doing stuff I shouldn’t.

 

[rf_patriot200]

Exactly. I’ve always told my wife, that at least I’m at home and you know what I’m doing. I could be out doing stuff I shouldn’t.

Exactly what I told my wife, when I was married but in one ear and out the other lol.

 

[Colin9690]

It kinda comes down to: more radios, or continued meals and sex. Your choice.

^This man gets it. It’s a trade off.

 

[cherubim]

My girlfriend thinks I'm a spy

 

[avery_k]

My wife doesn't mind it until the signal gets really choppy or staticy. I guess starting out on CB and shortwave I've learned to listen through the noise. She'll even ask what's going on when police, etc, fly past the house.
I haven't really gotten much pushback like being nosy or whatever from others. As soon as people find out I have a scanner I'm usually the guy they ask what the ambulance was for. It happened so much I put up a Broadcastify stream so they could find out for themselves. When they ask, I try to point them that direction if they're at all interested.
We live in a small town so it's hard to not see the emergency vehicles responding.

 

[bob550]

My Wife was the only one to protest, and that problem was Solved over 20 years ago !

Congratulations on the 20th anniversary of your divorce!

 

[cavmedic]

Wife doesn't say much as I've taken the hobby and made it a career. Crap is always following me home, but she does gripe about the attic being taken over with boxes of radios , my desk filling up with radios outside of boxes........ now that I look around, yeah she does kinda have a point with the clutter.

 

[Falcon9h]

I get annoyed because sometimes if people see me with my scanner they ask if I'm a cop, firefighter, of do you work for the airport type questions. I politely say that this is a scanner and no I can't talk on it.

I tell 'em it's my goldeneye. 😜 See the keypad here? That ties into my orbital nuclear weapons platform and I can destroy any target I want from space. 🤣

 

[Falcon9h]

Wife doesn't say much as I've taken the hobby and made it a career. Crap is always following me home, but she does gripe about the attic being taken over with boxes of radios , my desk filling up with radios outside of boxes........ now that I look around, yeah she does kinda have a point with the clutter.

That's a problem with me, haven't made it to Hoarders yet but electronically I'm close.

 

[ScanFanEd]

My wife is completely supportive. She knows that I have had an interest in public safety monitoring and amateur radio since I was about twelve years old. We have been married 35+ years and she continues to be very supportive. She has very little interest in the radio hobby herself, but knows it is important to me. I'm a lucky man.

 

[MUTNAV]

I tell 'em it's my goldeneye. 😜 See the keypad here? That ties into my orbital nuclear weapons platform and I can destroy any target I want from space. 🤣

I used to say things like that when I was working on something and people asked what I was doing. I used to say I was making a death ray.

Eventually I figured out, based on reactions, that I had to change my tone, now I say I'm making a spaceship and it's not as off-putting. Sometimes it's not good to even make a clearly humorous and ridiculous joke with someone you don't know REALLY well,... and even then....

Similar to NEVER joking in a medical setting. Sheesh they have NO sense of humor at all....

Thanks
Joel

 

[rf_patriot200]

I used to say things like that when I was working on something and people asked what I was doing. I used to say I was making a death ray.

Eventually I figured out, based on reactions, that I had to change my tone, now I say I'm making a spaceship and it's not as off-putting. Sometimes it's not good to even make a clearly humorous and ridiculous joke with someone you don't know REALLY well,... and even then....

Similar to NEVER joking in a medical setting. Sheesh they have NO sense of humor at all....

Thanks
Joel

It's all fun and humor, til a neighbor gets you Swatted by a 3 letter agency .

 

[MUTNAV]

It's all fun and humor, til a neighbor gets you Swatted by a 3 letter agency .

The medical thing is super serious.... When returning from a TDY (military business trip), everyone had to do a quick medical screening, of course one of the questions was if at any point during the trip you wanted to hurt someone. One guy jokingly relied yes... Everyone else got to go home to family, he had to stay and explain that he was just kidding for several hours.

Thanks
Joel

 

[Don57]

My friends find it interesting and enjoy it , my daughter enjoys listening to the local police precinct , my son could care less , my wife is only interested if something in the neighborhood is going on with the pd or fd.