How many scanners do you listen to?

How many scanners do you NORMALLY listen to at the same time?


  • Total voters
    136
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.

LEH

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 23, 2003
Messages
1,473
Location
Yorktown, Virginia
A guy in a previous thread asked how he could connect three scanners to one set of headphones. Made me think about how many scanners one listens to at the same time NORMALLY.

I don't mean turning on a back up or spare to listen to the big accident or working fire, but just day to day listening.
 

Dubbin

Member
Feed Provider
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
4,462
Location
Findlay Ohio
I always have several running

BCT15 for my city's trunking system, county sheriff, county fire and milair
PRO-2096 for one MARCS tower, local counties and local towns
BCD396T for another MARCS tower
PRO-2067 running my feed (I guess I don't listen to this one)

When big things happen I'll crank on a couple more and adjust the systems/groups/banks accordingly.
 

gmclam

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Sep 15, 2006
Messages
6,335
Location
Fair Oaks, CA
PRO-95 monitors Sac TRS in my home
PRO-97 monitors conventional in my home
PRO-77 for CHP in my home
PRO-95 monitors Sac TRS in my office (attached to home)
PRO-97 monitors conventional in my office
PRO-92 for locking onto incidents
PRO-97 to go with me for whatever
 

scannerdweeb

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2003
Messages
285
Location
Vermilion, OH
Are radios with dual receive considered 1 radio or 2? I listen to seven different radios, 2 of which are dual receive, dual scan. Normally a minimum of 4 to catch all the local stuff, some are set on channel just for local pd and fire, street crews, rescue, ham. Got them all over the house ,cars and garage. Scannerdweeb
 

LEH

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 23, 2003
Messages
1,473
Location
Yorktown, Virginia
scannerdweeb said:
Are radios with dual receive considered 1 radio or 2? I listen to seven different radios, 2 of which are dual receive, dual scan.

Hmm, good question. How do those scanners react when they get signals at the same time on each receiver? To me (IMHO OK), if one receiver takes precedence over the other, then I'd say it counts as one radio (that is what you are able to listen to at that time). Now if the radio has dual outputs where you can hear both signals at the same time, I'd count it as two.
 

maalox

Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
765
Location
n y c
i have the 996t running 12 hrs a day along with the 330t and the icom r5.
 

scannerpro

Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
36
Location
Raleigh, NC
I sold all my radio equipment besides my antenna and coax cable.

I have a PRO-97 on the way. And hopefully very soon a PRO-96!!!

However I can listen too 2 Scanners running at the same time telling what their saying. Once you have 3 + scanners going It gets confusing however I know people that can do that. I'm starting to get used to listening to 3 or more things going on in the same time.

Take care!
Scannerpro
 

mjthomas59

Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
510
I listen to 2 scanners set to "scan" at a time without any issues. Each of them also have a priority channel selected so that it will cut in when active. Normally my 2096 and 2055 in my listening post.

In the car i have a 2096 and a pro-96 plus the FM radio. In my truck its a 2051 and a 250d(to catch the digital in my area) plus the fm radio.

That being said, it isn't uncommon to have up to 4 going at once if there is a big incident.

However i think it becomes more of an issue to monitor more than 2 scanners at once if they are all set to scan. Having 4 scanners monitoring 1 frequency each doesn't seem like much of a challenge. Now have 4 set to scan, to monitor state, county, local muni's, fire/ems... i don't think it would be possible to know everything that is going on.
 

n5usr

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Aug 10, 2007
Messages
596
Location
Bethany, OK
Just one actual scanner most of the time.

But usually one or more amateur radio rigs running, most of those dual-VFO.

Plus, at home, the massively-underutilized 1000 channel trunking scanner that has a whopping FOUR conventional frequencies in it - to monitor my town's and the next PD/FD. That one sits off to one side and always on regardless of other radios.

While I occasionally would like to have more going on, I'm not very good at listening to multiple things. While I might be able to get snippets from a couple of simultaneous sources, my mind really wants to pick one and lock onto it. (Not always the one I *need* to lock on either! :p )

But as others have said, I will in a large even turn on lots of scanners/radios and have each one dedicated to a specific frequency so I don't miss something.
 

b7spectra

EMS Dispatcher
Joined
Jul 8, 2002
Messages
3,143
Location
Cobb County, GA
Normally, in my POV I just listen to my BCD996T (with remote head) for the Cobb County (GA) P25 system. Occasionally I will turn on the Pro-96 (sits in cup holder bracket) to listen to the Cobb County (GA) analog system (Fire/EMS & City of Marietta have yet to move over).
 

RogerH11

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
146
Location
16866
I listen and rotate from around 30 radios although I gave a couple away. I have usually 8 handhelds laying around and 1 or 2 base units and handhelds per room. Most time two hand/base units per room other than bathroom.
 
Joined
Feb 14, 2007
Messages
168
Location
Lake County Ohio
What do you all listen to? I listen to the whole county fire departments along with my home town police department and then if im feeling special i listen to the road department (espically when theres snow like today [20 inches] to see when a plows going to come down my street) and then the county next to me Fire departments. I just dont see what you need 2-8 scanners to scan with... I dont know just curiousity.
 

LEH

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 23, 2003
Messages
1,473
Location
Yorktown, Virginia
I keep two going, one on the digital system for home, which includes four jurisdictions now. I have the second tuned into the city next to the county. As Virginia moves towards their statewide system for state agencies, I may have to put a third scanner on line to listen to them (neither of the current scanners can track their trunking system).

You're close enough to Clevland to probably run two or three yourself. Though MARCs seems to have incorporated alot of smaller systems (just from what I've read and heard while I was in Columbus last summer).

There are some 'real' scanner listeners out there who are also monitoring their public utilities (we've got some high winds here today so they are pretty busy with downed lines), aircraft channels, amatuer radio and other things.

I'm sure someone will expand that list with what they are listening to.
 

RogerH11

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
146
Location
16866
Tfitzmaurice89 said:
. I just dont see what you need 2-8 scanners to scan with... I dont know just curiousity.

When things get really busy you can use a few just to listen to one channel each.
Like fire dipatch, fire operations channel 1, fire operations channel 2 mutual aid units, PD dispatch, and PD TAC. Right there you need 5 scanners if you don't want to miss anything and there's so much more to listen to. But again, this is when there is a working incident. Most other times two scanners at a time will work.
 

mciupa

Database Admin
Moderator
Joined
Nov 5, 2002
Messages
8,301
only 1, as I use headphones and am considerate of others in the house. (not everyone cares to listen to what I am listening to)
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 29, 2004
Messages
182
Location
Ocean County, NJ
I usually listen to my bc780xlt that has everything in it, and keep my portable and/or pager set to monitor to listen to ems and ops. I have a pro-95 that i would use (one scanner for local and another for trunking), but because the squelch no longer operates properly (opens then stays open) its been tapped and dedicated to Unitrunker.
 
Joined
Feb 14, 2007
Messages
168
Location
Lake County Ohio
mciupa said:
only 1, as I use headphones and am considerate of others in the house. (not everyone cares to listen to what I am listening to)

I know how you feel... im constantly being told by my parents to turn it down! Its helairous because when im home i turn my 396 up to 15 and i can hear it all througout the house, i just like to make sure if theres something i can go to that i hear it. Oh Well.
 

Stick0413

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 16, 2005
Messages
1,077
Location
Hopewell, VA
RogerH11 said:
When things get really busy you can use a few just to listen to one channel each.
Like fire dipatch, fire operations channel 1, fire operations channel 2 mutual aid units, PD dispatch, and PD TAC. Right there you need 5 scanners if you don't want to miss anything and there's so much more to listen to. But again, this is when there is a working incident. Most other times two scanners at a time will work.

Lets see right off the top of my head I can listen to about 15 PD/SO agencies, same number of Fire/EMS agencies (actually more because some are seperate). Then you have the VA State Police and the STARS system. Some of them are larger urban and suburban areas that to truely listen to and follow you need 1 scanner per channel (on not so busy times you can scan a few for the agency and get away with it). At one time (normal traffic, not a major incident and not at the slowest time) I would say I could have traffic on about 10 plus or minus freqs/talkgroups at a time. I have had a major incident (well a multi jursidictional wreck) and held onto single freqs or talkgroups on 7 scanners at once. This does not include any businesses (freqs or TRS'), any railroad, or any airports, or any prisions or jails for that matter (I have 2 programed). If I am really into listening to a lot of things and want to hear some more than 1/10th of the story (tranmissions) then I need at least 3 digital scanners (have 4) and at least 2 analog scanners going (have 5).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top