im 17 and i like radios everyone else my age has a cellphone

[nh7cy]

hey im just curious.. ive seen several people my age that are actually interested in radios.. something im not used to seeing too often.. im just curious as to how many people on here are near or around my age that are actually interested in this stuff..

as for me and my story i've liked radios since basically Elementary school when i was the only 6 year old i knew that wanted a Motorola SP-50.. (our schools used these radios).. by the time i was in 4th grade i had finally saved up enough money to buy myself a CB.. reason being i would do these odd jobs at the local airport.. helping tourists load their cars, rounding up all of the loose baggage carts, etc.. and my friend and i used radios to coordinate with eachother.. like who would cover what area when one or a few of us were busy.. thats when the radio bug really hit me.. i ended up getting my Ham license right after my 13th birthday and started delving into the more serious radios out there.. by the time i was ready to graduate from 8th grade i had already advised our principle on how to set up an efficient radio system and what radios would best suit the schools needs.. they soon after invested in a fleet of HT750's (yes, not exactly the best radio out there but like i said.. fits their needs..) and CDM750's and set up an efficient enough system which completely beat out the previous radio system they had up.. soon after i started investing my money into Motorola radios and am now sitting in a room packed full of Motorola equipment that just 5 years ago i would have never imagined that i'd ever have.. while everybody my age only understands the words, Nokia, or Samsung.. if anybody here would like to post what its like being the only so called teenaged radio nut then post here.. or if you ever were a teenaged radio nut and are now many years older feel free to post here as well..

____________jason. nh7cy.

and ps.. i do have a cellphone..

 

[djeplett]

I was 12 and I got my first computer. It was a Radio Shack Color Computer 2 running at a blistering .8MHz. Computers eventually led to all other types of electronics which included CBs and scanners. I had wire antennas running all over my room. My mom once said she was afraid to walk in my room because she might hang herself.

I met a guy on the CB who was sort of an Elmer for me and he taught me a bunch about radio theory. Dipoles, ground planes, etc. I was the only kid in high school except for one other who had some base station antenna up on his house at all times. The other kid's dad was an avid CB'er so that's why he had one. I'm afraid of heights, but I somehow found a way to overcome my fears every time I wanted to change my antenna on my parent's roof. It was my hobby, so my parents weren't going to do it for me. They were too busy just trying to make ends meet.

I eventually met a couple other friends who were interested in radio. I went to college and became a EE. Dumb thing is I didn't specialize in radio, you'd think I would of. So here I am 15 years later, relearning radio theory and trying to catch up with technology that came out in the meantime like trunking and digital modulation.

I tried to get my ham ticket the first year of college but rushed myself and I failed the written exam. I was so pissed at myself I didn't go back. In two weeks I'll be testing again and I'm confident I'll be walking out with a General Class ticket this time.

So don't worry about being one of few. There will be others that you will meet. However, I would call you a natural and consider yourself lucky. You know for sure what your occupation should be! :wink:

 

[mlevin]

I'm 17....and have always been interested in FD/PD and aviation

When I was 8, we had one of these handy-man types come and do some home improvement work for my parents. He brought along a scanner to listen to Baltimore City's UHF freqs that they used at that time. I thought it was pretty cool, and the guy let me play around with it while he worked. After that I completely forgot about scanners.

When I was in middle school I got bit by the FRS bug. That lasted a little while but I got bored of it.

Then when I was 15 or so, I had a friend who was a ham. I thought it was pretty cool, and it brought back the memories of that worker guy with the scanner. At that time I was a serious aviation buff. (Still am) I figured I'd get a scanner to listen to the planes. I got myself a Pro-94 and realized that the planes didn't come in so well with just a duckie and focused on the local trunked stuff. I got hooked and the rest is history.

 

[Admin0140434]

<~~ 21

i started at around 10 years old, when i used to help out the local FD on christmas eve by being up top then engine with Santa. i was suppose to be helping Santa avoid the low branches, but believe me, i got my share of them too. i eventually asked to see the radio mounted in there, and was told something called a scanner could pick up the comms. i kept bugging my dad, and finally for my 13th birthday. got a BC80XLT. still have it. bought my second radio at 17, a pro 94. now at 21, i own my original BC80XLT, pro94, 95, 96, and BC246T. my next one? the BCD396T!

on a side note... i didnt know you were 17 Mo...

 

[mlevin]

Come on rub it in...lol 18th Birthday is coming up in a few months

 

[xusmarine1979]

I have liked radios from day one. My dad was really into stereos and cb's. I can't really remember when, but my dad bought a scanner when I was really young, I can't even remember what model it was either. But as I got older I got more and more into it and when I was in the 6th grade, me and about 12 friends came up with an idea to put cb's in our rooms. My dad gave me a great idea to get an old power supply from an old computer, and hook up an old mobile cb to it. So I did that and he gave me an old mobile antenna w/ a magnet to put on the roof. So I tried that but the only problem of course was trying to ground it. So my mom gave me one of her cookie sheets and it actually worked great!
My senior year, I took a crash course from one of the hams in my area, his son was my electronics teacher. The main reason I decided not to take the test was I left for bootcamp one week after I graduated and spent 3 out of the next 4 years overseas. Right now I own a Pro-96, BC145xl, and a Uniden PC76XLW(CB). And at home my wife listens to the Pro-95 so she can hear me while I'm at work. I hope to get my ticket soon, because people on the cb are just not the same. But believe me, in this part of Ohio there are some that start young. I still like to take stuff apart just to see what the "guts" look like and how they work.

 

[Tweekerbob]

Cell phones are radios, silly!!

I was licensed since age 12, an Extra since age 14, and got out of the hobby at age 15-16. I recently came back after almost 10 years, because yes, I too like za radios.

Lesson learned: Don't let life pass you by because you're too busy playing with your radios 8)

Ryan
AB6OI

 

[nh7cy]

To everyone out there that is working on their ham ticket good luck.. after going through the FRS and CB phase, Ham Radio is a whole different world.. and you can actually talk on those fancy radios..! lol..
_______jason. nh7cy.

 

[JMR3865]

oh, who knows when. My parents are on EMS and FD to I have always listened to that. I think thats how I got into to it. I am not sure, it seems like I have always. Probably 3 years ago, I found a couple of these websites and I love em. I am definetly NOT interested in HAM. I am strictly fire and EMS and of course pd because that is my life. I like programming em too! Oh btw, I am 16

 

[erikTromatowski]

One of my uncles is on the East Brunswick RS and Brookview (EB district 3) VFD. Is also a very good welder who works for EB.

Another is also on the EBRS, is an ALS medic out of the local hospital, and is Cheif of Brookview, along with being head of the EBDPW.

Beacause of this, I've been around radios for awhile, but never really got into until I was about 12. I became interested because I was and am, a railfan and model railroader, and live right next to the busiest rail line in the US (the Northeast Corridor), so, I wanted to listen to the trains heading through. I also realized I could listen to local PD, EMS, etc. and was determined to get a scanner. I started with a Bc60xlt-1, and still use that (hooked up to a mag mount VHF tuned antenna, for use with trains of course), and now use a Pro-95 for pretty much everything else. And now that im 16, I'm on my towns FAS, following (somewhat), in the footsteps of two of my uncles.

 

[mikea7531]

I started in the Hobby when i was in 4th Grade, my father had an old 8 channel crystal scanner and enjoyed listining to it. New Year's Day, 1994, i bought my first scanner, it was a programmable Radio Shack 60 Channel table top scanner (Pro-2024 i believe, been sold since then). Over the years i was in and out of it, then in 1998, i bought an RS 100 Channel Handheld (since then lost), i remember every time the sirens sounded for the fire dept, i ran for my handheld to listen to the dispatch, and then hopped on my bike to see what's going on (there were plenty of times i beat the cops and FD to the scene :twisted

The Fall of 1999, Hurricane Floyd hit my area of New Jersey hard (Bound Brook) and i was glued to both scanners for 24 hours a day, for about a good week listening to all the action that was going on, i heard local FD, PD, EMS, Helocoptors, etc. rescuing people off of rooftops. After the flood, i bought a Pro-2052, a 300 Channel 800 Mhz Trunking scanner, i was finally able to listen to the New Jersey State Police.

Since then my collection has grown and grown. I currently have: Uniden BC785D w/ Digital Card, BC796D, 2 Optocoms, Pro-2035 w/OS535 on board, Pro-96, and a Pro-2096 in the car. I also have a 4 channel crystal Pro-12 which i use to monitor the New Jersey State Police Emergency Network (SPEN). I use the Optocom and the Pro-2035 to run Trunker on the Somerset County, NJ TRS.

I am now 21, vice president & driver for the First-Aid Squad that i'm a part of. I joined the squad after hearing my friend on the scanner time after time going to the squad building, and ending up going mutual aid because they couldn't get a crew together. Just finished having all the radio equiptment reprogrammed so it meets state standards. Currently in the process of setting up a plan for On-Duty / Off-Duty paging for the squad, so members aren't disturbed unless they are really needed.

 

[Schmetzy13]

im 17 too, and some of my friends are interested in radios as well...a few actually have them

 

[nh7cy]

one path ive noticed alot of people taking as they got more and more into radios was this:

1. Started out with an exposure to some sort of commercial radio
2. got a cb
3. using cb led to a broader interest in what other types of radio communication devices and services are out there..
4. went through an FRS radio phase.. got an FRS radio for smaller size, clarity, and range.. although CB''s had more range, FRS radios used FM signalling which sounded better over a range of 2 miles than most handheld CB's did.. plus you didnt have to carry around a radio with such a huge antenna
5. went through a scanner phase..
6. went through a buy it all phase.. started investing in ham and surplus commercial equipment
7. met someone who was a ham
8. didnt want to become a ham
9. pestered by someone who was a ham
10. got a ham license.. mainly due to the appeal of better equipment with more range, the use of repeaters, the ability to use more power, being able to finally go on to the local ham repeater and tell your friend off for making you become a ham.. then thanking them..
11. the "im broke and i dont have any equipment" phase.. realizing that now that you have a ham license you dont really have too much equipment at your disposal.. asking your friends for free bees as you walk into their "fully stocked" ham shacks.. or trying to get really good deals on their equipment..
12. the "now everybody comes to me for equipment" phase.. as you soon surpass your friend in equipment quantity and quality the tables slowly begin to turn..
13. the scanner phase.. once again you go back to your scanners to listen to the local happenings and pick up on how the "professionals" talk..
14. the really expensive equipment phase.. you start getting more and more into commercial radios.. you start using less and less of the Yaesu, Alinco equipment, etc.. and start using more and more Kenwood, and Motorola radios for your communications needs.. channel knobs and the hassle of having to reprogram your radio every time you want to put in a new channel soon brings you to the "im set in my ways phase" in which you start picking 1 or 2 of your favorite repeaters to use exclusively over all of the others out there..
15. the scanner phase again.. after realizing how well your Motorolas and other commercial radios out perform other radios on the Ham bands you discover how well they out perform some of your lower end scanners.. the scan button is found..
16. the buying selling phase.. constantly wanting the newest radios.. this has always been the case but its even more of the case now.. you start buying, trading, and selling more and more radios..
17. the "now that i've already got the radio i want now what..?" phase..
18. the "honey why on earth do you need another radio??" phase.. even though this has been the question everyone has been asking you since you got into radios it has more meaning now than ever before as you realize that, now that you have your favorite radio, why not buy a bunch more to go with it..??
19. the enlightenment phase.. you soon realize that you only need one or two or several radios to suit your needs nicely.. looking at your stacks of radios piled up on various shelves around your room (or garage depending on wherever you and your hobby have caused you to be relocated to), you realize that you dont even use half of them.. but its still nice to have all of those radios lying around when your other radio crazy friends come over right..?? so you decide to keep them all anyways..
20. ??

other phases not mentioned here..

the "what on earth is up with all of these antennas??!!!" phase..
the "would you please stop using those things, i cant even watch my TV anymore..!!" phase..
the "you're going to cause a fire..!!" phase.. even though you know its not you that caused the fire.. its those faulty wires that did it.. remember..??
the "would you please turn the power down, a 747 just tried to land on the house..!!" phase..

even though this may not be accurate for most of you people out there im sure there is atleast one phase here that relates to you.. lol.. have fun! feel free to add or revise this list..
_________________jason. nh7cy.

 

[pocho]

When I was about 11, I was very interested in FRS radios, in fact I got a set for Christmas that year! I got my first scanner, a Pro-79, in 2003.. on my 13th birthday. I primarily got it just to listen to the airband. At that time, I wasn't as interested to listening to the police/fire as I am now. Well, in addition to airband, I programmed my local PD/FD freqs (back when they were VHF :roll: ). That's when it sparked my interest in listening to the PD/FD. I would listen to my scanner ALL the time, and still do! :lol:. About a year after I got my Pro-79, all of the local agencies went digital, except the FD. I missed listening in on all the action, so I saved up to get a Pro-96! After a year of saving up, I got myself the '96 this February. To this day I still use '79 to listen to the airband, because it actually sounds better on it than with the Pro-96 (more prone to intermod :? ). I am now 15.

Well..... that's my story. :lol:

 

[Cobra_Commander]

I am 19 i have been interested in scanners and police and fire and avation monitoring for 5 years now since i was 16 it is a fun hobby.

 

[N_Jay]

I am 19 i have been interested in scanners and police and fire and avation monitoring for 5 years now since i was 16 it is a fun hobby.

Time flys when you are having fun! :lol: :lol: :lol:

(16+5=19? Or 19-16=5?)

 

[joelincoln]

I got my first scanner on my 13th birthday in the mid-'70s. It was a Bearcat 210.

 

[djeplett]

I got my first scanner on my 13th birthday in the mid-'70s. It was a Bearcat 210.

Do you still have it? My 210XL was the first one I ever bought, too. And I still have it with no plans of ever getting rid of it.

 

[joelincoln]

I think my parents threw it away some time ago... it was no longer working.

But I did get a lot of good use out of it as a kid. Used it until I got through to college.

I remember during the first weekend I got it, I heard an ambulance crew delivering a baby in their rig. They were on the County EMS band and when they announced a successful delivery, all of the neighboring towns chimed in offering their congradulations..... I was hooked. :lol:

 

[ScannerDude244]

Well like most of you I got into CB's when I was about when I was 12-13 till I got my first scanner back in high school now I have 7 of them hehe. My dad also works for public works he gave me 2 old radios that they didn't use just sitting in a box full of dust. One is a p200 6chan program for the city PD,Sheriff,PW,and police tacs. The other radio is MT1000 16 chan thats program for FD/CDF with all fire tacs. all in all I'm in a waiting list for county to be a radio tech I hope I get the job!!

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