Is it Just Me, Or Is This Hobby Getting Very Boring ?

Sorry to sound like a Debbie Downer, but lately my scanners (even digital one) has been collecting dust now. Just about all the police departments in my area have gone encrypted including the town where I live. I can still pick up FD and EMS on digital, but even they do a lot of communicating via their vehicle CADS and don't say a lot over the air anymore.

I used to love taking my scanner every time I travel to my favorite get away spot (Atlantic City), but aside from PD, even the hotel casinos there have mainly gone encrpyted. When I first bought my digital scanner, I even paid an extra $75 just to have DMR unlocked to hear casino hotel security, which is now totally useless. I have never been a big rail fan or marine boating enthusiast and only really enjoyed hearing PD. I am now on the verge of just selling my BDC436 and leaving the hobby, but afraid I may regret it. I can easily monitor most FD/EMS comms on phone apps in my area. This post is not intended to rag on encryption, but just looking for advice on if I am doing the right thing to sell my BCD436 before no one wants it due to same reasons I mentioned above.

 

[kc2asb]

There is definitely a lot to listen to here in the NYC area. As others have said, you can widen your focus to non-public safety communcations - marine, rail, civil and military aviation, amateur radio, business band, FRS/GMRS etc.

I have my 536HP searching the Federal bands and do get comms in the clear - this morning I heard a possible FBI agent watching a suspect, one side of the transmission was in the clear. I get the NYC subways on the 160 MHz rail band. Also very interesting.

If you just focus on public safety, there is less and less, with the NYPD and many surrounding agencies going encrypted. My local FD/PD encrypted about 3 years ago. I miss listening to them, but my scanners are not quiet and the hobby is not boring.

 

[CrabbyMilton]

I scan a lot more railroad and aircraft when I'm watching TV. I get more insight about railroads now.

 

[kc2asb]

I'd probably hang onto the BCD 436. While it's not the best in a simulcast environment, they honestly work pretty well depending on your location. It's a pretty capable little HH scanner, and there are days I regret selling mine. (I have other devices however I still use). Franky if PS ever goes dark around here, I'll have several unications for sale but I'd still hang on to one just because. I have the BCD 536 and still use it for other stuff besides our trunking system there and like it a lot. I also have a 30 year old Relm scanner I've hung onto and glad I did, on some VHF analog stuff it works better than anything else I have.

IF you don't need the $$$, I'd keep it, you never know what might happen in the future.

+1 on keeping the 436. You never know when the interest may spark again. I have gone long periods of time without using my radios, but never sold any of them. (and my radio room is proof of that! )

 

[ladn]

Like @trentbob , I was a news photographer and (therefore) a professional scanner listener since circa 1970. Being in SoCal, there's always been a lot to listen to, but technology has squelched some of the listening excitement for me. The big "E" on major systems like RICS and ICIS is part of the issue, but so is the overall complexity of modern, large agency, systems.

I think the proliferation of cell phone-based scanning has also soured the relationship between agencies and scanner hobbyists. In the days of RF-only scanning, there was a degree of technical sophistication required to program a scanner that offered the premise of legitimacy and appreciation for how systems worked. And, there were a lot fewer ears listening and potentially getting in the way of emergency ops.

I still enjoy the situational awareness that scanning offers, especially since I live near a wildfire-prone area. I also like the challenge of simply scanning around the bands to see what I can find.

Fortunately, when I'm in Eastern California, scanning is much like it was 50 years ago. Most of the systems are still conventional FM with fewer channels and a lot less radio traffic.

Scanning the VHF/UHF ham bands is rarely productive. The amount of activity has markedly decreased from what it was from what it was when I was first licensed 30+ years ago and GMRS isn't really any better. Itinerant channels sometimes still provide interesting and amusing snippets.

 

[KevinC]

It's especially boring ever sine LCF packed up for the third or fourth time and left.

 

[kc2asb]

Like @trentbob , I was a news photographer and (therefore) a professional scanner listener since circa 1970. Being in SoCal, there's always been a lot to listen to, but technology has squelched some of the listening excitement for me. The big "E" on major systems like RICS and ICIS is part of the issue, but so is the overall complexity of modern, large agency, systems.

I think the proliferation of cell phone-based scanning has also soured the relationship between agencies and scanner hobbyists. In the days of RF-only scanning, there was a degree of technical sophistication required to program a scanner that offered the premise of legitimacy and appreciation for how systems worked. And, there were a lot fewer ears listening and potentially getting in the way of emergency ops.

The phone apps have not helped the situation, in any case. Today, it is a far cry from the era of hobbyists and reporters crouched over specialized equipment to listen in. Every cell phone is a potential handheld scanner.

I still enjoy the situational awareness that scanning offers, especially since I live near a wildfire-prone area. I also like the challenge of simply scanning around the bands to see what I can find.

Fortunately, when I'm in Eastern California, scanning is much like it was 50 years ago. Most of the systems are still conventional FM with fewer channels and a lot less radio traffic.

Scanning the VHF/UHF ham bands is rarely productive. The amount of activity has markedly decreased from what it was from what it was when I was first licensed 30+ years ago and GMRS isn't really any better. Itinerant channels sometimes still provide interesting and amusing snippets.

You're lucky that so much is conventional FM in your area. Around here, nearly all public safety / government systems are digital conventional/trunked and a lot is encrypted.

Ham radio can be tedious to listen to, but I sometimes find it relaxing to just listen to a random QSO. You would expect GMRS to be very active in the NYC area, but aside from one repeater that is often tied up by jammers, and it's fairly quiet here. There is more activity on the FRS/GMRS simplex channels. Agreed about the intinerants.

 

[ladn]

You're lucky that so much is conventional FM in your area. Around here, nearly all public safety / government systems are digital conventional/trunked and a lot is encrypted.

Not quite. I live in SoCal where several major systems (RICS & ICIS, both trunked) are "E", but I frequently travel to Eastern California, which is very rural and most of the systems are still conventional FM.

Something that I overlooked in my original post was the use of cell phones and MDTs. When I started monitoring, the only alternate to radio was finding a pay phone, so a lot more interesting information was transmitted in the clear which was not only interesting, but provided valuable information for news gathering. Three letter federal agencies were particularly interesting to monitor.

 

[Randyk4661]

Living in Southern California myself.
The county I live in is encrypted for both police and fire.
However Fire has some VHF channels in the clear for out of county responses or other counties coming into our county.
Using my SDR and my computer, I can get the county fire text pagers than send out the calls.
I heard a surveillance on a state law enforcement channel once.
County lifeguards are in the clear here, great listen during the summer months.
I listen to the electric company during winter storms. Fire departments get dispatched to the call but it's the electric company that gives details of the damage and how long it's going to take to repair.
Shopping malls nearby? I have two. an indoor mall and a outdoor mall. Great listening with Christmas coming soon.
Tow truck drivers give road conditions, as do bus drivers.
I can monitor four different schools in the neighborhood. When they go into lockdown, I know why.
A big surprise to me was I can hear Camp Pendelton Marine corp. base from my house. twenty+ miles from me.

There are many other thing to listen to besides police and fire.
Do searching in the various bands. You might be surprised what you can hear.

 

[pb_lonny]

Here is an example of wjhat you can do / hear

Extreme Scanning Story - The 509MHz Connection

I am an amateur radio operator (HAM) from Launceston Tasmania - VK7AAL. I am also a keen software developer, in both JustBasic and Python.

vk7aal.blogspot.com

 

[trentbob]

Of course the lack of situational awareness and that privilege of keeping your finger on the pulse of your community real time as things happen is not boring if you live in an area like mine. Cops don't even respond to barking dogs they put a note in the ACO mailbox.

Some of the things I listen to now are also not boring, listening to cargo ships going under lift Bridges talking to the bridge operator, that's boring LOL. Listening to school buses, unless you work for the company, is boring but listening to a hot fighter jet confront a private plane in restricted airspace on guard is exciting.

In 1965 when I would listen to the slide rule dial on low band, what did I know about situational awareness, I just liked hearing the cops.

Listing at work, all we listen to was the cops and fire dispatch, that's how you got the spaghetti shots, it was a job.

Now it's just a hobby again and we lost the police in January 2021. In December of 2020 I heard gunshots from my house.

A sergeant responded first on the scene and canceled the squad. The dispatcher said the squad is going to proceed in and we will let them make the decision, the rude sergeant said the guy's head is blown clean off, cancel the squad and detectives will let you know when we need the wagon.

That was exciting LOL. The shooter was on the loose down the block from my house, I went outside locked and loaded just to look around for any suspicious characters😅😅😅.

 

[Hit_Factor]

... I went outside locked and loaded just to look around for any suspicious characters..

Please don't do that. It's not safe for anyone.

 

[trentbob]

Please don't do that. It's not safe for anyone.

Okay, thanks I'll remember that, I also turned on all of the spotlights and stayed on my own property.

Although I am fully licensed and a lifelong Firearms instructor the last thing I would do is get involved if I saw something suspicious. I would call 911, there was a half a dozen police cars a block away.

I also checked the backyard too🤣

The last thing in the world I would want to do is get involved in a jackpot like that.. but thank you.

 

[N4DES]

I enjoy using the SDR receivers hosted by others to see what else is out there. websdr.org

 

[D31245]

I enjoy using the SDR receivers hosted by others to see what else is out there. websdr.org

I do the same. I use NA5B when at work and at home, use SDR Console V3 Server and take advantage of a particular station's 175 foot inverted L.

 

[kc2asb]

I enjoy using the SDR receivers hosted by others to see what else is out there. websdr.org

I have used those frequently also. You are no doubt aware of this but others may not be: the web connections to these receivers are not secure. I've never had any issues, but something to keep in mind.

 

[mancow]

The hobby is what we make of it, there is still plenty out there not Public Safety and Not ENC

Not here there isn't. It's all E. I still mess around with HF but that's about it. I couldn't care less about railroads and aviation is boring beyond belief. I'm hoping to sell off most everything soon, leaving the SDS100 for traveling and the IC7300. Anything else can be handled by the RSP Duo if needed.
It will at least free up a lot of desk and storage space.

 

[K9KLC]

I listen to the electric company during winter storms.

I recently put a Zone in one of my Unication pagers for this honestly on occasion it's fun to listen to.

I also have a Zone for the Illinois DOT in my area, and it tells me more about the roads than anything else when the weather is bad, plus those guys are often "fun".

My Unications were bought mainly for the StarCom 21 system and public service, occasionally even I enjoy other stuff, but I don't think I'd keep all the monitoring stuff I have if PS suddenly went away.

The phone apps have not helped the situation, in any case. Today, it is a far cry from the era of hobbyists and reporters crouched over specialized equipment to listen in. Every cell phone is a potential handheld scanner.

Yep, not even gonna go there.

 

[jmp883]

Like many I started in this hobby listening to public safety. Listening to that little 4 crystal Regency led me into a 30-year dispatch career. Many agencies around me have gone encrypted but there are still many PD’s and FD’s in my area in the clear. Over the years I also started listening to aviation and the railroads. Living in northern NJ there is a lot of air and rail to listen to. Like others have already posted here I have gotten into SDR. Now I’m listening to a lot more than public safety, air, and rail. Keep your radio, I believe that there will always be something to listen to.

 

[bearcatrp]

When it starts to get boring, I just step away for about a month. Seems to help.

 

[GlobalNorth]

When I left public safety work, it took a while for me to want to listen to it again.