Is there a Scanner's Anonymous?

[Omega-TI]

I recently chose to become semi-retired and downsized into a retirement condo in a 55+ community. There is much more scanner traffic here to listen to than there ever was where I was living. So the problem is, I think I've become "addicted to scanning". I mean even when I go to bed I have a minimum of two radios in my headboard playing...

The first is an old Kenwood TH-22 AT that I have dedicated to one frequency and hooked up to a digital recorder, because I don't want to miss anything potentially "good".



The other scanner (pictured below) is for the other frequencies. So now when I go to bed, I usually stay awake and alert for "an extended period of time". Is this normal behavior among scanner enthusiasts, or do I need to find a Scanner's Anonymous group?



ATTENTION: When taking pictures of your equipment, do NOT use a flash, (like I did here), because it makes your equipment look like you never dust!

 

[bearcatrp]

Don’t need scanner anonymous. Just a great hobby. You actually need more up to date radios. When you have over 6, then you can consider being an addict. Better than sitting at the bar getting hammered.

 

[tvengr]

We had a couple of 800XLT's in our news department. The fluorescent displays would get very dim. I had to replace capacitors in the display power supply several times.

 

[steve9570]

Dont feel bad I have a bearcat desk top scanner, a HT1000, HT1250 and two Minitors 5s going next to the bed going until I fall asleep. ( not counting whats in the kitchen and in the car)
Steve

 

[Omega-TI]

Don’t need scanner anonymous. Just a great hobby. You actually need more up to date radios. When you have over 6, then you can consider being an addict. Better than sitting at the bar getting hammered.

Six makes me an addict? Okay, I guess I qualify.

Actually yes, those two radios are a little dated, but then they are only for when I'm in bed, I do have third radio next to the bed as well, I usually keep it on an aircraft frequency... because you never know what you can miss when a radio is scanning. Sometimes at night I even do a little broadcast band DXing, which is self-evident with the tunable loop antenna.



When I'm in my den I use my more "up to date" equipment...



... a SDS100 and an RTL-SDR, which are 4 & 5, but radio six, which I guess makes me an addict is a real antique, RCA 16S400 that I have in the living room (not pictured here). That scanner sounds fantastic. Radios 7 & 8 don't count because they are only el-cheapo portable shortwave radios.

 

[Omega-TI]

We had a couple of 800XLT's in our news department. The fluorescent displays would get very dim. I had to replace capacitors in the display power supply several times.

Yeah, I bought this one new back in the day, but it spent a large portion of it's lifespan in a box unused. I love the fluorescent display, I can see it in the daytime and it really shows up at night.

 

[Omega-TI]

Dont feel bad I have a bearcat desk top scanner, a HT1000, HT1250 and two Minitors 5s going next to the bed going until I fall asleep. ( not counting whats in the kitchen and in the car)
Steve

Glad to hear it, it means I'm normal (among hobbyists).

 

[mciupa]

An addict is someone who overdoes something to the point it causes harm to themselves or others. To me it sounds like you are an avid scannist.

 

[KevinC]

An addict is someone who overdoes something to the point it causes harm to themselves or others. To me it sounds like you are an avid scannist.

Is that anything like a forensic scannist?

 

[12dbsinad]

Sometimes I listen to the airwaves when I go to bed to drown out my wife's snoring...

Hopefully she's not a secret RR member on here

 

[Randyk4661]

If you would listen to the scanner instead of watching the super bowl, or some other championship game, you have a serious problem.

 

[Omega-TI]

If you would listen to the scanner instead of watching the super bowl, or some other championship game, you have a serious problem.

That's me! I quit watching when they started getting political.

 

[12dbsinad]

That's me! I quit watching when they started getting political.

I quit watching when it became much more entertaining to listen to radio vs watching lousy half-time shows

 

[MUTNAV]

I think a better question is to ask if you have a scanning "problem".
Does it interfere with work or other aspects of your life which you would normally consider more important.

Do you overspend on the scanning hobby or is it to the detriment of yourself or family?

If not, your good to go in my book. I like to think it might even be beneficial if you end up getting some good walks to see what you can receive.


Thanks
Joel

 

[bearcatrp]

Sometimes I listen to the airwaves when I go to bed to drown out my wife's snoring...

Hopefully she's not a secret RR member on here

Might have to try that. If you don’t see me post in over a month, she probably beat me to death with it.

 

[KK4JUG]

Knowing some of the scanner nuts on this forum, Scanner's Anonymous should be an offshoot of AA.

 

[KevinC]

Knowing some of the scanner nuts on this forum, Scanner's Anonymous should be an offshoot of AA.

Amateurs Anonymous?

 

[12dbsinad]

Amateurs Anonymous?

Sounds like a porn site

 

[tvengr]

GA can be Gamblers Anonymous or Global Attenuator on GRE, Radio Shack, and Whistler scanners. How about Hams Anonymous (HA)? I undergo withdrawl if no scanners are operating.

 

[MStep]

Scanning is a wonderful hobby, but our sleep cycles can become disrupted by sporadic input to your ears, which don't fully shut down when we sleep. Many times I have had dreams which were affected by the sounds and messages I was hearing while asleep. I imagine that many of us have had the same experience.

When in college, I majored in advertising and marketing, and I recall doing a project on types of subliminal messages, (not just the quick input of a mini-second of content into an otherwise benign message), but on longer voice announcements sent to study subjects during their normal times of sleep while music was playing on their closed circuit radios. (Full disclosure: students were aware of the study.)

Some folks need the aural stimulation (not oral; no wisecracks!!!! LOL) to help ease them into a secure setting, and yes, the sound of police or fire radio traffic can provide that subconscious "safety net"; that illusion of still being "in touch" with the happenings in our surroundings to ease us into a sleep state.

There are some remedies, the easiest of which is to put a timer on the scanner(s) to shut them down after X number of minutes or hours. Providing of course that this type of power shutdown will not harm the memory operation of the unit. Some radios don't like having the "plug pulled" on them during operation. Another option is to have a "significant other" simply lower the volume to zero or shutting down the radio after you fall asleep.

Understanding that the OP's intent was perhaps to share his enjoyment of the hobby, to which I fully concur. And my work chart hours before retirement were enough on their own to screw up my sleep patterns for the rest of my life. So yes, for most (especially those who are single), falling asleep with the radios scanning away seems to be part of the pattern of the hobby, for some of us at least. Even while sleeping, we might still get an adrenaline rush from the information our brain is processing.

Well, that's food for thought, or at least "something to sleep on".