Issue listening to businesses and schools

[kainixon2187]

The time I was at the waterpark I had my 125AT, they seemed to have thought I stole the radio from them at first, even though they use mag one radios. Today I tried using an earpiece and tucked my radio under my jacket and it worked perfectly.

 

[paulears]

This kind of crazy mentality is what gives scanner users a bad name, and its not about rights, or the differences you guys have state to state, but this notion that everyone had to be so close to legal/illegal line All the time. If somebody thinks you’re trespassing, or somebody thinks you are doing something, stop it. You crossed their line of acceptability, not yours. Back off, do it less overtly, without the rights waving stuff. Scanning as a hobby stems from learning stuff for yourself, and for some, sharing it. As an outsider, I watch the people doing ‘audits’ on YouTube, and just conclude they’re idiots. The whole point is to wind people up and push the law for NOTHING. Just makes them, and their rights upholding audience look exactly like they are. We do have tighter rules here in the UK, but in our laws we have thing like ‘don’t listen in to ships, but if you do, you mustn’t tell anyone what you hear’. Nobody ever gets prosecuted for using scanners, but you just don’t make a fuss about it. Anybody can buy a radio or any kind. Only people with licences can transmit. Listening? Not important. Put an internet feed of Heathrow airport on the net and you get shut down very quickly. We have a rather neat bit of wording for this kind of thing. We cannot use a radio for which a licence is not available. So business, ham, civilian, marine is fair game and OFCOM is not bothered too much. But civilians cannot get a licence for military or government channels so that opens the door to prosecution, if they need to. Our unofficial rule is simply be sensible, keep it quiet and don’t make trouble. We can work with this happily. Why do some US citizens get so uptight and need to even consider the law’s minute detail, as in the “are you a lawyer?” Posts. Why would you need to be a lawyer? If what you do for a hobby annoys people, maybe you need a new hobby?

 

[empired987]

listening to schools around m area i just keep my mouth shut and dont tell people what im listening too. like you say its mostly in my car and it isnt much traffic but in todays time with the school shootings who knows what your doing could be setting something up like that.

Yeah, I used to live close enough to hear the school radios for the university and high schools (not much to listen to there), but they eventually went digital and fully ENC. I'd only listen in my car to business radios, or I'd take it to events and sit close enough to hear traffic. Schools are another topic, since as you mentioned school shootings are real, and you could easily be talked to for being suspicious hanging around a school.

 

[GB46]

I'd only listen in my car to business radios, or I'd take it to events and sit close enough to hear traffic.

Before cell phones were available I used to stumble upon conversations on car phones, the kind that required an operator to place the calls. This was on high VHF, and totally in the clear. I overheard lots of shady business dealings between executives, or at least they sounded shady. Those guys didn't seem to care about the risk of discussing confidential matters on the air. It was as if they thought their car phones were connected by a very long landline cable.

 

[Citywide173]

Schools are another topic, since as you mentioned school shootings are real, and you could easily be talked to for being suspicious hanging around a school.

I think he's a student at the school

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Before cell phones were available I used to stumble upon conversations on car phones, the kind that required an operator to place the calls. This was on high VHF, and totally in the clear. I overheard lots of shady business dealings between executives, or at least they sounded shady. Those guys didn't seem to care about the risk of discussing confidential matters on the air. It was as if they thought their car phones were connected by a very long landline cable.

The air to ground 454/459 frequencies were interesting as well. Heard some very high finance dealings going on freely on those channels.

 

[kainixon2187]

I think he's a student at the school

Correct.

 

[MUTNAV]

Before cell phones were available I used to stumble upon conversations on car phones, the kind that required an operator to place the calls. This was on high VHF, and totally in the clear. I overheard lots of shady business dealings between executives, or at least they sounded shady. Those guys didn't seem to care about the risk of discussing confidential matters on the air. It was as if they thought their car phones were connected by a very long landline cable.

Like on "Ironside" !! That's great..
Thanks
Joel

 

[richard4537312]

Management may be annoyed because other customers see and/or hear your radio and assume you are an employee. In my younger days, I directed inquiring Wal-Mart customers to the automotive department for toilet paper. Imagine their reactions when you tell them the item they are hunting is cheaper across the street at Target!

 

[Wilrobnson]

This entire thread is reminiscent of the time an RR member was walking around with a scanner on his belt, listening to security at a local casino at top volume. He was asked to turn it off but refused, then invited to leave but demurred.

IIRC, he found out the hard way what happens in a tribal casino, located on sovereign land, when the tribal police got involved.

Some men you just can't reach.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

This entire thread is reminiscent of the time an RR member was walking around with a scanner on his belt, listening to security at a local casino at top volume. He was asked to turn it off but refused, then invited to leave but demurred.

IIRC, he found out the hard way what happens in a tribal casino, located on sovereign land, when the tribal police got involved.

Some men you just can't reach.

The money or the hammer!

 

[bob550]

Discretion [dih-skresh-uhn], noun: "the quality of behaving in a quiet and controlled way without drawing attention to yourself or giving away personal or private information"

Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

 

[paulears]

If he is a student, and was listening in to the school or college he attends, then he is 1. Stupid and 2. Ignorant. He should be aware of the safeguarding education has to provide its students and staff, and this is a high priority feature Of educational life. He also almost certainly signed a learning agreement, if he is over 18, and if below 18, the parents or guardians signed it. He has rules to follow and can be thrown out. Safeguarding issues are throw out rules. How does he prove he wasnt listening for undesirable reason. Innocent till proven guilty is for courts not education.

 

[bob550]

I think we can give the OP the benefit of the fact that he's still learning about things that the older members of this forum take for granted. Experience is a great teacher! His initial question here is the first step of that learning process, and allows him to put all of our experiences and knowledge to use. Go easy on him! I'm sure we all can think of many things we did in our lives that, when looked at through the lens of age and experience, looked unwise.

 

[kainixon2187]

If he is a student, and was listening in to the school or college he attends, then he is 1. Stupid and 2. Ignorant. He should be aware of the safeguarding education has to provide its students and staff, and this is a high priority feature Of educational life. He also almost certainly signed a learning agreement, if he is over 18, and if below 18, the parents or guardians signed it. He has rules to follow and can be thrown out. Safeguarding issues are throw out rules. How does he prove he wasnt listening for undesirable reason. Innocent till proven guilty is for courts not education.

I understand what you’re saying, but this does not mean I’m stupid and ignorant. Most people here obviously have more experience with this so I was wondering if they have ever had a similar experience.

 

[fredva]

If he is a student, and was listening in to the school or college he attends, then he is 1. Stupid and 2. Ignorant. He should be aware of the safeguarding education has to provide its students and staff, and this is a high priority feature Of educational life. He also almost certainly signed a learning agreement, if he is over 18, and if below 18, the parents or guardians signed it. He has rules to follow and can be thrown out. Safeguarding issues are throw out rules. How does he prove he wasnt listening for undesirable reason. Innocent till proven guilty is for courts not education.

Name-calling isn't necessary.

 

[N8IAA]

If he is a student, and was listening in to the school or college he attends, then he is 1. Stupid and 2. Ignorant. He should be aware of the safeguarding education has to provide its students and staff, and this is a high priority feature Of educational life. He also almost certainly signed a learning agreement, if he is over 18, and if below 18, the parents or guardians signed it. He has rules to follow and can be thrown out. Safeguarding issues are throw out rules. How does he prove he wasnt listening for undesirable reason. Innocent till proven guilty is for courts not education.

Paul, you are as far off base as you can be. You live in a country quite different than the USA. Different rules, different way of living.

Name calling is never the way to communicate to a fellow member of RR. Take a chill pill and calm down.

 

[paulears]

Yes, that's becoming obvious. I apologise to the fella - our schools would take a very dim view of this kind of thing. Maybe that's good or bad, I don't know - but the schools here would be pretty upset. I'll leave you folk to your US viewpoint on this one. Sorry.

 

[n9lob]

To put things in a milder tone there is the recent story from Florida of two middle school students charged with plotting a Columbine style massacre. Bomb making plans and layout of the school with location of security cameras were among the items found. In that light, someone carrying any radio capable of hearing the schools operation would be a gigantic red flag. We can debate if that's right or wrong but I've been in the hobby for 45+ years and could easily understand the other side.

 

[kainixon2187]

To put things in a milder tone there is the recent story from Florida of two middle school students charged with plotting a Columbine style massacre. Bomb making plans and layout of the school with location of security cameras were among the items found. In that light, someone carrying any radio capable of hearing the schools operation would be a gigantic red flag. We can debate if that's right or wrong but I've been in the hobby for 45+ years and could easily understand the other side.

I agree. Same thing with a scanner. A portion of criminals listen to a scanner to monitor police radio traffic for malicious reasons, which is why lots of cities are encrypting their communications. A lot of times people find it suspicious when someone has a scanner because of this, which is somewhat reasonable considering their perspective. Like other members were saying, people who aren't into the hobby don't really understand.