I’ve noticed many posts on this and other radio hobby sites concerning a scanner’s ability to receive digital transmissions. Someone will post that they just bought an old analog scanner, to which someone else will invariably reply that it’s a worthless piece of junk because it won’t receive digital audio. It happens every time. The person posting the reply obviously has no knowledge of the monitoring hobby. That’s the kind of mindset that thinks L/E is the only reason to have a scanner.
In most urban areas of this large country, most governmental agencies have switched to trunked digital systems. Many have gone the extra mile and have encrypted their audio. The fact is that urban areas are a very small percentage of the landscape. There are infinitely many more small towns than there are large cities, and many of these rural areas are still using non-trunked analog systems for EVERYTHING. Even in the large urban areas, just because L/E has gone digital doesn’t mean that there’s nothing left to listen to.
I live in a rapidly growing urban area. The only digital user here that I’m aware of is the private ambulance company that just switched to DMR. Everything else is non-trunked and in the clear, including every L/E agency within my reception range. I have never owned a digital scanner because my old analog scanners cover everything. The receiver I use most is a 35+ year old 16 channel scanner that covers the local PD, FD’s, SO, and State Patrol. I also have a 400 channel 30+ year old scanner for everything else I want to monitor. No need for an expensive, complicated radio here, or in so many other locales. In fact, most of the counties in AZ are using non-trunked analog repeaters.
And while I’m on the subject of so many people being in love with the newer digital scanners, they’re definitely not for everyone. It seems that at least 50% of the forum posts are people asking for help programming, operating, and understanding how to use their SDS and other digital scanners. In fact, there seems to be a recent uptick in users wanting to go back to the older, simple to program and operate, analog scanners. Compared to even just twenty years ago, todays scanners are so difficult to set up for personal preference. Someone will say that they’re easier to program because it’s all done with a computer, but if you want to make a personal preference change it’s nearly impossible. With some of these new scanners you can’t even do a simple program change without the computer program which, from what I’ve been seeing in posts, is an added cost to an already expensive and complicated radio.
I’m not saying the newer scanners aren’t worth having for some people and some areas. But let’s stop condemning the use of older scanners as worthless. It’s becoming obvious that they still provide a use in many areas for many people.
I’ve been monitoring P/S, aircraft, and SW since 1965 - before scanners were even a thought.
Just my $.02 worth. Now I’ll sit back and wait for some inexperienced person to tell me how wrong I am.
