Police Call's Gene Hughes dead at 80

[blinddog50]

Gene, Don't know if you can read this.
But if you can, what are the freqs and pl tones for operations and security at The Pearly Gates?

RIP Gene, thanks for all you did for us and our hobby.

 

[trunker0205]

I have the last police call I think its 2005 or 2006 and will cherrish it..I remember working for Radio Shack back in the day and the new Police call was one hot item.....RIP Gene

 

[LEH]

Gene, Don't know if you can read this.
But if you can, what are the freqs and pl tones for operations and security at The Pearly Gates?

RIP Gene, thanks for all you did for us and our hobby.

Probably either Nextel or encrypted.

But would love to read the report anyway.

Until the web, Police Call was required reading. Because I traveled, I had the latest for every region.

Thanks Gene. RIP.

 

[n2mdk]

Gene, Don't know if you can read this.
But if you can, what are the freqs and pl tones for operations and security at The Pearly Gates?

RIP Gene, thanks for all you did for us and our hobby.

I would imagine it's OpenSky, the only place that they can get it to work correctly.

 

[KMA367]

LAFD Tribute

The Los Angeles Fire Department has a very nice tribute to Gene at
http://lafd.blogspot.com/2008/08/lafd-friend-father-of-police-call-dies.html with a couple interesting links.

 

[AZScanner]

Gene was a great guy. I'm honored to have met and worked with him on the Police Call CD. Even got to go to Radioshack HQ with him and demo the first prototype of the disk to Upman, back when he was the RS scanner manager. On another visit, we toured the LAPD and LAFD's 911 centers thanks to Gene's volunteer work. Great memories. Thanks Gene! Save me a good scanning spot up there.

-AZ

 

[texasemt13]

RIP Gene

Thanks for all the devotion through the years Gene... maybe now you can post those final freqs from the sky... Heaven EMS and Angel Dispatch.

 

[KMA367]

I was 12 or 13 (mid '80's) when I got into scanning and loved the Police Call books as well. I would run to RS to buy a new one "hot off the press" when they were published. The time and effort he spent helped many people. My prayers and sympathies go to his family and friends.

Just curious if anyone knows if his interest stayed w/ the hobby (I figure it must have). Was he a member of this site?

Todd

To my knowledge, Gene wasn't a member of the RadioReference group. But absolutely yes, he maintained his interest and activity within the hobby until his death. He was a longtime member of the Radio Communications Monitoring Association (RCMA) from the 1970s until its demise in 1996, and then he became one of the founding members of its successor group, the Southern California Monitoring Association - http://www.socalscanner.com/ (scroll down). In fact, he was scheduled to give one of his ever-popular presentations at our monthly meeting just four weeks ago, but had to cancel at the last minute as he was to ill to attend.

 

[elk2370bruce]

Gene was always a total gentleman and our avocation might not even be around without his decades of leadership. In sending in some changes over these many years, I always got a thanks and when I was a new kid needing help (in the first years of Police
Call), it was always quickly and freely given. RIP Gene, your impact will always be with us - especially us old goats that remember way back when.

 

[ka5lqj]

Blessings, Gene.....

Yes,

I too must add my voice to send my condolences to Gene's family and friends. I used to contribute
"on-line" to his wonderful book. I had no problem with the books, I just never COULD get those
CD's to work. I even got "Thank you's" from Gene for my contributions and what a gentleman.

Rest in Peace, Gene.

Respectfully,
73,

Don/KA5LQJ

 

[Stavro35]

I remember actually submitting material to Mr. Hughes for a couple of editions of Police call. One that covered states including Georgia. And the one that covered states including Texas. For it's time, "Police call" was a valuable resource.

It was out long before personal computers were in most every home. And way before the internet. There was even a publication "Beyond police call" that was published that had information for those interested in monitoring businesses like hotels and casino's ..

I rely on a few web sites for information, including http://www.radioreference.com There is a regional site http://www.northwestradio.net/interceptnw/

Many have said the internet killed "Police call" .. There are still publications out there related to the hobby including Scannerstuff: Northwest frequency directory .. I have the 9th edition I purchased in advance of the move to Bainbridge island. I then purchased the 10th edition when it became available .It covers pretty much every frequency range of interest to hobbyist,except shortwave.

 

[blantonl]

I remember purchasing a Police call every year for my location as a kid.. and when I knew they were to be released I would hound the crap out of the Radio Shack store to know when the new version was coming in. I have fond memories of paging through that fantastic compilation to see what was "new" in the area, only to be facinatated that xxx freq was under my nose all this time over the past year.

When I became a teenager, I "special ordered" a set of police calls from the local radio shack, including the version from southern California (I was living in Virginia at the time), and the thickness of that version made my blood run fast. I literally sat in front of a cherrios box every morning for many weeks straight just amazed at how many frequency assignments were in the book for Los Angeles County, City, etc.

My how things have changed.... huh?

Now, if it ain't online on RR within 2 weeks the community begins a mutiny!

Gene really incubated my love of the hobby, and without him I probably wouldn't be here today.

 

[btritch]

I remember purchasing a Police call every year for my location as a kid.. and when I knew they were to be released I would hound the crap out of the Radio Shack store to know when the new version was coming in. I have fond memories of paging through that fantastic compilation to see what was "new" in the area, only to be facinatated that xxx freq was under my nose all this time over the past year.

When I became a teenager, I "special ordered" a set of police calls from the local radio shack, including the version from southern California (I was living in Virginia at the time), and the thickness of that version made my blood run fast. I literally sat in front of a cherrios box every morning for many weeks straight just amazed at how many frequency assignments were in the book for Los Angeles County, City, etc.

My how things have changed.... huh?

Now, if it ain't online on RR within 2 weeks the community begins a mutiny!

Gene really incubated my love of the hobby, and without him I probably wouldn't be here today.

I used to be the same way, I would call Radio Shack everyday and ask when the new year was coming in.. As far as starting a mutiny, You're right about that too, as always!! LOL

 

[KD4YGG]

My first scanner was a 10-channel Radio Shack that I bought in 1992 to "only listen to the railroads".

Then one day I strolled into the local Radio Shack, bought a book called Police Call 1993 Region 4 (Kentucky). I plugged in the local county sheriff, fire, EMS, road dept, etc. and soon discovered I needed a scanner with more channels... and that there was a lot more to listen to!!!

And yes, I soon found out when the next edition was arriving each year through the local Radio Shack stores.

As I type this, I'm miles away from home on a business trip communicating to thousands of communications enthusiasts and professionals on this wonderful thing called the internet and Radioreference. The PRO-96 Digital Trunking Scanner on the desk is a far cry from my first one. I give a lot of credit for my interest to Gene and his wonderful publication. I picked up a Southern California edition on a trip to LA several years ago and was astonished at the level of detail.

Gene will be missed, but I am sure he's kicked back in the monitoring lounge as Heaven 911 listening to ALL the "Police Calls" in the world.

RIP - Gene - you still are a mentor to us all!!!

 

[davidp124]

Outstanding publication. There was no edition of Police Call for Hawaii when I got my first Scanner from RS in about 1974, a Patrolman Pro9. I had to wait till I moved to Kentucky in the late 70s to get a Police Call. Man, it was the ultimate scanning bible. Gene, you brought so much to the hobby. We will sure miss you. Rest in Peace.

David

 

[N9PBD]

Rest in Peace, Gene

I too used to buy every issue of Police Call as soon as they came out. I traveled extensively when I was on active duty in the Air Force, so I often purchased volumes for areas I visited. I loved digging through the federal frequencies and military base information in the back. Gene really filled a void with his books, and I miss them still to this day.

Rest in Peace, Gene.

 

[bigbluemsp]

His books heald more vaule to me then any other scanning resource until I found this place then anyone can imagine.

I remember purchasing a Police call every year for my location as a kid.. and when I knew they were to be released I would hound the crap out of the Radio Shack store to know when the new version was coming in. I have fond memories of paging through that fantastic compilation to see what was "new" in the area, only to be facinatated that xxx freq was under my nose all this time over the past year.

When I became a teenager, I "special ordered" a set of police calls from the local radio shack, including the version from southern California (I was living in Virginia at the time), and the thickness of that version made my blood run fast. I literally sat in front of a cherrios box every morning for many weeks straight just amazed at how many frequency assignments were in the book for Los Angeles County, City, etc.

My how things have changed.... huh?

Now, if it ain't online on RR within 2 weeks the community begins a mutiny!

Gene really incubated my love of the hobby, and without him I probably wouldn't be here today.

I agree I couldn't wait until the new edition came out. I found a bazillion new listening things to pass time in his books.

 

[NYRHKY94]

I couldn't agree more with all the posters who think back fondly of the days when RS would have the new Police Call edition in stock. I was one of those kids that constantly went back to my local RS to bug them about when the new Police Call was coming in. That was in the mid-late 70's.

I would spend hours on end scouring thru Police Call trying to find any possible frequency I might be able to pick up for my area. It was also great to use when doing a limit scan that landed on something that sounded interesting. The very last copy I purchased had the CD that came with it.

Great memories from a great hobby!

 

[peterjmag]

RIP Gene you will be missed and Police Call will never be forgotten for what it did for the hobby. It was a treat to get that new edition each year and read what you had to say. The spirit of Police Call lives here in RR everyday.

 

[KMA367]

A bit more about Gene

Gene was a "Technical Reserve Officer" at LAPD's Wilshire Division (just LOOK at all he did there!) for the last decade, but not too well known is that after having listened to "police calls" for some years, he became a dispatcher for the Santa Monica Police Department in the late 1940s, to help pay his way through college. He applied to be an "RTO" (dispatcher) at LAPD in 1956, but for whatever reason, that never came to pass.

He first visited LAPD Communications in 1962, and through his two-way radio business he established contacts within the department. A down side of that for him was that when he approached Technical Services Division with some sort of radio or device he was offering, as he put it, "They wouldn't even talk to me since it didn't have the name 'Motorola' on it."

One of his fondest dreams came true in 2002 when he approached two LAPD pilots who were giving a roll-call training at Wilshire Division, and asked them if it was possible for a "lowly Specialist Reserve" to go up in an airship. A week later he was thrilled to spend three hours aboard Air 10 on patrol over the San Fernando Valley.

On a more personal note, Gene has exchanged many letters and emails with me about our mutual interest, LAPD Communications, and provided me with much information - and occasional gently-worded corrections - about my website. He'll be remembered and missed.