Radio Shack Police Call Book.
- Thread starter Allan_Love_Jr
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I still have my original 1976 edition that I purchased. It is a little tattered, but brings back a lot of memories of when radio systems were so simple. There was a ton of VHF-Low band police, fire and EMS activity back then on that band. Sadly, today there is very little if any activity down there in the state of Michigan, except for when skip rolls in.
73s
Ron
I would roll into my local radio shack every February asking when the new release would be out. When I was 16 years old, and had a job (McD's) - I used the funds to purchase every volume for all across the country. It was a special order.
I used to sit eating cereal every morning not reading the cereal box, but reading some remote city's police call entries.
To this day I remember Austin TX being the most clearly "identified" and documented city in the country.
I used to sit eating cereal every morning not reading the cereal box, but reading some remote city's police call entries.
To this day I remember Austin TX being the most clearly "identified" and documented city in the country.
I just put up a tribute page to Gene Hughes on our Scanner Web Site with a photo of the ORIGINAL Southern California Police Call books.
Tribute to Gene Hughes
Yep I'd pay real money for a copy of the first 1964 edition! Gene was a long-time member of SCMA and he's very much missed by those of in the Southern California scanner community.
Rich
Tribute to Gene Hughes
Yep I'd pay real money for a copy of the first 1964 edition! Gene was a long-time member of SCMA and he's very much missed by those of in the Southern California scanner community.
Rich
In 1970 when I first got into monitoring (no scanners then) there was a place called CRB Research on Long Island in NY where you could buy frequency lists for areas like NYC or upstate NY. I have a few of them around. Then the Green Hughes book came out which was better.
I used to have a box of them for a Regency (ACT-W10) WHAMO-10 that I gave away last year. I found them at an estate sale in 1988 in suburban Chicago. I bought the unopened box for $1.00.
I used crystal scanners up until 1982, when I purchased my first digital scanner a Regency D100. I went crazy over the search function, and found several stealthy local police frequencies. Likewise, back then it was perfectly legal to listen to the mobile radio telephone calls on 152 MHz.
73s
Ron
Great tribute page. Like RadioDaze said in an earlier post, I would use the pink book to find out what crystals I needed to order.
I have to say, even with programmable scanners, trunking, P25 and the lot, I still think the "glory days" of scanning were in the '70s, with the flashing LEDs. I miss those unencrypted days.
Dave
KA6TJF
RadioDaze
Member
I just want to go on record as NOT having called you an übergeek.
(And likewise, I NEVER referred to you as "the sum of all geeks".)
EP204
Member
Wow, I must say that is very impressive. Gene Hughes sounds like quite the man I wish I could have met him, too bad I got into scanning after he ended his publications, they also sound incredible.
RadioDaze
Member
Great read, Rich. Thanks!
I did the same exact thing! Nothing like Fruit Loops and Police Call to start your day with. I mean honestly, who cares what's in the cereal; hence, I wanted to know what precinct was on what frequency in the Big Apple.
Starting in 1983, Gene Hughes would send me a box in the late winter, complete with a nine volume set of POLICE CALL at no charge. This continued until the end of publication. I can remember going through Volume #3 of Police Call starting at the age of 11 and sending him updates. Gene was so amazed that someone as young as I was, would send him information.
I will say that by having a complete set of Police Call every year, was PRICELESS for identifying skip on VHF-Low band from the Deep South and, Pacific Coast States. I remember the LA County Sheriff was on 39 MHz, and every police department in the state of Texas had access to 37.18 MHz. Likewise, the Oregon State Police was all over the 42 MHz band. These were the days of long distance scanning as its best when skip was rolling in.
Now I am craving a bowl of cereal! See what you did Lindsay . . .
73s
Ron
Back in the 1970s, several of the local police departments in my area used voice inversion scrambling. This was a low-cost, but rather effective means of passing secure radio traffic. In fact, a few ambulance companies used voice scrambling back then to pass sensitive patient information.
73s
Ron
Well, I heard everything in the free and clear. And, I must say, this actually benefitted the police when one day I heard a couple of cops talking on a secondary channel (WHITE channel, for all you OC folks) about a burglary ring that posed as survey takers. Later, one of these "survey takers" came to my house and I was able to give the police a description of the perp and his VW van. Suddenly, there were no more burglaries.
And if it wasn't for Gene Hughes and his pink book, I would have never known to order a crystal covering WHITE channel on 460.150 MHz.
Dave
KA6TJF
Thunderbolt: WOW! 37.18 Mhz! All the police departments in Rockland Cty, NY used to use that frequency. During the really heavy skip years 1981-83, the Laredo County, TX water department would blow into NY daily covering up all the local PD's.(no CTCSS on scanners then) The PD's all went High Band in 1988, and nobody local uses 37.18 anymore. I am waiting for the sunspots to start kicking up so I can see if the water company is still active!
Xray
Member
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Yep, I remember them well.
Got them for most of the 1980's and into the early 90's, but I tended to throw them out or give them away as I got new ones, don't think I have any now.
I still have a few Tom Kneitel books [whom I heard passed away not long ago], including the The "Top Secret" Registry of U.S. Government Radio Frequencies 8th edition ... And I also still have my Bill Cheek Scanner Modification Handbook, along with a couple years worth of monthly scanner news letters Cheek used to put out.
Got them for most of the 1980's and into the early 90's, but I tended to throw them out or give them away as I got new ones, don't think I have any now.
I still have a few Tom Kneitel books [whom I heard passed away not long ago], including the The "Top Secret" Registry of U.S. Government Radio Frequencies 8th edition ... And I also still have my Bill Cheek Scanner Modification Handbook
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I used to hear that water department up here in Michigan all the time on 37.18 MHz. There is still one DPW in a neighboring community that uses 37.18 as their main radio system. However, a lot of their traffic is over on Nextels these days. Nonetheless, I haven't heard the Laredo, Texas Water Dept., in ages. I suspect they have migrated to 800 MHz.
I can remember hearing a lot of Chinese, Malaysian, Spanish base and mobile stations on several 37 MHz frequencies during the winter months. Mind you this was with an indoor antenna in my bedroom that was on the second floor. Likewise, I was able to use Police Call to identify all of the municipal police, and CHP stations I was hearing out of California. However, there was no source available to find out who was speaking in foreign languages.
I always wished that Gene would have produced a Vol. #9 of Police Call for Alaska and Hawaii. It was not uncommon to hear Honolulu City Fire and Police when they were on VHF-Low band on the East Coast. Likewise, many of the other islands were on 33 and 45 MHz back then. Finally, Hawaii started to migrate to VHF-High band and UHF in the early 1970s, to avoid all of the skip they were receiving from Asia and the U.S. Mainland.
Yours truly,
Ron
I too, used to look forward to the new edition each year, I still have the last one around here somewhere, yep it had a CD of the whole country IIRC.
When my county went from VHF low band to UHF 500 band I spent countless hours of listening to sort out who went where. Once I figured it out I sent my info to the Police Call Book. As a result I was listed as a major contributer in my local edition for a few years, I still have those around here somewhere too. My wife is great at packing away stuff she thinks I no longer need laying around.
I've just recently got back into scanning, I have an old Pro-2022. I am looking to upgrade and after countless hours here at RR and a few other places I've got it narrowed down to a Pro-106 or Pro-197. Since I don't think I'd use it much for mobile I'm leaning toward the 197. Anyone know if there is a cigarette lighter adapter for the 197?
Things sure have changed in the scanner world.
.
When my county went from VHF low band to UHF 500 band I spent countless hours of listening to sort out who went where. Once I figured it out I sent my info to the Police Call Book. As a result I was listed as a major contributer in my local edition for a few years, I still have those around here somewhere too. My wife is great at packing away stuff she thinks I no longer need laying around.
I've just recently got back into scanning, I have an old Pro-2022. I am looking to upgrade and after countless hours here at RR and a few other places I've got it narrowed down to a Pro-106 or Pro-197. Since I don't think I'd use it much for mobile I'm leaning toward the 197. Anyone know if there is a cigarette lighter adapter for the 197?
Things sure have changed in the scanner world.
.
homeinva
Member
your have to make one but it comes with the 12 volt cable
just have to add the plug
just have to add the plug
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