Scanner on 24-7

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JamesO

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Not sure about the handhelds, but my 8 scanners run 24X7.

I still use my BC785D which ran 24x7 for probably 5+ years, sometimes it still runs 24x7, the problem is I am running out of power outlets and antenna splits!!
 

cellphone

Silent key.
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Why not? I have 6 that I leave on all the time. They all range in age and model. Never had a problem with any of them.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I have 3 BCD996XTs recording via ProScan 24x7. I also have 2 BCD536HPs that are on 24x7 so I can remote in to monitor with ProScan.

I do turn off the display LEDs unless I am in front of them. This is done to preserve the brightness long term. That's the only thing I would be worried about.
 

kmi8dy

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i have two 396xt's that were bought from amazon in 2009. at the same time. both have been plugged in ( with batteries installed and charged up every so offen ) since the start. all is well. both work perfectly as when new.
 
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DJ11DLN

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Mine are pretty much on all the time, I just mute the volume when I go to bed. I'm not that dedicated, LOL. I was told many years ago by a knowledgeable old Ham that if you wanted your electronics to last a long time, don't ever turn 'em off, just turn them down when you aren't using them. I don't know how much this applies to the modern stuff but it has worked for me over the years so I will probably keep doing it.
 

mickh

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Hadn't really thought about it. Seems, most of my life I
had a radio near-by. Mostly short wave. At home short wave
and scanner. From the early 60'ies here. After I got ill 5 years
ago, and had to retire, I have 3 scanners going at least 18
hours a day here. in the old shack/computer room. And, a
second HP2 next to my favorite chair in the TV room. And, 1
more; a 436 that goes out with me. Guess I'm hooked up like
the young kids are now with their smart phones. Wow, I really
hadn't thought about this, maybe I need another scanner?

Mickh...
 

jonwienke

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I was told many years ago by a knowledgeable old Ham that if you wanted your electronics to last a long time, don't ever turn 'em off, just turn them down when you aren't using them.

That was true for vacuum tubes, but not so much for solid state stuff. The idea was that the thermal cycling and the related expansion and contraction associated with repeated powering on and off would shorten the life of the tubes (the same reason why incandescent bulbs don't last nearly as long when flashing, and frequently burn out on power-on). But modern electronics run a lot cooler, so there isn't nearly as much thermal cycling. For example, the BCD436HP uses about 1 watt of power when running, which doesn't get anything inside hot enough to be an issue.

For transmitters, more thermal cycling happens when you key and unkey the mic than when flipping the power switch.

The only real considerations are the additional energy used by leaving the device on vs. the wear on the power switch from power cycling.
 

rbm

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I have more than 40 scanners.
Every one of them has been on 24x7 since I bought them.

The only time they're off is during a power outage until I can fire up the generator.

The worst thing that ever happened was one of the wall wart supplies crapped out.

Rich
 

DJ11DLN

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That was true for vacuum tubes, but not so much for solid state stuff. The idea was that the thermal cycling and the related expansion and contraction associated with repeated powering on and off would shorten the life of the tubes (the same reason why incandescent bulbs don't last nearly as long when flashing, and frequently burn out on power-on). But modern electronics run a lot cooler, so there isn't nearly as much thermal cycling. For example, the BCD436HP uses about 1 watt of power when running, which doesn't get anything inside hot enough to be an issue.

For transmitters, more thermal cycling happens when you key and unkey the mic than when flipping the power switch.

The only real considerations are the additional energy used by leaving the device on vs. the wear on the power switch from power cycling.
Also, I don't have to wait for the SD scanners to boot up...just turn up the volume and I'm in business!:cool:
 

Chronic

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If it is running on a wall wart it is still consuming power with the device turned off
 
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I was told many years ago by a knowledgeable old Ham that if you wanted your electronics to last a long time, don't ever turn 'em off, just turn them down when you aren't using them. I don't know how much this applies to the modern stuff but it has worked for me over the years so I will probably keep doing it.

This was true with solid-state stuff with a linear power supply as there was a current surge through the supply when first turned on as the filter capacitors charged up. But with everything using switching supplies nowadays there's probably no benefit to it. When I was an engineer at a TV station with a liquid cooled transmitter, the heat exchanger was outside and even though we didn't have a 24 hr broadcast schedule we'd leave the transmitter on all night in the winter so it wouldn't take so long to warm up and stabilize in the mornings.
 
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