Scanner Programming Market Price

[jonwienke]

They need to be taught how to use the scanner, including how to program it. If you look through the noob forums, you'll find plenty of examples of people being given a programming file, and still being frustrated or confused, because they didn't know how to toggle Quick Keys, enable or disable Service Types, set their location and Range correctly, set/clear Avoids on Systems, Departments, and Channels, set Priority channels, weather alerts, and Close Call, etc.

Here's a perfect example:
https://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-tech-support/363965-bcd436hp-programming-hierarchy.html

 

[flythunderbird]

Except for total noobs and people with a visual impairment, it's not really a viable business model.

IMO your time and energy would be better spent offering one-on-one training services to show users how to get the most out of their scanners, rather than offering programming for a fee.

I fully agree with jon; this is, without question, the best way to go.

A couple of years ago, a retired gentleman in his 70s asked me to program his 652. He bought it to listen to the WV SIRN system, but he didn't know how to set it up, didn't have a computer, and didn't want to learn how to set it up; he just wanted to "push a button and listen to it." The Radio Shack he bought it from absolutely refused to set it up for him, too. He offered me $30 to set it up. I told him that was too much money but he insisted, so I took him up on it. When I took the scanner back to him, I gave him a 10-minute tutorial on how to use it, gave him a one-page document of simplified instructions on how to operate it, and gave him a document listing the agencies in each scanlist. Two weeks later, his brother-in-law wanted the same thing done to his scanner and offered me the same money, so I did it again. Haven't heard anything from them since, so I'd say they're both very happy!