Scanning at work?

[ObiHann]

Question for you guys, how many of you have a desk job and scan while at the office? I've been thinking about it since I am hoping to get a PSR500 next month, and have been trying to think of how I can. I've thought that I can either a) leave the scanner at home and stream it and connect the same way I do now to a stream, or turn it on, toss it in a drawer or something and plug it in via USB and listen over the computer.

The reason I'm not thinking of sitting it on my desk and plugging headphones right into it is that a) right now I listen to a stream, and music on my computer at the same time, I don't want to go to only the scanner and loose the music, and b) I don't want a scanner sitting on my desk with the antenna and a cable, etc...

So do any of you scan at work, and if so how?

 

[dd364]

I lock the door and turn it on real low.

 

[ObiHann]

I have a cubicle, no office... And I probably would get in crap for locking a door if I had a office haha

 

[randyf]

i have two i bring to work , its a furniture warehouse operation. everyone loves to listen in , i hook them up to spare computor speakers to ampify the sound , on days i am here buy my self i installed a mini pin jack to the pa/ phone control box so i can here it over the load speakers , almost everyone that hears them for the first time always says i thought those things are illeagal

 

[gewecke]

I take my vx-5 to work at times and use a earmic to listen. The best part is I'm right across the street from our airport AND the fire station!
n9zas

 

[gdolinar3]

I work in an office and I take mine in with me almost every day. No one seems to mind it, and it provides everyone around me with some entertainment.

 

[cifd64]

As the Emergency Communications Officer, it is required and can listen to anything and everything at any volume I please. Just ordered a couple more 996XT's for my desk. When my desk is actually organized, i will post a pic of my set up.

 

[GrayJeep]

I listen with headphones.
Sometimes the antenna up on the bookshelf gets the hairy eyeball because I work in a DoD Secure Area and you aren't allowed any transmitters (incl cellphones). But I'm receive-only so it's ok.

 

[pathalogical]

I don't work in an office environment, but if it was me, I'd be more concerned about my scanner growing legs and walking away never to be seen again. If you're not sure, just don't bring it. Never know who's eyeballing your cool and expensive radio ! The 500 is a pricey radio and even if you choose to buy two units for home use, that's ok as many of us have multiple radios. But, if someone swipes your radio and ya gotta buy a replacement, that's a real piss off. If you do bring it in, make sure it is surgically attached to you.

 

[texasemt13]

I work in a laboratory setting (with my own individual office) and I have 2 scanners at work at all times.

My PSR500 travels with me to work and is used to monitor federal and state agencies (and when I leave work, the municiplaities I travel through). If something good is happening while I'm in my office, and I need to work in the lab, I carry my PSR500 in there with me.

Permanently in my office is a Pro-2036, mostly used for analog federal traffic and the International airport, whose runway lineup is right out my window. This scanner powers an amplified speaker, which is close to my desk, so I can turn it down low. Loud enough for me to hear and quiet enough that the occupants of the offices to either side of me can't hear (though one is an RR member, ham and scanhead also).

I've even considered putting an exterior antenna up on the roof for the Pro-2036.

All in all, I'm pretty lucky I guess.

 

[NWI_Scanner_Guy]

I work at the front desk of a hotel, and when I work the night shift I always bring one of my scanners along. I have all the local PD/FD freqs programmed in so I know what's going on in the area (not's the world's greatest area at night), plus I always have the Chicago PD freqs on, just because that always makes for interesting listening. It was a PRO-164 up until a few weeks ago, now I usually bring my PRO-107 in with me.

I love it when a guest asks "do you have a police scanner back there?" Gives me a chance to explain a little bit about our hobby. Some seem genuinely interested.

 

[hfxChris]

My scanner is on 24/7, in a cabinet next to my desk in my office. I use headphones to listen at work when I hear or see something interesting out the window, and I stream it to myself at home in the evenings/weekends, because my office is on the 17th floor and gets much better reception than my radio room at home

 

[skip39]

i have listened to my psr 500 while at work. i work as a stocker in walmart. i love listening to police and the fire department and the also the walmart frequency while i am working.

 

[n2ops]

Listening at After School Program

I am director of a downtown after school program. On The Road Youth Ministry > Home The primary scanner on my desk and the front desk are Regency R806 crystal scanners. Can't beat them for audio quality and sensitivity. There are also two Realistic PRO2067 scanners on my desk for secondary listening. The kids keep an ear tuned to the scanners, espcially when they hear their peers mentioned. When we heard a mental patient losing it a few places down we went into lockdown. They are invaluable for being in touch with what is happening around us. We also have a youth amateur radio club with nine kids getting ready to begin studying for their tech license. www.kc2rhy.com

 

[LowbandGuy]

I recently installed an NMO roof mount antenna on my company pick up truck. When I think of it I like to bring my PSR-500 along for the ride. It has come in handy a couple of times to avoid accident scenes. I have my office in my house so there is usually a scanner running there.

 

[sfd119]

Depends. If I know the county will be really busy or something I'll bring my portable radio in and listen. Most of the time during the day it's pretty boring.

 

[WisconsinRailfan]

I listen with headphones while at work via web stream, no reception in my new cube farm, I use to have a cube by the window and there was a squirrel and they were married... I work in IT, and on the phone 30% of day. I get a lot more done listening to various streams, I will also mess around with remote radios in my down time. My cube neighbor will ask me through out the day, hear anything good?

 

[jeatock]

Gotcha all beat!

First, I run a radio shop complete with an almost unlimited FCC demo license, and am an Icom Dealer and systems integrator. Second, I have a 24/7 service contract with my county E911 and "have" to monitor local comms. Top that off with being a firefighter and the regional IEMA COML-3.

Office:
-Tone remote at my desk connected to our company radio, which also scans local public safety channels. Remotes also on my partner's desk and our office manager's desk.
-Overhead paging throughout the building that also carries our county's consolidated paging channel. That receiver also decodes and alarms when our local FD is alerted- half of my company are volunteer firefighters.
-8-port amplified receiver multi-coupler with two IC-F121's and three assorted TK-series Kenwoods configured receive-only; four are single channel dedicated receivers feeding a multi-channel audio recorder with my local system's audio, and the fifth scans about eight channels for both the recorder and our RadioReference audio feed. (No, they're not all new out of the box, they're all old units with good receivers and dead displays or blown PA's)
-IC-R2500 w/ P25 board and PC software.
-We put up towers and design-build infrastructure for a living, so my own tower is right up there with multiple antennas.
-Needless to say, nobody at the shop has issues with scanner voices in the background.

Home:
-A IC-F121 in my office, also coupled to a loud FD alert alarm that I can hear outside.
-A Uniden BC790XLT in my office streamed locally through my home wireless network.
-A Uniden BC855XLT in the bedroom.
-An old Bendix-King portable scanning in the kitchen.
-Another B-K portable and a IC-F4061 Analog/IDAS Trunking portable w/mobile chargers in my wife's truck.

Car:
Being a communications contractor, responder and COML-3, I drive an authorized CVPI (with a nice letter of authorization from my Fire Chief, Hizzonner the Sheriff, and a copy of my FCC Demo License in the glove box, along with local and IEMA credentials) I have:
IC-F1821 P25 VHF
IC-F1821 Analog VHF, selectable 100-watt PA
IC-F6061 Analog/IDAS trunking UHF
IC-R2500 w/P25 board
NCS C250 Mobile Multi-Switcher Audio selector and cross connect console (only one microphone for the whole car) with a VXU-1000 UHF mobile extender
Gamber-Johnson below-dash and MCS center console boxes
IC-F70T VHF P25 portable in a mobile charger base
IC-F4061 Analog/IDAS Trunking portable in a mobile charger base.

Personally:
Swissphone RE729 pager with 4-channel scanning capability.
IC-F50V submersible VHF portable with vibrate and stored voice.

 

[reedeb]

You aint beat me by much

I was in armed security for 21 years also a firefighter EMA director and on Rescue I monitored and yacked on Town's PD,FD,Rescue,and highway freqs as well as CB and ham [with RACES and County EMA] at one time I had VHF, UHF, 2 lowband radios [33 and 45 mhz] as well as CB, Ham as well as 4 scanners monitoring all other PD FD and whatever while I worked [I did majority of my work in my own vehicle and could listen while working] I called my car "The Porcupine", a 1989 Ford Escort 4 door

 

[tampabaynews]

Thankfully my job requires me to scan.