So, why do you scan?

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b7spectra

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Sold the Boss for a 4x4 truck! According the the MARTI report, it was 1 of 4 with an AM-8Track & Power Windows! About a $80k car right now!
 

snork

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I was a FF for several years starting back in early 80's. Have been out a while, but moved here, and VFD is trying to get me to sign up. Started scanning to see what goes on.

Funny, dept had a total of 4 radios back then. A mobile in each truck (2) and 2 HT's. Chief got one, and whoever he might need to talk to got the other. We'd go in mute and deaf -- no radio. Mayday to an inside crew meant we were on our own to get out. If outside saw conditions deteriorating, air horns and siren on the truck was the GTHOOD signal. Today, everybody has a radio (and to a point, makes it a heck of a lot more confusing on the fire scene - these guys have no radio disipline.
 

robschonk

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Lot of legitimate answers here, and a few illigetimage......

Been a ham a long time, Just got into scanning recently.

I live about half the time in Dare County, which is a small town atmosphere until the circus comes town (tourists during the season).

Well, all being said, I like the real info from the secne, than the info that the "spinmeisters: have had a chance to edit.

Rob N4JKL

We're pretty tight knit here, and this increases the sense of community, as well as an opportunity to perform public service when incidents are nearby. Heard reports of kids on rafts drifting out into the ocean, went on the deck with binoculars to check things out, and reported to 911.

I'm also retired now, and don't get out as much, so this keeps me in tune with whats going on. It's also a form of "aural voyeurism", I suppose. You know who's beating up his wife.....

Also a form of infinite entertainment. You wouldn't believe some of the calls....

I'm not a ghoul. I don't jump in the car to check out a wreck a mile down the highway.

I'm also able to help out. Heard a call for a structure fire a couple of blocks away at a vacation rental unit. Checked it out on the internet, and found that the rental was handled by a company where I know some folks. Emailed one to say that she needed to dispatch some folks to help some renters. She said "OMG, I know some folks who own a rental unit over there". Sho' 'nuf, it was her friends that owned it, so she called and got them on the road to check things out.

OTOH, I'm stuck in Norfolk right now since Hatteras Island was evacuated because of Hurricane Irene. Way different here. I've heard drug busts going down, SWAT teams moving into position, spousal abuse, and a couple of days ago, a 16 year old skateboarding with a 1 year old infant in his arms. What's wrong with people? They also give out peoples names and SSN's, a big no-no. Not that I'd want to steal these low-life's identities.
 

MississippiPI

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I scan the law enforcement, fire, ema and others all the time. I'm a former TV assignment editor and dabble in some freelance photography from time to time...I'm a PI and volunteer FF in my real time and just kinda nosey...

Be Safe
 

K9DAK

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Scanning has been a part of my life for over 35 years. When I was a kid, two of my uncles were cops, one of whom lent me a 4 channel xtal scanner for a while, and got me hooked. It was so cool laying in bed on a warm summer night listening to the sheriff's deputy chasing a motorcycle, and hearing the roaring motorcycle and the wailing siren off in the distance through the open windows.

Over the years I've had about nine different scanners (wish I still had some of them!) and have heard a lot of cool stuff . . . a fire at a neighbor's hair salon, a tree that fell through my in-laws' roof, a couple of cops friends responding to a call and one getting shot (their return fire resulted in the death of the offender). I've been able to help the PD catch some perps, just by hearing calls in my neighborhood, keeping eyes and ears open, and calling in with helpful info (like others have posted, I do NOT attempt to go to any scene or make contact with any offender).

Scanning has saved me lots of time in travels to/from work, just by knowing if there's an accident or stalled train along my route so I could divert to a different route.

Scanning has also gotten me interested in law enforcement, fire operations, and community service in general. I'm now a member of our Community Emergency Response Team, and Emergency Management Agency. I also became a ham as a direct result of scanning.

My daughter came to visit a while back after not seeing her for quite some time . . . and when she heard the scanner in the background, she said "ah, there's a familiar Daddy noise!"
 

KF5EYR

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I also became a ham as a direct result of scanning.


Same here. Scanning is a very positive hobby. I can't think of anything that is negative, about it. Other than, of course, it can cause you to spend a couple of wads of cash; every now and then. :cool:
 

MOGA

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KF5EYR I agree with you 110%, There has been MANY situations that I have heard calls come across the radio, and they were nothing close to what was published via media outlets. That just goes to show you that, there are those out there that are informed on what the media WANTS them to be informed on, And there are those of us who prefer to know whats REALLY going on.

The news would need HOURS to cover all the calls heard in a typical two hour span in ATL.

As others have stated, I scan so that I can have a better understanding of what's happening in the surrounding community. Those people that rely on the news to inform them of the goings' on don't have a clue.
 

lazer54

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Why do I scan

Ive been into radio since Jr high. Ive heard all kinds of stuff on the scanner some amazing things too especialy on the mil air frequencies. We had a guy go nuts in a local rock quarry shot 12 people. I was giveing a lot of info to a local radio station KGO. Ive done the CB thing and now have my Ham ticket. My first scanner was a Bearcat 210xlt 10 whopping chanels. Now i have a scanner and its chanels are only limited to the size of your hard drive. I think i am a radioholic is there such a thing











(2)BR330T, (2) Pro 95, Pro 93, Pro 2006, Pro 2004, BC210XL, (3) 780xlt, BCT15X, (2) BC3000xlt, BC796xlt, AOR 1500, AOR 3000A, Icom R100, Icom R7100, Alinco DJ-X10, Icom PCR1500, (2) BC100xlt
Yaesu VX-8, VX-7 FT-450 FT-7100, VX-3
 

mrkevin02

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Why do I listen to a scanner? The best reason is safety. I live in Kansas which is in the middle of "Tornado Alley". The Kansas Highway Patrol broadcasts warning of storms and tornadoss five to ten minutes before the warning are put out over TV or radio.

Also at night when most crime happen if I hear of something going on in my area I'll turn on all my outside lights. 1. maybe to keep a bad guy from trying to hide in my yard and 2. lighting the yard so police can see the bad guy in case he does try to hide in my yard.

As a freelance vidoeographer my scanners help me find important things to shoot video of that I can then edit and sell to the media, as well as post to my website.

Speaking of media there is a lot of things that happen that you never hear about or hear very little about. Sometimes things that maybe you need to know like several home break-ins in a 3 square block circle of where you live. If you know that you are not going to sit in your kitchen eating a snack with the front door unlocked.

Scanning is like anything else if you like you love it if you don't you never will. I have friends over to the house and they say how can you do things and have that on? I tell them it's just like TV you watch the show or movie but when the commercails come on you ignore them. when a scanner locks on a car stop you ignore it, but when a house fire or "OFFICER IN TROUBLR" call goes out you are automaticilly tuned in. Let me tell you when friends hear sirens 9 times out of 10 my phone will ring to ask what is going on.

I listen to local Fire, EMS, Sheriff's Department, the surrounding countys pubic safety's, as well as the Highway Patrol for the western 1/2 of the state.
 

shadetree1999

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I listen mostly to public safety when at home. For me, it's kind of like an up-to-the-second constant news station. The local newspaper is terrible...mostly AP cut and paste, when they do "report" local stories, I often wonder where they got their info from.....9 times out of 10 what I heard on the scanner was much different than what was reported in the paper. While driving to and from work, I usually listen to the local 2m ham repeaters. Same guys every morning rag-chewing on the way to and from work,...dunno why I enjoy that, but it's like sitting around in the coffee shop shooting the bull. When taking weekend trips, I usually listen to the OPP (Ontario "state" police), I know very quickly when there are accidents/lane closures on the highways, and exactly where. This alone has saved me countless hours that I would have been sitting on the highway going nowhere.

There is no "one reason" why I listen, but there is usually a scanner going in the background :)
 

k6cpo

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I got started in scanning years ago when I was majoring in Criminal justice Administration in college. I was aiming at a career in law enforcement, but that never worked out. It was a relatively simple process when police departments used analog VHF FM. When they started moving to 900 mHz trunked systems I got out of scanning for a while.

I got involved in airshow photography/journalism and bought another scanner for the aviation bands as knowing what was going to happen next helped me anticipate my next shot series. Even that ended when the recession killed the newspaper I was working for and I decided to retire.

Now I'm a volunteer at a railway museum and enjoy listening to railroad radio. The big difference here is that I'm also a ham and can use my amateur radios for listening to the railroad channels. Nothing like having a radio that will serve more than one purpose...
 

gmclam

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Scanning/etc!!!

I am a "techie" including hardware design, writing firmware/software and all that goes with it. I am also into music. Working for myself with no one around, I can't handle total silence constantly. OTOH having music on is waaay too distracting to me and I can't get work done. Broadcast TV or Radio are out of the question with all their ads.

Scanners/etc fill the void. I can have several on (yes several) basically as "background noise" and my ears know when to perk up if something significant goes down. But then I have been in the hobby since circa 1967.

Is this for you? I can't answer that. Keep in mind there are more things to listen to than you might even realize. Some get into listening to air traffic control, trains, or the amateur bands. I like to know what is really going on out there. Law enforcement channels rarely go silent in busy areas, while fire can be something to monitor if you only want sound when there is a call (although these days there are far more medical calls on the fire channels than there are fire calls).
 

drmh

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We like to keep up on what's going on in our county & the town we often go to. Several times we were about to head to town and ended up waiting to leave because we heard on the scanner there was an accident or report of a possible DUI where we were heading..... we also like to keep up on all the fires and shootings that happen - which are usually not even on the news!
 

pinballwiz86

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Scanning to me is like a form of treasure hunting. You never know what you're going to hear!

I'm always on the hunt for new frequencies I haven't heard before. Then, once I have found a new frequency I try to figure out what I'm hearing. Yes, you can cheat by going to the FCC database but where's the fun in that!? Lol.


The sad part is I've found every frequency in my town. So when I travel away from home that's when I get really get excited in the hobby again. Excited in hunting for new frequencies. :)

Also, I've learned to keep a fire extinguisher in the house as the fire department is so slow to load up and go to a fire.
 

awattam

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Nashua NH
Who do I scan?

I will be honest here, I am just nosey.

For me its not a full time hobby but I do carry my mobile scanner around in the car and whenever I pass a traffic stop or accident scene, I switch it on to see what's happening. Also if I see multiple police cars or fire trucks tearing down the street, I feel I have to know where they are going.

Some of my funniest moments have been when I stop to pick up a burger and sit out in the parking lot to eat it. I kick on the scanner and can listen to the drive thru staff chatting amongst themselves and it can get quite entertaining.

Has anyone else noticed that as soon as you turn off the scanner, say at bedtime, that something big always happens like a major drug bust or something similar?
 

SpectreOZ

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I scan to keep ahead of the "information curve", once events have filtered through the relevant agencies to the media a significant amount of time can lapse, I would rather know sooner than later if I need to make preparations.

I also monitor for leisure or out of sheer curiosity :D
 

poltergeisty

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I have been a scanner listener since high school and when all of a sudden I couldn't hear my town's PD and fire I did some research and found out they went digital and found this website. I had another account here back when this site was called Trunkedradio.net but for the life of me I couldn't remember the user name or password. :lol: So one day I created a new account.

It's a shame that my town's PD will go ENC next year though. This ain't Chicago either we are a town of only 50,000 people or so.

I also listen to the electric company, especially when there is a power outage. Pretty neat to find out what happened.

Aviation is something else I monitor, but I like to listen to Las Vegas on Live ATC. Would like to play around with 1090 MHz, but I just don't have much interest since I can just go to Flightaware.

I'm into shortwave too and listen for numbers stations.
 
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