You know, in my stomping grounds I don't think there are 1,000 frequencies to listen to.
What do you get the most enjoyment from, old or new technology when scanning?
- Thread starter Omega-TI
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You know, in my stomping grounds I don't think there are 1,000 frequencies to listen to.
I don't know if any of us actually ever had that many 😅 that's what I like about dynamic memory, the talkgroups from trunked systems can use up the memory insteadYou know, in my stomping grounds I don't think there are 1,000 frequencies to listen to.
jmp883
Member
I started in the radio hobby in the 1980’s. My first scanner was a Regency 4-channel crystal scanner. I still use that scanner for my local PD & FD. Both agencies are analog UHF and the Regency has excellent audio. My listening post also has several programmable scanners. They’re used to monitor all the other agencies and services I’m interested in.
I enjoy using the Regency, watching the 4 channel lights flash as it scans. It’s also nice using the newer radios. Alpha-tags, multiple banks, trunk-tracking, and all the other features of modern scanners have only enhanced the hobby.
I just bought an SDR and am looking forward to learning all that an SDR can do.
I enjoy using the Regency, watching the 4 channel lights flash as it scans. It’s also nice using the newer radios. Alpha-tags, multiple banks, trunk-tracking, and all the other features of modern scanners have only enhanced the hobby.
I just bought an SDR and am looking forward to learning all that an SDR can do.
32 consistently active conventional channels here in Cowlitz County, I use an old pro 2044 if I'm sitting around, but I have them all on sdrtrunk loading to trunking recorder so I can listen wherever I'm at. Aside from that it's fleetnet, jiwn, trbowest, wdot with minimal local activity. I can do cresa911, but I'm more into what's localized to me. And it's never dead air here lolYou know, in my stomping grounds I don't think there are 1,000 frequencies to listen to.
Great discussion! I started listening in the mid 1960’s. Tunable radios were it. I think the first scanner I had was a crystal controlled Bearcat BCU-2, if memory serves me right. So at that time I was running a two band Realistic tunable 30-50mhz and 144-174mhz on a four element ground plane and the Bearcat equipped with a descrambler for speech inversion!
Many, many, many radios later, after about 15 months I’m still wrapping my head around the SDS 100! An “old dog”…perhaps. Still Learning. Thanks to the help of many kind folks here, it’s better! While I’m new to “DMA” and all this new stuff I’ll make one observation. And it’s just my opinion. At this price point, it seems to me that perhaps you’re paying for simulcast while everything else is…just “so-so?” I could go on. But I’m trying to stay positive and open.
Many, many, many radios later, after about 15 months I’m still wrapping my head around the SDS 100! An “old dog”…perhaps. Still Learning. Thanks to the help of many kind folks here, it’s better! While I’m new to “DMA” and all this new stuff I’ll make one observation. And it’s just my opinion. At this price point, it seems to me that perhaps you’re paying for simulcast while everything else is…just “so-so?” I could go on. But I’m trying to stay positive and open.
I can't keep up with all the radios out there. I had to look up the TX1 and found it was a Whistler. It's good to learn something new every day.
Having listen to radios for nearly 50 years now, both old school one channel radios and modern SDS types each had/have good and bad points.
It was so much easier to listen when there was only a hand full of frequencies (10 or 20) and you could monitor everything. I remember not having enough channels though, having to change one channel or more so you could listen to something else. Modern scanners hard to run out of channels.
With so many talkgroups now you can listen to only the areas you want unlike what I mentioned above because they were sharing frequencies.
The use of repeaters has also helped in monitoring. there was nothing worse than trying to listen to a working fire and all you could hear was the dispatcher unless you were close by.
Being able to enter alpha tags are nice to ID what you are actually listening to. Switching between so many talkgroups can be a pain looking for the right talkgroup they have moved to, alpha tags help alot.
I would prefer the older over the new, but you need to keep up if you want to listen.
It was so much easier to listen when there was only a hand full of frequencies (10 or 20) and you could monitor everything. I remember not having enough channels though, having to change one channel or more so you could listen to something else. Modern scanners hard to run out of channels.
With so many talkgroups now you can listen to only the areas you want unlike what I mentioned above because they were sharing frequencies.
The use of repeaters has also helped in monitoring. there was nothing worse than trying to listen to a working fire and all you could hear was the dispatcher unless you were close by.
Being able to enter alpha tags are nice to ID what you are actually listening to. Switching between so many talkgroups can be a pain looking for the right talkgroup they have moved to, alpha tags help alot.
I would prefer the older over the new, but you need to keep up if you want to listen.
being a scanner junkies for about 50 years I yearned for the newest, the latest, the greatest and each evolution became more complex. Yes, they did more but more came with both a dollar price and a steep learning curve. In the beginning there was the hunt for the frequencies and the wait for the crystal to arrive. Then when programmable came on the scene it was a lengthy session inputting the data. So yes, software is a big help….but I still loved my crystal controlled scanners. Simple yet effective
Eng74
Member
Yes. I enjoy both. I think the best thing to happen with scanning since I started in 1991 was computer programming and text tags. Simple conventional systems are great because they are fast and trunked systems are great too because there are things you can find and ad radio ids so you know the dispatch and the engines.
scannersnstuff
Active Member
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The oldest technology I have is the Realistic Pro-2006.The radio get's no use. When I resided in NJ, I could find enough to listen to for 8 scanner's worth. Digital and conventional alike. Where I live now, Fla. I can do my county with my analog bct15 <analog phase I> . I use a Bc898t to listen to select civil/milair. Lately I've been using my bcd436hp for my county fire. I need to deselect the dispatch channel,and listen to it on the bct15.It is pretty busy. There is very,very little around here that is vhf/uhf. There is a ton of encrypted police/fire down here.
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If you are not using at least one SDR (in addition to other radios), you are way behind doing interesting things.
I have several radios running at the same time. Old crystal models, newer analog (PSR), "older" digital (PSR) and newer digital (SDS). Each does its own thing and does it well. I can't even use a non-SDS radio to receive my local public safety agencies since they are all on a Simulcast system. The PSR-500, which is great for non-Simulcast P25, doesn't have a dedicated CT/DC decoder, so other radios are needed if that's important. It's nice to be able to program "everything" into one radio, but it's nicer if you don't need to have all those channels anyway.
This list goes on and on. It's not a matter of which radio or type of radio makes me happiest. It's a matter of having the correct radio/receiver to monitor whatever it is I want to hear now.
This list goes on and on. It's not a matter of which radio or type of radio makes me happiest. It's a matter of having the correct radio/receiver to monitor whatever it is I want to hear now.
My first was the Uniden BC210XLT which was more than capable enough during the pre-2000 years for my county and neighboring areas. As things changed I went to the BC780XLT, which again, filled the need as trunking started to come into vogue in my area. But of course things continued to change and I wound up with digital scanners on the desk and in the vehicle. I also had a Pro-43 which I modded to receive the then analog cell system, which provided some entertainment.
I went through various Radio Shack models over the years such as (in no particular order) the aforementioned Pro-43, 83, 92, 95, 96, 97, 106, 163, 651, 668, 2035, 2042, 2045, 2055, 2067 and 2096. The Unidens I've owned (again no particular order) include the aforementioned BC210XLT, BCT15, BCD396XT, BC780XLT, BC898T, BCD996XT, BCD996P2 and now I am at the SDS200 as my sole owned scanner, which sits in my Ram pickup full time.
I went through a period where I had no scanners after I sold off everything, as I regained interest in what was my first hobby as a kid - astronomy. That is still my primary interest, but after some time away from RR, I came back to look around and started reading about what was going on now, and became interested in the SDS200 since there is a lot of simulcast around us here. I have and will always be interested in monitoring the PD and FD/Rescue services. I've tried other things like school busses, businesses, utilities, etc., but for myself I've found them quite boring. We all like what we like of course.
However, with the increasing level of encryption in use for PD, it has been more challenging. Plus my home county now uses CAD and there is really no voice transmissions in the public safety realm any longer, so I eschew monitoring them for my surrounding areas that at least use traditional dispatching methods. So I am more selective about the systems I monitor while out in my truck, particularly going between our other property in western Virginia where I do the majority of my astronomical observing because of the much darker skies. There are still some departments out there not using encryption which always provides me with entertainment as I drive around town, or going to and from the other place. Anyway, there is where I've been and where I am with the hobby.
I went through various Radio Shack models over the years such as (in no particular order) the aforementioned Pro-43, 83, 92, 95, 96, 97, 106, 163, 651, 668, 2035, 2042, 2045, 2055, 2067 and 2096. The Unidens I've owned (again no particular order) include the aforementioned BC210XLT, BCT15, BCD396XT, BC780XLT, BC898T, BCD996XT, BCD996P2 and now I am at the SDS200 as my sole owned scanner, which sits in my Ram pickup full time.
I went through a period where I had no scanners after I sold off everything, as I regained interest in what was my first hobby as a kid - astronomy. That is still my primary interest, but after some time away from RR, I came back to look around and started reading about what was going on now, and became interested in the SDS200 since there is a lot of simulcast around us here. I have and will always be interested in monitoring the PD and FD/Rescue services. I've tried other things like school busses, businesses, utilities, etc., but for myself I've found them quite boring. We all like what we like of course.
However, with the increasing level of encryption in use for PD, it has been more challenging. Plus my home county now uses CAD and there is really no voice transmissions in the public safety realm any longer, so I eschew monitoring them for my surrounding areas that at least use traditional dispatching methods. So I am more selective about the systems I monitor while out in my truck, particularly going between our other property in western Virginia where I do the majority of my astronomical observing because of the much darker skies. There are still some departments out there not using encryption which always provides me with entertainment as I drive around town, or going to and from the other place. Anyway, there is where I've been and where I am with the hobby.
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