What Was Scanning Like Back In The Day?

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radioman2001

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New York North Carolina and all points in between
Wow, some memories. I got started in radio in 1964 at around 11 when my father bought a Heathkit radio for me to build for SWL. Then in 1968 or 9 my parents bought me an AM/FM PS portable radio. I mean portable in the sense that it was smaller than a bread box (11" x 9" x 6") and ran on batteries. It was good enough to get West Co PD in 155.55. Sheriff was on 155.310 and on a good day I could pick up some NYPD and FDNY from our home some 30mi North of NYC. When I go my first job (working for Westchester County in the old age home) one of my first checks went towards a low band and then a VHF-HI Lafayett tunables with 2 crystal positions radios. It could be used in a car as a mobile and portable (again size mattered) in a carry case that held 10 "C" or "D" batteries (can't remember which) and a telescopic antenna. The low band was for Westchester County Fire Dispatch 46.26 and Mutual aid 46.14. Mt Pleasant PD were on 37.10 along with White Plains, Croton on Hudson, Briarcliff Manor and Ossining. Now that's what I call real inter-op frequency. Any agency that required assistance just called the neighboring town. New Castle and North Castle were on 39.10 so again easy to call for help. There were some VHF-HI agencies locally along with County PD, there was Pleasntville, Mt Kisco, Bedford. The same frequency was also used down county by Mamaroneck that had voice inverse scrambling and then there was Yonkers on UHF. A real PIA to monitor, they had strange brew HT-200 that transmitted on VHF and received on UHF. They still use the same frequencies today in P-25.
It was much easier back then and the local PD's really weren't concerned if you were listening as long as you didn't interfere at scenes.
I suspect and this is my personal opinion that PS radio will go dark nationwide as it is in the EU and most other countries in the world within the next 10-15 years or at the most 20. A lot has to do with the hysteria that was created after 911 (I know I was there) and the other is technology. There are already predictions that we are running out of frequencies for PS and Cell Phones. PS is a problem but Cell Phones should stay with connecting people not trying to compete with cable companies for TV broadcast.
I long for those days pre 911 when most anything could be heard on radio and there was little harm in doing so. It even in some cases actually helped PS do there job. Now we have paranoid elected officials calling for military style anti-missle technology on aircraft. That may not have much to do with radio but it sure goes a long way on how this county views it's citizens.A great big piggy bank.
 

stingray327

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San Francisco, California bay area
Wow, some memories. I got started in radio in 1964 at around 11 when my father bought a Heathkit radio for me to build for SWL. Then in 1968 or 9 my parents bought me an AM/FM PS portable radio. I mean portable in the sense that it was smaller than a bread box (11" x 9" x 6") and ran on batteries. It was good enough to get West Co PD in 155.55. Sheriff was on 155.310 and on a good day I could pick up some NYPD and FDNY from our home some 30mi North of NYC. When I go my first job (working for Westchester County in the old age home) one of my first checks went towards a low band and then a VHF-HI Lafayett tunables with 2 crystal positions radios. It could be used in a car as a mobile and portable (again size mattered) in a carry case that held 10 "C" or "D" batteries (can't remember which) and a telescopic antenna. The low band was for Westchester County Fire Dispatch 46.26 and Mutual aid 46.14. Mt Pleasant PD were on 37.10 along with White Plains, Croton on Hudson, Briarcliff Manor and Ossining. Now that's what I call real inter-op frequency. Any agency that required assistance just called the neighboring town. New Castle and North Castle were on 39.10 so again easy to call for help. There were some VHF-HI agencies locally along with County PD, there was Pleasntville, Mt Kisco, Bedford. The same frequency was also used down county by Mamaroneck that had voice inverse scrambling and then there was Yonkers on UHF. A real PIA to monitor, they had strange brew HT-200 that transmitted on VHF and received on UHF. They still use the same frequencies today in P-25.
It was much easier back then and the local PD's really weren't concerned if you were listening as long as you didn't interfere at scenes.
I suspect and this is my personal opinion that PS radio will go dark nationwide as it is in the EU and most other countries in the world within the next 10-15 years or at the most 20. A lot has to do with the hysteria that was created after 911 (I know I was there) and the other is technology. There are already predictions that we are running out of frequencies for PS and Cell Phones. PS is a problem but Cell Phones should stay with connecting people not trying to compete with cable companies for TV broadcast.
I long for those days pre 911 when most anything could be heard on radio and there was little harm in doing so. It even in some cases actually helped PS do there job. Now we have paranoid elected officials calling for military style anti-missle technology on aircraft. That may not have much to do with radio but it sure goes a long way on how this county views it's citizens.A great big piggy bank.

By PS do you mean Public Service radio?
 

Xray

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Joined
May 24, 2005
Messages
614
First radio was a Pro 34 that I got for airshows, I saw a guy using one and knew I had to have one. Got the scanner the day before the show when there is plenty of activity with arrivals and practice .... Put the batteries in, fired it up and waited to catch all the comms.
To my utter disappointment I didn't hear a thing, sat there half an hour with not a peep. Figured the unit must be defective so I took it to a local radio shack and told him the unit was fried.
He said Ok, so its not receiving, are you sure you got the right freqs entered ? This was something that never entered my mind, I thought you turned it on and it started picking up whatever was being broadcast.

Felt pretty foolish, I bought a police call book which had a few of the main freqs of the airbase I was at, and I finally started receiving and I was a happy camper - Happy until I ran into a guy picking up traffic that I wasn't, when I asked him if I could have his freqs he said sure, then said hold on.
Your radio can't receive them, they are in the 220-400 military aviation band.
So shortly thereafter I had a Fairmate HP-2000, which was pretty much an AOR 1000 clone. Back in them days there were very few scanners which could receive this band and they were expensive, $700 or so I paid for mine.
Got a Pro 2006 which I heavily modified [still have it], put up a discone on a mast on my roof [still there] and of course I started getting into other areas of scanning like police, ems ect. Back then before the internet, if you wanted to find freqs you got police call magazine, and/or you searched for them yourself.
Was a thrill of the chase type thing for me, and I found many discrete freqs in use not listed. Used to dig around and find the freqs DEA used for undercover ops, you could follow their every move [I guess criminals could as well], but often they'd tail a guy from a hotel on to a titty bar then to another club, back to the hotel ect and they'd catalog every person they came in contact with. When you heard traffic like that you knew it was local, probably used low powered car to car type radios ,,, And of course often they'd rattle off streets, places and intersections pretty much without any attempts to disguise, like police do.
Snooping on cell phones could be entertaining, heard a guy get into a wreck one time arguing drunkenly with his wife ,,, But I never got into that much, military and LE monitoring is what I liked, and is what I like today.
Also was into shortwave military/government monitoring. Hard to believe, but you could actually sit back and listen to presidents, secretaries and other dignitaries having "private" phone calls from their aircraft on the "Mystic Star" network. They of course knew they could be monitored so tended to keep it discreet, but often times not. This faded out around the Clinton era when that VIP traffic went to SAT, shortwave utility monitoring has really died out but still some traffic out there.

Still have the old 2006, still use it for aviation monitoring. I have an old Pro 43, great for airshows, has the mil band an unlike most scanners today, can easily be programmed in the field. Have an Alinco DJX-2000, very complex scanner with gobs of features including a frequency counter, but its analog, use that one for airshows too.
Digital I have a uniden handheld and a home patrol.
 
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stingray327

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Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,798
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San Francisco, California bay area
First radio was a Pro 34 that I got for airshows, I saw a guy using one and knew I had to have one. Got the scanner the day before the show when there is plenty of activity with arrivals and practice .... Put the batteries in, fired it up and waited to catch all the comms.
To my utter disappointment I didn't hear a thing, sat there half an hour with not a peep. Figured the unit must be defective so I took it to a local radio shack and told him the unit was fried.
He said Ok, so its not receiving, are you sure you got the right freqs entered ? This was something that never entered my mind, I thought you turned it on and it started picking up whatever was being broadcast.

Felt pretty foolish, I bought a police call book which had a few of the main freqs of the airbase I was at, and I finally started receiving and I was a happy camper - Happy until I ran into a guy picking up traffic that I wasn't, when I asked him if I could have his freqs he said sure, then said hold on.
Your radio can't receive them, they are in the 220-400 military aviation band.
So shortly thereafter I had a Fairmate HP-2000, which was pretty much an AOR 1000 clone. Back in them days there were very few scanners which could receive this band and they were expensive, $700 or so I paid for mine.
Got a Pro 2006 which I heavily modified [still have it], put up a discone on a mast on my roof [still there] and of course I started getting into other areas of scanning like police, ems ect. Back then before the internet, if you wanted to find freqs you got police call magazine, and/or you searched for them yourself.
Was a thrill of the chase type thing for me, and I found many discrete freqs in use not listed. Used to dig around and find the freqs DEA used for undercover ops, you could follow their every move [I guess criminals could as well], but often they'd tail a guy from a hotel on to a titty bar then to another club, back to the hotel ect and they'd catalog every person they came in contact with. When you heard traffic like that you knew it was local, probably used low powered car to car type radios ,,, And of course often they'd rattle off streets, places and intersections pretty much without any attempts to disguise, like police do.
Snooping on cell phones could be entertaining, heard a guy get into a wreck one time arguing drunkenly with his wife ,,, But I never got into that much, military and LE monitoring is what I liked, and is what I like today.
Also was into shortwave military/government monitoring. Hard to believe, but you could actually sit back and listen to presidents, secretaries and other dignitaries having "private" phone calls from their aircraft on the "Mystic Star" network. They of course knew they could be monitored so tended to keep it discreet, but often times not. This faded out around the Clinton era when that VIP traffic went to SAT, shortwave utility monitoring has really died out but still some traffic out there.

Still have the old 2006, still use it for aviation monitoring. I have an old Pro 43, great for airshows, has the mil band an unlike most scanners today, can easily be programmed in the field. Have an Alinco DJX-2000, very complex scanner with gobs of features including a frequency counter, but its analog, use that one for airshows too.
Digital I have a uniden handheld and a home patrol.

Those are both great scanners. I have 2 of each of the Pro-2006 and Pro-43. Also have a Pro-2005 and Pro-2023 another base unit. Just collecting dust. All of the scanners are operative but everyting now has gone digital or trunking.
 

Citywide173

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Attleboro, MA
I got started in October 1980 at 12 years old, when I purchased a Bearcat Four-Six ThinScan. I had crystals for my local PD/FD, the city which I lived on the line of's PD/FD and a weather crystal with one channel free. Eventually, I was given a Regency crystal that somebody had, and I forget which frequency it was on (and I'm too lazy to do the math), but when coupled with the Bearcat's IF, it received 155.340, which was the local HEAR network. The following Christmas, I received a Bearcat 220 and even though it was only 20 channels, I would enter frequencies galore to see how far, and what kind of communications, I could receive.

My interests gravitated toward the fire department, and I started fire scene photography the next year. I went to what I could on my bike, and learned a lot of tactics and scene etiquette. I have been all over the country with radios, photographed fire scenes in some of the largest cities, become a HAM radio operator and helped to design radio systems as both an employee of several and owner of a two-way radio shop. My best memories though are those early days where I would spend the nights of my summer vacations searching with the BC220 for anything and everything that I could listen to.

In my opinion, the hobby has become less appealing to those with high senses of adventure. With the internet readily available, and sites like this one, a lot of the challenge is gone. There are people new to the hobby that post to this site, and a local one that I am more active on that EXPECT to have the answers given to them when they ask a question that a simple google search would have provided. More so, they will ask a question, and when an answer is suggested that may be outside the box, they poo poo it away, sometimes insulting the person that gave the answer. Sharing of info has made the other hobbies I do that require the radios much easier, and I try to thank everyone who helps me, but I'm not sure the next generation feels the same.
 

stingray327

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Jan 29, 2008
Messages
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San Francisco, California bay area
I got started in October 1980 at 12 years old, when I purchased a Bearcat Four-Six ThinScan. I had crystals for my local PD/FD, the city which I lived on the line of's PD/FD and a weather crystal with one channel free. Eventually, I was given a Regency crystal that somebody had, and I forget which frequency it was on (and I'm too lazy to do the math), but when coupled with the Bearcat's IF, it received 155.340, which was the local HEAR network. The following Christmas, I received a Bearcat 220 and even though it was only 20 channels, I would enter frequencies galore to see how far, and what kind of communications, I could receive.

My interests gravitated toward the fire department, and I started fire scene photography the next year. I went to what I could on my bike, and learned a lot of tactics and scene etiquette. I have been all over the country with radios, photographed fire scenes in some of the largest cities, become a HAM radio operator and helped to design radio systems as both an employee of several and owner of a two-way radio shop. My best memories though are those early days where I would spend the nights of my summer vacations searching with the BC220 for anything and everything that I could listen to.

In my opinion, the hobby has become less appealing to those with high senses of adventure. With the internet readily available, and sites like this one, a lot of the challenge is gone. There are people new to the hobby that post to this site, and a local one that I am more active on that EXPECT to have the answers given to them when they ask a question that a simple google search would have provided. More so, they will ask a question, and when an answer is suggested that may be outside the box, they poo poo it away, sometimes insulting the person that gave the answer. Sharing of info has made the other hobbies I do that require the radios much easier, and I try to thank everyone who helps me, but I'm not sure the next generation feels the same.

This next new generation is more into computers, internet and video games. Internet has open new ways for other forms of communication, shopping and doing business. Scanning was more fun back in the day.
 

wbswetnam

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DMR-istan
I first got addicted to scanners when my grandfather gave me his Bearcat III crystal scanner in 1980. I was in high school at the time in northeast Nebraska. I took it back home and got crystals for Nebraska statewide sheriffs' net (39.900), statewide fire net (39.980), statewide medical net (39.820), Nebraska State Patrol (42.460) and my local police frequencies. It was so much fun listening to them.

My most memorable scanning event was about 1994 when I had graduated to a Bearcat 800XLT, cellular unblocked. I intercepted a cell phone call from a guy calling 911 to the local sheriff's department to report a drunk driver in front of him. I heard the entire thing, from the 911 cell phone conversation between the caller and the 911 operator, the sheriff's department dispatch, the sheriffs deputies using their car - to - car channel to coordinate interception, etc. I heard every radio frequency angle of the event. The cops got the guy but allowed a family member to drive him home.

I also remember listening to the US Border Patrol intercepting illegal aliens crossing the border when I lived for a year in Douglas, Arizona on the US / Mexico border. They operated in the clear on about 163 Mhz FM. Now it's 100% encrypted I think.
 

elephant

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Jan 29, 2003
Messages
131
I first got addicted to scanners when my grandfather gave me his Bearcat III crystal scanner in 1980. I was in high school at the time in northeast Nebraska. I took it back home and got crystals for Nebraska statewide sheriffs' net (39.900), statewide fire net (39.980), statewide medical net (39.820), Nebraska State Patrol (42.460) and my local police frequencies. It was so much fun listening to them.

My most memorable scanning event was about 1994 when I had graduated to a Bearcat 800XLT, cellular unblocked. I intercepted a cell phone call from a guy calling 911 to the local sheriff's department to report a drunk driver in front of him. I heard the entire thing, from the 911 cell phone conversation between the caller and the 911 operator, the sheriff's department dispatch, the sheriffs deputies using their car - to - car channel to coordinate interception, etc. I heard every radio frequency angle of the event. The cops got the guy but allowed a family member to drive him home.

I also remember listening to the US Border Patrol intercepting illegal aliens crossing the border when I lived for a year in Douglas, Arizona on the US / Mexico border. They operated in the clear on about 163 Mhz FM. Now it's 100% encrypted I think.

Remember when all the police departments in northeast Nebraska were on 39.90? Everyone from Creighton to Pierce to Stanton and Madison. Anyone of those towns could press the mic and call any other town. Even the Weather Service Office in Norfolk had a 39.90 radio sitting next to the radar and if they saw bad weather moving in, they'd just pick up the mic and radio whatever town to sound the sirens.
That's when listening was lots of fun.
 

CptCrunch

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Apr 3, 2009
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Winchester, Kentucky
I started listening back in about 1975 working at a radio station. It was on a Bearcat that was around for years. I was hooked. I finally got my first on in 1977. 14 channel crystal, UHF, VHF Hi-Lo. I only used about 8 crystals. Then I moved and had to get all new ones. In 1983 I got my first 4 channel hand held. I got into police work and used it to monitor the other agencies in the county. Used it forever then got a 10 channel programmable because my 4 channel wasn't enough. About 1993 I got one with 100 channels and all programmable. It had 800 MHz but no trunking. I had a Pro-97 that handled all my needs until the State Police and my local police went P-25 on me. Now I have a Pro 106 & 197 that I program by computer. I don't think I'll ever quit.
 

INDY72

Monitoring since 1982, using radios since 1991.
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I first began monitoring in 1982 sitting up at nights with my grandfather. He had an cool crystal based scanner, 10 CH's that had those nifty red LED's , and toggle switches for locking them out, open for scan, or hold for each CH. Our primary crystals were for the Natchez, MS area. (NPD Dispatch/Car to Car/Statewide High Band - VHF High, NFD/ACFD Dispatch/ Fireground/Statewide Fire - VHF High, ACSO Dispatch/Statewide Low, MHP Troop M Dispatch/Cars - VHF Low) For my 12th Bday, I got my first scanner, And when in Natchez during the Summer, this added the Vidalia, LA PD/FD on VHF High, LSP on UHF, MHP Low Repeater, Low band EOC's, EMS Dispatch/ER's on VHF High, and CPSO/EOC... At home I monitored the Copiah County area, and surrounding counties. I eventually upgraded to an BC350 A, and Sony one. This began my getting serious with the hobby. By high school I had 3 scanners, and my VFD radios, and a CB. By then, the trunking craze had begun, and it took me another year to get up to speed with an PRO-94, and PRO-2052. Over the years I have had PRO-92's (Original, A's, and B's, ), PRO-43's, PRO-99's, an PRO-83, 2 PRO-96's (One still alive), an PRO-97, BC248CLT, BC350-A & C, and an BC80.... I hope to by the first of Spring add iether an new Whistler, or BCD436HP to my collection to go with the current PRO-96, and PRO-92.

Things have changed hugely from the old crystal days.... Now most of what I listen to is on TRS.. Motorola 3600, EDACS, LTR, and yes P25's. Some of what I monitor is VHF/UHF conventional analog, and P25... And if things go like the inside info points, i will be able to monitor NXDN and DMR conventional as long as its not encrypted. Not sure if the MotoTRBO, and NexEDGE TRS's will be in those plans.. But I am always hopeful.
 

stingray327

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Jan 29, 2008
Messages
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San Francisco, California bay area
I first began monitoring in 1982 sitting up at nights with my grandfather. He had an cool crystal based scanner, 10 CH's that had those nifty red LED's , and toggle switches for locking them out, open for scan, or hold for each CH. Our primary crystals were for the Natchez, MS area. (NPD Dispatch/Car to Car/Statewide High Band - VHF High, NFD/ACFD Dispatch/ Fireground/Statewide Fire - VHF High, ACSO Dispatch/Statewide Low, MHP Troop M Dispatch/Cars - VHF Low) For my 12th Bday, I got my first scanner, And when in Natchez during the Summer, this added the Vidalia, LA PD/FD on VHF High, LSP on UHF, MHP Low Repeater, Low band EOC's, EMS Dispatch/ER's on VHF High, and CPSO/EOC... At home I monitored the Copiah County area, and surrounding counties. I eventually upgraded to an BC350 A, and Sony one. This began my getting serious with the hobby. By high school I had 3 scanners, and my VFD radios, and a CB. By then, the trunking craze had begun, and it took me another year to get up to speed with an PRO-94, and PRO-2052. Over the years I have had PRO-92's (Original, A's, and B's, ), PRO-43's, PRO-99's, an PRO-83, 2 PRO-96's (One still alive), an PRO-97, BC248CLT, BC350-A & C, and an BC80.... I hope to by the first of Spring add iether an new Whistler, or BCD436HP to my collection to go with the current PRO-96, and PRO-92.

Things have changed hugely from the old crystal days.... Now most of what I listen to is on TRS.. Motorola 3600, EDACS, LTR, and yes P25's. Some of what I monitor is VHF/UHF conventional analog, and P25... And if things go like the inside info points, i will be able to monitor NXDN and DMR conventional as long as its not encrypted. Not sure if the MotoTRBO, and NexEDGE TRS's will be in those plans.. But I am always hopeful.

That first scanner sounds like it was a Electra Bearcat scanner?
 

stingray327

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Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,798
Location
San Francisco, California bay area
I started listening back in about 1975 working at a radio station. It was on a Bearcat that was around for years. I was hooked. I finally got my first on in 1977. 14 channel crystal, UHF, VHF Hi-Lo. I only used about 8 crystals. Then I moved and had to get all new ones. In 1983 I got my first 4 channel hand held. I got into police work and used it to monitor the other agencies in the county. Used it forever then got a 10 channel programmable because my 4 channel wasn't enough. About 1993 I got one with 100 channels and all programmable. It had 800 MHz but no trunking. I had a Pro-97 that handled all my needs until the State Police and my local police went P-25 on me. Now I have a Pro 106 & 197 that I program by computer. I don't think I'll ever quit.

I am in same situation now and also have a Pro-97 I currently used except there are a few departments I used to monitor until they changed over. Now I need to get a new handheld and a base to monitor those departments. I'll probably end up getting the Uniden 436 and 536. Hopefully by then most of the bugs will have been worked out.
 

DJ11DLN

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Mar 23, 2013
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Mudhole, IN
One thing I've noticed that has changed markedly are the nature and number of the "observe for (reckless/extreme speed/impaired/sleepy/whatever) driver" alerts. They used to be mostly for cars and the occasional pickup truck; now there seem to be a whole lot more of them and four out of five or so pertain to semis and other heavy trucks. I find this rather scary myself, though it may just be that now everybody has a cell phone. For a long time, reporting someone you thought wasn't observing proper highway manners involved interrupting your trip to catch an off ramp and find a pay phone, and I'm sure that now a substantial number of calls are for things that wouldn't even get reported if the RP didn't have a cellular in their pocket.

And one other disturbing thing I cannot remember hearing at all during the early '70s period when I first started monitoring until well into the mid '90s, but now hear at least twice a week: "Observe for (followed by vehicle description, location, direction of travel etc), possible road rage incident..."

But they still end every one of these with, "If located, make your own case," just like they always did. The officers who have to deal with these messes are still pretty much on their own.
 

stingray327

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Jan 29, 2008
Messages
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Location
San Francisco, California bay area
One thing I've noticed that has changed markedly are the nature and number of the "observe for (reckless/extreme speed/impaired/sleepy/whatever) driver" alerts. They used to be mostly for cars and the occasional pickup truck; now there seem to be a whole lot more of them and four out of five or so pertain to semis and other heavy trucks. I find this rather scary myself, though it may just be that now everybody has a cell phone. For a long time, reporting someone you thought wasn't observing proper highway manners involved interrupting your trip to catch an off ramp and find a pay phone, and I'm sure that now a substantial number of calls are for things that wouldn't even get reported if the RP didn't have a cellular in their pocket.

And one other disturbing thing I cannot remember hearing at all during the early '70s period when I first started monitoring until well into the mid '90s, but now hear at least twice a week: "Observe for (followed by vehicle description, location, direction of travel etc), possible road rage incident..."

But they still end every one of these with, "If located, make your own case," just like they always did. The officers who have to deal with these messes are still pretty much on their own.

The situation is similiar here too. Lots of road rage incidents on a daily basis as well lots of debris calls like a piece of plywood or furniture on the freeway.
 

INDY72

Monitoring since 1982, using radios since 1991.
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Dec 18, 2002
Messages
14,729
Location
Indianapolis, IN
One thing I've noticed that has changed markedly are the nature and number of the "observe for (reckless/extreme speed/impaired/sleepy/whatever) driver" alerts. They used to be mostly for cars and the occasional pickup truck; now there seem to be a whole lot more of them and four out of five or so pertain to semis and other heavy trucks. I find this rather scary myself, though it may just be that now everybody has a cell phone. For a long time, reporting someone you thought wasn't observing proper highway manners involved interrupting your trip to catch an off ramp and find a pay phone, and I'm sure that now a substantial number of calls are for things that wouldn't even get reported if the RP didn't have a cellular in their pocket.

And one other disturbing thing I cannot remember hearing at all during the early '70s period when I first started monitoring until well into the mid '90s, but now hear at least twice a week: "Observe for (followed by vehicle description, location, direction of travel etc), possible road rage incident..."

But they still end every one of these with, "If located, make your own case," just like they always did. The officers who have to deal with these messes are still pretty much on their own.


Yep, back in my pre cell days... If I noticed a semi or car acting a lil wierd.. I jumped on 18 to alert the rest of the listeners to watch out.. Or if it was real bad, 9 and hit up one or more of my MHP or CSPD friends.. Then when I was in a VFD.. I used my FD radio to call our PD on the interop freq...
 

stingray327

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Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,798
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San Francisco, California bay area
Yep, back in my pre cell days... If I noticed a semi or car acting a lil wierd.. I jumped on 18 to alert the rest of the listeners to watch out.. Or if it was real bad, 9 and hit up one or more of my MHP or CSPD friends.. Then when I was in a VFD.. I used my FD radio to call our PD on the interop freq...

CB radio was also very much different back in 1971,
 

DJ11DLN

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Mar 23, 2013
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2,068
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Mudhole, IN
Yep, back in my pre cell days... If I noticed a semi or car acting a lil wierd.. I jumped on 18 to alert the rest of the listeners to watch out.. Or if it was real bad, 9 and hit up one or more of my MHP or CSPD friends.. Then when I was in a VFD.. I used my FD radio to call our PD on the interop freq...

I forgot about the CB part. But around here you had to hope you could catch a trucker about to take a ramp or somebody with one of the old mobile phones who would make the call. The ISP and lots of SD's had CBs in their cars...I very seldom every saw one turned on and was never able to catch "Smokey Bear" when somebody was being a road hazard. Later when I was involved in that end and asked about the perpetually-off CBs, the reasoning given was that, "It just makes too much noise, too distracting." Well, I can see that side of it too, especially when the skip was running and people weren't honoring the Channel 9 restriction. Traveling through other states, I did hear them come back to people calling about bad drivers, broken signage, and so forth...maybe those states bought better-quality CBs for their "bears!"
 

Jimru

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Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,306
Location
Henrico County, VA
My first experience monitoring public safety was with a Realistic Patrolman Mini. It was a great little radio. Thumb wheel tuning of the PS VHF High range and AM BCB as well. I easily kept my ears on the NYPD and FDNY. This was about 1971 or so. I was about 14.
Later in life, my first true scanner was the Regency HX-1500 programmable scanner. Great radio & built like a tank. I listened to NYPD, FDNY and then anything else that the radio could receive, it didn't matter, as I was hooked to monitoring, period.
The OP is interested in some of the the things that are verboten these days, such as phone calls and such. I did monitor the first cordless phones, "car" phones, which were in the VHF high range and maritime mobile "telephone" conversations, which were done much like ham radio operators using a "phone patch", something not done much at all anymore because of cell phones and satellite phones. I didn't monitor cell phones until I obtained my Radio Shack Pro-2005 in the mid-1980's. I had to clip off a diode to enable that, by the way!
It was exciting to monitor both the NYPD and Feds in stake outs back then, before encryption was in wide use. The only encryption then was an inverse audio scrambling, but there was not much of it around.
Those were the days, indeed!
 
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