What was your first scanner model?

[SCPD]

I had a tunable Radio Shack Patrolman handheld. It received many frequencies at the same time so it sounded real bad. I was listening to the LAPD. I purchased this radio in 1968.

In 1970 I bought a Regency 8 channel VHF-High band crystal scanner. I still have it and it still works. At night the lights flashing are quite impressive. I was at the scene of a very large incident in southern California in 1971 and took a look inside a media van that had about 8-10 Regencys mounted in it. I can't imagine trying to drive and watch all those flashing lights!

The receiver of this scanner is not at all sensitive. The peak reception is only 4 MHz's, so anything outside of that is even less sensitive. It came centered on 155.500, but I had a Forest Service radio tech tune it to 169.000 some years ago when it was my only scanner and I wanted to crystal it up so I could receive the NPS and USFS in the Flagstaff area.

It wasn't until 1975 or 1976 that Police Call came out with a nationwide edition so finding out what crystals to order was a bit difficult. Changing crystals was time consuming and even with needle nose pliers was difficult. I installed it in my pickup truck and then went out of state to college, but could not afford to buy new crystals so there wasn't much to listen to unless one of your frequencies happened to be in use in the area you were traveling in.

I still own every scanner I ever bought except for a Radio Shack 4 channel, crystal controlled, handheld. The rubber duckie came out very easily and I lost a few of them just walking around. The sensitivity was poor, but I got it so I could hear the Coconino County, Arizona sheriffs department on low band as my Regency was a high band only model. The Radio Shack 4 channel handheld was so cheaply made that it was worn out in a year or two and I threw it out.

 

[Big_Ears]

My first scanner actually wasn't mine. It belonged to the State of California. I was probably about 10 years old at the time. My father retired from Caltrans-Engineering Region 4, which was the San Francisco office. His division was Freeway Ops so he was issued a CA state car for work. The car had an old Regency 8 channel xtal controlled scanner that had 8 incandescent lights that would track as it switched channels. I would wolf down my dinner and then spen the next 3 hours sitting in the car while I listened to the local CHP Dispatch channels. Boy, I was fascinated by that scanner. I guess my Dad noticed the interest so I got a Radio Shack tri-band tunable radio for xmas. That radio had VHF Hi/Lo and UHF so I was able to receive ALCO Sheriff and County Fire. That kickstarted my hobby for monitoring the local Public Service bands. On my next birthday, I was given an box that had a number of the old "dead" scanners that were in the state cars. I guess that started my electronics interest because I was able to fix one of "dead" scanners using parts from the other dead ones. That scanner was on nearly 24 hours a day, except when my mom turned it off while I was at school.

That was 35 years ago! And the interest still remains...

 

[KCA6YU]

My first radio was a BC140.

 

[gd9704]

When I was 10 or 11 my father brought home a Bearcat 210. I was facinated by that thing--you actually punched in the frequencies on a keypad! Like Star Wars!!!


I remember using the search function to "stumble" upon mobile telephone calls back when they were a rich man's toy. Occasionally heard some interesting conversations then. (Hey, I was 10 and the statute of limitations must have run out????)

But that row of flashing LEDs really started a lifelong love of monitoring. The 210 finally died a slow death and I replaced it with a Pro-2022.

Then my home county went to a digital trunking system and I had other interests, so my scanner interest waned for a few years....

Now I'm a married dad.....I'm "high tech" again with my PSR-500. I'm sure some day my kid will look at it like an quaint antique! But I'm having a blast being able to pick up the Eastlake police again!!!!

Greg

 

[RayAir]

Radio Shack PRO-2023 20ch desktop scanner, got when I was 13

 

[stevolene]

mine was a regency with I believe 10 crystals, circa 1972 ?

 

[don333]

My very 1st radio was a tunable Monitor Radio in a blue metal case. Then I had 2 Lafayette radios; one was tunable with 1 crystal position for the car and the other was a desk mobile in a simulated wooden case that was tunable and, I think 2 crystal positions. Next was a Lafayette 6 channel crystal controlled mobile radio in a black case. After that, and what I think was the best crystal controlled radio, was a Sonar 6 channel crystal controlled mobile radio. Since then I've had many other radios.

 

[sdp40f500]

My first radio was the Fanon Scanfare 4 channel (crystal) hand held, followed up closely by the 10 channel Regency mentioned in earlier posts (circa 1976) and a Lafayette 4-channel (crystal) hand held (built like a tank!).

Jim

 

[rabidmoose57]

Ah crystals!

My first was a 4 ch Radio Shack Patrolman..which I still have. The first programable was a Regency R4010 hand held. Got that one too.

 

[macdude22]

Pro-28 hand held. Used it for years, went off to college, lost interest in scanning for 8 or so years. Recently picked up the bug again with a Pro-162.

 

[springdalesam]

Mine was a pro 41 great scanner still works and I still use it in the kitchen when I'm cooking dinner for the kids.

 

[bubbaearle]

Radio Shack Pro 62

Pro 62

Still working great......just wish it had non-volitile memory so I didn't hafta reprogram it every time I let the NiCd battery die. :roll:

I think I bought it in 94 or 95.........

 

[james32746]

My first scanner was a PRO-95

 

[firefighter89]

My first was a RadioShack Pro-97.

 

[gambill1]

uniden bc 70xlt. still have it even though it does not work.

 

[ScanManQSL]

My first scanner was a Realistic Pro-34 (1989) and its still working great....

 

[rescue1017]

A Bearcat Four Six

 

[TrekBoy85]

Uniden BC55XLT (pictured in my avatar, actually)

 

[mm]

First for me was a Montgomery wards AM/FM/public safety band receiver that covered 150 to 174, no scanning just a simple tuneable dial, it was a single channel receiver that I kept on one of Detroit's EMS channels back in the early 1970's

Number 2 was a Regency ACT-10, crystal controlled UHF/VHF hi/Vlow scanner, which I picked up around 1972 then I moved up to a similar model of scanner which was built into a SBE CB radio in 1975, I don't remember this model.

I Never used the CB side just the scanner because I was a ham by that time.

So I guess my vote is for OTHER.

 

[ME343]

My first scanner was a BC92XLT
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