What's the most exciting/cool thing you heard on a scanner?

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raisindot

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Apologies if this has been asked but I didn't see it as a sticky topic (other than the "odd/funny" topic) and nothing obvious came up in a search.

Anyhoo, general question: What's the most exciting/cool transmission or event you heard on a scanner?

Living in the Boston area, back in the pre-cell, pre encryptions, I did hear a lot of car chases and on-foot chases with exciting cops yelling into their radios in hot pursuit.

But the most incredible event I ever heard was the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber. I was watching live news coverage of the cops surrounding the home with the boat where he was hiding while monitoring my scanner at the same time. The news commentators were about 5 minutes behind what was happening in the police conversations. They had everything set up as a non-encrypted conversation on non-trunked UHF frequencies. I was able to monitor the cops deciding when and how to approach the boat, their comments as they were approaching and entering, and finally his capture--which was transmitted via scanner more than 3 minutes before the news stations announced his capture.

On days like this, a scanner is really worth the money spent on it.
 

ka3jjz

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A few years ago, I was listening in on military exercises that were being conducted in my area, and a few a/c were in 'combat' with 'forces on the ground'. They started describing their 'targets' and one of them happened to be my car (LOL)

Hilarious! Mike
 

jonwienke

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A "man brandishing a firearm" call late at night, less than a block from my house. He was taken into custody right across the street.
 

savage308

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picked up the transmitter in a van being used by police in a drug sting tho it was transmitting on a frequency so close to the local police it was cross channeling them , local cops had no idea of the sting going on they were checking for open microphones, i did find the van in question after some searching thanks to a train being transmitted over a crossing , i recorded some audio gave it to a officer i knew well and the frequency in question the next day it was silent i got a thank you for my assistance,
 

mancow

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Mid air collision between two F-16s and one pilot calling mayday before ejecting.
 

ecps92

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Driving Home from a weekend in the White Mountains, Scanners running and doing the Speed Limit
a M/C passes at a high-rate, next thing we hear is the Airplane (NH runs Speed Patrols with Fixed Wing) to the ground units of... "M/C in the left lane, approaching the tolls, lane 6, right in-front of that grey unmarked"

Well we are in a Crown-Vic, Grey and yes a M/C is right in-front of me, Lane 6
Surprise for him as the Trooper steps out in-front of him and directs him over to the BDL.

Yes the Boston Marathon Bombing and week long activities, including 24/7 Aerial Surv of a suspect less than 1mi from my QTH at the time.
Plenty of others....
 

scosgt

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1. Lt. Francis LaSala, NYPD Emergency Services, running into a burning building without verifying that his location was understood by dispatch. R.I.P.
2. Larry Davis takedown
3. 1993 WTC bombing
4. Washington Heights shooting, the one where Mayor Dinkins paid for the funeral in the DR, only to find out that the "witness" lied. NEW YORK OFFICER SAID TO BE CLEARED IN FATAL SHOOTING - NYTimes.com
I heard Officer O'K calling for help on a point to point radio, not monitored by any dispatch. He did not give a location, so there was no way to notify anyone, After the facts of the case, I realized what I had heard.
5. Grand Central Parkway murder of Detectives Guerzon and Williams. I was working a security post in the rear of the DA's Office that day, heard the call, and ran inside to notify the DA. I now work with the Highway cop who was first on the scene that day. 2 Officers Transporting Prisoner Are Slain in Car - NYTimes.com

Well, those are just the ones that immediately come to mind.
 

toad99

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The Oklahoma City bombing. I started listening to the police and fire departments before they even knew what had happened.
 

scosgt

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Oh, and listening to the military jets patrolling over NYC on the night of 9-11
 

teufler

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Four things come to mind, the Ferguson Riots, watching on tv and listening to the scanner and finding out how little was passed to the media. The other was during Viet Nam. I monitored San FRANCISO WHEN Bobby Kennedy was shot. I piped the audio back to the USS Enterprise, and recently the lady trooper from Colorado that died when hit by a car on the interstate. The last was recently when a lady pedestrian tried to cross the interstate and was hit by three cars. The interstate was closed for at least 4 hours picking up pieces,. Back in the 70';s, it was interesting and sometimes exciting listen to mobile phone calls. "Honey I'll be late, working at the office", then "I got a few hours, I will be over", that sort of stuff.. This was back in the RCC phone days where an operator dialed the numbers you wanted to connect to. Stake outs and groups tailing someone, or an occasional house bust .
 

krokus

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Listened to the SWAT team enter a house, a couple blocks from my apartment, after a domestic incident. An entry team member reported one person still alive, but that ended up not being the case. (Mistaken in feeling a pulse, when there was not one, I believe.)

Sent via Tapatalk
 

bobmich52

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Bank robbery in South Winsor CT, resulting car chase through Manchester CT & involving CSP Too

Caught most of it & the chilling part of it was the final transmission from a MPD officer finishing the chase & resulting crash & had the perp surrounded

Offender down GSW

Offender was killed by the police



Also this goes back awhile, Closing the blinds one night, Looked out my window & found A CSP trooper with a AR 15 leaning over the hood of my car taking a position,along with another trooper in the street.

The guy in the house 2 doors down from me was depressed from having to put his wife in a nursing home, Got drunk & started waving his weapons around outside

Nothing over the main channels, All CSP swat simplex comms, Good to listen to with a front row seat to the situation

All ended well fortunately
 
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cajunjerry

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That comes back to a 1976 station wagon registered to a delicious Peters out of Baton Rouge la.. I will never forget that one
 

DJ11DLN

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I've heard a lot of chases and foot pursuits over the years. Used to hear some pretty interesting mobile phone conversations. I was out of the hobby during the analog, non-encrypted cell phone period so I missed all of that. I've heard a lot of funny stuff, and some that was scary. One that stands out happened about 3 years ago during one of the "snow events" we had that bad winter. It was an ISP Trooper working I-70 calling that he'd been in an accident, did not think he was hurt badly but was trapped in his car and needed assistance. Poor guy was gasping like he'd just run 5 miles with full kit on. That one made my blood run cold.
 
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A few years ago, I heard DEA Las Vegas following a guy in a red Jeep. They were calling out streets and landmarks as they passed and heard they were on the street I was on. I looked at drivers around me because I drove a red Jeep. I could see the guy next to me with his HT to his mouth in plain view. He was leaning to the side and looking ahead at another red Jeep a few cars ahead.

We got on the interstate and I heard them taking turns following and passing the guy for the next 20 minutes in traffic. I exited and heard them passing the word to exit. I lost sight of them, but they were still close. One of them said, "He's going on base.". A few seconds later, one starts laughing and says, "Our guy turned Asian.". They lost their guy in traffic and started following me to Nellis AFB.
 

bob550

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Back in the later 80's, I monitored DEA surveillance of a freighter offloading at the port of Providence, RI. It was too late at night to monitor live, and so I tape recorded the audio. When I listened to the recording the next day, I realized the tape ran out just before they made a bust that resulted in the recovery of $20 million in cocaine.

Again, back in the later 80's, I monitored a phone patch between a plane identifying itself as "Executive One Foxtrot" (any plane carrying the family of the POTUS), and a ground station. Listening to the conversation, it became apparent that I was hearing Barbara Bush speaking with a friend back in Washington.
 

bobmich52

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Back in the later 80's, I monitored DEA surveillance of a freighter offloading at the port of Providence, RI. It was too late at night to monitor live, and so I tape recorded the audio. When I listened to the recording the next day, I realized the tape ran out just before they made a bust that resulted in the recovery of $20 million in cocaine.

Again, back in the later 80's, I monitored a phone patch between a plane identifying itself as "Executive One Foxtrot" (any plane carrying the family of the POTUS), and a ground station. Listening to the conversation, it became apparent that I was hearing Barbara Bush speaking with a friend back in Washington.

Good call out 550 & it brought back memories

Back in the 80's/early 90's was listening on Crown 415.70 & a familiar voice I heard

Bush 41 just talking generally , He knew he was not on a secure channel, Still was a good catch, not often we hear it
 

ecps92

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Ahhh... the days of Echo/Fox
even heard hillary ordering her Salad :roll:

Good call out 550 & it brought back memories

Back in the 80's/early 90's was listening on Crown 415.70 & a familiar voice I heard

Bush 41 just talking generally , He knew he was not on a secure channel, Still was a good catch, not often we hear it
 

dlwtrunked

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Good call out 550 & it brought back memories

Back in the 80's/early 90's was listening on Crown 415.70 & a familiar voice I heard

Bush 41 just talking generally , He knew he was not on a secure channel, Still was a good catch, not often we hear it

Crown was not the frequency but was the White House Switchboard. Also 415.7(Foxtrot) was the air not ground frequency. The air frequency was 407.85 (Echo). The system was called "Nationwide". The ground sites were on AT&T towers in most (?all) cases.

"Local" was GND 162.6875(Yankee)/AIR 171.2875(Zulu) and deployed only as needed.

Both systems gone now and the antennas removed. I even once bought one of the old Nationwide radios on eBay (an E-Systems modified Motorola if I remember correctly).
 
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