When I was a boy...

[bberns22]

I dreamed of having a portable scanner like the Bearcat Five-Six. Found a nice one on Ebay recently and now the joys of a childhood return. As much as I love the SDS100, and appreciate the tech , it is its not the same as carrying around the childhood dream brick.

 

[Reconrider]

Thought this was going a different direction hoping it was spam lol.

I’ve seen one of those, never used one though

 

[gcopter1]

I was barely a boy, when I started on scanning. 1982, I was 17 years old, and, in the Army, when I've got my first Bearcat, a Bearcat 220 which enabled me to listen to the base MP's.

Things have really changed since then.

I can't do anything, or at least listen to anything I currently listen to with that 220.

Still, how nice it is, you found something from your youth, and still be able to use it...

 

[bobruzzo]

I used to have a Bearcat electra "Thin scan" I think it was a 4 channel crystal controlled radio. It was nice but audio was weak and thin. There was only one place that sold crystals 1/2 hour drive to Wakefield (RI) to this big old furniture store who's owner was a radio nut. Unfortunately his box of crystals were limited and I ended up getting 3. Eventually I bought one of the first programmable scanners back around 1983-84 somewhere back then. It was a Regency HX1000 which was very nice.

 

[bobruzzo]

I was barely a boy, when I started on scanning. 1982, I was 17 years old, and, in the Army, when I've got my first Bearcat, a Bearcat 220 which enabled me to listen to the base MP's.

Things have really changed since then.

I can't do anything, or at least listen to anything I currently listen to with that 220.

Still, how nice it is, you found something from your youth, and still be able to use it...

I started to play with scanners back around the same time, 1982. I was 24 though! I remember I had quite a few different ones. But there is one that comes to mind especially.....a JIL SX 100. It was a 16 channel programmable with fluorescent blue display. It had the best audio. I had it mailed to my job so I could listen to it while working. I like those old radios. Around here there is still a lot of analog systems to hear so those old scanners will still be good to use. The only thing is those old rigs didnt have ctcss, which back in early 80's wasn't really needed. I have an old Radio Shack hand held that still works great. Just receives the regular bands and has that dim light in display when you press the "light" button.

 

[gcopter1]

Best thing I liked about those times? No trunking!

Everything was straight forward; input the frequencies in a bank and you were off to the races.

Nowadays?

Frequencies plus, tones, system id's, talk groups, UHF, VHF, Phase 1, Phase 2, DMR, NXDN, Systems, sites...ARRGHHH!

 

[bobruzzo]

Best thing I liked about those times? No trunking!

Everything was straight forward; input the frequencies in a bank and you were off to the races.

Nowadays?

Frequencies plus, tones, system id's, talk groups, UHF, VHF, Phase 1, Phase 2, DMR, NXDN, Systems, sites...ARRGHHH!

Yeah it sure used to be nice to be able to program a scanner on the fly. I miss some of those old radios. It's probably not going to get any simpler as time goes on and technology moves along. I remember when the digital stuff began we were all convinced that the only things we'd be able to scan is McDonalds drive thru and the weather channel!

 

[trap5858]

Those were the days. Simple and quite limited by today's standards but you pretty much knew what you were listening to by which LED was lit! I had my home set of crystals and a set for when my family went to the beach in New Jersey. And then while visiting a police officer friend at his station I saw a programmable scanner and knew I had to have one. The addiction began.

 

[baj76]

I was a little nervous to open this thread..when i seen "when i was a little boy" BTW nice 5-6

 

[JimD56]

This was mine! Christmas 1980, 15 years old, was just about to start as a volly fireman in suburban NYC.

 

[cptnljm]

When I was a kid, my Dad was on a major NJ Police Department and his Navy buddy ran the Radio Shop. Dad's friend gave me the rugged innards of a base station they used at one of the precincts, it had no case, just the tubes, speaker and other parts which I listened to in my room. I used that until I could afford my own 4-channel Fanon crystal handheld which I used for years until I could a better Bearcat. Good memories, good times!

 

[bberns22]

Just finished restoring it back to its original grandeur

 

[mikewazowski]

I used to have a Bearcat electra "Thin scan" I think it was a 4 channel crystal controlled radio. It was nice but audio was weak and thin. There was only one place that sold crystals 1/2 hour drive to Wakefield (RI) to this big old furniture store who's owner was a radio nut. Unfortunately his box of crystals were limited and I ended up getting 3. Eventually I bought one of the first programmable scanners back around 1983-84 somewhere back then. It was a Regency HX1000 which was very nice.

 

[bobruzzo]

Yep I had them! The BC20/20 was pretty solid, all metal case.

 

[bobruzzo]

Just finished restoring it back to its original grandeur
View attachment 85698

Thats a work of art. I remember those scanners. Didn't Regency have a similar looking one with black front?

 

[mr10pt]

My first scanner wasn't a scanner at all. Back in the mid 70's had a public service band radio. Had to manually tune the dial to approximate frequency and keep your fingers crossed. It did not have a squelch, drove my mom crazy! Was able to get local FD because of daily radio test times. God I miss programmables too!

 

[fxdscon]

Just finished restoring it back to its original grandeur

That's a fine looking Bearcat!

I recently restored one of my first... A Sears 5 band scanner that is programmed with punch cards. Looks and functions just like new. The original programming punch cards are very hard to find, but they can be printed from a template on thick card stock.

This is what the binary programming cards look like:



.

 

[highwayman1224]

Not a scanner, but the Realistic Patrolman CB60 was my first introduction to the fun of listening to the police & fire department when I was a kid. I should get one off of ebay just for the memories it brought me back in the late 70's until it broke sometime in the late 90's.

 

[KK4JUG]

I liked "plug 'n' play. Plug in the crystal and it played. It did require a trip to Radio Shack, though.

 

[AJAT]

Not a scanner, but the Realistic Patrolman CB60 was my first introduction to the fun of listening to the police & fire department when I was a kid. I should get one off of ebay just for the memories it brought me back in the late 70's until it broke sometime in the late 90's.

The first time I heard a police broadcast was on my father’s patrolmen II. I was about 9 or 10. I was amazed. I loved that radio. As soon I as got my first job I saved up for 10 channel radio shack scanner. I wish I can remember the model.