When Would You Leave the Scanning Hobby

[pinballwiz86]

You can always just pack up and move! If the area you live in has gone all encrypted? F*** them, and MOVE.

That's what I would do. Thankfully nothing is encrypted in my area except some talk groups on Fort Leonard Wood, and a local cab company that runs voice inversion when they operate on the weekends.

 

[cherubim]

I'll always find some radio transmissons to monitor. The thrill lies in the process of discovery.

Sure beats watching the idiot box or using some mindless mobile app.

 

[br0adband]

The only thing that literally stops us from monitoring nowadays is one of two things: encryption and a communications technology that simply can't be monitored (OpenSky, etc) or a combination of both. As long as there's something for me to monitor that isn't encrypted or using a comm system that can't be monitored for purely technical reasons as OpenSky was then sure, I'll still care to do it.

I seriously doubt there will ever come a time when both of those conditional aspects I mentioned as being ones that would stop the monitoring will be basically universal meaning every comm system in use everywhere would support one or both or have one or both in use 24/7 for every instance of someone pushing a transmit button.

As noted already in this thread, there's always something to monitor and it's a safe bet that there always will be.

 

[slicerwizard]

Security - all gone DMR.

So they're not actually gone.

What I have most lost is the 24/7 users which I used to listen to such as taxis, roadside assistance, security.

They're probably all on DMR or NXDN, so you haven't lost them at all.

Close to that here now.... $819.74

And RTL dongles are still $20 to $30. And they pull in multiple digital voice modes - Fusion, D-Star, P25, ProVoice, NXDN (iDAS and NEXEDGE), DMR (Tier I, II and III along with proprietary MotoTRBO Capacity Plus, Connect Plus and Capacity Max, Hytera XPT)

And there's more than just voice to play with. Aviation's ADS-B for starters. And I found plenty of DMR AVL data the last time I was in New Zealand. It's not going to be any different in Tasmania.

But you won't do the needful to get back what you've "lost". Instead, you come on here and whine about it...

I see the RR page for Tasmania lists one trunking system?? Is there really only one or is it just you refusing to engage?

 

[KR3LC]

I'll leave when I become bored, broke or die. Whichever comes first.

 

[ShyFlyer]

For me, there will always be aviation.

 

[pb_lonny]

So they're not actually gone.

You can not buy a DMR scanner in Australian...

They're probably all on DMR or NXDN, so you haven't lost them at all.

See above answer.

And RTL dongles are still $20 to $30. And they pull in multiple digital voice modes - Fusion, D-Star, P25, ProVoice, NXDN (iDAS and NEXEDGE), DMR (Tier I, II and III along with proprietary MotoTRBO Capacity Plus, Connect Plus and Capacity Max, Hytera XPT)

Not portable.

I see the RR page for Tasmania lists one trunking system?? Is there really only one or is it just you refusing to engage?

We only have a single trunking system here...

 

[wtp]

the correct answer is...

death.

 

[natedawg1604]

death.

+1.

 

[RadioJonD]

In the past twenty-five years or so my home area has been slow to advance in communications technology. Except for a couple of local communications companies, there are even no trunking systems analog or digital of which to speak. Public safety agencies have not migrated to DMR, NXDN etc. systems and have simply stayed where they are in terms of analog although some have added frequencies.

This has been both a blessing and a hindrance. I’ve not had to upgrade equipment at home to keep up with technology. At the same time, when I travel I now find myself needing to upgrade just to listen to very basics like highway patrols, DOTs, and EMAs and in some cases, local traffic channels/talk groups. Add event scanning (very localized) and the dilemma continues. The expense and learning curve gives pause to the whole experience.

Over forty decades of monitoring has evolved my scanning habits from everything down to the minimum. These days, especially when traveling, all I want to hear is what will affect the route and what’s going on around me at certain events. An extra margin of safety is all I desire. (It baffles/miffs me to no end that public safety agencies are continually taking this away by encrypting. However, that’s another topic.)

Currently the vehicle workhorse is a Gre PSR-600 that I purchased used from a friend. No newfangled handheld. I still get by listening (although the phase two thing is becoming more of an issue) to what I need while traveling the highways but loose out on the ground.

I too wonder when the price of equipment and steep learning curve will determine if one continues in the monitoring hobby rather than be phased out. I’m looking at a Whistler TRX-1 to fill in the transmission mode and phase gaps but can’t yet justify the expense. (Maybe I’m simply not paranoid enough about personal and family safety to pay for the extra margin?)

I do still listen to aero and railroads on the hobby side. Looks like railroads are migrating to other transmission modes which will make my purchase of a TRX-1 more likely.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

If there is ever a dystopia where everything becomes encrypted, I envision a network of IP connected SDR receiver nodes that triangulate on the UPLINK and Local Oscillator emissions of every public safety radio in a city. That way citizens can be aware of public safety activity nearby. Like Google maps you can track these radios as they roam the city.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

(snip)

Over forty decades of monitoring has evolved my scanning habits from everything down to the minimum. (snip)

Scanning for smoke signals, signal lights and drum beats was pretty tedious back in the day.

 

[RadioJonD]

Scanning for smoke signals, signal lights and drum beats was pretty tedious back in the day.

HA!!

 

[CrabbyMilton]

It makes me wonder what people did before police and fire had 2 way radios?
They used street call boxes so I bet if I and my fellow scanner nuts(minus 2 way radio) were around back then, I would wonder what they were talking about and where they were about to go.
On the serious side, how would officers call for extra help without radio back then? I heard whistles were used but nothing beats radio.

 

[RadioDaze]

death.

Although maybe one can finally hear all those encrypted signals at that point.

 

[bob550]

If there is ever a dystopia where everything becomes encrypted, I envision a network of IP connected SDR receiver nodes that triangulate on the UPLINK and Local Oscillator emissions of every public safety radio in a city. That way citizens can be aware of public safety activity nearby. Like Google maps you can track these radios as they roam the city.

Why, I have that capability right now with the microchips implanted in my head!

 

[gmclam]

Not even being 11-44

This topic is funny because I feel it has been going on for decades. When I started listening everyone (police, fire, ambulances, etc) were on a single frequency. When fire and police split to separate frequencies some thought they'd have to pick which to monitor, effectively ending monitoring both.

Along comes scanners and were able to listen to it "all" on a single radio. My next obstacle was when computer aided dispatching came in to play. A lot of calls were no longer heard. But they were being "broadcast".

A decade or so later trunked radio came along. Here we go again. Small systems could still be "easily" monitored by just scanning the voice channels. Then trunk-trackers came along.

The move to digital modulation is just another bump in the road. The crazy part is that there are different schemes and protocols. One method doesn't fit all cases.

I am fortunate to be a tech guru and live in these times. From vacuum tubes to solid state to processor-based; from analog to digital; from over-the-air to TCP/IP or equivalent; they are all just evolutions. Perhaps it is the knowing how things work and being on the edge of "the next thing" that has made monitoring such a large part of my life. Stop? LOL

death.

I disagree. I'll still be monitoring!!!

 

[sparklehorse]

You can not buy a DMR scanner in Australian.....

Really? You can't buy a Uniden 436 or a Whistler TRX-1? If that's true I'm shocked.

On a different note, I would think where you live would be a great location for Shortwave monitoring. That's a whole new ballgame if you haven't dabbled in it before. Besides SW broadcast stations there's air traffic, ham radio, utilities, numbers stations, beacons, and much more. We're not in a great part of the solar cycle right now, but there's always something interesting from somewhere to listen to. Once you have a good SW receiver there is much tinkering that can be done with different antennas, preamps, etc. Shortwave can open up a whole new world of monitoring possibilities.

.

 

[pb_lonny]

Really? You can't buy a Uniden 436 or a Whistler TRX-1? If that's true I'm shocked.
.

Sadly it is true. The Australian version of the Uniden 436 (UBCD436-PT) does not support DMR. Whistlers are not sold in Australian...

On a different note, I would think where you live would be a great location for Shortwave monitoring. That's a whole new ballgame if you haven't dabbled in it before. Besides SW broadcast stations there's air traffic, ham radio, utilities, numbers stations, beacons, and much more. We're not in a great part of the solar cycle right now, but there's always something interesting from somewhere to listen to. Once you have a good SW receiver there is much tinkering that can be done with different antennas, preamps, etc. Shortwave can open up a whole new world of monitoring possibilities.
.

I used to do a bit with shortwave and mediumwave DXing but prefer the VHF / UHF bands.

 

[sparklehorse]

Sadly it is true. The Australian version of the Uniden 436 (UBCD436-PT) does not support DMR. Whistlers are not sold in Australian...

Ok, but they're not illegal then, so I'm sure you can find a way to import a BCD436HP, or TRX-1. So what is the issue, do they not support the frequency bands you're interested in where DMR is used in your area? Or maybe they cover the right bands, but the tuning steps aren't compatible? I'm not familiar with how an Aussie version radio differs from a US/Canada or European version.

.