Who listens to "multiple" scanners at one time?

[trace1]

Hmm... let’s see...

Well several months ago during bad weather I had one scanner monitoring all the local Public Safety frequencies, had another scanner monitoring the HAM bands listening to the Storm Spotters, also had my HAM radio on listening to the local RACES group, and yet another scanner monitoring the ARES group in the adjacent county since the weather was heading in my direction from there. Of course I had the TV on also watching the best weather team in the Birmingham area, ABC 33/40.

Then again sometimes I just listen to more than one scanner because I'm monitoring more than one band etc.

 

[kd7rto]

I know that running multiple scanners is SOP in a newsroom, but I'm a little surprised to find so many hobbyists doing it.

Of course the trunker program (still the best trunk tracking system around) requires two units.

As for me, the reason I own multiple receivers is because there is no "one magic" unit which will do "everything". With the combo listed below, though, I'd say I have just about "everything" covered (at least everything which can be monitored).

 

[unitcharlie]

I have at least three going when I am at work.... the 96 on a headphone to my ear, the 97 plugged into an external speaker aimed at me from another direction and the third on the tranny hump hext to my right leg so the sound comes at me from a different direction.... when the fourth is plugged in the sound from it comes from a fourth direction.... that is the only way I can assimilate the noise and make sense of stuff.... sound coming at me from different directions...

in the newsroom there are seven going all the time...

 

[Air490]

Being an avid airband listener, I have four scanners going at any time (one each for centre frequencies, local airport/CTAF frequencies, RAAF tactical frequencies and RAAF company/squadron/support frequencies).

On top of this I have a scanner for local emergency services and one for the statewide trunked network.

 

[2112]

At home, I'll run 1 per county many times (a stack of cheapo BC560xlt's) for public safety in the rural, VHF-only counties that surround me.

When I'm out, *if* I take a radio (more often than not, I don't), it's only one.

 

[MississippiPI]

I have several that I listen too. My job takes me all over the State of Mississippi and I'm just nosy that way! It has come in handy to have knowledge of what's going on around me or if I am headed into a situtation that I don't care to be involved in; personal safety for me.

Be safe

 

[DaveIN]

More than two in the shack, but only one or two mobile, and usually it's a handheld. Much nicer to carry a BCD396T, BC246T, or BR330T, they take up less room.

With more scanners you are able to catch or listen to more than one event at a time or you can monitor one frequency (or frequencies) when looking for other activity and not tie up just one radio.

 

[Go-24]

For those that have more than 1 handheld or base unit, what is the strategy for having more than 1 scanner on at 1 time?

If you had 1 scanner for each talkgroup you monitor, you would miss less than you would if you had just 1 scanner monitoring them all. That of course isnt going to happen very often, so you divy up the workload among half a dozen scanners.

 

[clbarker]

For those that have more than 1 handheld or base unit, what is the strategy for having more than 1 scanner on at 1 time?

When I listen to more than one scanner, which is usually 3, having the volume levels set correctly is the key for me. For example: On 1 scanner, I may have PD Dispatch running. That would be at the highest volume level. On the 2nd scanner, I may have FD Dispatch running, that would be slightly less loud than the 1st one. Then the 3rd one, which is probably obscure frequencies, is the quitest. I have no idea why this works for me...but anyways...haha...hope this answers your question.

 

[CLTX11]

When I listen to more than one scanner, which is usually 3, having the volume levels set correctly is the key for me. For example: On 1 scanner, I may have PD Dispatch running. That would be at the highest volume level. On the 2nd scanner, I may have FD Dispatch running, that would be slightly less loud than the 1st one. Then the 3rd one, which is probably obscure frequencies, is the quitest. I have no idea why this works for me...but anyways...haha...hope this answers your question.

I do the same actually, only using 2. Usually leave the PD up and the FD a little lower since the tone outs catch my attention.

 

[SCPD]

At home I have one radio going for Southern Calif. Edison; one with natural resource, fire, and law enforcement for federal, state, and local agencies; one that is monitoring a dispatcher's intercom; a ham 2 meter rig scanning a lot of simplex and repeater frequencies; and an HF, 6 meter, 2 meter, 70 cm (440 MHz) ham rig. They all scan and I usually have all of them going at once during winter storms. Sometimes I had a handheld to the mix in order to listen to the turnked radio system of the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. It takes concentration although we don't have as much traffic as in a large city.

Each car has one ham mobile and one scanner and they are both all the time except when I'm tranmitting and then I turn off the scanner. Each of the ham radio mobiles have two sides so I can both 2 meter and 440 MHz receiving different frequencies at the same time in the same radio. I usually take some tapes along to play in the stereo, but end up not using them as the radio usually keeps my interest up. When I get into long drives in remote stretches of highway and don't hear much on the radios I occasionaly turn on the AM/FM or play a tape. Doesn't happen very often.

 

[JerGoTV3]

In the station; we have three running.

In the field; I have two but normally only listen to one. That is until something crazy happens, then both come into play. I normally run the pro97 off of car power and the pro95 off of batteries. This works well so I can jump out with the 95 and my work gear and still have it locked on whatever and the 97 is still scanning when I get back in. It's worked well when I've used it so far.

 

[rescuecomm]

At the house, I have a BC898 going all waking hours. Depending on whats going on, I could have an Icom V82 scanning VHF and 2 meters, an Icom F40 scanning law enforcement, a pager on Squad toneout freq, and a Motorola HT750 on squad talkaround. Mobile, I have a Kenwood V708 dual band scanning VHF fire/EMS/Rescue on one side and the UHF side scanning either Law enforcement/GMRS or Ham/GMRS. Usually have at least two WT's along also. If there were room in the car, I would have a 220 mhs radio in there too.

 

[jas0nr7272]

I have minimum of 4 radios on at once it’s the simple notion I don't want to miss anything. Example one radio stops on a PD channel or talk group he is running a plate. And another channel goes off for a house explosion. I might have missed that call. While the other officer is still rambling off a drivers SS# DOB DL ect ect.

 

[trooperdude]

I have about 10 radios going on at one time on average at various volume levels.

Sometimes more during fire season.

It helps to be an ex-dispatcher in order to keep track of everything :lol:

I use mostly commercial 2-way radios set to Rx scan only, instead of hobby scanners.

Except for digital systems in my area.

 

[bill44]

lots of scanners

i have at least 14 going at one time
bill

 

[Declared_Hostile]

I've got over a dozen going at a time. Generally it is set up like this:

One doing public safety. Another doing business and miscellaneous. One is doing civil air. Three or four are searching the VHF and UHF military air bands. The rest are scanning VHF/UHF military air. Have a couple of HF rigs going too. Once you train your ears for it, it isn't all that difficult to keep track of what is going on. In fact I usually have the TV going at the same time and don't have any trouble following everything unless the action gets particularly busy. If things get really busy I have a dry erase board in the radio room that comes in very handy when you have a couple of MOAs hot and several groups transiting the area and an incident happening locally and something going on with the HF radios. Works better for me than squirreling away sheets of paper everywhere.

 

[gcgrotz]

In the car, mostly 1 or 2 but during an incident or medevac I've been known to have 3 scanners going and the vhf ham rig locked on something (non-ham that is). I usually have 3 available in the car and 2 in the house. I can get the ones from the car if I need them.

Usually the ham rig in the car stays on Norfolk Southern road channel 1 or Potomac approach.

 

[Napalm]

I've got a 330T, Pro-2035 and a Pro-2045. I have the three running all the time, two doing searches and the other one scanning (all conventional).

I also have the other radios in my sig doing various things, scanning or holding on one channel while the other radios are searching.

 

[als365]

For those that have more than 1 handheld or base unit, what is the strategy for having more than 1 scanner on at 1 time?

When I was younger my parents used to tell me that I had “selective listening” and only heard what I wanted to hear. Funny…I never heard them tell me to take out the garbage.

Anyway, in answer to your question. I have multiple scanners and dedicate each one to a different channel. I have 9 scanners and 8 of them have dedicated channels

Reno FD Dispatch
Reno FD Primary TAC
Sparks FD
Washoe County (Truckee Meadows Fire Protection) Dispatch
Nevada Division of Forestry Fire Dispatch (wildland fire stuff)
Reno PD North
Reno PD South
Washoe County Sheriffs Office

I call the last one I call a “floater”. It floats around wherever needed, else it listens to ambulance and hospital traffic.

I usually keep everything turned down to a low volume and I pick up on buzz words that bring my attention to a channel. I also pick up on fire tones. When something of interest comes up, I turn up the appropriate scanner.

Is it an addiction thing?

Yes