Your first scanner ,,,

[sibbley]

Not my actual scanner, but my first. BC Five-Six. No idea what ever happened to it. From here I moved on to a Regency HX-1500.

 

[mark40]

Started in 1972 with a Regency MR10D, followed by Lafayette Guardian 5000; could monitor one frequency at a time.

A couple of years later added my first scanner, a Pearce-Simpson 8 channel scanner, VHF hi and lo.

Fast forward to today and I'm learning the ropes on my new SDS100

 

[krokus]

My dad was a Regency dealer, so we had a lot of various models come through the house. The Whamo-10 was interesting.

The first scanner I purchased, while home on leave, in 1993, was a Pro-39. I still have it. Which reminds me, to dig it out.

 

[sld]

First scanner was a Realistic Pro4, crystal controlled, 4 channel VHF-Hi band.

 

[sibbley]

I remembered today I had one of these too. I think it was my first programmable Uniden.

 

[silagi]

My first scanner was the original Bearcat 220 back in 1980. I bought it to listen to aircraft. After a while, I started to monitor the other bands and took an interest in the public safety frequencies. To make a long story short, I became friends with several dispatchers and ended up becoming a police dispatcher myself. Prior to getting the scanner, I had ZERO interest in working for the police. I ended up have a 30-year career as a dispatcher. When I retired I was not ready to hang up the microphone but I did switch back to the aviation band and I am now a ramp controller at SFO. Happy monitoring!

 

[trentbob]

My first police radio was a realistic Pro 1 slide rule dial VHF hi monitor made by GRE Japan for RadioShack in the late 60s.

As far as a scanner goes it was the Electra Bearcat 3 H/L. I believe that came out in 1970.

 

[trentbob]

View attachment 80978

I remembered today I had one of these too. I think it was my first programmable Uniden.

I had one of those and it was a great radio, very compact and it also had and unusual antenna that I never saw on another bearcat. I still have that antenna.

 

[sibbley]

I wish I still had the 70xlt

 

[trentbob]

This was my first ever. . . and only had to buy 2 crystals and got everything in my county. Those were the days.

Oh I remember owning this puppy oh, what a radio the pocket scan was, very compact in your pocket and you notice the antenna connection was a pin plug and the rubber duck that came with it kept falling out.

But if you can remember it also had an antenna that was a thin black wire that you would plug the pin plug into the antenna receptacle and hang it outside of your pocket. It was a VHF High radio so I believe the black thin coated wire was about 15 in Long. That was a great performer!

 

[94caprice9c1]

This was my first scanner as well! I had all four crystals in it and covered our area. It was awesome!

This was my first ever. . . and only had to buy 2 crystals and got everything in my county. Those were the days.

 

[ridgescan]

My 1st serious scanner bought by me in 1986. The Regency-800 Turbo Scan. Still have it and it still runs but it's put away in the radio closet.

But earlier on, in the 70s, my 1st monitoring of local police was done on my '76 Realistic Patrolman SW-60. Still have it and it still runs as well. Sits in the same closet as the Regency.

 

[trentbob]

My dad was a Regency dealer, so we had a lot of various models come through the house. The Whamo-10 was interesting.

The first scanner I purchased, while home on leave, in 1993, was a Pro-39. I still have it. Which reminds me, to dig it out.

I still have a bunch of unused Combs for the Wham-O buried under a bunch of radios in the scanner Cemetery in the garage.

 

[nvanw27]

My first scanner was a Uniden BC-145XL I purchased for a few bucks at a garage sale. The guy said he didn’t need it anymore and was happy it went to a home where it would be appreciated. That was my only scanner until December of 2019, when I got my 5R, and 5 radios later here we are.

 

[jeff]

Sonar FR2517 in 1972. This was a very hot receiver. Before that it was a Channel Master 6252A receiver in 1970. These were very popular in the south Jersey area.

 

[K7MFC]

My first scanner was a Radio Shack Pro-71:

I bought this around 1999 when I was 16 - probably spent my whole paycheck from working at the grocery store on it!

 

[ve1sef]

Realistic Pro-7A scanner; 8 channel VHF-Hi (crystals). Currently used to monitor Halifax Coast Guard Radio

 

[NWI_Scanner_Guy]

I don't remember the model, but my first scanner was a 20 channel Regency I bought in 1987. I was stationed at Fort Meade (Maryland) at the time, and would park in a park across from the BWI airport and watch & listen to the arriving planes for hours on end.

I remember buying that particular scanner because of the crown right above the company name. LOL!!

edit: upon doing some internet digging, I found a couple of pictures of that scanner. It was a MX4200.

 

[ad5kl]

First crystal scanner was a 10 channel Regency ACT-R-106, in the late 70s.

First programmable scanner was a Regency Z-45.



First handheld scanner was the 100 channel Uniden Bearcat BC100XLT.

 

[DomW]

BC300 around 1979/80, BC100 (the brown metal one). A few Icom HF and VHF radios. GRE PSR-500 still in use, HP-1 sold and upgraded to Uniden BCD536HP. Sadly the 536 will most likely be my last.