Are scanners worth owning still?

General scanning discussion forum. Talk about anything to do with scanners, equipment, VHF/UHF reception and the art of catching those illusive signals!
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dmc
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Are scanners worth owning still?

Post by dmc »

What is worth listening to these days on a scanner?
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scan125
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Re: Are scanners worth owning still?

Post by scan125 »

Not much in general terms as in scanning around looking for "stuff" that may be of interest.

However specific use as in Air Band, Air Shows, Marine, Autosport events etc. then yes because the listening has a more direct purpose in support and enjoyment of chosen/defined activities.

There are some people who only ever use their scanners for air band, or motorsport, etc. and nothing else. In theory they could buy/use dedicated equipment but in reality a scanner is a far cheaper option plus the fact that should the user's interests change then they don't have to buy new kit.
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GeeFull
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Re: Are scanners worth owning still?

Post by GeeFull »

White noise can be quite soothing when your nerves are frayed, other than that, or going down the various digital decription routes,more often a complete waste of money.
About as exciting as watching paint dry most of the time.
More chance of coming across something "exciting" on the local 2 meter repeater, and that is really saying something these days. :D
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Ur5by9
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Re: Are scanners worth owning still?

Post by Ur5by9 »

I use my scanner for VHF band works very well, aircraft marine PMR and the ham bands.
I have a Uniden UBC125XLT and use the Scan125 software to program it up.

Simple to operate connected to the outdoor VHF Antenna.
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Re: Are scanners worth owning still?

Post by 26mb04 »

They're brilliant for spot frequency checks. If you need to do an audio check on, say, 27MHz but you only have 1 CB wired in, you can dial in the frequency on the scanner and check. You can't do that with a baofeng (YET!!), and not all ham HF gear comes with a direct entry keypad or DTMF mic. Granted, you can use the VFO, but it's almost certainly quicker to dial it into a scanner.

EDIT: A scanner also gives you the advantage that you can't ever accidentally TX on the frequency either. This is a useful safeguard for both you and the people/thing you're listening to, especially if you enjoy the hobby with a glass of wine.
Sent from my GP300 using DTMF
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dmc
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Re: Are scanners worth owning still?

Post by dmc »

I have to be honest I do like to listen more than speak and a decent scanner maybe what I'm after .
I used to own an mvt7100 I think it was years ago and I thought that was the bees kneesšŸ˜‚
What is a good mobile scanner these days that's not overly fragile?
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Re: Are scanners worth owning still?

Post by stratocaster »

Yes, scanners are still worth owning. I have a variety of analogue and digital scanners. There are still lots to listen to. Analogue wise I listen into air traffic, the escape room (pmr446), local shopping centres and when it is active, cctv. There are a few taxi companies still on analogue that haven't migrated to gsm trackerpods. Digital wise, quite a lot too! I've the local Uni bar on DMR and the radio chat can be "interesting" at times! There's a taxi on DMR and there can also be other operations too which are worth tuning into. So whilst the really juicy stuff is now on 4g gsm and or TETRA TMO and possibly encrypted, there are still others to listen into. The only thing about the hobby is, a small minority got hold of scanners some years back and used them for ulterior motives, hence why things have progressed to 4g and encryption.
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Re: Are scanners worth owning still?

Post by scanhermit »

It can be handy to know where the traffic wardens are. ;-0
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