How Did Police Scanners Become a Hobby?

Long before digital trunking, databases, and handheld scanners, curious listeners were already tuning in to hear their communities unfold over the airwaves.

For many scanner listeners, the appeal is easy to understand. You turn on a radio and, without knowing what will happen next, you can hear pieces of real life unfolding around you: a fire call, an aircraft approaching an airport, a railroad crew at work, severe weather reports, public works activity, or emergency responders handling an incident.

But how did listening to public-safety radio become a hobby in the first place? The answer starts decades before the modern police scanner existed. The hobby grew alongside police radio itself, then changed repeatedly as communications technology moved from early AM broadcasts to VHF and UHF, crystal-controlled scanners, programmable radios, trunked systems, digital communications, online databases, and today's sophisticated receivers.

In other words, the history of scanning is not simply a history of old radios. It is a history of people wanting to know what was happening around them, and technology gradually making that easier.

Uniden SDS200

Where are all the hams?

Here's a couple of nice videos of restored F4 Phantoms returning to the sky

The Scariest Chart in Electrical Engineering

 

A Devastating Loss

Massachusetts State Police Announce the Death of Trooper in Off-Duty Motorcycle Crash

With heavy hearts, the Massachusetts State Police announce the unexpected death of Trooper Jacob Mick who died from injuries sustained in an off-duty motorcycle crash in Grafton.

A member of the 88th Recruit Training Troop assigned to the Holden Barracks, the life of this 31-year-old Northboro native has been cut short by this enormous tragedy. 

Speaking of the late Trooper, the Superintendent of the State Police, Colonel Geoffrey Noble said, “Together, we mourn Trooper Jacob Mick, and extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, their infant daughter, his family, and all who loved him. He was a proud Trooper and public servant who never hesitated to answer the call. We remember and honor Trooper Mick’s years of service, and all he gave to the Commonwealth as well as to the Department.”

Trooper Mick graduated from the Massachusetts State Police Academy in 2023. 

The facts and the circumstances of the crash remain under investigation by the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.

At this time, the Mick Family requests privacy as they grieve. Further information will be provided as it becomes available.

I'm personally devastated by this. I'm not 100% sure, but this young Trooper looks like the young off duty trooper who assisted me at the scene of a motorcycle accident at the exact same location last October. I was the first to arrive and together we applied first aid. I'll never forget his calm professionalism and compassion. 

Whether this is the same trooper or not, it makes no difference. This is a devastating loss for his loved ones and the Commonwealth he served.

Rest in peace Trooper.

We've Got The Watch From Here.

Goodnight Chesty, Wherever You Are

 

Happy Birthday, Chesty

For all Hams: "This Too Shall Pass"

Beware of Killer Thumb Drives

Posted in The Broadcaster's Desktop Resource

By Barry Mishkind

You may never look at a USB thumb drive or cable the same way after reading this. What was just a precaution that seemed like overkill now may be a warning we need to know. See how this all progressed.

USB devices are so common that most people plug them in without a second thought. But that casual habit carries real risks — from data theft to hardware destruction. Here is why you should think twice before connecting an unknown USB device.

Some years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the office of a fairly well-known Group Chief Engineer. As we talked, I offered him a flash drive with information about a matter about which we had previously spoken and emailed. His response surprised me.

“That will not work. All the USB ports in our computers have been disabled and/or blocked. The only exception is one completely isolated unit in the studio for talk show guests,” he said. “If you want to get that information to me, just send it in an email.”

POLICY OVERKILL?

At first, I was taken aback. Flash drives were the key to the “sneaker network” many of us used all the time.

Getting information from studio to transmitter, for example was much easier when we could put it in our pocket and connect on site. IP and network connections, logins, and directory searches were bypassed in a moment.

But, here, all the USB ports were not only disconnected, many (most?) were actually blocked from accepting the plug at all.

A REASON FOR THE TIME

It only took a few minutes for the group chief to explain why this policy evolved.