Have we reached the end of the scanner radio hobby?
I know many feel this way due to encryption and a lack of new scanner radio models being released.
However, this hobby has been around for decades and there is no reason why we can’t enjoy this hobby in some form or another for decades to come.
Some Feel / Think:
- Live feeds are killing the hobby
- Many agencies will be going encrypted to keep people from listening
- Scanners are becoming too much money due to simulcast
- Other agencies are going off radio and onto IP solutions
- Manufacturers won’t invest in scanners due to widespread encryption
- UK laws and going fully encrypted is the future in the US
- Current chip shortages hurt hobby
- Lack of interest from whistler
How is might be wrong
- There will always be skeptics
- Some aren’t happy unless they are making noise and being negative
- There will always be something to listen to
- Secrets are in the searches – what else is out there to hear?
What can we listen to now that should always be there?
- Aviation
- Rails
- Ham
- CB
- GMRS
- Businesses
- DMR / NXDN Systems
- Utilities
- Security Firms
My Thoughts
- Resurrection of the hobby due to new hardware and interest
- Software Defined Radios are introducing more people to the hobby
- They get into it because it’s something to do with a computer
- Learn about NOAA weather satellite reception
- Opens them to more projects and learning opportunities
- Manufacturers will continue to make low end analog only scanners as they have for years
- Top of the line scanners today will become mainstream designs and hardware, dropping the overall costs as time goes on.
- Pandemic had people dusting off old hobbies and picking up new ones
Conclusion:
- Scanning is following the same course as other hobbies
- As technology changes, we see changes in scanning.
- No More crystals
- Evolution of Motorola Trunking
- Inclusion of EDACS and LTR
- Eventual support of P25 phase 1
- Support for phase 2
- NXDN and DMR
- Simulcast
- Will Tetra come to the next evolution of scanners?
Scanning will continue to be here for years and decades to come, as long as there is something out there to listen to.
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