Well thankfully all our stubfarts, retards n' oh-so-troubled senior delinquents seemed to have come through the big storms in fine style. BP ran out of popcorn, BC ran out of beer but other than that the boys seem to have given good account of themselves. They looked after not only themselves and their own - but the neighbours and family as well. It don't get any better than that.
They're talking about star link and radios and my ears always perk up when the subjects of comms comes up. I know enough to be dangerous and that's it. It's an infuriating subject of study for me Awhile back I was all cranked up about some Chinese short wave radios that could be bought for a song and dance on Amazon. I read about the radio heads getting 35 miles out of them and some were able to eavesdrop on the ISS with nigger-rigged African American Engineered antennas. There's all kinds a hacks, and any time someone poasts one up, the geeks come swarming out of the woodwork to claim that it won't work in real life, and others will hop up and down and insist they will.
BP was talking about having a spare battery operated radio which got me thinking about these hand crankers. Pete started talking about short wave and the next thing I know - I am getting stupid ideas again. That audio visual shite is one big, deep rabbit hole for guys like me and I'd love to explore it... but I have enough money pits to play in.
😢
I really like the idea though, that if you live in places and climes where severe storms are likely - of being able to listen in on the cops and fire fighters and other authorities that become critical in such situations. A scanner, I thought, would be nice to monitor them so you can keep tabs on what the pricks are up to! I hate to say it but I have absolutely zero confidence and trust in the authorities now. Even up here in Canada it's getting bad. I saw cops beating up priests and kids for not wearing masks during the COVID shit show and that just did me in.
But... how much use would a scanner actually be? If those guys get up to no good - they aren't going to say anything over what is basically a public accessed wavelength. I know a lot of cops talking about using cells rather than the radio now.
I also wonder if those hand cranked radios are worth a hoot? Or are they just toys...? If you have any insights - feel free to chime in.
Most if not all cop radios are encrypted these days, so a scanner to listen in on them would be of little to no use.
ReplyDeleteWhatever happened to CB radio? I have an portable in 12v.
ReplyDeleteChutes Magoo
Check out American Partisan
DeleteIn the search bar put in using cb radios.
There’s a few articles about that and the guy seems to have good knowledge about many different types of communication.
Scanners may not be of use if the LE/FD in your area are using encrypted radios as many have switched to. The scanner won't decode that.
ReplyDeleteif LE in your area uses encryption, you live in too large a city with too big a police budget. You really should consider moving.
ReplyDeleteGlen, These are some of the items we went for. 1. Solar Crank CR-1009 NOAA Radio. 2. Cobra Micro Talk RX680. and 3. HAM RADIO
ReplyDeleteBAOFENG UV-5R 8W Long Range UV5R Dual Band Handheld High Power 3800mAh Rechargeable Walkie Talkies Handheld Two Way Radio with Programming Cable and Earpiece Full Kit,2Pack
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/
All the best,
Spiro
Back in the day, most of my relatives on my mom's side lived in the next county over. Whenever me and my friends would wander over there and have a little fun, my relatives would hear about it on their police scanners and call my parents on me. More than once I got home only to hear about all the trouble I caused and why the hell wasn't I arrested. I think the sheriff deputies over there just liked to roust teenagers and steal their beer, but arresting them would require too much paperwork so they'd let us go after reading us the riot act. Times were different back then.
ReplyDeleteNote well that living in the country back then was so boring that listening to a police scanner all night was considered acceptable entertainment.
I own a hand cranked radio. It works, but is kinda a pain in the ass to keep it charged.
ReplyDeleteAs for scanners, it depends. Some police are using encrypted comms. In my area, I can hear EMT, and the sheriff's but not the State police.
All emergency services in Alberta are on the AFRRCS system, which is encrypted. Prior to that, everyone used PACS, which anyone with a scanner or a HAM radio could pick up. The cheap Baofengs you speak of actually worked quite well with PACS. Unfortunately, the drug addicts and shitrats who break into places and steal everything not nailed down knew this too.
ReplyDeleteGlenn I have the exact radio pictured except in red. it works satisfactory and has 4 power choices. Also not very expensive!
ReplyDeleteI caught, and appreciated the reference to the song, Mexican Radio, from the band, Wall of Voodoo, “I’m on a wavelength far from home”. A number of good songs from that album, with their ironies and alienation made it a favorite of mine way back when. If you like things like that, anyway.
ReplyDeletePost sent me off on a search for a good, versatile emergency radio. I was an avid shortwave radio listener in my teens, still have my old Hallicrafters set, along with various QSL cards from sending in reception reports to broadcasters. Got Christmas cards for years from Radio Havana featuring little cigar-smoking Fidels in Santa suits, and even a copy of Mao’s Little Red Book from Radio Peking, but to balance this out, also one from Radio South Africa, among others. Spent a lot of time on those wavelengths far from home…
Regards to all,
JerseyJeffersonian
I have the radio pictured and a couple years in and it sits in my kitchen window and plays wether or not the electric is on... The tuning bar seems to have quit but I can still change stations, just can't see it move. I haven't used it to charge a phone but has played 2 days straight so far from the little solar panel when power is off.
ReplyDelete