PHOENIX_SCANNER
Member
Sometimes I wax nostalgic about the "old days" of scanning. I think in particular of the early 90's when the police action in Phoenix was getting crazy, and most traffic was in the clear, all analog, and on VHF high. With a rooftop antenna mounted about 50' above the ground I could hear most things within about 10 miles. When the Pro-2006 and Pro-43 came out it was like a dream come true. Finally, there was enough intermod rejection to make a rooftop antenna comfortable to use, and there was enough sensitivity to pull in distant / weak signals. You could hear all of the "sensitive" stuff (great for scanner guys, not so good for cops), and hear all the cool car to car traffic. The Japanese electronics were and are superior to Chinese electronics when it comes to pulling in weaker signals, especially in VHF. You will be hard pressed to find a new scanner that can match the 2006 or 43 for milair, for example.
But then I have to be honest, and admit that though the new scanners don't have the amazing sensitivity of the Japanese scanners of old, they pack so many new and cool features that it probably makes up for it. Even though the Pro-2006 was a milestone in scanners, rejecting intermod like never before, without tone decoding, it still had intermod, and occasionally it was really annoying and loud. With today's scanners, whether in digital mode, or using a PL or DPL on conventional frequencies, those days are pretty much over. How nice it would have been to stamp out intermod back then. Scan speeds have also increased greatly, and this combined with tone decoding makes conventional scanning a much better experience overall. Though most things are 800mhz repeater systems now, this also means I hear both sides of the traffic that is non-encrypted, which I didn't always hear back then. This still includes most of the interesting stuff, though I sometimes do miss the more "sensitive" things I could hear back then. Alpha-tagging is also not often given the credit it deserves. With tons of frequencies / channels, it is awesome to have. If I had to do the program in my 106 by hand, I would probably go insane, and waste months. Computer programming is a Godsend, and this has to be considered. Attenuation PER CHANNEL, audio boost PER CHANNEL, as well as lighting and LED options add to the advantage new scanners hold.
On balance, we lost superior radio quality, but gained a world of technology and features that more than make up for it.
So what is one to do?
I just picked up a mint condition Pro-43 for milair (unbeatable), and enjoy my 106 and 197 for most other things. I can dial the squelch down for the 43 and hear things the new Chinese scanners are deaf to, but overall the new scanners just make a mockery of the 43 in terms of overall technology, when it comes to all but civilian and military air.
I do miss the "old days", but embrace the new technology at the same time.
