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Category Archives: Article
Scanner sharks: Special breed of hobbyists keep their ears tuned to emergency dispatches
By Rachel Rice St. Louis Post-Dispatch Dec 29, 2018 When dispatchers radioed St. Charles emergency services to tell them that a man was stranded in the catwalks beneath the Blanchette Bridge that carries Interstate 70 over the Missouri River, scanner … Continue reading
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Tagged Notification, radio, scanner
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Last of the scanners: Are police security measures and new technologies killing an American obsession?
In a white house on a quiet, leafy street in Takoma Park, Md., lives a man who listens to nothing but mayhem. He is remarkable not because of his appearance — tall, thin, black hair — but for what he has around … Continue reading
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Tagged encryption, radio, scanner
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If You Drive in Los Angeles the Cops can Track Your Every Move
It was a particularly chilly cold case. At 1 am on November 18, 2010, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded to reports of gunfire in a leafy cul-de-sac near Universal Studios. They found Jong Kim lying in front … Continue reading
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Tagged ALPR, Automatic License Plate Reader, lapd
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NBC News Report Says Hams “Could Save Our Lives” in a Disaster
A team from NBC News’ digital news unit Left Field was in Hawaii to visit with some radio amateurs to produce a report when the false nuclear missile alert happened on January 13. Left Field’s report points out how … Continue reading
Posted in Amateur Radio, Article
Tagged amateur radio, communications, Disaster Preparedness, emergency, ham, Hawaii, Missile
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Signal Strength – It Is All Relative
By Rich Carlson, N9JIG So what does Signal Strength really mean? Most scanners these days have a Signal Strength indicator, usually with up to 4 or 5 bars to indicate a strong signal. How are these calibrated? Is 4 bars … Continue reading
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Tagged Rich Carlson, S-Meter, Scanner Master, Signal Strength
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LA-RICS Radio System Construction Update
Drill rigs and concrete trucks crawl up mountaintops at the break of dawn, forming silhouettes along LA basin and northern desert hillsides. Delivery trucks loaded with tower steel and heavy earth moving machinery mark the start of 2018 in grandiose fashion for the Land … Continue reading
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Tagged build, la-rics, LMR, radio system
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Senior Los Angeles Fire Department Aircrewman Retires
Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighter flight paramedic Greg Sanderson has retired after 32 years of service, with 18 years assigned to the Air Operations Section. During Sanderson’s time at Air Operations he interrogated many skills, equipment, and rescue techniques … Continue reading
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Tagged Air Ops, Fire Department, helicopter, lafd
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Police Department Changes Course, Will Use Both Public and Private Radio Channels
It looks like they are getting encryption right in Nebraska. We hope the So Cal PD’s will follow suit and not lock out scanner listeners from all PUBLIC safety communications. COLUMBUS NE — Columbus Police Chief Chuck Sherer is changing course … Continue reading
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Tagged encryption, police, scanner, sheriff
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FCC Must Upgrade Wireless Emergency Alert System, Public Safety Organizations Say
The nation’s Wireless Emergency Alert system (WEA) needs improvements that are long overdue, according to a coalition of public safety organizations that are pushing for action by the Federal Communications Commission on the issue. In a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and … Continue reading
