So I bought a fairly high end police scanner.
Now that I finally kind of understand how this thing works I'm monitoring all the nearby towns police departments, fire, ems... all that happy shit.
As I'm listening right now there is a suicidal 16 year old literally 2 blocks from my house, sheriffs and local cops and EMS are all en route or there.
Anyhow, I'm curious. Is this in any way an invasion of privacy or do I have a right to know and listen in on LE traffic?

I've been thinking how handy this would have been when the helis were hovering over my house during that GI joe suspect search that September evening when we thought there were cop killers running thru our neighborhood.

Does anyone else scan?

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

This reminds me of when my grandma bought one, and started calling people "civilians"....

Back in high school, my buddy's mom was dedicated to her scanner. She heard my name when I got pulled over for fleeing and eluding, about two miles from their place, on our way home from a night of drinking. I got off thanks to my Uncle, who was a cop in the next township over and responded to the call as well. Neither ever said a word to my folks, but boy, did they ever give me the business for a while!

legally or ethically?

K Howitt Fleez

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

Broadcastify online.

My mother had one when we were growing up and it would pick up the wireless landline phones in the neighborhood. It was funny because she would tell me everyone's business. "Hey, did you know whats her face is sleeping with Johnny from over the bridge. But so is her friend Jenny, so this should be interesting"

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You never miss your wealth, till your well went dry
Seem like only yesterday, you were here smiling
Now you gone away, but I know you in a better place
No traces of you, what can I do?
Alone and confused

Not surprised an old hen like you would want to know everyone’s business. You should change your last name to Kravitz.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Ethically. It's perfectly legal.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Ok. Darko Kravitz at your service, moondick.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

That’s an oldie but a goody. Where do you and your flock of mosey hens gather to cluck?

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

At your mom's. Oldie but goodie.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

That would be a neat trick.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Trick? She never charged.
Yeah that was uncomfortable. I didnt particularly like it.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Not really ... it's an underground club.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

I had a six band radio that I took to college and in our dorm towers you could get conversation after conversation in the prime time evening hours. Nothing was being encrypted at that time, so you would hear all sorts of fun stuff. Cheap entertainment some nights with some beer and that radio.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

Listening to cordless phones is illegal as far as I know. Cell transmission intercepts are also illegal although I suppose now there are no analog signals any longer and the digital are likely encrypted.
This hobby, for me, extends to interest in police, fire, EMS and public safety. Some ATC traffic is interesting but I dont understand any of it.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Thankfully, the statute of limitations has run out and I cannot be prosecuted for this crime.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

My radio would pick up air traffic control occasionally. I think it was tower vrs sirplsbe but it would be bizarre when CKG was getting the Led out and there would be a static break and a clear for landing flight 123 in the middle of Kashmir.

Maybe.
I'll have my people contact your people. We'll talk, we'll do lunch, leave a message on my machine.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Skyking skyking this is snooty sally! Do not respond! Do not respond!

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Really? Interesting. Commercial air traffic broadcasts 108.0000 to 136.9916. Not terribly far from FM radio broadcast.
There has to be a weird maths reason why that happens. Kind of cool.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Yeah, it was bizarre. It was 25+ years ago.. Heck, it could of been charter and private planes out of Dupage for all I know but it was certainly odd.

One of my old alarm clocks had a button that said "Weather" and if you pushed it, it was supposed to bring you right to a weather broadcast. But I used to hear some weird shit on there like Cardinals baseball games and what sounded like people discussing freight train arrivals. I assume it was AM but maybe it wasn't since the Cards have or had FM stations, too.

My dad and I used to listen to cordless phone line convos on his scanner all the time back in the day. I completely forgot about it.

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I don’t know what the weather band frequency runs on but all the tractors I have have those settings. Depending on which preset button I get I pick up different areas. Usually just leave the NOAA to the local one (4 I think) out here.

I think weather should be 162.400 thru 162.550. 162.000 thru 173.9875 is dedicated federal government freqs so i suppose picking on on rail traffic is possible. Cant really understand the cards games stuff. Maths I guess.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

They have encrypted channels. The stuff you hear off a scanner is public information.

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

When did darkside turn 65? Congrats on your retirement!

Really?

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014