When you hand tune your radio you can feel exactly when you are on the most powerful part of the radio signal instead of letting a computer do it for you. You can also roll the tuner back and forth to different stations once you know how far apart they are instead of using a pre-programmed button like an old woman. Why yes, I do drive a stick, how could you tell?

Ask me how i know youre an amerimutt

>>28452655 (OP)
I hate when they put volume and power on the same knob

>>28452673
Why

>>28452655 (OP)
pretending this isn't bait, the head unit just listens for the specific frequency you set it to. if you set it to 104.1 it's not gonna look for other frequencies.

>>28452678
Sometimes it's well designed but sometimes they make it flimsy so it doesn't give you a solid button-feel
Yes I have autism

What's a radio?

>>28452655 (OP)
What retard unironically listens to the radio?

>>28452772
who listens to the radio?
who listens to the radio?
who listens to the radio?
that's what i'd like to know
who
listens to the radio

>>28452655 (OP)
Very nice boomer lore.

>>28452780
As opposed to what?

>>28452882
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JydQ7W_xz-g

>>28452655 (OP)
>listening to over the air radio in 2025
>have no control over what songs are played
>40% of the broadcast is commercials
No fucking thanks. I've got a digital music library of 4k+ songs on an old ipod connected to my car stereo and a computer connected to my home stereo. I can listen to the music I want, when I want, non-stop without commercials. I don't think I've listened to a radio broadcast in at least 10 years.

>>28453125
>4k+ songs
You call that a library?

>>28453125
>not listening to pirate stations
your loss. only regards the listen to commercial stations

>>28453885
>listening to music instead of air, rail and emergency frequencies
Picrel is my scanner. I have been using it for 15+ years at this point and it shows no sign of slowing down.

>>28453885
How do you do fellow chad. I'm always tuning in on 819 for my morning commute. Great station on there where I live. This is my favourite song: https://youtu.be/fqqduTpKCRQ
>>28453917
Hell yeah brother! Nice going man

>>28453917
>tfw everything is digitally encrypted around here now

>>28454034
This might be a bit pedantic, but I think that someone might find this insteresting, but Digital != Encryption.

I can still pick up digital shit, as there are usually analogue backup frequencies (not always the case, though). Usually an accidental signal lock is needed. However, I can find that frequency, if it is relevant and then save it on a band, found a couple of new police signals, high speed rail comms and an ATC center from these signal locks alone.

The BC72XLT that I have has a secondary mode that hunts frequencies and does a full range scan to allow for the discovery of new frequencies.

Encryption is another story. Pretty different. Some encrypted frequencies are easy to decode, as they rely on Morse code for message transmissions, though this cycles between messages. A more common system of encryption relies on a dial tone and this is near impossible to decode on your own. Some of the big wigs on >>>/diy/ might know a work around, but as of right now, all I can tell you is that this system cannot be decrypted with anything that is off-the-shelf.

That said, I have noticed a few things:
>corrugated metal seems to amplify this (I notice more encrypted signal locks whenever I am near a building made of corrugated steel panels).
>base station scanners get less signal locks with "E" codes
This means that a base station scanner will be the device of choice if someone is looking to decode stuff. My guess is because they are more adapted for police frequency usage.

>>28454074
It's all P25 encryption. I've tried using a couple of Uniden digital scanners over the years but nothing, even with CC and all that on. Ended up selling most of my stuff.
Still have a BCT15X on my desk (but I need to install a proper roof antenna), and a Nascar handheld similar to yours, except red and it has a pc port, so I can upload my same programming to it as I've got on my desktop unit.

I can still get air/rail/taxi, but all the emergency services, even rural/volunteer fire, are encrypted.

>>28454099
Where about are you? It is not encrypted in my area yet, but it might be soon, which has me worried.

>>28454270
'straya

>>28454271
Well that explains it. I wish I knew about Australian law because in America, it is technically legal to decrypt messages at the Federal level and at the State level in most of the country. Australia might consider it "wiretapping", though.

>>28453215
The point is he has his favorite music on-demand and doesn't have to listen rely on shit like (((SiriusXM))) or (((paid streaming))).

>>28454294
I understand that, I'm merely asking why is it so small.
By the way, microSD storage space today is cheap and plenty, and it's possible to find adapter boards to integrate that into the old iPod and some other HDD jukeboxes.

>>28454280
I looked into it a little bit when they started rolling out the encryption, I think it is illegal to break the encryption. But I mean, that's not the issue really, the issue is actually figuring out how to break it in the first place.

...........and then I would never ever use the illegal methods myself and listen in.

>>28454317
I gotcha. Encryption breakers were sold about 15 years ago, but they are very hard to find now and new ones are not being sold anywhere in the world, to my knowledge. (Excuse me if I contradicted myself from earlier).

Decrypting is a dark art, very little information exists on it that is actually helpful and most of the scanner community will outright refuse to tell you if they have done it or attempted to do it, as there are efforts to make decrypting illegal. If I figure it out, I will promise that I will post on anonymous guide on how to do it.

>>28454309
I bought an iPod classic in 2021 that proudly boasted about the battery being new. It was accurate but then the hard drive crapped out on me two years later. I am also a partslet and don't know how to weld or solder.

>>28454345
>Doesn't know how to solder
Let me guess, you are also a wrenchlet.

>>28454345
>don't know how to weld or solder.
I'm like 90% sure it can be converted to microSD without soldering. The toughest part is probably to disassemble it without breaking the plastic clips or what Apple used instead of them, they really don't like their products taken apart.
>>28454357
He said he's a partslet. How can you wrench without parts?

>>28454885
By fabricating your own parts. I have made my own washers in the past. Not that a washer is much of a part.

I need to build my own machine shop, but I lack the space and will need to clear the room.

>>28452772
>t. gets all his news from reddit

Op is right and it is not only radios but everything else too. Analog crap is true life when digital is a representation through the lag of art least one sensor. Detents calibration is no better than the guy who calibrated it..

>>28454957
I've watched this retard make washers and ball bearings, the autism is over 9000
https://www.youtube.com/@mymechanics/videos

>>28452655 (OP)
>no ads
>music quality isn't raped and distorted
>can listen to FLAC collection anywhere I go
feelsgoodman.jpg

>>28452678
It gets used too much and the volume control has to be bent and turned perfectly to work.

>>28454957
>but I lack the space
Get yourself a southbend #9 fren

>>28452655 (OP)
Retard, best of both worlds

>>28457579
>$850
Just keep the original radio, run the speaker wire output to the rca input on a hidden amp with its own Bluetooth. You keep the original radio for tuning and looking good while still having Bluetooth. And you can spend the rest of the $500 you saved on really nice speakers.

>>28457672
That would be good if the boomer I bought the car off of hadn't already ripped out the original for some 1 disk CD player.
On the bright side he had already put in a nice sound system because even with the good speakers the headers it has you really need to crank up the stereo to hear anything.

>>28457424
I heard it's possible to clean rotary encoders (some even have holes for that), but I have yet to try that myself.