[Scan-DC] Newbie "Jump Start"

Sat, 2 Aug 2003 12:36:18 -0400

Doug,

Boy, did you bring back some memories!!!  It sat at the corner of the small
strip parking lot at Queens Chapel Rd & 34th St/Chillum Rd.  I lost many a
teenage paycheck in that place.  While it wasn't my first, I'll never forget
my "most favorite" scanner that I bought out of that place.  It was the
Fannon-Courier Scanfare (http://www.webdeals.net/scanpix/fscanfare.jpg).
This 4 channel portable was great competition (I think it was **far**
better) for RS's first crystal controlled portables, the Pro-4 and the
Pro-6.  While the RSes had "thumbwheels" for volume and squelch, the Fannon
had true volume and squelch knobs.  The "rubber duck" that came with the
RSes was not really functional.  It looked like a black cigar, and the plug,
which plugged into a sub-mini phone jack, was really a joke.  It was a small
metal pin, the top portion was painted black to stop it from shorting out at
the shield, and the bottom portion touched the center conductor of the
antenna jack.  The Fannon used a real screw in rubber duck antenna.

Finally, the Fannon had a **TRUE** mobile adapter that I wish today's
scanner makers would follow!!!  It was built like the old GE-PE /
Motorola-MX "Convert-a-coms".  It was a box that was mobile mounted.  The
scanner slid into a slot, and there was a molded plug that plugged into the
side of the scanner through an opening in the side of the box.  The molded
plug contained the plugs for power/charge, external antenna, and amplified
audio.  All connections were made just by pushing this one molded plug in
place.

While I know I was a little critical of the Pro-4 and Pro-6, they were still
good units that I also grew up on (I just liked the Fannon better).  I got
around the non-functional RS included antennas by cutting a six inch length
of RG-58, and buying the 2-pack of 3/32" sub-mini plugs.  I would glue one
of the plugs screw on jacket at the top of the coax, making it a cap.  I
would then enlarge the wire end of the other plugs jacket, slide in the
coax, and solder the center conductor to the plug to complete the working
antenna.

Take care,
Dewey

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Doug K.
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2003 11:30
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Newbie "Jump Start"

>From: [email protected]
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Newbie "Jump Start"
>Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2003 17:46:05 -0400

(snip!)

>
>I could only dream of having 8 channels in my first scanner.

Scanner?  What's a "scanner"?  :)  At the risk of displaying my age, my
first "scanner" was one of those old tunable receivers from the Lafayette
store over in Queens Chapel - anybody here remember those days?

First xtal-controlled rcvr was (is! - I still have it, need to rebuild the
power supply...) an old Sonar FR-105, has 6 channels.  Best VHF radio I ever
had.

>Everything you need to know in life is at Scan-DC.

Truth!

Methusela

aka Doug

PS, nobody picked up on the illness code in my signature a few daze ago -
wake up, y'all!   :)

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