I've been thinking about this one lately: what will we actually be scanning in 2031?
Five years isn't a particularly long time in the world of radio, but technology and the way organisations communicate are changing pretty quickly. I suspect the scanning landscape in 2031 will look quite different from what we're used to today.
Airband:
I think VHF airband AM will still be around in 2031, but we may see a gradual shift towards more data-based communications. Major airlines and larger airports are likely to be among the first to adopt any new data communications systems, particularly where there are efficiency or operational advantages. That doesn't necessarily mean the end of VHF AM. I expect it will remain important for interoperability, emergencies, general aviation and less active airports for quite some time.
Five years isn't a particularly long time in the world of radio, but technology and the way organisations communicate are changing pretty quickly. I suspect the scanning landscape in 2031 will look quite different from what we're used to today.
Airband:
I think VHF airband AM will still be around in 2031, but we may see a gradual shift towards more data-based communications. Major airlines and larger airports are likely to be among the first to adopt any new data communications systems, particularly where there are efficiency or operational advantages. That doesn't necessarily mean the end of VHF AM. I expect it will remain important for interoperability, emergencies, general aviation and less active airports for quite some time.
So airband may become a case of less voice traffic, but the voice traffic that remains is still very useful to listen to.
VHF Marine:
I'd expect marine VHF to be one of the more familiar parts of the scanning hobby in 2031. There will obviously be increasing use of digital/data systems around shipping and maritime operations, but VHF voice has some pretty strong advantages for local and emergency communications.
It's also difficult to replace something that is so widely deployed and understood.
CB Radio / UHF CB:
This is an interesting one. I could see consumer radio gradually moving towards digital modes, potentially including DMR or similar systems. Whether that actually happens on a large scale is another question. Analogue CB has been around for decades and has an enormous installed base, so there is a lot of inertia.
This is an interesting one. I could see consumer radio gradually moving towards digital modes, potentially including DMR or similar systems. Whether that actually happens on a large scale is another question. Analogue CB has been around for decades and has an enormous installed base, so there is a lot of inertia.
If manufacturers start offering inexpensive digital radios that provide better range, more users per channel and additional features, we could see digital becoming increasingly common.
Business Radio:
This is probably where I'm already seeing the biggest change.
More business users are moving away from traditional analogue FM and towards DMR and NXDN, I expect that trend to continue over the next five years.
For businesses, digital makes a lot of sense: more efficient spectrum use, multiple talkgroups, individual calling, better coverage management and the ability to integrate radio systems with other communications infrastructure.
For scanners, that means we'll probably be doing less "find an analogue frequency and listen" and more identifying digital systems, talkgroups and users.
Emergency Services:
Unfortunately, I think this is where scanners will lose the most ground. A lot of emergency service communications are already encrypted, and I expect encryption to become increasingly normal rather than exceptional.
There will still be plenty of information available through other sources, and some non-sensitive communications may remain in the clear, but I wouldn't be surprised if by 2031 the traditional idea of sitting down with a scanner and hearing most of what a local emergency service is doing is largely a thing of the past in many areas.
My guess is that we'll still be scanning plenty in 2031, just not necessarily the same things.
The hobby may shift from:
"What frequencies can I listen to?"
to:
"What radio systems are being used, what digital technology are they using, and what can I actually decode?"
We'll probably have fewer analogue conversations to listen to, more DMR/NXDN and other digital traffic, more data communications, and considerably more encryption in sensitive services.
In short, less will be scannable, but the traffic that remains will increasingly be digital.
And knowing this hobby, someone (me) will still be sitting on a hill somewhere in 2031 with three scanners, an SDR, a laptop and a notebook full of frequencies wondering what the hell that weird signal is.
