Can I legally listen to HAM on my scanner?

[Captain Kilowatt]

2m is pretty much a commuter's band. I find the band is much busier during morning and evening drive times when everyone is going to or from work.During the day it is pretty dead.

 

[W5LZ]

You didn't waste any money on a study guide.
Part of it is that VHF/UHF ham radio just doesn't have the same utility or purpose as any form/type of telephone service. Radio is like a 'party-line' telephone with no 'ringers', you can almost always 'catch' someone, but maybe not any one particular person, sort of. There are also some things that you can't say/ask on ham radio, and then, somethings that I wouldn't discuss on a radio no matter if it would be 'legal' or not, you know?
Is ham radio 'dying'? I really doubt it. The first thing you have to think about is that the radio spectrum is a limited resource, there just isn't all that much to go around, sort of. If you had a million additional hams, where would you put'em? Relating the number of hams to the total population just isn't a very valid way of doing it, just too many limiting factors that can't be accounted for that way. Instead of using 'ham', try sticking 'knitters' into that sort of rating thing, it knitting a dying hobby? I kind'a doubt that too. Oh well.
Figuring out 'when' to listen is as important as figuring out 'where' to listen, maybe even more so.
- 'Doc

 

[KW4HKY]

I finally heard something on the scanner last night. It was a check in training session, I guess for Sky-Warn? After the test was complete the repeater was cleared and there were a couple of conversations on a new "DX" (not sure if that was the correct term) and that was is for the night. Most of the stations were in the Charlotte, NC area, which I guess should have the most traffic near me.


I tried scanning the 28 frequency, but not sure my scanner accepts that. Pretty sure I can pick up the 400 range.

There did seem to be lots if interference last night, maybe the skip you guys mentioned.

I'm not going to give up, and I'm going to take the test. I have no clue yet what I want to buy.

This might not be the correct forum, but I still have an unused rotor on my 2 story house. The motor & control work great. Will this be a plus when I finally get an antenna installed?

Forgive my butchered terms

Thanks for all the help