note: their is a yahoogroups for scanner fans. Original Article Scanner fans like being step ahead of the news By Irene Hsiao, Tribune Leonard Burris likes to be in the know. He keeps his ears glued to his four radio scanners one stationary and three handheld to keep up with the calls fire departments are working on. The 39-year-old Fountain Hills resident said his hobby began while he was in high school in Georgia. He had friends in the fire department and later volunteered as a firefighter. "Part of it is I miss being the guy that goes out. This is what keeps me connected," he said. "The fire department is a brotherhood, so its like listening out for my brothers." Burris is one of many Valley residents who live vicariously through radio receivers, catching the live action of police and firefighters out of a need for immediate and raw news. One of the most intense calls hes heard was when Phoenix firefighter Bret Tarver was killed in a grocery store fire in 2001. "Sometimes its frustrating," he said. "I heard the battalion chief call in that a firefighters trapped." Though the popularity of scanners has waned since their heyday in the 1970s, hardcore listeners are still out there. These days, though, the radio technology is changing, forcing scanner junkies to upgrade to digital receivers that still cannot decode some transmissions. Bill Phillips, project manager for the Phoenix Regional Wireless Network, said many police operation channels SWAT, detectives, narcotics, organized crime, rapid deployments are being digitally encrypted. Police departments could potentially encrypt all of their transmissions. But police officials in Phoenix, Scottsdale and other local cities have decided to leave open some channels for the public. Thats good news for people like Kevin Farrell, 52, who called scanners "the best place for news." "Youre going to hit on the radio before it hits the wires or the television stations," said Farrell, who lives in Maricopa County but has a Scottsdale address. "Its just interesting." A volunteer for the Maricopa County sheriffs posse, Farrell has 25 years of public safety experience, including work as a part-time police officer in New Jersey and volunteer firefighter in South Amboy, N.J. and Hope Valley, R.I. Not all scanner listeners are former police officers or firefighters some are just plain curious folks. Many join organizations that monitor the frequencies for media outlets, private insurance and fire restoration companies. Incident Command Page and Arizona Public Safety News Network are two in the Phoenix area. They also exchange listening tips on Internet newsgroups such as ArizonaScanner@yahoogroups.com. Brian Lejeck, 31, an airline pilot who lives in Mesa, has been a scanner junkie for 21 years. He listens to the public safety channels but not air traffic because, "thats being at work." "I listen daily, when Im driving around the city," he said. "I listen at home sometimes, and if I hear the police helicopter in the area or sirens, Ill turn it on." When the power goes out, he listens to Salt River Project workers. "You hear the guy say, We need some parts from the warehouse, and youre like, Oh, its going to take a while, " he said. Burris and Lejeck plan to shell out a few hundred dollars to buy a digital scanner, while Farrell is sticking with the ones he has. Fire and police departments know the general public is monitoring their calls. Some are regulars who show up at scenes and dont get in the way. Alison Cooper, a Rural/ Metro fire spokeswoman, said the fire buffs are usually wellbehaved and not a problem. "If their loved ones are on shift, they just want to know what theyre doing for the day," she said. Scottsdale police detective Sam Bailey said some suspects police arrest own scanners. But he was not aware of any laws in Arizona that prohibit people from listening. "Its a free country," he said. Contact Irene Hsiao by email, or phone (480)-970-2324