I listen to the NOAA weather stations alot, as well as the VHF marine band.
Last week I heard the US Coast Guard make an announcement on ch. 16 that
several flares were seen as well as a life preserver found floating in the
water 20 miles off the Chicago shore in Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, I was
driving inland at the time, and never did find out what became of that. I also
heard a sail boat call Mayday as they ran aground on a sand bar. I hear a lot
of fishing boats on Lake Michigan as well as the big ocean going vessels that
come into port. Besides local police, other interesting listening can be found
on the local busses (metro and school busses). In the winter I listen to the
snow plows and the AAA auto club. They have two transmitters in town. These
are very busy during snow storms. Taxi cabs can be neat to listen to at times.
The air band in cool. Plug in a few ' ops ' frequencies like 123.45 and you may
find several pilots chatting to each other as they fly across the country ...
sometimes in Russian or French ! Check out the ham radio band. There is new
technology called IRLP in which the ham radio repeater is connected to the
internet ... I've heard hams driving home from work in their car from Australia
talking to local hams, or hams in London chatting as they sit in their basement
radio rooms.

If you search carefully, you may find the DEA following known drug dealers
around town ... even placing bugs on the cars and announcing exactly where they
are on the map as they tail them !!! (you didn't hear this from me though ...
just what I've been told ... or did I actually hear it???? )

On the old cordless phone band, I've heard a neighbor chatting with his
girlfriend while his wife was away at work (they've since moved).

I work in the medical field, and my favorite thing to listen to are the
ambulances and Flight for Life helicopters. I've heard several calls where the
EMT's have been defibrillating people while on the radio with the doctor at the
hospital.

LOTS of good stuff out there.

Good listening !

jw
wb9uai