by Saturnalia » Wed Apr 03, 2019 9:22 pm
Evaluate your standing with the following:
1. You aren't doing anything illegal
2. You don't draw attention to yourself
3. You are respectful if law enforcement contact occurs
4. You have out-of-state plates
You should be fine. I've spent gobs of time on the Chicago Line from Butler to the Calumet River, always nice waves from the police. They know who railfans are, what they do, and if you're following typical etiquette, they won't concern themselves with you. I had one officer ask from his cruiser if I was railfanning, I replied that I was, and he wished me a fun time and departed. Scanner was on clipped to my shorts.
If they do ask if you have a HAM license, obviously be honest. But if you're from out-of-state, you can probably plead ignorance to the license requirement. Obviously not a very good legal defense but this is the real world were pragmatism usually rules. If you got this far and they informed you that you were using it in violation of the law, simply volunteer to cease using it on the spot, thank the officer for the notice, and I bet 99.9% of the time, assuming the above 4 are true, that'll be enough for them to move on.
Most officers would much rather go snag somebody committing traffic infractions like distracted driving, and be available to help with real crimes, then pester somebody who's simply enjoying their hobby. The scanner law was written to criminalize using a scanner to help commit another crime anyway.
Thornapple River Rail Series - YouTubeCopper Country '19-'20 Snowfall Total: 57.5"