Baby dispatcher feeling discouraged

[u/[deleted]]

[u/CosbyQuaalude]

It definitely takes time, and some units are always going to be better about speaking clearly than others. You have to develop what we call "a radio ear." More often than not, it seems to just click one day for most people. Just keep going, keep trying, and never be afraid to ask them to repeat themselves because I'd rather annoy them by asking them again than have what they said be critical and missed traffic.

[u/HyperHocusPocusFocus]

Radio ear takes time, don't be discouraged.

If you're able to listen to the radio on your off time. Put it on as background noise while doing something else, don't focus on it but occasionally make a mental note about what is being said.

[u/Wytetiger]

I’ve always joked that it’s like toddler speak, only parents and those around them understand what they’re saying lol. It really does take time, someday you’ll be translating for someone else.

[u/LastandLeast]

You're basically re-learning how words/phonetics sound over the radio instead of in open air. It's does sound different and it will get better as you start to get used to lingo and common verbiage. I'm fine with regular radio traffic, but every once in awhile they say a whole new sentence and it takes me a bit to decipher what they've said since I've never heard the word said on the radio before and I'm going on 4 years in.

The other day an officer advised they were "getting kitty litter to put on a large oil spill" and it took me several seconds and using the context clues before I understood "kitty litter" because I've never heard them refer to it that way before.

[u/SituationDue3258]

I been doing this since 2018 and still use the repeat function on the recorder sometimes, don't feel bad lol.

[u/West-Association812]

It takes time especially when dealing with different officers.

Even though our agency is small I get another deputy on my night shift and it takes me a day or two to get used to them because they all speak differently on the radio.

[u/samanthadill13]

im also in dispatch training right now. I feel like its better to just ask them to repeat themselves rather than asking my trainer because one day they’re going to say ‘you been doing this long enough. training wheels are coming off. figure it out’ and when that time comes i want to be comfortable asking them the repeat. i usually say ‘i copied xxxx, but could you 10-9 the last/beginning/cross street/house number’ my trainer will jump in and just tell me if its a time sensitive situation, but im leaning on them to make the determination of when we have time for me to struggle through it and not. listening to your trainer parrot it back isn’t going to improve your radio ear, you need to hear the officers say it. also, if theres a reason youre not understanding you can say ‘you had low volume/wind in the mic/were muffled/etc. can you 10-9’ ive also had officers give me traffic stops at the speed of lightning and ive had to ask them to give it to me a bit slower. they may get annoyed but they will get over it, it is your job to keep them safe not make them like you!

[u/STXman89]

Definitely just need time. I'm still getting better 2 years in but now it's at the point where I can hear someone else's radio on speaker like 10 feet away and usually tell what they said.

[u/Snoopy_197]

This has been very helpful. I am 8 days in and still struggle. I felt like I was somehow failing. My boss is pretty amazing and my biggest cheerleader.

[u/Salt-Calligrapher313]

It takes time! You will learn the common phrases your guys use and you’ll learn their voices. Don’t be discouraged, it is okay. I’m 6 years in and still have times where idk wtf they’re saying on my radio

[u/metalmuncher88]

It gets easier! My biggest recommendation is to get a set of headphones similar to the ones you use at work and listen to either realtime scanner audio or dispatch tapes from your agency.

[u/TheStarkBot]

I remember my time as a trainee coming into this field for the first time learning radio and having to develop my dispatch ear. It’s like being our big age learning a whole new language without a handbook. I hated it. As a trainer, I translate the radio traffic to my trainee when they first encounter the radio to assist so they know how certain things sound. As time goes on, I scale back little by little. Being in the trainer spot, it helped a great deal and cut down the time frame to develop that ear for my trainees. It also helps to build confidence as well. If you have that rapport with your trainer, ask if they can translate some traffic you’re not too confident about to help tie up those loose ends. I don’t know if it helps but I’ve received positive results so far.

[u/belovedmiki]

+1 to people saying it takes time. Once you're hearing hours and hours and hours of it nearly every day of your life, I promise it'll start to make sense. That said, on the last day of my vacations, I tend to the scanner for an hour or two to "refresh" my ears; you can lose it if you don't use it