Shopping CurbCo? Radio Up or Radio Down?

After scrapping for over 20 years I had a question dawn on me yesterday when I saw (and heard) an older gent out there making his CurbCo rounds yesterday afternoon. He had his cowboy hat on.. windows down and his country music twanging out of the truck.

So my question is- when you other folks are out and about shopping the curb.. do you have the music up, or music down?

I prefer to be a bit more stealthy. Sitting out in front of a house with my radio up pilfering the curb seems to be rude and draw attention to myself.. even though there isn't a law about picking on the side of the road.

Just wanted to get some other thoughts out there!

I'm of the opinion that having your radio blaring is selfish. Not everyone has the same taste in music. Actually, when it comes to any noise, I try to minimize it as much as possible. Anyone who has ever worked shifts or had just put a small child down for a nap will appreciate that unexpected noise can make life miserable.

I keep the radio on because…well I like to listen to music. I mean, who doesn’t? But BLASTING? No way! It really irks me when I can hear someone’s music cranking from the street or at the gas station. Turn your **** car off or I’m going to jump in and drive it into the river. Or at the very least, turn your music down and have some respect for everyone else.

When I’m shopping CurbCo or going to do a pickup, my windows are usually down (both trucks’ A/Cs are out of commission) so I try to keep the music down. I enjoy what I listen to, but not everyone else does. Being courteous and professional will go miles and miles in this business.

I agree, anything that draws attention to you can bring on unwanted scrutiny. This can be from the owners, passers by, or worse, the police.

Even when I'm doing something on a project I bid on like cleaning out before demolition, I play it quiet. You don't need "help" getting treasures out of buildings and it seems to draw people in when its noisy. Actually, as soon as activity is noticed at all, many people think it is a free for all on condemned buildings and we have to subtract scrap value as a line item on our bid sheets. I've lost so much copper to nocturnal copper pullers that I hate to try to add it up. Quiet is best.

Now when it comes to breaking stuff down at home IT'S ON!! Get me some Skynnyrd, Floyd, Van Halen or Waylon Jennings and CRANK IT UP!! (if you didn't notice, I have a taste for a wide variety of music).

Slow and low is how I roll. Just loud enough to hear.

Always have tunes or talk radio on but only loud enough for me to hear...But, I am deaf in one ear and can't hear in the other so maybe it is too loud.

Oh yeah...when I'm home breaking stuff down at home, I put my phone in the speaker dock and let 'er rip! I enjoy the Classic Hip Hop station on Pandora. Nothin' like some old school Snoop or Dr Dre or Tupac...or even better, some Biggie! EAST COAST!!!

I'm a quiet one, maybe the radio on low. The only big and loud thing about me on the curb is my smile and "Hello" to whomever I spot looking at me.

I actually leave my music somewhat up. Houses are mostly set back away from the road and it lets people know i'm there if they want to come talk.
If i pull into a customers driveway I turn it down.

Yeah, quiet and polite is the way....as my wife puts it, "be a flash in the pan". There and gone, hardly noticed. And if noticed, polite and pleasant.

It seems to work for a lot of things....when my kids were teens, we lived out in the 5-acre 'burbs but close to lots of bush "logging roads" and "Crown land". (Up here in Canada most forest is owned by the Crown, AKA the government) We all had unlicensed dirt bikes but needed to go a half mile or so on paved roads before we could disappear into the forest. I taught the boys to go mid throttle, speed limit, and NO unnecessary "rum, rum, whap, whap" of the engine...keep it a steady note. ---a flash in the pan, there and gone. Never had any problems.

Once we got out away from everyone, all bets were off! A side note--we brought home quite a bit of scrap out of the bush...people dump the darndest things out there. And stuff from old logging areas.

Jon.

I had to come out of the lurkzone just to reply to this thread! We curb shop 5 nights a week from 5pm-11ish. It is very important to us to avoid disturbing "the locals." Usually, we ride with the radio OFF and try to avoid too much banging!

Also, I have to throw in that we feel a little more "professional" with the radio off! Can't tell you how often I've been too busy singing along to spot curbside treasures! ;)

I blast this song....

http://youtu.be/CZB6WXDuM1g

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Originally Posted by ScrapZilla

I had to come out of the lurkzone just to reply to this thread! We curb shop 5 nights a week from 5pm-11ish. It is very important to us to avoid disturbing "the locals." Usually, we ride with the radio OFF and try to avoid too much banging!

Also, I have to throw in that we feel a little more "professional" with the radio off! Can't tell you how often I've been too busy singing along to spot curbside treasures! ;)

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Thanks for coming out of hiding! I appreciate the addition of thoughts to the thread!

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Originally Posted by hobo finds

I blast this song....

http://youtu.be/CZB6WXDuM1g

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Smart-arse!

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Originally Posted by Pnutfarmer

I agree, anything that draws attention to you can bring on unwanted scrutiny. This can be from the owners, passers by, or worse, the police.

Even when I'm doing something on a project I bid on like cleaning out before demolition, I play it quiet. You don't need "help" getting treasures out of buildings and it seems to draw people in when its noisy. Actually, as soon as activity is noticed at all, many people think it is a free for all on condemned buildings and we have to subtract scrap value as a line item on our bid sheets. I've lost so much copper to nocturnal copper pullers that I hate to try to add it up. Quiet is best.

Now when it comes to breaking stuff down at home IT'S ON!! Get me some Skynnyrd, Floyd, Van Halen or Waylon Jennings and CRANK IT UP!! (if you didn't notice, I have a taste for a wide variety of music).

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I have a twin! Well, a twin who is older then me, farm peanuts, an things like that. So other then all that...

I knew you were good people Pnut. That last line confirmed it.

An..it depends where I am an the time of the year. From now till next may I can basically blare the music all I want if I'm just cruising curbco. Do I? No, not all the time. I can though if I want. It's the nice thing about a tourist area, once the season passes there is nobody to *****.

Before the riots start..I don't do it where the majority of the locals live. An I really don't any other time. But I can an have for a song or two. I also never have it up very loud at night.

So in short..I'ma jerk a couple times out of the year. At lest I'm a honest jerk, an kind of considerate.

Then again...I get to listen to it all summer long from all the tourons that come visit an insist I listen to their music. Loud enough it shakes my house....

An yes there is a difference between a touron an a tourist. Don't be a touron people. :)

Sirscrapalot - I would've put a quote buy my music was to loud.

Stealth mode! Quiet and fast.

Usually keep the music off with the my window down. Not because I don't like music or air conditioning, but because there have been many times people have seen me driving around and flagged me down with whistles or hollers after I have passed them wanting to give me stuff in exchange for my business card. I'd hate to lose extra money for some tunes.

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Originally Posted by rca987

Usually keep the music off with the my window down. Not because I don't like music or air conditioning, but because there have been many times people have seen me driving around and flagged me down with whistles or hollers after I have passed them wanting to give me stuff in exchange for my business card. I'd hate to lose extra money for some tunes.

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That is actually a stellar tip rca!

I shut the radio off years ago.

It's been too much time spent in the woods. Out there, you need to be totally aware of your surroundings. It's the sights, the scents, the feel, the sounds, and sometimes even the taste. If there's a noise interfering with being able to hear everything that's going on out there it's almost like being blind.

It carried over into every day life.

Turn up the tunes and drift off into your own little world.

Turn off the tunes and tune in to the world outside of you.

Either way .... It's all good ! :)

I enjoy my tunes while out in nature. Whether it's a beach, a forest, a desert...music always has it's place.

This is why ear phones were made. One in, the other out. Enjoy the music of mankind with the music of nature.

First person to touch my radio when I'm enjoying the sun on the beach, or tampers with my tunes while out camping will be pulling back a stump in place of their hand.

Everything in moderation people!

Sirscrapalot - Now enrolling half the forums in AARP, since half of you posted "ITS TO LOUD!". ;) (Kidding, don't get all riled up!)

Lol ..... yeah ..... age is definitely a factor in the mix ! We're all goin' through the changes from cradle to grave. Might as well embrace them cause every age is great in it's own way. :)

I dunno .... the radio just became an annoyance after awhile. Too many commercials with people yelling " PAY ATTENTION TO ME" and what i have to sell. Too many radio personalities just blathering on about mindless things that aren't the least bit important. The music isn't very good. The corporations that run the industry won't allow potentially good artists to grow and hone their craft. It's more profitable to change them out frequently. It's here today gone tomorrow for all but a rare few.

Lost the vision in one of my eyes about three or four years ago. You know what they say about your other senses becoming heightened.

Much as anything though it's lessons learned out in the woods. The creatures out there will teach you things if you pay attention. Coyotes have moved into this area and they're making problems. The move like a pack of ninjas and will snatch up a chicken or your beloved family pet in a heartbeat. A good friend who was an avid hunter started going out at night to see about thinning them out some because they also prey on the deer population. He was quietly sitting under a tree waiting for the pack to come up one of the game trails. After about an hour he just happened to look a little bit back and to his left. A female coyote had been just sitting there watching him the whole time as if to say : HUMAN .... you're in MY world now. As smart as you might think you are, you're oblivious to what's going on around you. She taught him a lesson in humility and he never went back to hunt the pack again.

The animals do this to me on a regular basis. The deer are the worst offenders. They'll come up within 20' and start browsing while i'm working. I'm so caught up in what i'm doing that i won't realize that they're there. Other times they'll watch from the woods and then snort just for the fun at seeing me jump in surprise. It makes you appreciate just how outclassed you are.

It's the same thing in the urban jungle. You need to be keenly aware of your environment, especially late at night. There are predators out there but more importantly : If you're not tuned in it's almost certain that you're overlooking a lot of scrapping opportunities.

This my friend, is why I use apps such as Pandora or I<3Radio, or Stitcher if you like podcasts an the like.

If you got a newer vehicle they come with usb ports so you can plug your phone with said App. If not you gotta go old school like I do with one of those tapes that go in the deck an then connect to your phone or Cd player, etc.

Tho I'm blessed with a great classic rock station down here, but I still like my own playlists. An only way I can do any talk radio is if I download it an playback via computer or use an app on my phone. :(

One day I'll splurge an get me some Sat. Radio.

Anyhow, I'm just teasing about you all being a bunch of old fuddy duddies. ;)

I'm curious why so many of you have to go into stealth mode to scrap. Some of you I can understand, such as being on a call etc. Others tho make it sound like any noise is a bad thing. Why is this?

An I realize a lot of this is common sense such as turning down the music at night when stopping, etc etc.

Color me curious. It looks better on me then Yellow.

Sirscrapalot - Off to fill up the cooler, it's FOOOOTBALLLLL!

I keep the radio on if I want to be visible. If I'm looking to "hide", it's off. My driving styles also change.

Of course, my truck is a bright green and white Chevrolet. It doesn't really blend in, anyways.

Now, in the workshop or on the highway, I'll keep the radio on and audible. I wouldn't call it "turned down" or "turned up", but somewhere in the middle. What I listen to depends on my mood and what I'm doing. I listen to everything from classic rock and classic country to modern country.

Why do you need to "hide"? Competition? Scrap laws? This is what I'm asking about. The whole stealth thing.

I'm curious why you folks have to do this. I may be spoiled which is why I'm wondering. I don't need to hide or go stealth, heh.

Sirscrapalot - off to mock the Redskins an make the wife mad.

@SirScrapALot

It's mostly a psychological thing for me. For example, I had permission to put in any amount of E-Waste into a free electronics recycling bin that I wanted- and the permission to take stuff out.

I used to haul CRTs by the pickup load. Before it broke down, I took over 50 CRTs in my box van- at one time. Though it was legal and fine, I felt like I didn't want to meet anyone. Get them dumped, and get out of there!

Blasting Def Leppard on the stereo in the box van doesn't help for that.

I also run an electronics recycling business, so this bin was my only real competition. It was a good arrangement, though. CRTs in, large socket PCs out.

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The bin became overwhelmed with TVs/CRTs, though, so they just dumped them outside in a pile. The DEQ and town got after them for that. My stuff was maybe 5% of everything in there, but when I was putting stuff in there, it was already in shambles.

I figured that it was best to get in and get out as quickly and quietly as possible. Having the radio off makes me feel more like a quiet ninja. I went on Sundays, and the bin was in the middle of nowhere. I could have had the radio on, and nobody would have likely noticed. But, still...

This forum totally needs a ninja emoticon.

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Originally Posted by Sirscrapalot

Why do you need to "hide"? Competition? Scrap laws? This is what I'm asking about. The whole stealth thing.

I'm curious why you folks have to do this. I may be spoiled which is why I'm wondering. I don't need to hide or go stealth, heh.

Sirscrapalot - off to mock the Redskins an make the wife mad.

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It's a fair question.

Keeping it low key is just my style. I've done a fair amount of community service work over the years and have found that you can get much more accomplished by working quietly behind the scenes. If somebody else gets the credit then so much the better !

If i roll into a neighborhood to do carpentry work it's pretty much the same thing. If you draw attention to yourself the neighbors start getting up in your business. It's mostly harmless things like they want to know how to do it for themselves -or- they want to hire you because they're they're trying to keep up with the Joneses. Other people are downright harmful and i've had to pitch a few off the jobsite over the years. It's an unnecessary distraction from the task at hand.

I really like music and have a really good CD collection but i just don't be bothered with it while i'm working.

< kindly > I love being an old fart and poke fun at it whenever i can ! This is a great time of life. There's a certain peace of mind and clarity of thought that i never had before. Wouldn't want to go back for anything.

I turned in my CDL this year because i really shouldn't be driving the big trucks anymore but i do miss plowing the winter roads. You're out there in the very worst of it and everything is going crazy. It's total chaos at times. That's where you really need to be "tuned in" to everything that's going on around you. The radio is the first thing to go off. If the boss is getting in your hair you shut off the two way radio too. The world is covered in a blanket of freshly fallen snow and everything goes silent. Sometimes it's coming down so fast that it turns into a white out and you can only see a few feet ahead of your truck. It's when you're running almost blind that you roll down the window and just listen. It's the sound of your tires holding traction. It's listening to the motor and knowing when to split your shifter either up or down. It's the sound of the 11' wide plow in the front as it slides on and off the centerline of the road. It's the sound of the eight foot wide side plow as you're edging closer to the ditch. It's the sound of that plow clipping a utility pole or mailbox because you got three inches too far to the right. It's the sound of the hydraulic pump and hydraulic motors that run the sander in the back. It's all that and more. If you've never been there then it's hard to relate to.

It's the same thing when i'm running my pickup truck on a beautiful summer's day. The windows are down, the radio is off, and i'm listening for the sounds of the machine and the load i'm carrying. If something sounds,smells,or doesn't feel quite right then it gets looked into.

It is about running low key but more about mindfulness and being aware of what's going on around you.

I agree with parts of what has been said. It all depends on each persons situation and the environment they are working in. Sledge a good thread that shows how much different we all are. Me personally I crank it up when I'm breaking $hit down. At regular work I want the radio very low or off. No distractions and want to be totally aware of my surroundings. Pnutfarmer never enough Floyd or Skynyrd.

I dig it. Thank you for the replies so far to my query.

I'm spoiled here on the sandbar. 3 months of the year I could blare music all day long, an nobody would care as all the tourists are louder then i ever could be. The rest of the year, unless I'm by the locals not many on my side(I'm about a block from the ocean. Most locals live what we call sound side. most the rental homes are ocean side. Just which side of the hwy you happen to be on)I can also be loud as I want. Who is going to complains? The fish? Ha ha. I can do it, but i don't.

Afterall...I drive a mini-van. Not like the thing is tweeked out to blast music..ha ha!

I rarely have my music up so loud someone would be irritated an if they are, then a lot in life will annoy them more so then my music. ;) Now if i'm home an breaking things down, all bets are off, an I'll play it as loud as I want. Empty homes can't ***** an tourists know better, due to the fact they make more noise then anyone.

Side story..My Nana, would always get annoyed when some suped up honda would pull up next to her in traffic blaring it's rap, or rock, etc. So when she got a 2000 an something mini-van, she made sure it had decent speakers. So now when the Honda's pull up, she rolls down her windows an blasts old school country. You should see the looks she gets, cracks me up.

Sirscrapalot - Inquiring minds want to know.

I don't know how minivans sound, but a small block Chevy is a pretty nice soundtrack by itself!

My van isn't loud at all. It could be the age, the speakers..I dunno. It's still all factory. Heh. I may upgrade the radio here soon tho, tired of using the little tape connector thing. LOL.

My buddy has his car parked in my driveway till he decides to sell it or fix it. I let him store it here, as he had to move it out of the lot where he was staying. He'll come by once a month, hook up the battery an give it some juice..an that bloody thing is loud. Ford focus I think..I forget.

Anyone wants to buy a car..he's asking 3, but I know he'll take 2. ha ha! ;) Needs a starter I think he said, an two tires(He has the tires, he's a mechanic by trade). Ha ha!

I duno, I might be making a move soon(still on the sandbar) but not sure yet. I hate moving, so we'll see what happens when my lease is up at the end of the year.

Sirscrapalot - VRRRRROOOOOOOOOOM!

No radio, it distracts from keeping an eye out for things. It also lends a distraction to hearing if other vehicles are coming down the road in front of or behind me when I'm out of the truck.

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If you got a newer vehicle they come with usb ports so you can plug your phone with said App. If not you gotta go old school like I do with one of those tapes that go in the deck an then connect to your phone or Cd player, etc.
My van isn't loud at all. It could be the age, the speakers..I dunno. It's still all factory. Heh. I may upgrade the radio here soon tho, tired of using the little tape connector thing.

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I didn't know you could do that with the 8 tracks,,, :cool:

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Originally Posted by hobo finds

i blast this song....

http://youtu.be/czb6wxdum1g

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roflmao:d