Even with no inside knowledge of the system, it only stands to reason they are
not going to go from AEGIS to "In the Clear"
They're not actually encrypted right now, just using a modulation no scanner can demodulate (and won't because so few use AEGIS).
If you had a p7100 (just for example) with the right programming options, you could listen.
[ I can almost gaurantee RCMP in in Nfld WILL be encrypted.
RCMP have been p25 across the island, save for the Avalon, for almost 3 years now. They have a single encrypted tactical channel but the rest is in the clear. Given the still ongoing troubles with interoperability and the studies, decisions and debate still occurring in that area I do not imagine they're in any great rush to go enc and further cause problems.
Knowing those two things, you have to ask "if they were going to go enc, wouldn't they do it by now" and if they were go to enc, they'd need to solve the interoperability issues, which according to the lengthy report issued a couple yrs back, they're no where near.
Further, knowing that RNC are not actually encrypted, and that rcmp are not enc and the RNC are the primary concern (and the main source of frustration) for interoperability with emergency services doesn't it make just a little bit of sense that RNC will have at least some traffic in the clear?
The biggest blow to listening freely is the amount of traffic they push over their in car computer network and via cell phone. Very little actionable information is disclosed over the radio, even now on AEGIS.
