USPS Inspectors - 406.3375 & federal monitoring question

[baj6974]

I was wondering what type of radio /s (HT) like Motorola would be able to pick this up in the "clear"?( I have a pro-106), frequency here in n. dallas is digitally encrypted. Therefore I'd need 1 that would have some type of encryption capability I take it?I don't care if it would trunk or not.

And being in the government freq. range (400-419) would a HT programmed w/ these frequencies in it be known by the agency, (like a local public safety 800mhz trunked system would show up on their end and leave it a book end). Thanks

[w8jjr]

never mind deleted
You need to do some research

[ChrisP]

Originally Posted by baj6974

I was wondering what type of radio /s (HT) like Motorola would be able to pick this up in the "clear"?( I have a pro-106), frequency here in n. dallas is digitally encrypted. Therefore I'd need 1 that would have some type of encryption capability I take it?I don't care if it would trunk or not.

And being in the government freq. range (400-419) would a HT programmed w/ these frequencies in it be known by the agency, (like a local public safety 800mhz trunked system would show up on their end and leave it a book end). Thanks

Even if you were to purchase the same model radio as the agency you were trying to hear uses, it still wouldn't allow you to hear encrypted transmissions. You would have to have a key-loader and the encryption key. The encryption key is not something you are going to guess at, so as W8JJR suggested, do some research on AES encryption.

On a conventional radio system (not trunked), no, they would not be able to tell you had a radio listening to their radio system. That has nothing to do with the frequency, but rather the type of radio system.

I know we all want to hear what they are saying when they go secure, but that's not something that you can just "get around" by buying a different radio. Face the fact that when they are encrypted, you are not going to be able to listen in...

- Chris

[SOFA_KING]

You are not missing much. In the days when they were analog and "in the clear", most of the chatter was not very important. The best of what I heard was personal stuff and open talk about cases and people (like no one could hear them). They had loose lips! I would bet it is the same today.

I get some Coast Guard stuff from time to time that is half and half (one side encrypted and the other clear), and there is nothing worth encrypting for 90% of what they talk about. They do use it most of the time though. Today encryption is overused and works well enough that they use it all of the time in many cases. The majority of the traffic is not worth encrypting. There are some that are still in the clear and we get to hear some good traffic from time to time. Enjoy it while you can! Keep what you hear to yourself and you might hear more "in the clear" traffic.

Phil