KSICS Anchor Thread

[mancow]

I can see it being a requirement for a purchase but to actually use it for everything seems a bit over the top. You can't even hear weather reports as they are tracking storms across the county.

[firefive76]

Originally Posted by n0lqt

Actually, with Wolf Creek right smack dab in their front yard, I can understand that. I suppose it might even be a "requirement" from HS for some of the grant money they have received. Full-time encryption might be a little over the top, but they may have it programmed in on the talkgroup level rather than at the radio level....

Are you sure it is on the talkgroup level? I know on the law enforcement side, they can turn it on or off at the radio. Troopers working down there also have the encryption in their radios so they can communicate with them.

[mrkevin02]

Originally Posted by mancow

Coffey Co even encrypts their emergency management talkgroup.

It's ridiculous.

you think that is ridiculous. Finney County & Garden City has trash, road department and water & sewer encrypted. What is so top secret about the trash guys that it has to be encrypted? One has to wonder what they are really trying to hide?

[rankin39]

Originally Posted by mrkevin02

you think that is ridiculous. Finney County & Garden City has trash, road department and water & sewer encrypted. What is so top secret about the trash guys that it has to be encrypted? One has to wonder what they are really trying to hide?

Give a child a hammer and he will quickly discover that everything around him needs a good pounding.

Bob, WoNXN

[factorone]

Originally Posted by mrkevin02

That's the way it is in southwest Kansas. I know several Troopers have scanners in their cars to listen to other LEO traffic to see if their help is needed. I thought those scanners were bought by the Troopers not the state. I also have heard that Troopers on the road are not happy with the encryption that some county and cities are going to. Their feeling is that by encrypting so bad guys can't listen to where officers are is putting officers at risk due to other agenices can't hear whats going on around them so they can help or get ready for something headed their way.

I used to live in GC up until about 2 years ago, and I hated that part of the new system. They have GCPD, FIEMS, and even the Finney County EM talkgroups encrypted, and for what? Low level gangbangers that aren't smart enough to use a digital scanner anyway? I've had officers on GCPD try to hide behind "DEA operations", but they're on their own systems that use sophisticated encryption systems anyway (not cheap-*** Motorola specific 64-bit encryption that can be broken with a couple quad-core CPUs and some downtime...).

What it really boils down to in the end to me is not wanting to have to answer to the public for accountability. In the past, the public was able to keep some departments in check by listening in on what was going on (cell phones and landline communications not withstanding), and therefore keep their departments somewhat "in check" through those means. Now, with encryption, they don't have that ability, and department brass can simply justify anything they want by changing stories behind the scenes without anyone being the wiser for it.

[mrkevin02]

This encryption stuff is going to get a cop hurt or god fore bid killed. This past week or so I heard a chase start in Finney county close to Holcomb. They called for the Highway Patrol to help. The Highway Patrol Trooper trying to catch up to the chase had to have the dispatcher call on the phone and relay information. The chase went through Finney county, Kearny county into Hamilton county where it turned north on K-25. The entire time the dispatcher was relaying information by phone. When the chase entered Greely county a Greely County Deputy got behind the car. He switched to the KHP channel out of Garden City and asked permission to use the channel while he was involve with the chase. They finally got the guy stopped about the Greely Wallace county line. The guy in this chase was a mentally disturbed person who was considered very dangerous.

Then we have another chase on I-70 between Colby and Oakly. Troopers can't talk to Thomas or Logan county deputies and again information has to be relayed by telephone. This chase makes a 72 mile circle from I-70 to US-83 to some back country roads back to Colby. Where he was caught. This guy was wanted for murder in Minnesota.

Now we have a Jail break in Ness County. The guy is a known gang member and was convicted last week on rape of a 7 year old girl. The jail break happened around 10:30 pm. My scanner woke me up at midnight from all of the highway patrol traffic of troopers moving into Ness City to help search. When I called our dispatcher and asked about a jail break in the neighboring county. She told me "I don't know anything about a jail break. I don't have the 800 radio on." At 12:30 am I talked to one of our local deputies and he said "I'm not sure if there was a jail break or not. We are trying to get more information." I don't think Ness County is up on 800 yet. Seems like I read a note on a forum board that it wouldn't be till November. With our radios being encrypted we didn't even know anything about it till at least an hour and a half after the fact.

The buying of encryption is for officer safety is what scanner jockeys are being told. I say that's BS. Here are 3 current incidents where an officer could have very easily been hurt and the closest back up officer might have heard the call but not understood it. If you are a Police Chief or a Sheriff I hope you read this and at the very least consider not using encryption on your main dispatch channel.

[cinsu]

I went in and nearly doubled my database of Radio IDs in the Wiki tonight. Also does anybody what KTA is using for radios in the toll booths? I get a radio ID when dispatch talks as well as 2 toll booths but the majority of them do not show a radio ID.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

[scanningisfun]

Originally Posted by cinsu

I went in and nearly doubled my database of Radio IDs in the Wiki tonight. Also does anybody what KTA is using for radios in the toll booths? I get a radio ID when dispatch talks as well as 2 toll booths but the majority of them do not show a radio ID.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

That is not possible. Every radio has to have a RID. The radio wouldn't be able to be on the system w/out one.

Jacob

[mancow]

I see 0 show up often.

[scanningisfun]

Originally Posted by mancow

I see 0 show up often.

Zero is not a valid radio ID.

Jacob

[mancow]

Yes but that's what is shown. (PRO-197)

[scanningisfun]

Originally Posted by mancow

Yes but that's what is shown. (PRO-197)

I have a 396XT, so I wouldn't know about the 197. I'm positive that the RID is not zero. Hmmm....

Jacob

[cinsu]

Originally Posted by scanningisfun

That is not possible. Every radio has to have a RID. The radio wouldn't be able to be on the system w/out one.

Jacob

I know. That's my problem. I am using a 396XT, it shows nothing. UniTrunker shows 0

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2

[squelchtale]

In Garden City, the PD and EMS are the only agencies encrypting other than some occasional tactical comms. The Road Dept is not encrypted and the trash and sewer depts are not even on the state 800 system, they are on a seperate 800 LTR trunked analog system.

In my opinion there are two things driving the encryption bandwagon.

#1 In the past encryption was cost prohibitive to most agencies. But with the new digital 800 radios it is a simple $25 add on per radio.

#2 In the past if a bad guy wanted to listen to law enforcement they had to buy a $400 scanner and have the technical knowledge to know how to program it. Now with all the scanner feeds that are on the internet, that has put a scanner in the hands of alot more bad guys with the download of a free app. Yea its neat to be able to listen to communications all over the country but I think the scanner community has shot themselves in the foot with these scanner internet feeds.

[mrkevin02]

Thank you for setting the record straight I was just going by what some people I talk to in GC were saying about the road, water & sewer department. I know when I put finney & GC in my scanner it was nothing but encrypted traffic.

[factorone]

Originally Posted by squelchtale

Now with all the scanner feeds that are on the internet, that has put a scanner in the hands of alot more bad guys with the download of a free app. Yea its neat to be able to listen to communications all over the country but I think the scanner community has shot themselves in the foot with these scanner internet feeds.

This argument is bunk in my opinion. The online scanner feeds typically have a buffering delay of anywhere from 10 to 40 seconds (depending on connection speeds), and therefore making it hard to really listen to stuff online in true real-time.

And again, I feel like agencies, particularly police departments and sheriff's offices are hiding behind encryption to mask their accountability to the public. If anything is truly so sensitive that it can't be said over a radio for everyone to hear, then it needs to be said over a cell phone or face-to-face.

There is absolutely no reason to encrypt normal dispatching traffic, unless you're the Secret Service.

[mrkevin02]

I totally agree with you. The way this is going to be fixed is when a deputy or an officer is hurt or killed because the closest back up could not understand the call for help due to the encryption, and family members sue a department for millions of dollars and win.

Just wondering can I get some encryption for my family service radios I have? I don't want people knowing that we are convoying and going to stop for fuel, drinks & pee break.

[n0lqt]

Just wondering can I get some encryption for my family service radios I have?

Sure you can:

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
Parlez-vous Français?
Говорите ли вы русский язык?

I hear Spanish all the time around here, why not choose your own language. Nothing in the regs (at least for FRS/GMRS) says the communications MUST be in English. As for actual voice inversion or digital encryption, no. I do believe digital modulation is authorized for MURS radios though.... Of course there is always CDMA 800/1900 MHz (aka cellphone). On speaker or headset of course, wouldn't want to interfere with the driving.

[mrkevin02]

Originally Posted by n0lqt

Sure you can:

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
Parlez-vous Français?
Говорите ли вы русский язык?

I hear Spanish all the time around here, why not choose your own language. Nothing in the regs (at least for FRS/GMRS) says the communications MUST be in English. As for actual voice inversion or digital encryption, no. I do believe digital modulation is authorized for MURS radios though.... Of course there is always CDMA 800/1900 MHz (aka cellphone). On speaker or headset of course, wouldn't want to interfere with the driving.

you made me smile with this post.

[scanningisfun]

Originally Posted by mrkevin02

I totally agree with you. The way this is going to be fixed is when a deputy or an officer is hurt or killed because the closest back up could not understand the call for help due to the encryption, and family members sue a department for millions of dollars and win.

Just wondering can I get some encryption for my family service radios I have? I don't want people knowing that we are convoying and going to stop for fuel, drinks & pee break.

Get a motorola radio with an encryption module installed with the right band split and program it for the FRS frequencies. <---Illegal though (Not recomended)

Or, get some TriSquare radios (People won't be able to follow your conversation/these are legal)

TriSquare - 2-way Radio - Beyond FRS Beyond GMRS eXRS (TM) eXtreme Radio Service

Jacob