Where Will Scanning Be In The Future?

Where Will Scanning Be In The Future?

Yes - likely not as we now know it.

Think back, tunable units, crystals
who would have thought, using a keyboard to enter
who would have thought, using the internet to download the needed info
who would have thought, Trunking
who would have thought, P25.
.......who would have thought, SDR

JonathanW said:

Where Will Scanning Be In The Future?

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Answer

JonathanW said:

Where Will Scanning Be In The Future?


As it is going now...a distant memory.

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DEAD!

There will be to some extent but not as much at it once was. If that means putting the thing in search to monitor aircraft, railroads, marine, FRS or MURS, so be it. I set one day a week aside to monitor something I don't usually don't include on a regular basis and am often suprised what I find.

Probably like it is today, lots of people listening to many different things on different hardware. Some only listen to analog, others need digital. Still some use USB dongles and software. Many make their own antennas or write their own code for control or programming.

I don't think it will die off like those who think encryption is a death sentence to monitoring. Some people see this as a challenge and new hardware and/or software makes another option open up.

All we need is one bad apple to commit a terroristic act involving a scanner, and the next thing you'll know is that will be the rationalzation to encrypt everything.

JonathanW said:

Where Will Scanning Be In The Future?

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It will be an old persons passtime as I feel young people will wonder what is so fascinating about a passive activity.

You mean like sitting on our @$$ and listening
vs
sitting on our @$$ playing computer games ?

:roll: Very similar

mciupa said:

It will be an old persons passtime as I feel young people will wonder what is so fascinating about a passive activity.

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It's just a matter of time

As our world has changed over the past 30 years or so, I suspect scanning as we know it will go away with the advent of encrypted comms even FD /EMS are switching. Other than listening to the Walmart folks stocking the store in might just go away.

We see from time to time here in the U.S. in the papers criminals caught using scanners to monitor PS comms interception

Our adjacent county; Canyon with the towns of Nampa//Caldwell and SO went fully encrypted just due to gang activity over the years. Much to the dissopointment of the local media..... Too bad


Recently a terrorist cell in Belgum was rounded up and had some TETRA portables suppositly on PD frequiencies most likely to listen but they have the technology the funds and the expertise to enable them to circumvent various comm systems.

I think eventually there will be nothing to scan. Everything will have gone encrypted or some other technology that make it impossible to receive via a scanner of any type. Look at what is already impossible to scan that was formerly able to be scanned via a radio scanner: television audio, cordless phones, cell phones, encrypted public safety and business radios, etc.

I suppose amateur radio would possibly transform, as well.

safetypro79 said:

Recently a terrorist cell in Belgum was rounded up and had some TETRA portables suppositly on PD frequiencies most likely to listen but they have the technology the funds and the expertise to enable them to circumvent various comm systems.

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Above is the real problem. Not the media and casual/serious scannerheads.
The bad guys will always find a way around with money and technology. This has been a fact on the southwest borders.
Encryption is now common place. Especially when we post on RR about what we hear on DMR/NXDN/etc.. We are our own worst enemies.
Common sense and a zipped lip will keep whatever portion of the spectrum we can still monitor.
PM, and emails will make it harder for the sys admins to guess what we are hearing.
Larry

My personal belief is that some agencies recognize the value of transparency and public interaction. If the majority of public safety does migrate to a fully broadband method of transport, as our industry pundits say we are, these agencies will stream their routine communications kind of like Broadcastify. Not all of the communities, but some. It will take solid support from citizens, their elected leaders, agency heads, and the officers/firefighters/EMS workers, themselves to make it work. Anything special or exotic will probably not be streamed. Now, some of you might be thinking that's something communities won't go for, but given an IP-based environment, they can have a log of exactly who's listening - or maybe even control who can access and who can't. It's not passive like old-time scanning would have been. And all of the overhead won't be voice. There will be networks of sensors telemetering data back and forth through interdependent systems. Won't hear any of that because there's nothing to hear, and that might reduce voice traffic... or voice traffic might be something like "look at your screen" with canned responses embedded on whatever page is being displayed.

RF communications will be there for either close-in communications, or as a SHTF backup if things crash. Not all communities will recognize that need until they've gone through some problems, but I suspect radio won't totally go away. It might not be used every day, and it might actually get simpler, with reimplementation of forgotten modes and bands - like analog low band (you guys know I've got a thing for low band, right?).

No matter what happens, change is inevitable. It will be different. But, then, as a kid, I thought we would all be driving around in Jetsons cars and living in "mod" buildings. That didn't happen. It's like that Cinderella song - the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Apparently most future comms will be delivered by drones. Heh heh.

I sure hope so!

I can see every state agency along with every federal agency using digital modes. Hopefully the staties do not turn on the big E. But the Feds run E 24/7....

with all the encryption going on around the u.s. scanning as we know it won't last much longer,I sure wouldent waste 500 dollars on a scanner now ........

kb5zcs said:

with all the encryption going on around the u.s. scanning as we know it won't last much longer,I sure wouldent waste 500 dollars on a scanner now ........

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Public safety scanning, yes. For the most part, it's ending or has already. But there's so much more out there beyond that. Milair, weather spotters, news crews in the field, security, schoolbuses, aircraft, etc, etc, etc... lots to monitor out there and will be for years to come. I spent the $500 because right now there still IS plenty of open P25 to monitor. If for whatever reason that changes, oh well - s*** happens. I still have a good scanner that can pick up all sorts of things beyond the cops and fire department. I'd miss listening to my local agencies, sure, but it is what it is and I'd find other things to monitor.

And you'd be surprised - really surprised - at how many unencrypted federal comms there are out there. Even on channels that are supposed to be 24/7 encrypted. Do some googling and you'll find an article about a study that was done over a couple of years of monitoring. Several hours of clear voice were recovered - much of it was of a VERY sensitive nature. The agents in these comms definitely did not know anyone else could hear them. It's a real eye opener for any agency contemplating full time encryption and good reading for anyone who is interested in scanning these systems.

-AZ

Only scanning will be amateur radio. Unless de-encryption becomes legal. But then we will be living in a police state so won't matter.

hopefully ESK bought us a couple of years. Judging from the lack of opsec on a couple EDACS w/ESK systems I monitor, they think these things are locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Sounds like a salesman did the legwork for us on these.