Encrypted = no more listening?

Hello,

New here. Have a Greecom 800. And can’t hear my local pd any longer. Read that it’s encrypted now along with highway patrol. Does he that me no more listening? If I got a Bearcat sps would that work?

Thanks!

TX45ACP said:

Hello,

New here. Have a Greecom 800. And can’t hear my local pd any longer. Read that it’s encrypted now along with highway patrol. Does he that me no more listening? If I got a Bearcat sps would that work?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Nothing, not a damn thing works if encryption exists. That is the point of encryption, they do not want anyone listening to them. It is the pits for those that have listened to observe things in their community, but encryption hides a lot from the general public. I believe there are posts in the Tavern that discuss this. Have never gone there as pointless. Everyone has their opinions.

Your agencies may not be encrypted, they may just have gone to a digital system that older scanners can't understand. If you post your location (state, county) we could give a better answer.

There are many radio users out there who believe that digital systems are automatically encrypted. Politicians and radio sales people tend to allow that belief to exist without actually confirming it. As jonwienke suggests, it would be best to confirm actual encryption before giving up.

Hi guys, thanks for the reply’s. I’m near, and want to listen too the following counties in California-

Riverside
San Bernardino
San Diego
Orange County

Some encryption is used in those areas, but there is still a lot to listen to. They don't encrypt everything.

DaveNF2G said:

There are many radio users out there who believe that digital systems are automatically encrypted. Politicians and radio sales people tend to allow that belief to exist without actually confirming it. As jonwienke suggests, it would be best to confirm actual encryption before giving up.

Click to expand...

I can remember back to when a town I used to be a first aid squad volunteer on moved to 800 MHz. The deputy police chief knew I was a ham and asked if I could help him. The town thought that moving everything up to 800 would have a side-consequence of preventing eavesdroppers. They were right. It also prevented their off-duty guys from listening in because no one had 800 scanners at the time. That was a big complaint within the department. Everyone wanted to know what was going on when they were off-duty. I had to explain that just changing bands to the "new" 800 band didn't scramble anything, and then I suggested an 800 MHz converter, which was available at the time (Hamtronics or MFJ? I forget). The guys who were interested bought them, and all was good... until a few years later, when the Uniden BC-800XLT came out. Then there was no more privacy... as if there ever was. It's all good, though. They've made it just fine with 36 years of being in the clear.

Moral of the story - Dave and Jon are right.

Check the database, and check the regional discussions. If there really is encryption, there's a very good chance your peers would have indicated it in the database.

TX45ACP said:

Hi guys, thanks for the reply’s. I’m near, and want to listen too the following counties in California-

Riverside
San Bernardino
San Diego
Orange County

Click to expand...

You also mentioned "highway patrol".

The CHP is not encrypted. In fact their VHF-Lo stuff is still analog, I hear it daily. The 700 MHz stuff is digital, but I don't think encrypted, not sure on that last part.

SBSO is not encrypted, neither is fire.

Riverside sherrif is not encrypted, neither are most Riverside city police channels, although they do have some encrypted channels.

I don't know about SD or OC.

T!

GRE 800

If you are referring to a GRE 800 (Greecom) scanner, it can handle Phase I and II plus DMR with the Whistler upgrade. As has been said, no scanner can do encryption, but the 800 will handle P25 very well in most instances.

Token said:

You also mentioned "highway patrol".

The CHP is not encrypted. In fact their VHF-Lo stuff is still analog, I hear it daily. The 700 MHz stuff is digital, but I don't think encrypted, not sure on that last part.

Click to expand...

I can't speak for SoCal but all the CHP 700 MHz I copy in my travels around Sacramento/Placer/Nevada counties are not encrypted. Used mostly for mobile extenders in the hill country; primary ops are still on the lo-VHF system.

I'm in San Diego and pretty much everything here is unencrypted. The County Sheriff is on P25 digital trunking and the city police and fire are on an analog trunked system.

Token said:

You also mentioned "highway patrol".

The CHP is not encrypted. In fact their VHF-Lo stuff is still analog, I hear it daily. The 700 MHz stuff is digital, but I don't think encrypted, not sure on that last part.

SBSO is not encrypted, neither is fire.

Riverside sherrif is not encrypted, neither are most Riverside city police channels, although they do have some encrypted channels.

I don't know about SD or OC.

T!

Click to expand...

I thought Riverside County Sheriff is encrypted, and San Bernardino Sheriff was in the process of encrypting?

TX45ACP said:

Read that it’s encrypted now along with highway patrol. Does he that me no more listening?

Click to expand...

Join the police force. You'll be able to hear them again.

DHAS12 said:

I thought Riverside County Sheriff is encrypted, and San Bernardino Sheriff was in the process of encrypting?

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That’s what I read.

TX45ACP said:

That’s what I read.

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Just Checked the DB, most Law enforcement in Riverside County except CHP and Hemet PD from what I can tell are encrypted. Riverside county fire is un encrypted. In San Bernardino County, Some LE agencys are starting to encrypt, including SBCO, and city PD's. Fire is un encrypted. Orange County Sheriff I know has been encrypted for a long time. Idk about Cities in Orange county, but I know OCSO is encrypted.

Thanks everyone!!!

TX45ACP said:

Hi guys, thanks for the reply’s. I’m near, and want to listen too the following counties in California-

Riverside
San Bernardino
San Diego
Orange County

Click to expand...

All city and county law enforcement in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange counties is encrypted. I don't know about San Diego county, but they're not far behind.

Fire services are generally mostly unencrypted. The CHP is unencrypted.

Token said:

SBSO is not encrypted...

Riverside sherrif is not encrypted...

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Your source data is obsolete. RSO has been fully encrypted for several years, and it's been several months for SBSO.