Another OpenSky thread (oh no)

[SCPD]

So me and a couple of friends got into a deep discussion about this OpenSky.

Wiki says OpenSky is digital modulation over a TDMA channel format. Operation is very similar to Nextel TDMA digital voice systems.
So a Nextel radio sends out a burst every few seconds, kinda a "hey I'm out here if you need me" handshake.
So do OpenSky radios do the same?
And if I had all the OpenSky freqs in a scanner, could I hear the data bursts, know when a patrol car is just over the hill, or behind the corner? And know to slow down, or don't run the stop sign?

Like I said, we can have some really deep discussions.

 

[GTO_04]

Will your scanner treat those bursts as an encrypted signal and not pass the audio to the speaker?

You would probably want to program in the mobile frequencies in conventional mode. Sort of like a cop detector.

GTO_04

 

[rdale]

No scanner skips encrypted conventional.

It's not really a "cop detector" as much as it is a "radio detector." But who is using that radio? Cop? Fire? Admin? Garbage truck? Really in the end I don't think it's worth it...

 

[mikewazowski]

So a Nextel radio sends out a burst every few seconds, kinda a "hey I'm out here if you need me" handshake.

Are you sure of that?

That would be an incredibly huge waste of battery resources especially if the radio hasn't changed sites recently.

Most systems group a bunch of sites together into a Local Area. Only when entering or exiting across a Local Area boundary do they send out an update.

 

[RadioRaull]

So me and a couple of friends got into a deep discussion about this OpenSky.

And if I had all the OpenSky freqs in a scanner, could I hear the data bursts, know when a patrol car is just over the hill, or behind the corner? And know to slow down, or don't run the stop sign?

Like I said, we can have some really deep discussions.

You would be advise to just slow down and not run any stops signs, as you are endangering the rest of the public.