Motorola Spectra Question

[kg4ekc]

I have been told that the Specta has some special circutry that allows any agency to listen inside another vehicle with a spectra radio by hitting some emergency button. I am wondering if this is really true or just BS. I can not see how they can listen off band to another radio. (ie.) Low band 6 meter Specta in a vehicle and 800 Spectra listening in. Can anyone else tell me if this feature has been put in these radios. Or point me in a direction to ask this question. This sounds like a story to me.

Sorry if this is off topic but tired to find the closest area to post this.

Thanks,

 

[K4APR]

I have been told that the Specta has some special circutry that allows any agency to listen inside another vehicle with a spectra radio by hitting some emergency button. I am wondering if this is really true or just BS. I can not see how they can listen off band to another radio. (ie.) Low band 6 meter Specta in a vehicle and 800 Spectra listening in. Can anyone else tell me if this feature has been put in these radios. Or point me in a direction to ask this question. This sounds like a story to me.

Sorry if this is off topic but tired to find the closest area to post this.

Thanks,

I have been working on them 3+ years now at the Moto shop I work for and I have never heard that before. Sounds like BS to me.

Now what I will tell you is, on the new XTL5000 mobiles, there is the discussing of adding or have already added the function for dispatch to remotely key up a mobile to "listen in". Obviously for ultimate emergency situations.

 

[n4voxgill]

this may well be a felony in some states.

 

[mancow]

They are probably talking about the MDC enabled emergency audio feature. They have it enabled here on the Sheriff's HT1250s.

The dispatcher sends an MDC command to the radio from the console. The radio opens the mic audio and starts transmitting. They do it occasionally here when they can't contact a deputy.

I don't know if that option is available in the spectra. I know the spectra will do emergency encode signalling. I guess as long as the mic audio isn't physically switched in the mic then it could work.


mancow

 

[N4DES]

Now what I will tell you is, on the new XTL5000 mobiles, there is the discussing of adding or have already added the function for dispatch to remotely key up a mobile to "listen in". Obviously for ultimate emergency situations.

This is a feature that has been around a while, just not widely implemented and not just on the XTL5000. The hot mic feature is tied to the emergency button and can be activated from the dispatch console if its programmed correctly.

 

[rescue161]

It also works well when inhibiting a radio from the console. If the radio was stolen and the thief is "playing around", the dispatcher will hear anything the thief may say once the command is sent to the radio. The thief may say something and not have a clue that the radio is transmitting.

 

[kg4ekc]

Okay here is my question. Yes, you can say this is paranoid but here goes. If I buy a low band and convert is to 6 meters can they open my radio and listen in. Do they not have to be trunked to trunked or at least the low band to low band?

Thanks,

 

[rescue161]

Okay here is my question. Yes, you can say this is paranoid but here goes. If I buy a low band and convert is to 6 meters can they open my radio and listen in. Do they not have to be trunked to trunked or at least the low band to low band?

Thanks,

No.

It has to be enabled in the codeplug of the radio for them to be able to do it. Even if you did have the radio set up to accept an inhibit command or an emergency command, ordinary "radios" would not be able to perform the task. The command must be sent from a console like a Centracom Gold dispatch console and there aren't too many of these floating around on Ebay...lol

 

[Microwavemike]

They could ONLY if you are listening to their frequencies.
Use a scanner to monitor public safety channels, not a Transceiver.
If you stay in the Ham band, no one is going to set your radio in remote monitor mode.

mm

 

[mikewazowski]

Okay here is my question. Yes, you can say this is paranoid but here goes. If I buy a low band and convert is to 6 meters can they open my radio and listen in.

If your question still pertains to the Motorola Spectra then no, they won't be able to listen in as the Spectra was never produced in a low band version.

 

[rescue161]

If your question still pertains to the Motorola Spectra then no, they won't be able to listen in as the Spectra was never produced in a low band version.

OMG!

I was so trying to run through my head the process of inhibiting a radio that I totally missed the low band thing...lol

 

[grem467]

this may well be a felony in some states.

how is remote monitor a felony? to me its the same deal as a network administrator using remote desktop or other software to monitor what you do on their PCs/network, which has been ruled perfectly legal.


as long as its used in a company owned vehicle and radio, i would think they could do as they wish

 

[n4voxgill]

secretly listening is a felony in some states.

 

[scanfan03]

secretly listening is a felony in some states.

Not if it is in a company or a Fire/EMS/PD owned vehicle.

 

[n4voxgill]

Not if it is in a company or a Fire/EMS/PD owned vehicle.

that is not true. We mounted tape recorders in many of our police cars and taped the conversations between prisoners. Judge threw the information out as a invasion of privacy and threatend to jail any one doing so in the future.

If an officer does not know that he is being listened to, that would be unlawful in many states. Its not like when he knowingly transmits on the radio. This is really no different than a wiretap on the phone

 

[rescue161]

From the places that I've lived, the law has stated that only one side of the conversation needs to know about the recording. I checked because I have a crazy ex-wife...

Now if neither one of the prisoners knew they were being recorded, then yeah, that is invasion of privacy, but when a dispatcher is "remote monitoring" a radio it's different.

1) The dispatcher is one side of the conversation and knows about the remote monitor situation.

2) It's only done when:

a. An officer is not reponding to the radio after a traffic stop, dangerous call, etc. (Safety of the officer reasons)

b. Radio is stolen and the dispatcher is trying to find out the location of the radio before they inhibit it.

 

[multisync]

From the places that I've lived, the law has stated that only one side of the conversation needs to know about the recording. I checked because I have a crazy ex-wife...

Now if neither one of the prisoners knew they were being recorded, then yeah, that is invasion of privacy, but when a dispatcher is "remote monitoring" a radio it's different.

1) The dispatcher is one side of the conversation and knows about the remote monitor situation.

2) It's only done when:

a. An officer is not reponding to the radio after a traffic stop, dangerous call, etc. (Safety of the officer reasons)

b. Radio is stolen and the dispatcher is trying to find out the location of the radio before they inhibit it.

I second that! The laws are the same in Kanada as well. As long as one party is privy to the recording it's legal. You had a crazy ex-wife on tape and I had a corrupt ex-cop friend on tape. See we can agree on something, only I don't understand what your fixation with 'inhibiting' things is about? I bet you would love to inhibit your ex's mouth (and probably me)

 

[rescue161]

I second that! The laws are the same in Kanada as well. As long as one party is privy to the recording it's legal. You had a crazy ex-wife on tape and I had a corrupt ex-cop friend on tape. See we can agree on something, only I don't understand what your fixation with 'inhibiting' things is about? I bet you would love to inhibit your ex's mouth (and probably me)

LOL.
I bust out the tape every once in a while so we can have a good laugh.