Thinking about buying a scanner

[KD9LAI]

Hi everyone
I'm new to this forum. So, wow....I read the BIG YELLOW banner at the start saying whatever I do, I better not incite a diatribe against encryption.
Seriously, I'll try not to.
It's really *not the main focus of my question.

It boils down to this... having invested zero dollar$ so far on what can be a very expensive hobby, I wanted to poll some experts--particularly in my area of Western Cook / Dupage counties. [I'm right on the border].

Let's go with an assumption. Let's assume that we're X_# of months/years down the road and everyone that has been thinking about going encrypted has now done so. Fine. What's done is done. [assuming that would be all police and fire in my area]

My questions are as follows:
1. What would there be left to listen to?
2. In particular, what from an Emergency Preparedness standpoint would be left to listen to? I ask it like that cuz while I respect the *hobby of scanner listening--especially the train and air hobbyists--that's not me. My primary reason for thinking about a scanner would be to stay informed if/when things go nuts. And doesn't have to be a Mad Max scenario....the unrest of a couple of summers ago comes to mind. For the concerned citizen who just wants to be informed and safe.... if fire and police are encrypted, will a scanner tell me anything of value?
3. In this scenario, is there any reason to lay out $650 for a Uniden SDS100 if all of the stuff it's GREAT at picking up is now encrypted?

Ok, I'll stop there. Hopefully I've done my due dilegence to the rules of the forum. Apologies for any naivete regarding these topics. As I said, I'm pretty new to it all and just started reading. One of the difficulties is that everything seems to be in a state of flux, and the way it is in geographic area A may be entirely different than geographic area B.

Many, many thanks for your help.

Tim

 

[INDaviation]

Most of the law enforcement in Cook County is encrypted, DuPage County isn't but that's set to change soon. All of the fire departments in Cook/DuPage Counties including CFD are in the clear. There are some police departments in Cook County still on analog UHF/VHF but that can change down the road. Illinois State Police is in the clear as well. If emergency preparedness is your goal, there's still plenty to hear. The Illinois Terrorism Task Force region and incident talkgroups on STARCOM are in the clear, no doubt those will see use in a SHTF scenario. Some other smaller agencies on STARCOM21 like Metra Rail Police, Secretary of State Police, etc. are in the clear for now.

In my experience, the SDS100 works great on STARCOM21 in the Cook/DuPage area. It handles the simulcast systems very well. I tried the BCD436HP up there too and it doesn't even come close.

Hopefully more local users can give you more in-depth answers, I can only speak for myself and my experience scanning in Chicago. Hope this helps!

 

[rk911]

most of Cook PD is reportedly encrypted...i'll defer to others to expand on the state of ENC for Cook PD and FD. last i listened state police are in the clear.

other than Naperville and Aurora I am not aware of any PD in DuPage being ENC. ENC IS coming, possibly by the end of 2023 but we've heard that before. my source tells me that when ENC comes to PD in DuPage fire will remain in fhe clear. as with Cook, state police are in the clear. my Uniden 536 and my older Pro-197 handle the DuPage simulcast system well. But most users will tell you that the SDS models are best.

 

[mass-man]

Roll of the dice!!! SDS100 is best for Phase 2…others might or might not work! Departments around here are going to Phase2 systems faster than ENC! If every PD agency is encrypted info may be harder to come by but it’s still possible!
Last major disaster scenario drill revealed the local hospital ER comms are a good source. As well the ambulances, and FD to PD interops where PD units turned off ENC for the drill!

 

[morrisr3nd]

Try Software Defined Radio (SDR). It's cheap compared to scanners and does quite well. Just isn't very portable. Get a couple of dongle kits and you're off.

 

[KD9LAI]

Try Software Defined Radio (SDR). It's cheap compared to scanners and does quite well. Just isn't very portable. Get a couple of dongle kits and you're off.

So, I've googled this. Yes, the price is right...and looks like a somewhat less expensive way to dip my toe in. Found a couple of sites with step by step instructions. Hmmmmm. This itself looks like a hobby! Might have to see if anyone's got a recent youtube vid getting this set up.

 

[KD9LAI]

most of Cook PD is reportedly encrypted...i'll defer to others to expand on the state of ENC for Cook PD and FD. last i listened state police are in the clear.

other than Naperville and Aurora I am not aware of any PD in DuPage being ENC. ENC IS coming, possibly by the end of 2023 but we've heard that before. my source tells me that when ENC comes to PD in DuPage fire will remain in fhe clear. as with Cook, state police are in the clear. my Uniden 536 and my older Pro-197 handle the DuPage simulcast system well. But most users will tell you that the SDS models are best.

Thanks so much for the info. Here's a question....my own local municipality is Elk Grove Village. Um...searching for the right way to ask the question, ...how do I "find them" on the STARCOM 21 system? For example, I came upon the OpenMHz website OpenMHz which has a selection for Chicago Western Suburbs Police and Fire but I don't think Elk Grove Village is included in that stream. Using Radio Reference, I found them listed as:

Elk Grove Village​

* See wiki for additional frequency information.

STARCOM21 Statewide Illinois Project 25 Phase II

Police/Fire via NWCD

Frequency	License	Type	Tone	Alpha Tag	Description	Mode	Tag
154.980	KXO709	RM	167.9 PL	ElkG Village	Village Administrative / Fire

Is it possible to listen to their calls online?

Thanks!
Tim

 

[INDaviation]

Elk Grove Village Police and Fire are dispatched by Northwest Central Dispatch on STARCOM21. Police are on TG 3001 and are encrypted. They also have a few other encrypted talkgroups. Fire is dispatched on TG 2753 and is in the clear. TG 2760 is their Fireground.

EDIT: Forgot to add you can listen to Fire on Broadcastify Calls

 

[morrisr3nd]

So, I've googled this. Yes, the price is right...and looks like a somewhat less expensive way to dip my toe in. Found a couple of sites with step by step instructions. Hmmmmm. This itself looks like a hobby! Might have to see if anyone's got a recent youtube vid getting this set up.

There are a lot of fakes out there. There is a lot of info here on RR about SDR's too.

 

[Awesomeman92]

Thanks so much for the info. Here's a question....my own local municipality is Elk Grove Village. Um...searching for the right way to ask the question, ...how do I "find them" on the STARCOM 21 system? For example, I came upon the OpenMHz website OpenMHz which has a selection for Chicago Western Suburbs Police and Fire but I don't think Elk Grove Village is included in that stream. Using Radio Reference, I found them listed as:

Elk Grove Village​

* See wiki for additional frequency information.

STARCOM21 Statewide Illinois Project 25 Phase II

Police/Fire via NWCD

Frequency	License	Type	Tone	Alpha Tag	Description	Mode	Tag
154.980	KXO709	RM	167.9 PL	ElkG Village	Village Administrative / Fire

Is it possible to listen to their calls online?

Thanks!
Tim

As IND said, PD is on PD1 (3001, with Mt. Prospect & Prospect Heights), FD is on FD3 (2753, with Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, & Streamwood). NWCDS also has a whole bunch of tactical talkgroups, some of which aren't encrypted but also aren't very active. EG Public Works is also on Starcom. PD cannot be listened to period, FD3 I think has a stream.

One note, you will need a Phase 2 scanner or radio for FD3 (and virtually all the other NWCDS talkgroups), it operates in P2 98% of the time. I can vouch for the SDS200 but its a big investment. I also use a BCD325P2 in the truck and it works fine too, but with one of the "non-SDS" scanners your mileage may vary from my experience. You may want to start with an inexpensive SDR and DSD+.

 

[ctiller]

Ham radio monitoring could help out during tornadoes and other weather events at least. Military aircraft can still be monitored in the clear mostly in case a mad max scenario of that magnitude plays out.