Why use a Discriminator Tap?

[Chrome69]

What do you gain from using a Discriminator output? I have software for my 396T and it logs the time and date and the frequency and talk group and even can record to my computer the transmission. So why the Tap out? What other benefits are their.

Another question, is it possible to actually grab the data that is transmitted between the cops station and the cars that goes to a squad cars computer? If so what equiptment would be required?

[mancow]

1. To analyze data coming straight from the control channel.

2. No, it's encrypted.

[Al42]

Originally Posted by Chrome69

What do you gain from using a Discriminator output? I have software for my 396T and it logs the time and date and the frequency and talk group and even can record to my computer the transmission. So why the Tap out? What other benefits are their.

A lot of the signal is filtered out before it gets to the earphone jack. The discriminator tap gets the signal before all the filtering.

Another question, is it possible to actually grab the data that is transmitted between the cops station and the cars that goes to a squad cars computer? If so what equiptment would be required?

It's technically possible - all you need is a discriminator tap. It's illegal to do that in the US and, since it's an encrypted digital signal, "grabbing" it wouldn't do you any good.

[JnglMassiv]

Originally Posted by Chrome69

Another question, is it possible to actually grab the data that is transmitted between the cops station and the cars that goes to a squad cars computer? If so what equiptment would be required?

It is possible for some systems both technically and without running afoul of the law. There exists software that decodes (not in the encrypted sense) older Motorola MDT signals from discriminator audio.