All encrypted by 2025??

[billy2047]

My friend (who's also a sys admin) went to an APCO meeting way back and told me APCO wants most if not all public agencies to go encrypted by 2025. I don't know if this is true but is getting a $500+ scanner still worth it for the future (at least for monitoring local public safety agencies)?

 

[ObetzKid]

takes money to go encrypted, some city's can't afford it ..JMO

 

[WX4JCW]

got 3 years of enjoyment, a lot can change or it may not

 

[a417]

Your friend went to a meeting way back, and you don't know if it's true...

 

[GTR8000]

100% nonsense.

 

[nd5y]

is getting a $500+ scanner still worth it for the future (at least for monitoring local public safety agencies)?

It depends on your location.

 

[INDY72]

takes money to go encrypted, some city's can't afford it ..JMO

Not so much anymore. If an agency chooses to go P25, then the new radios have encryption pretty much standard, not at all an extra cost. Not so sure on DMR, or NXDN radios. At least on the "expensive" gear, as my lil ole RD-5R has encryption ability standard and its an under $75.00 radio.

 

[AM909]

Not so much anymore. If an agency chooses to go P25, then the new radios have encryption pretty much standard, not at all an extra cost. Not so sure on DMR, or NXDN radios. At least on the "expensive" gear, as my lil ole RD-5R has encryption ability standard and its an under $75.00 radio.

They may have some kind of encryption, but the "good stuff" (AES256) is still an option for the Kenwood radios I've seen recently, and a pretty expensive one in this Motorola quote for APX radios for Oceanside in December 2021.

 

[StoliRaz]

Interoperability is usually just as big of a deterrent as cost. Town near me went P25 encrypted years ago only to reverse to open P25 not long after because they couldn't communicate easily with other agencies. Thankfully there isn't a lot of encryption (or digital even) around me just yet.

 

[trentbob]

Interoperability is usually just as big of a deterrent as cost. Town near me went P25 encrypted years ago only to reverse to open P25 not long after because they couldn't communicate easily with other agencies. Thankfully there isn't a lot of encryption (or digital even) around me just yet.

Unfortunately my area all went together. All surrounding counties went Phase 2 encrypted. Shut it all down pretty much within a year of each other. Probably going to be your pattern for the rest of the country.

 

[StoliRaz]

Unfortunately my area all went together. All surrounding counties went Phase 2 encrypted. Shut it all down pretty much within a year of each other. Probably going to be your pattern for the rest of the country.

I'm more afraid of simulcast with our new digital state police system (CoMIRS as it's called) than encryption. I can't afford or want to buy an SDS especially with this inflation/gas prices. Central MA is already setup as a simulcast site (Worcester) so I'm thinking all of eastern MA will follow suit

 

[mmckenna]

My friend (who's also a sys admin) went to an APCO meeting way back and told me APCO wants most if not all public agencies to go encrypted by 2025. I don't know if this is true but is getting a $500+ scanner still worth it for the future (at least for monitoring local public safety agencies)?

I usually attend APCO, and while it's often discussed:
APCO has no authority to require encryption.
APCO may have suggested it's likely that many LE agencies will be encrypted by 2025.
APCO may be urging encryption for many good reasons.

Depending on where you live, you may very well see encryption by 2025.
Or not.

 

[trentbob]

Yes when our State went to a new system in Pennsylvania All State Police, including State Park Rangers, went encrypted it's just kind of part of the package. My area in the Northeast of the country has been hit hard with encryption.

Hey if there's new technology or scanners that are going to come out, especially from Uniden, I'm no longer in the market hahaha. But I think that's not going to happen anyway. Everybody sees the writing on the wall.

 

[StoliRaz]

Yes when our State went to a new system in Pennsylvania All State Police, including State Park Rangers, went encrypted it's just kind of part of the package. My area in the Northeast of the country has been hit hard with encryption.

Hey if there's new technology or scanners that are going to come out, especially from Uniden, I'm no longer in the market hahaha. But I think that's not going to happen anyway. Everybody sees the writing on the wall.

Yup, definitely hanging on to my 15x twins/346 for aviation listening. They work pretty well for it

 

[trentbob]

Yup, definitely hanging on to my 15x twins/346 for aviation listening. They work pretty well for it

I have tried to adapt the best I can, I sold one of my sds200s and use an SDS 100 in the car with a Larsen tri-band. Honestly, half the time I don't turn it on, just to hear fire and EMS. I also monitor a ton of other stuff in the car but... respiratory distress calls, dumpster fires and bridge openings for freighters on the river don't cut it. Pretty much stopped listening.

 

[W4KRR]

I have heard that future trunking systems may use an encrypted control channel. Which would mean all traffic would be unmonitorable, and you won't even be able to analyze the system using a program like DSD+

 

[PACNWDude]

I administer a radio system for a private corporation, with fire departments in 56 cities across the United States, and a combination of Motorola Astro and Trbo being connected via Zetron IP interface equipment. Two counties near me are going P25 Phase 2 and encrypted, which meant I had to lay in capable radio equipment as well.

I was tasked as I worked with P25 Phase 2 in the military in 2012-2013. The county plan was to encrypt everything, then just dispatch, now all of it is on hold as they can't even get codeplugs made for all the different users on schedule. What was supposed to be implemented in 2022, is now pushed out to 2023, and seeing the Motorola technicians assisting county radio personnel, it will be 2025 or later.

On my desk, I still have three old school analog only Radio Shack scanners: one Pro-2040 and two Pro-2032's, as well as a Technisonic TL-91-DE aviation radio. There is also a dedicated laptop with a RTL USB stick and an antenna in an office window. Along with SDR# and some plug-ins, I can still monitor P25 Phase 1, and analog comms within about twenty miles. There is still plenty to hear, to include law enforcement, border patrol, vessel traffic, railroad, aircraft. When the counties finally do go encrypted, I may need to upgrade a scanner, but in the meantime, I am not holding my breathe on encryption silencing everything.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

My friend (who's also a sys admin) went to an APCO meeting way back and told me APCO wants most if not all public agencies to go encrypted by 2025

How long ago is "way back"?

I don't know if this is true but is getting a $500+ scanner still worth it for the future

Only you can answer that question since you know what your listening interests are. Assuming the above statement were true and all public agencies went dark in a few years, one will just need to broaden their listening horizons to determine if the investment is still worth it. There's still plenty out there that can be heard with a much cheaper receiver.

 

[nd5y]

I have heard that future trunking systems may use an encrypted control channel. Which would mean all traffic would be unmonitorable, and you won't even be able to analyze the system using a program like DSD+

That is correct but encryption can't hide the location transmissions are coming from.

 

[BamaChad]

I bet they would like it to go all encrypted. That's a ton of cash to them. I seriously doubt most that aren't encrypted already will suddenly change their minds and dish out the high cost of encryption. Unless the government starts grants for encryption like they do other communications upgrades.