End of Scanner Listening in Alberta

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harryshute

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Short version .. the sad future of scanner listening for us in Alberta.

Edmonton police scanners to fall silent as part of radio system switch | Edmonton Journal

I think the Chief has been listening to too many Harris salesmen. It is certainly not a closed system as far as monitoring. EPS will certainly be encrypted and not monitored other than on the clear Mutual channels. He makes it sound like all AFRRCS users will not be able to be heard which is not the case.
 

yeg_scan

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Harry .. thanks for all the wisdom. Re the Chief, I will not comment but sometimes being wrong is a good thing. :wink:
 

NSR_RAT

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Hey guys, just wondering what kind of scanner will be required to still be able to listen to police, fire, EMS, RCMP etc around Edmonton when this change happens? I have a Uniden 246T Now but that obviously won’t cover the new system.
 

Jay911

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Encryption is a feature that is designed to prevent unauthorized listeners from hearing a conversation. If you do not have the key, you will not hear what's being said. This is the reason that it's true that no scanner manufacturer will ever develop a receiver that will let you hear an encrypted channel. Asking for a scanner that can break encryption is like asking for a key that will open and start any car in the parking lot. It ain't gonna happen.

On the topic of AFRRCS, there are a number of things in the linked article which are either outright lies or exceptionally poorly researched material - it's impossible to know if it is the fault of the police chief or the journalist. Here are the actual facts:

  • AFRRCS is not mandatory for first responders or any other radio users in the province, with the exception of Government of Alberta agencies that use radios and the RCMP (those are the original agencies for which the system was built).
  • Encryption is not mandatory for any users on AFRRCS. In fact, the only thing AFRRCS states about encryption is that the mutual aid/common event channels must not be encrypted.
  • Encryption is not mandatory for all police agencies, nor to be compliant with FOIPP laws, etc. There is an apparent drive to encrypt all (major) police agencies nationwide, starting a few years ago when some sensitive information was broadcast by major media outlets, but to the best of my knowledge, and from the comms able to be heard on AFRRCS today (see below), encryption of police comms is not mandatory.
  • For most if not all (professional/commercial) radios that can be used with AFRRCS, encryption is a very inexpensive (if not free) option. It is not at all like 20-30 years ago when encryption added significant cost to each radio device.
  • Some agencies who are encrypting are claiming it's being done in the interests of responder safety. Others say that criminals and others who would interfere with their operations force the agencies to encrypt. Still others argue that it is to protect the privacy of their operations. People from outside the agencies are insinuating that it's more of a desire to hide the agency's practices from the public, or a desire to prevent the public and media from knowing what is going on in their community. The actual truth is somewhere more in the middle of all this, than any one (or more) of these claims.

The fact of the matter about AFRRCS is that some agencies are choosing to encrypt, which probably has more to do with the fact that the new system (and new radio gear) offers a chance to make this happen. However, not all agencies are encrypting, and a migration to AFRRCS should not be seen as a reason that "[your] scanner will become a paperweight/go completely silent", unless you choose not to own a digital scanner with 700 MHz capability - that is all that's needed to monitor AFRRCS.

Of the agencies shown in the RadioReference database entry for AFRRCS, there's a whole lot of non-encrypted talkgroups listed. Yes, several major agencies such as AHS EMS, the Justice & Solicitor General's agencies (Sheriffs, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, Corrections, etc), and a number of police agencies, have chosen to encrypt. However, there are still others, including other police agencies and part of AHS EMS, as well as many fire/rescue agencies and community peace officers, which are not encrypted and show no indications that they will be going that way.

No reason to run around hysterical about the sky falling. A couple of clouds are up there, but the endless blue still remains.
 

yeg_scan

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Fire in Edmonton and area will be in the clear. You will need a scanner that improves on LSM Simulcast distortion. Perhaps the Uniden SDS 100 will do this for us.

Harry you first, as I know you will be getting one. You can demo it .. and then I will determine if I really need one. I just hope that it is not at all like the 436/536 junk.
 

yeg_scan

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smason

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Encryption is a feature that is designed to prevent unauthorized listeners from hearing a conversation.
On the topic of AFRRCS, there are a number of things in the linked article which are either outright lies or exceptionally poorly researched material - it's impossible to know if it is the fault of the police chief or the journalist. Here are the actual facts:

Excellent post!
 

yeg_scan

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Right now .. 80% of the AFRRCS traffic in Edmonton is encrypted. So unlike to some, the sky is very very cloudy.
 

awstott

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Fire in Edmonton and area will be in the clear. You will need a scanner that improves on LSM Simulcast distortion. Perhaps the Uniden SDS 100 will do this for us.

I've had decent luck with my 996 and a yagi pointed in a Sherwood Park (ish) direction. I've been listening all night and have hardly had any issues. Pretty impressed actually.
 

SCPD

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LSM

That is the best approach, maximum signal from your closest site. Sometimes a bit of ATT might help along with a directional antenna to reduce the neighboring sites.
 

yeg_scan

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The posting of scanner audio in the media tonight from the RCMP shooting west of Edmonton yesterday is another example of why we are all going to lose as we will not be able to listen to much. The only difference this time .. the officer did not die, but the result is the same.
 

Jay911

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Makes little difference at this point.

Indeed - with the decision already made, any actions taken have no impact. It's like horses going through a gate at 9:45 when the rancher has already said he's closing the gate permanently at midnight. Complain all you want that letting the horses escape is just going to encourage the rancher to close the gate - he's already said he's going to do it.
 

yeg_scan

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Makes little difference at this point.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

True .. as the decisions are all but done. Just goes to show you that to people these days, nothing is off limits when it comes to social media hits and getting their 15 min of fame. Wait until the media realizes they were complicit as they stand there with a dumb look on their faces.
 

beeperboy

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As we all here know, it's illegal to distribute or rebroadcast off air communications we intercept in any form. The guys name was on the news report. They don't seem to enforce these laws at all.
 
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