"Anomalous frequencies" in riot zones?

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KB2GOM

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Saw a report last night from Lara Logan saying that some rioters were observed with communications earbuds and that there were repeaters on cars.

Has anyone scanned these comms or DFed the repeaters?
 

Reconrider

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Isn't any 'earbud' just about used for "communication" these days?

I mean it could be (fake)air pods or cheap earbuds from walmart to listen to music or talk to someone who can't be there
 

KB2GOM

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What kind of repeaters? I doubt that any journalist would know what a repeater is.

Except that she actually used that word: "repeaters." So one would have to presume that she has a clue.

Isn't any 'earbud' just about used for "communication" these days?

I mean it could be (fake)air pods or cheap earbuds from walmart to listen to music or talk to someone who can't be there

A YouTube video I viewed showed a close-up and it was one of those earbuds with a coiled wire coming out of it.

I would not be astonished to learn that there is some coordination via radio and that there might even be some sort of overwatch function.

I'm simply raising the possibility that someone nearby to these incidents might be able to intercept some of these comms.
 

wtp

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remember, to a reporter/or everyday idiot...
a car with an antenna is a repeater, AM, FM they don't know for sure, but it has to be a repeater.
an earpiece is a communications device, well they all do provide some kind of communication.
even if it is a hearing aid. or it could by an earplug, they are not an expert.
 

KB2GOM

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So someone listening to the cops with a scanner and earpiece, and a car with a visible antenna, probably a magmount?

Well . . . maybe. What Lara Logan said sparked my interest. Maybe she's wrong, but IF she is right, wouldn't it be intriguing to intercept the signals?

Think of it as a signals intelligence problem. Let's suppose that you suspect that there are possibly some people not just acting randomly in these riots, and they are using radio to coordinate their efforts. How would you (or me) detect their signals?

Look, I've been involved with and written about radio for decades (PopComm, MT, Passport To World Band Radio, QST), but at the same time I'll admit that I'm a total newb at this scanner thing (I just started scanning a short while ago), but it strikes me that this might be a classic scanner problem. You would expect police, fire, ems, maybe national guard to be there. And maybe the people who are possibly coordinating folks at the riot are using FRS, GMRS, MURS (as one responder suggested) or maybe they are bootlegging some frequencies. Maybe there is the possibility that their signals would stick out like a sore thumb if they are using spectrum where they are not supposed to be.

Further, I thought that maybe . . . just maybe . . . one of the old hands here who is close to the action might give this some thought.

Or another possibility is that this is just a goofy idea. I won't be offended if you say so.

Cheers, Jock
 

Kaleier1

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Could they be remote broadcast repeaters. In my city you can hear local TV news stations "broadcasting" in the 450-454Mhz UHF band.
 

prcguy

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I'm on a hill with a vantage point over some of LA and Long Beach, CA comms and will search FRS, MURS and other potential looter freqs tonight. I have been searching more VHF lo band for National Guard with no success so maybe the other bands will turn up something interesting.

Well . . . maybe. What Lara Logan said sparked my interest. Maybe she's wrong, but IF she is right, wouldn't it be intriguing to intercept the signals?

Think of it as a signals intelligence problem. Let's suppose that you suspect that there are possibly some people not just acting randomly in these riots, and they are using radio to coordinate their efforts. How would you (or me) detect their signals?

Look, I've been involved with and written about radio for decades (PopComm, MT, Passport To World Band Radio, QST), but at the same time I'll admit that I'm a total newb at this scanner thing (I just started scanning a short while ago), but it strikes me that this might be a classic scanner problem. You would expect police, fire, ems, maybe national guard to be there. And maybe the people who are possibly coordinating folks at the riot are using FRS, GMRS, MURS (as one responder suggested) or maybe they are bootlegging some frequencies. Maybe there is the possibility that their signals would stick out like a sore thumb if they are using spectrum where they are not supposed to be.

Further, I thought that maybe . . . just maybe . . . one of the old hands here who is close to the action might give this some thought.

Or another possibility is that this is just a goofy idea. I won't be offended if you say so.

Cheers, Jock
 

GlobalNorth

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Ms. Logan has been embedded with the US military and has reported from combat zones in Afghanistan and Iraq. She's been in Kosovo, Northern Ireland, at the Nairobi embassy bombing and many other hotspots. She may well know what a repeater is since her reporting was and is with electronic media. She is not the average 20-something TV journalist from Tucson.

In a riot, you can just about guarantee there are "anomalous" frequencies in use. Rioters will use what ever they can get their hands on. Many government agencies have commercial frequencies licensed to them for venues, events, and such. Some law enforcement agencies have used these frequencies in the past for obscuring operations.
 

KB2GOM

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I'm on a hill with a vantage point over some of LA and Long Beach, CA comms and will search FRS, MURS and other potential looter freqs tonight. I have been searching more VHF lo band for National Guard with no success so maybe the other bands will turn up something interesting.

Any luck?
 
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