are all police channels in sydney encrypted now

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satob1

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hi guys, im in newcastle all our 78mhz and 468mhz police channels are still in apco 25 and 3 are analog, 468050 upper hunter, 468750 used by westpac vra etc uphere ,also 468125 is a duplicate of 468.050, analog ,also 468100 apco25,468.7125,468.375,all apc025,clear,thx david
 

grant

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Enjoy the last 2 or 3 days David

All APCO25 transmissions in the gSA (Greater Sydney area ie Metropolitan, Wollongong, Southern Highlands, Central Coast, Newcastle)will become encrypyted by Tuesday except I am not sure how they will deal with November (Lower Hunter and Port Stephens LAC's use APCO25 whereas Manning-Great Lakes and Hunter Valley are analog).

May 6 is suppose to be the changeover day. Technically they have been ready for a couple of weeks - the delay was to accomodate media users of PEATS in getting access.

The analog liaison channel (XRAY) will remain - it is specifically there for non-police emergency service users to communicate with VKG eg rescue heliocopters, State emergency service, volunteer rescue association (VRA) etc.

Grant
 
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d_clinton

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Yep, all Sydney/Central Coast channels are using encription tonight :(

This is a very sad day..........I feel like I've lost a family member not being able to hear the police anymore.
 

richardc63

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d_clinton said:
Yep, all Sydney/Central Coast channels are using encription tonight :(

This is a very sad day..........I feel like I've lost a family member not being able to hear the police anymore.

Good Grief,

Go and see a counsellor... get a life. Fair dinkum if all you have to life is listening to the police than you really are in trouble!

Cheers,


Richard
 

d_clinton

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richardc63 said:
Good Grief,

Go and see a counsellor... get a life. Fair dinkum if all you have to life is listening to the police than you really are in trouble!

Cheers,


Richard

Fair go mate! I was only stating that I'm disappointed about the situation. Monitoring the police has been a hobby of mine for many years and I'm going to miss it greatly.
 

richardc63

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d_clinton said:
Fair go mate! I was only stating that I'm disappointed about the situation. Monitoring the police has been a hobby of mine for many years and I'm going to miss it greatly.

My tongue was in my cheek... but then you did refer to losing a family member...

Cheers,


Richard
 

David_See

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You would indeed feel like you had lost a family member if you had, for the past 20 years, listened to it and relied on it for your income.

This is what has happened to me and many others like me. I reckon 60% of my work came from the Police radio.

The media is essentially stuffed by this move, as are tow-truck drivers, although towies are worse-off.

I really do feel like I have either finished a long-term relationship, lost a loved-one, or am driving with my eyes closed. That is indeed how much it has affected me.

Seriously.

The house is quieter now, though!
 

richardc63

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David,

Well the media have access to a media line so that isn't true. As far as towies are concerned I'm mystified why you think that this group have a right to listen to police transmissions any more than anyone else. Get used to it- if Police get their preferred choice of TETRA in the future no-one will be listening to Police in Australia.

I sympathise with your "loss" but if that is all you have in life than I'm even sorrier for you.

Cheers,


Richard

David_See said:
You would indeed feel like you had lost a family member if you had, for the past 20 years, listened to it and relied on it for your income.

This is what has happened to me and many others like me. I reckon 60% of my work came from the Police radio.

The media is essentially stuffed by this move, as are tow-truck drivers, although towies are worse-off.

I really do feel like I have either finished a long-term relationship, lost a loved-one, or am driving with my eyes closed. That is indeed how much it has affected me.

Seriously.

The house is quieter now, though!
 

David_See

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Richard,

I have much more in life than this, namely my family, including three children. But for my family to be comfortable, I have to earn a living doing what I know.

For those who don't make a living off this, it might seem like we should "get over it", but this change has had an immediate effect on my income and therefore my family.

Our business has been set up around the ability to respond to incidents quickly, and I have an excellent reputation to do so and supply unprecedented breaking-news vision at times. For 20 years I have provided - free of charge - incident vision to the Police, Ambos and Firies for training/de-briefing purposes. The Towies regularly help the Police when they are out and about on the road. No more.

So, yes, perhaps it is "tough luck to us" and "I have to get over it". But it does affect us and our ability to live because it is all I know. Have been doing it for 20 years.

I am not ashamed to say, along with my family, it is my life, because to be successful at news, you have to live it. We do not have the luxury of working 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. News doesn't choose when it happens, conveniently during work hours.

Unlike the Towies, however, who now have no other option but to shut up shop, we are fortunate that news does not just mean "breaking news". I can earn a living - albeit somewhat less financial - by filming old women turning 100.

I am sure you would turn on the news of an evening just so you could watch that stuff.
 
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richardc63

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David_See said:
Richard,

I have much more in life than this, namely my family, including three children. But for my family to be comfortable, I have to earn a living doing what I know.

For those who don't make a living off this, it might seem like we should "get over it", but this change has had an immediate effect on my income and therefore my family.

Our business has been set up around the ability to respond to incidents quickly, and I have an excellent reputation to do so and supply unprecedented breaking-news vision at times. For 20 years I have provided - free of charge - incident vision to the Police, Ambos and Firies for training/de-briefing purposes. The Towies regularly help the Police when they are out and about on the road. No more.

So, yes, perhaps it is "tough luck to us" and "I have to get over it". But it does affect us and our ability to live because it is all I know. Have been doing it for 20 years.

I am not ashamed to say, along with my family, it is my life, because to be successful at news, you have to live it. We do not have the luxury of working 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. News doesn't choose when it happens, conveniently during work hours.

Unlike the Towies, however, who now have no other option but to shut up shop, we are fortunate that news does not just mean "breaking news". I can earn a living - albeit somewhat less financial - by filming old women turning 100.

I am sure you would turn on the news of an evening just so you could watch that stuff.

David,

I know someone else who is in your line of work so I do have some sympathy for you, however people need to remember who these systems are being provided for... and that isn't people like yourself. If the service you provide is so vital to say, the Police, wouldn't it be appropriate for you to approach them for access either to the media line or even the use of a Police radio? The situation is only going to get bleaker in years to come and the days of emergency services communicating "in the clear" are going to come to an end eventually, not because they don't want to be listened to (well... that as well) but standards such as TETRA or maybe even P25II will prevent it.

Cheers,


Richard
 

AZScanner

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richardc63 said:
David,

I sympathise with your "loss" but if that is all you have in life than I'm even sorrier for you.

Wow, do you practice at being an absolute waste of air or does it just come naturally? Seriously, I'd love to know.

Essentially the guy's out of a job (along with hundreds of other folks who relied on their scanners to make a living) because some nearsighted bureaucrat decided to go with full time encryption based on a bunch of chicken littling from guys like you with zero regard to the ramifications. That's not a "loss". That's a LOSS, get it? But hey who cares about the little people right Comrade? The All Powerful and Infallible Government knows what's best for us all. We should be grateful. :roll:

What a sad state of affairs for Australia. And what an insensitive jerk you seem to be which is about as nice as I can put it - I had some much harsher language in mind, but I censored myself out of respect to Lindsay. Now, why don't you do us all a favor and leave these SCANNER forums for people that LIKE SCANNERS? I'm sure there's some nice Socialism boards out there that would love to have both you and your assinine opinions. You don't seem to be garnering much support here.

-AZ
 

richardc63

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AZScanner said:
Wow, do you practice at being an absolute waste of air or does it just come naturally? Seriously, I'd love to know.

Essentially the guy's out of a job (along with hundreds of other folks who relied on their scanners to make a living) because some nearsighted bureaucrat decided to go with full time encryption based on a bunch of chicken littling from guys like you with zero regard to the ramifications. That's not a "loss". That's a LOSS, get it? But hey who cares about the little people right Comrade? The All Powerful and Infallible Government knows what's best for us all. We should be grateful. :roll:

What a sad state of affairs for Australia. And what an insensitive jerk you seem to be which is about as nice as I can put it - I had some much harsher language in mind, but I censored myself out of respect to Lindsay. Now, why don't you do us all a favor and leave these SCANNER forums for people that LIKE SCANNERS? I'm sure there's some nice Socialism boards out there that would love to have both you and your assinine opinions. You don't seem to be garnering much support here.

-AZ

AZ,

This isn't a scanner forum... and I've expressed my sympathy to David regarding the loss of income. But if you think I believe that public resources and policy should be influenced by the opinions of scanner fanatics and frustrated conspiracy nuts who think that somehow they are of any community relevence- well think again because I couldn't give a stuff about them. Public Safety means PUBLIC Safety, and not a source of entertainment to a minute number of people who haven't anything constructive to do.

I'm sure Lindsay is rolling his eyes right now... I'm sorry Lindsay but someone needs to maintain some perspective on the need for modern radio communications and WHO they are being provided for.

Cheers,


Richard
 

grant

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Zone 2 Vote 114 (Southern Highlands - patched into Victor analog) and Zone 2 Vote 31/131 (Lower Hunter/Port Stephens - patched into November analog) remain in the clear, if that is any consolation. Apparently whatever is being planned for these two areas is on the backburner at the moment.


Grant
 
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AZScanner

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richardc63 said:
AZ,

This isn't a scanner forum... and I've expressed my sympathy to David regarding the loss of income. But if you think I believe that public resources and policy should be influenced by the opinions of scanner fanatics and frustrated conspiracy nuts who think that somehow they are of any community relevence- well think again because I couldn't give a stuff about them. Public Safety means PUBLIC Safety, and not a source of entertainment to a minute number of people who haven't anything constructive to do.

And the shameless scanner bash continues. Now we're just getting our jollies and wasting time listening to public safety, to hear you tell it. Nevermind that thousands of today's officers and dispatchers were once wide eyed young kids who listened to a scanner and felt something resonate inside, leading to a career in public safety. Nevermind the thousands of volunteers in the US alone that use their scanners to assist their local police department and keep their neighborhoods safer. Nevermind the countless thousands of scanner listeners across the Midwestern US that use their scanner to monitor during severe weather so they'll know whether or not they should take shelter, etc. We're all just a bunch of scanner foamers wasting time according to you. That right there shows just how profoundly ignorant you are. Maybe you don't "give a stuff" about that but I'm here to tell you maybe you should. You've just insulted pretty much everyone who visits this website.

The truth of it is this: Public resources and policy all over the "free" world are being abused by paranoid politicians and frustrated cops who want to keep their constituents worried about imaginary boogymen and so they can act as they wish freely without media or public scrutiny. It is happening RIGHT NOW in Florida and other parts of the United States. And, apparently it's also happening RIGHT NOW in Sydney. Coincidence? I think not. Yet, here you are, basically a representative of the government, saying "Well it's for your own good. Radio systems are not entertainment. Etc." Is that how you really feel or are you just towing the company line? Is there even a difference?

Now I don't know how things are in Australia but here in the states questioning our government is not just a right for US citizens, it's a patriotic duty. Encrypting radio systems may not raise any red flags for you, or most other people for that matter, but it does for me. It signals the loss of yet another freedom. How many will we stand by and idly lose before we realize what we've lost? Today it's the ability to pursue a hobby. Tomorrow it may be the ability to travel freely between states. Next month it might be the ability to voice dissent against the government. Next year it might be the ability to elect our leaders. It all starts somewhere, and it's always for the same reason. "To keep us safe".

You can sit idly by and call people like me "nutters" and "conspiracy nuts", that's fine. The time will come when you suddenly realize I was right about this - and then you can look back to where it all began. It may not come today or tomorrow but one day, within our lifetime, it will. We're probably just one or two more terrorist attacks away from losing just about every freedom we have - for our own "safety" of course, which by the way, is exactly what the terrorists WANT. I can assure you, the founding fathers of both our countries would have reacted far differently to the likes of Al Qaeda. Far differently.

Something to think about for your Friday. G'day mate.
-AZ
 

richardc63

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AZScanner said:
And the shameless scanner bash continues. Now we're just getting our jollies and wasting time listening to public safety, to hear you tell it. Nevermind that thousands of today's officers and dispatchers were once wide eyed young kids who listened to a scanner and felt something resonate inside, leading to a career in public safety. Nevermind the thousands of volunteers in the US alone that use their scanners to assist their local police department and keep their neighborhoods safer. Nevermind the countless thousands of scanner listeners across the Midwestern US that use their scanner to monitor during severe weather so they'll know whether or not they should take shelter, etc. We're all just a bunch of scanner foamers wasting time according to you. That right there shows just how profoundly ignorant you are. Maybe you don't "give a stuff" about that but I'm here to tell you maybe you should. You've just insulted pretty much everyone who visits this website.

The truth of it is this: Public resources and policy all over the "free" world are being abused by paranoid politicians and frustrated cops who want to keep their constituents worried about imaginary boogymen and so they can act as they wish freely without media or public scrutiny. It is happening RIGHT NOW in Florida and other parts of the United States. And, apparently it's also happening RIGHT NOW in Sydney. Coincidence? I think not. Yet, here you are, basically a representative of the government, saying "Well it's for your own good. Radio systems are not entertainment. Etc." Is that how you really feel or are you just towing the company line? Is there even a difference?

Now I don't know how things are in Australia but here in the states questioning our government is not just a right for US citizens, it's a patriotic duty. Encrypting radio systems may not raise any red flags for you, or most other people for that matter, but it does for me. It signals the loss of yet another freedom. How many will we stand by and idly lose before we realize what we've lost? Today it's the ability to pursue a hobby. Tomorrow it may be the ability to travel freely between states. Next month it might be the ability to voice dissent against the government. Next year it might be the ability to elect our leaders. It all starts somewhere, and it's always for the same reason. "To keep us safe".

You can sit idly by and call people like me "nutters" and "conspiracy nuts", that's fine. The time will come when you suddenly realize I was right about this - and then you can look back to where it all began. It may not come today or tomorrow but one day, within our lifetime, it will. We're probably just one or two more terrorist attacks away from losing just about every freedom we have - for our own "safety" of course, which by the way, is exactly what the terrorists WANT. I can assure you, the founding fathers of both our countries would have reacted far differently to the likes of Al Qaeda. Far differently.

Something to think about for your Friday. G'day mate.
-AZ

AZ,

Thanks... just keep taking your medication...

Cheers


Richard
 

David_See

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AZ, I couldn't have expressed my disbelief for Richard's attitude any better.

I did have an eloquent response already written, but, as you will see by the "edited" tag, I decided to change it, as it would have only caused more disrespectful responses to how I feel about all this.

Well done. I will let you take over for me now....you can write how i feel SO much better than me!

Public Safety? Come on! The result of a completed brainwashing at its best!
 
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AZScanner

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David_See said:
Well done. I will let you take over for me now....you can write how i feel SO much better than me!

Public Safety? Come on! The result of a completed brainwashing at its best!

Heh, no worries. I'm sure Richie would love it if I would just go away, but that's not gonna happen anytime soon. I may not be able to stop the encryption wave of death approaching the scanner hobby but I can damn well complain about it and so, complain I shall, loudly and clearly.

As for your situation, I've been there. A longtime stringer friend of mine who has since passed on told me after 9-11 "That's it. Freelance news is dead." I told him no, it'll make a comeback but I wasn't considering things like how the federal and local governments would react to it - encryption, operating in secret, dubious profiling, warrantless searches and wiretaps, "enemy combatants" held in secret prisons with no rights whatsoever... it's all happening in the name of "Homeland Security" and it's become the single biggest threat to your and my freedom since the nation I live in was founded. Of course, to government paid twits like Richard, I'm just some loon who's gone off the deep end. But people like you and me, people who have learned because of our profession that the government doesn't always tell you the truth and that there's two sides to every story, we know better.

Keep up the fight and don't back down an inch. And listen to the fire department closely, they'll respond to most of the calls your customers will want you to cover. You don't have to just film little old ladies turning 100. ;)

-AZ
 

grant

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Actually you need to listen to both the New South Wales Fire Brigade (Salvage & Rescue) and NSW Ambulance Service (Paramedics & medical transport). Paramedics are with the Ambulance Service over here, unlike the US which is Fire-based.

Grant

PS Never ceases to amazes me how the free-lance folk ("stringers") have this ability to listen to three radios plus have a conversation with you at the one time. Well, the one I know does.
 

grant

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Channel Alpha Dispatcher is currently transmitting in the clear, at least for the last 12hrs, since the early hours of Saturday morning (for folks in the US it is Saturday afternoon in Sydney)
All cars and portables remain encrypted.
Alpha (which roughly equates with the Sydney Central Business District) has always been a problem area for digital reception due to the sheer number of tall buildings (lots) and large number of transmitters (including the underground railway leaky feeder).
Certain weather / atmospheric conditions seem to play a part - there is a strong cold front approaching (about 6-8hrs away)


Grant
 
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