BCD536HP Encrypted Talkgroups

[eduhat]

Hello,

I received a new to me BCD536HP and I've got some local P25 trunking systems programmed up with the local Talkgroups. I'm picking up many TG's without issue, but I know for a fact that some are encrypted and I'm not hearing them. I do however hear them with my RTL-SDR hooked up with OP25 doing the decoding.

I was wondering if the scanner has some function that ignores any encrypted talk groups or if something isn't right. Note that this happens both when I am doing an ID scan or and ID search on the system.

Another unrelated question I have is how to set the systems up. I come from radio shack scanners so I was able to ignore or add certain sets of TG and/or systems to be scanned. I figure the same is able to be done using the Uniden but not sure how - reference to a section in the manual is fine by me. I find myself ignoring certain sites so I don't hear local government maintenance vs public safety itself.

Thank you

 

[gcopter1]

AFAIK, all Uniden radios, don't pass audio when landing on an encrypted TG. They do show, however briefly, "ENCRY", and continue scanning.
Whistler's method of programming is obviously different from Uniden's. You have to sit down and get acquainted. i used to own for a brief period of time, a TRX-1, and enjoyed learning how to program it, and liked it.


Google; Mark's Scanners, he has an online resource where it breaks down programming for the 36HP series.

On Uniden, you create a Favorite List (FL), then add the System(s)/Site(s), and finally the Departments. Each can have their own Quick Key, to enable or disable scanning.

 

[doctordialtone]

Here is the
Manual.

As gcopter says, on Uniden scanners, encrypted audio is muted and skipped.

You MAY see "ENC" briefly in the display.

 

[eduhat]

Thanks for the updates, didn't know it was muted and skipped. Is there anyway to disable this behavior? I'd like to see the TG as active even if it is encrypted.

Looks like Quick Keys is what I'm looking for. If I can enable quick keys, I can use them in the same way I used "banks" and such to enable and disable scanning.

 

[eduhat]

Further to the above, note that I did some conventional P25 scanning and it played the encrypted data back to me - though one side was unencrypted.

 

[doctordialtone]

Is there anyway to disable this behavior? I'd like to see the TG as active even if it is encrypted.

Looks like Quick Keys is what I'm looking for. If I can enable quick keys, I can use them in the same way I used "banks" and such to enable and disable scanning.

Yes, Quick keys are a huge help in controlling what you scan and monitor.

I don't know of a way to change the behavior of Encryption. Maybe someone else does.

Good luck!

 

[kruser]

I don't know of a way to change the behavior of Encryption. Maybe someone else does.

Good luck!

I use a radio dedicated to Pro96com. It works fantastic for seeing and logging encrypted TGs as well as a lot of other useful info.
I think that's better than encrypted talk tying up your scanning or searching sessions with muted audio like the PSR800 and TRX series do.

I have a system that is 75% encrypted. With my TRX or 800, it spends most of its time sitting there doing nothing until the encrypted carrier drops so it misses a ton of in the clear talk.
Just my two cents.

 

[dave3825]

If you use Proscan, I believe it can log the radio id and talk group even when encrypted. I seem to remember doing that.

I also seem to remember Uniden changing the firmware to totally block enc comms, and many of us complained and they changed it back so we could log. If you don't want to log or see activity on enc tg's, you can just avoid them...

 

[gcopter1]

Thanks for the updates, didn't know it was muted and skipped. Is there anyway to disable this behavior? I'd like to see the TG as active even if it is encrypted.

Looks like Quick Keys is what I'm looking for. If I can enable quick keys, I can use them in the same way I used "banks" and such to enable and disable scanning.

No way to disable the encryption mute.
Yes, you may use the quick keys, that's their main purpose.


Uniden uses a Dynamic Memory Architecture method, unlike Whistler's object oriented where everything is in a pool to be added to a scanlist.
Even after using Uniden's way, for years, i still find myself struggling to organize favorite lists and quick keys, to work.

Better to start small, create one favorite list, one site/system and two or more departments.
Assign a quick key to the favorite list, lets say, "1".
Assign a quick key to the site/system, again, use "1"

Now, for each department, assign quick keys 1,2,3, etc.
Ensure that for each FL, System, Dept., the quick keys are checked or enabled.

Hit scan, watch the display, you should see blinking "1" for the favorite list and system. I no longer own a 36HP series scanner so not sure where or when it displays the quick key number for the departments. On the new SDS series, you have the ability to see all of those at glance.

Once you have everything programmed in correctly, you should be able to see the "1" blinking as the radio scans. Now, to toggle off one of the departments (that's the third item in the favorite list), you would press the button keys on the scanner like this:

1.1.2> enter

You ought to see next on the display; "Quick Key 1.1.2" off, or something to that effect.

Mark's Scanners explains it better than I can.

 

[doctordialtone]

I use a program called ID Tracker. It logs groups and ID's and "Freezes" the last thing displayed on the screen.

Works great and it's FREE.

Also makes a very nice, colorful display on the PC screen.

You can set it up to display new groups in a different color until you identify it.

 

[gcopter1]

Further to the above, note that I did some conventional P25 scanning and it played the encrypted data back to me - though one side was unencrypted.

I find that interesting as I never encountered that situation. Consider yourself lucky that, at least, one side of the conversation is transmitted in the clear.

 

[doctordialtone]

I find that interesting as I never encountered that situation. Consider yourself lucky that, at least, one side of the conversation is transmitted in the clear.

I have had that happen.

Here in CT, State Police is running a training Class for new recruits. The "Dispatcher" is in the clear but the trainees' responses are "ENC".

I guess they don't want the trainees' learning process over the air.

 

[gcopter1]

I use a program called ID Tracker. It logs groups and ID's and "Freezes" the last thing displayed on the screen.

Works great and it's FREE.

Also makes a very nice, colorful display on the PC screen.

You can set it up to display new groups in a different color until you identify it.

Would it work with the SDS series?

 

[doctordialtone]

I don't know. It would be easy to check though.

It's free.

 

[gcopter1]

Yeah, was playing with it just now. Software returns an error, it recognizes the radio model correctly, but, it is not supported. Bummer.

 

[doctordialtone]

He may be working on it. We'll see.

 

[eduhat]

Thanks for the information ya'll. I'm going to keep playing with these QuickKeys and see if I can start to get a hang of it.

Also good on the software recommendations, I've started playing with them and seem like cool stuff!

 

[hsdtech]

The BCD436's encryption mute is a godsend for me. I have been using a PRO 106 for a very long time and the encry id's are so annoying. My local law enforcement encrypts everything except dispatch. I can still follow along but now I don't have to listen to that very annoying digital encryption sound!

 

[Ubbe]

A Uniden scanner stays on an encrypted channel in search mode. If you accept to stop on all TG's and doesn't trunk track you can set search with scan and enable one search range with the same low and high frequency entered and it will act like a poor mans scan channel. Use more search ranges to cover more single frequencies.

/Ubbe

 

[MFCJR]

The encrypted mute does no work on all systems. My 536 with all the latest updates does not mute any of the encryption on my local police that is part encrypted. It's a Phase 2 TDMA system.