Boardman, OH P.D.

[N8XJN]

I have noticed that during the last few days, Boardman P.D. have encrypted their primary dispatch channel.
The patrol cars are still in the clear.
Anyone have any more info on this?
Thank you, N8XJN

 

[Atown11]

I don't have any info as to why they did it, but I can confirm. Wonder why they couldn't be happy with encrypting a tac channel?

 

[shardsofaperture]

Same here

It's very upsetting. I live there and thought it might have been my radio but I'm beginning to think it's definitely AES.

 

[dr400]

While I can't say for sure, it sounds like what happened some months ago in Cambridge. In some exchanges both dispatch and car are digitized and others it is only the car. It was suggested they are in the process of changing to new radios. I can't say this with certainty in terms of changing to new radios.

 

[MotorolaDave]

Does anyone have any new details about Boardman PD encrypting their dispatch channel? Did they actually do it or was it a radio switch over issue? I will be in Boardman visiting family this week and was wondering if its worth bringing my scanner.

 

[jcb209]

Dave,

Boardman PD is now using an APCO-25 Digital system. They combined radio systems with Austintown PD a few months ago. You won't be able to hear on a conventional scanner. I do not know if they are simulcasting on old freqs as I don't scan them. If you have a digital scanner, the new system is listed in the Mahoning County Ohio Freq page.

Hope this answers your question.

 

[MotorolaDave]

Thank you for your reply.

I have a digital scanner and am well aware that they are on the joint system with Austintown.

My question was whether or not Boardman has encrypted their main dispatch channel. That is what this thread is all about.

 

[Nasby]

Any updates or info??

Is Boardman PD encrypted?

Database says they are in the clear.

I'm too far out to confirm anything on this system.

 

[Atown11]

boardman pd

Lately, it seems that it is encrypted on more sensitive communications. Some dispatches are in the clear, others aren't.

 

[W8RMH]

The dispatchers have the capability of turning encryption on if the have a sensitive dispatch. Sometimes they forget to turn it off.

 

[Atown11]

Boardman Police

It seems that Boardman police dispatch has been encrypted. Almost all the mobiles are as well.
This is speculation, but it appears likely the remaining clear mobiles are diminishing every day.

 

[W8RMH]

There is already a thread for this:

http://forums.radioreference.com/ohio-radio-discussion-forum/292908-boardman-oh-p-d.html

 

[Voyager]

You linked to this thread. Is there another one?

 

[K8LEA]

From here, it appears that Boardman's dispatch is not on the air at all ....

Could be encrypted, and yes, they can forget to turn it off.... In the past, before they went APCO, there were radios in the field that couldn't handle encryption, so somebody would tell the Dispatcher and....

However, all of the radios in the field seem to be new (or at least APCO25 capable ), and that's a non-problem.

I thought that they might have gone to shared dispatch, since the hardware seems to be shared with Austintown PD, but I set the radio (BCD396XT) to let me hear the Austintown PD channels and nothing.

(I did update ProScan and get a new frequency list from the web site, update the radio, etc.)

I'm clearly hearing Austintown, btw.

When they first started talking about APCO, Boardman tried to ease out of "10-Codes", going to plain language. I think they thought that they would combine dispatchers, but it doesn't appear that they've done that, and the Boardman Officers seem to have reverted to the codes to some degree. I really wish they'd not gone to APCO25 - it obsoleted all of my scanners & such, but the overall system seems to be working much better. IMHO, the upgrades that it needed to improve this much would probably have cost about as much as they spent on new equipment. But.... ....

I have a contact at the PD that I can probably call. She's about the only Officer I know that's still alive and/or on the job. I'm a mostly retired rent-a-cop, among other things, and pinned on my first badge while she was in diapers. And she's over 40 now....

Regards,

 

[mike6pmnews]

I see this thread goes back a few months. But it seems that just in recent days I have heard absolutely nothing from Boardman PD cars.
BPD dispatch seems okay. FD and Austintown are ok too. Here are the TGID's I'm using. 5508, 5500, 5505, 5501, 5502,5503.

tgid hits last heard
5505 1 9/9/15
5502 1 9/26/15
5501 20 9/24/15
5500 3658 9/30/15

Am I missing something?

 

[K8LEA]

Mike:

I don't have the task group list handy, so I'll try to check later....

Meantime, I think I was correct about the BPD Dispatcher going to some kind of encoding that makes it invisible to us. The cars don't appear to have done this - I can hear them just fine.

I haven't managed to get to the Officer I know....

I have the feeling that this wasn't accidental, but it makes little sense - they have MDT's that could be used for most confidential traffic (they use them a lot now anyway).

During OVI saturation patrols (many weekend evenings), all of the local departments seem to join the fun on BPD's "Channel 2", but I think they're bridging in an older repeater on 155.37 so everybody can talk to everybody. Dispatch is NOT coded (silent) on their "Channel 2" in normal or OVI operations.

What's really funny here is that I'm sure some of the Trustees like to listen, and they're too cheap to buy them radios that can decode the dispatcher. Not to mention the news media....

The FD does indeed seem to be there all the time, and some other groups I've not identified, too.

I have Austintown and Mill Creek Park turned off. Wonder if BPD"s Dispatch is using one of their "channels"? Gotta try that.

Regards,

 

[K8LEA]

Just following up.... The other night, it appears that somebody at BPD noticed, and the Dispatcher is "back".... (Along with some of the cars.)

No idea how long this will last.

Regards,

 

[freud]

I just received and am programming the Whistler 1040, and having issues picking up Boardman as well. Not sure if I am not programming properly since this scanner is new to me, simulcast distortion, or encryption.

 

[K8LEA]

freud:

I'm no authority on the Whilstler 1040, but BPD is using APCO25, which is a digital trunking system. A scanner not equipped for that is going to hear garbage, if anything.

(As I mentioned earlier, the Dispatcher is encoded again. The FD uses the same system, but not the encoder, so it's readable most of the time.)

Which means that all I hear from the PD is a few of the cars. I don't think that's all of them, either....

There are some setup issues with BPD, too, that somebody here may be able to explain. A previous try with an older APCO25-capable scanner worked with some other agencies using the same system, but not Boardman. I don't hear any simulcast distortion on the newer Uniden, though. Signal strength DOES appear to have to be there, too, or it doesn't work well.

If you're not hearing the FD, though, you may have a problem. Signal strength or APCO issues.

Regards,

 

[freud]

Thank you! My Whistler is digital, and has the option for P25 or Mot. I selected P25.

From the user guide:Selects the type of trunking system. Note for Motorola/P25 systems: If you are not sure if the system is Motorola or P25, look at the system voice in the RR database for your system. Those entries that say System Voice: Analog and APCO-25 Common Air Interface are not true Project 25 systems as they have one or more analog talkgroups. Program these systems as a MOT system and let the scanner detect the digital. If the System Voice says System Voice: APCO-25 Common Air Interface Exclusive then the system is a true Project 25 system and program it as a P25 system

So, according to this I should have selected MOT system, and perhaps that solves the issues. Thanks again! Bob