bill31089
Member
Tonight 10/30 bucks county police departments did some testing with encryption on zone 4 and zone 8 for 15-30 min I do not monitor other zones so I do not know if the other zones tested encryption
Bucks county encryption
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Does zone 4 and zone 8 border along Burlington county? Perhaps they might be preparing for interops with Burlco since it appears the new system here will be encrypted on PD channels.
bill31089
Member
It seems like they are doing more testing again today across the entire County one of the police side it seems like no encryption is being messed with on the fire and EMS side
Whiskey3JMC
_/|\_Surf's up, Happy DX!
Zone 8 is Bensalem which borders NE Philly. Zone 4 is Northampton, neither zone borders Burlco NJ. Such a shame another county is making a move towards the "big-E" for law enforcement. If only their routine dispatch & traffic could remain in the clear and have their encrypted tac channels/TGs for everything else. Ah well
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I guess the county commissioner's have had a change of heart since they issued their 'no encryption' smackdown letter to the police chiefs back when the new system was first going operational. To be honest, I would not be surprised if Bucks does encrypt their PD channels given how encryption is the new state of affairs. Gotta keep those car stops and barking dog complaints from the public 
bill31089
Member
Ever since the new system came about all of the TAC channels were encrypt also the data Channel and some other channels as well but all of the regular PD channels were all clear air but now it seems like they're changing that
trentbob
Silent Key W3BUX
Lots of theories here however if I could try to clear things up, for a while now on regular zones it is the officers option to go encrypted with their transmission if they wish to.
Everything is in the clear especially the dispatchers but again it's optional for each officer if they want to go encrypted. I've noticed that Bensalem is using that option more than anyone else. Also Bristol Zone 1 has been using that option.
I don't think it has anything to do with Burlington County or anything else other than this has been an option now for a few months.
Any Zone has the option of going to the ops Channel of the same number as the zone. Not used that often but I know Bristol Borough chief a police likes to go right over to Ops 1 if there's a big incident In The Boro. Ops channels that correlate with the Zone channels are fully encrypted.
That's the best I can tell you from my knowledge. I listen to Bucks County all day everyday. I don't think any other big changes are in the future for the moment.
Everything is in the clear especially the dispatchers but again it's optional for each officer if they want to go encrypted. I've noticed that Bensalem is using that option more than anyone else. Also Bristol Zone 1 has been using that option.
I don't think it has anything to do with Burlington County or anything else other than this has been an option now for a few months.
Any Zone has the option of going to the ops Channel of the same number as the zone. Not used that often but I know Bristol Borough chief a police likes to go right over to Ops 1 if there's a big incident In The Boro. Ops channels that correlate with the Zone channels are fully encrypted.
That's the best I can tell you from my knowledge. I listen to Bucks County all day everyday. I don't think any other big changes are in the future for the moment.
trentbob
Silent Key W3BUX
Just to try to clear up this information regarding Tac channels.
When Bucks County went to the new P2 simulcast system in 2015 and we realized that the x36 did not work well or at all in the lower part of the county, and obviously Whistler radios didn't work a lick, news media types like myself and others got apx7000s so we could monitor the system. By the way, the SDS radios work great on Bucks County on either invert or wide invert filter depending on your location and environment.
Again, I listen all day everyday, I monitor Zones 1, 2, 3, 5 + 8. Tac channels 1 through 5 are in the clear and are never encrypted. When the system started, SWAT team channels were encrypted exclusively and still are.
Later the Ops channels were added, each Zone has their own Ops Channel which is fully encrypted.
Again, other than officers now being allowed to encrypt a transmission if they feel they want to there really isn't any changes coming to Bucks County according to the last time I spoke with someone who's very close to the system and that was recently. When I started hearing encryption on the Zone channels intermittently he was the first one I went to to ask what was going on. LOL
The bottom line is no worries in Bucks County other than an occasional transmission that the officer feels is too sensitive and doesn't want the public to hear. I've noticed it's often S units which makes sense.
It's true that most of the zones in Bucks County are pretty sedate except for Zone 1 and Zone 8... Zone 2 gets pretty dicey sometimes also but Zone 1 and Zone 8 are pretty busy with serious calls, lots of excitement everyday. That murder in fleetwing Bloomsdale area on Sunday night had quite a few transmissions in the clear including the track of the K-9... County detectives were involved and their TG is encrypted.
As far as Burlington goes I monitor P1, P3 and P4. Their new system is not up yet but it's getting closer.
Whoops it's 6:50 a.m. and a Bensalem officer just responded to the dispatcher encrypted, she was in the clear. LOL.
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bill31089
Member
Yesterday from 9am to 11 am did a full encryption test on each zone of police this included dispatchers after speaking with a friend of mine that is an officer he confirmed that each Zone will have the ability to turn full encryption on any time there is a major incident
This is the way encryption should be handled.
trentbob
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Yes I did not hear that down on the south part of the county and I have yet to hear a dispatcher be encrypted. I'll look into it and ask around what's going on on the Central and North part of the county.
They do of course have the option of switching to each zones Ops Channel which is totally encrypted but my understanding is you're saying that they want to encrypt the Zone frequency entirely instead of going to Ops. I have always known they had the ability to encrypt a Zone dispatch frequency of course and in zone 1 2 3 + 8 they have been selectively going encrypted as individual units at will. As I say I listen constantly so I'll keep my ear on what they're doing in the lower part of the county. I wonder if they have different plans for the Ops channels that are intended for them to switch to when they want to go to encryption.
It looks like a developing situation and it may be different in different parts of the county. As I say it's been several months now that each officer has the option to go encrypted at will. They seem to do it a lot on Zone 1 and Zone 8.
Let's keep our eye on it and Report what we find on the thread here.
They do of course have the option of switching to each zones Ops Channel which is totally encrypted but my understanding is you're saying that they want to encrypt the Zone frequency entirely instead of going to Ops. I have always known they had the ability to encrypt a Zone dispatch frequency of course and in zone 1 2 3 + 8 they have been selectively going encrypted as individual units at will. As I say I listen constantly so I'll keep my ear on what they're doing in the lower part of the county. I wonder if they have different plans for the Ops channels that are intended for them to switch to when they want to go to encryption.
It looks like a developing situation and it may be different in different parts of the county. As I say it's been several months now that each officer has the option to go encrypted at will. They seem to do it a lot on Zone 1 and Zone 8.
Let's keep our eye on it and Report what we find on the thread here.
bill31089
Member
I spoke to a person who is high up in the Bensalem plubic safety who I'm friends with he says that they are not going full encryption .... that they were testing on demand encryption incase there is a major incident(like the one in philly or a terrorist attack) that they can turn on the encryption instead of having everyone change over to a ops channel so there is less confusionYes I did not hear that down on the south part of the county and I have yet to hear a dispatcher be encrypted. I'll look into it and ask around what's going on on the Central and North part of the county.
They do of course have the option of switching to each zones Ops Channel which is totally encrypted but my understanding is you're saying that they want to encrypt the Zone frequency entirely instead of going to Ops. I have always known they had the ability to encrypt a Zone dispatch frequency of course and in zone 1 2 3 + 8 they have been selectively going encrypted as individual units at will. As I say I listen constantly so I'll keep my ear on what they're doing in the lower part of the county. I wonder if they have different plans for the Ops channels that are intended for them to switch to when they want to go to encryption.
It looks like a developing situation and it may be different in different parts of the county. As I say it's been several months now that each officer has the option to go encrypted at will. They seem to do it a lot on Zone 1 and Zone 8.
Let's keep our eye on it and Report what we find on the thread here.
bill31089
Member
Two nights ago when they did their test the county made an announcement that said attention all cars and stations Bucks County Zone 8 is now operating in encrypted mode 15 minutes goes by with complete radio silence on my unication G5 while my bcd536 HP was all garbled encrypted nonsense then the county comes over the radio and says attention all cars and stations Bucks County Zone 8 is now operating in clear traffic mode and then I was able to hear everything again I have four different scanners in my house I monitor Zone 4 and Zone 8 at all times
trentbob
Silent Key W3BUX
Yes that makes sense to stay on the same frequency during an emergency. When they first got the apx radios it took people a long time to even go to Tac one. They definitely have a learning curve problem with the radios.
I was surprised the other night when that young girl was murdered in Bloomsdale, shot 6 times, everything was in the clear other than maybe the County detectives that we didn't know about. I have also heard Chief Henry in Bristol borough tell all units to switch over to Ops 1 and they operate on Zone 1 for dispatch but there's only a handful of cars involved.
Nothing worse than half the cars on one channel and the other half on the other. LOL.
Yep, on the SDS units I hear the garbling but on the apx 7000 you don't hear anything when it's encrypted.
You know when Bucks County switched to the type II smartzone system they had before this system they did it in the year 2000 long before digital scanners... I was working on staff at The Trentonian at the time.
The county did program our one Motorola radio for dispatch only but we didn't have the 4 tac channels so they would always switch over. It was almost three years before the Uniden BC 250d and the RadioShack rebranded GRE Pro 96 came out in 2003.
That was a very odd feeling for three years, I had no Bucks County Police radio at home. I was thrilled when the digital scanners came out.
I was surprised the other night when that young girl was murdered in Bloomsdale, shot 6 times, everything was in the clear other than maybe the County detectives that we didn't know about. I have also heard Chief Henry in Bristol borough tell all units to switch over to Ops 1 and they operate on Zone 1 for dispatch but there's only a handful of cars involved.
Nothing worse than half the cars on one channel and the other half on the other. LOL.
Yep, on the SDS units I hear the garbling but on the apx 7000 you don't hear anything when it's encrypted.
You know when Bucks County switched to the type II smartzone system they had before this system they did it in the year 2000 long before digital scanners... I was working on staff at The Trentonian at the time.
The county did program our one Motorola radio for dispatch only but we didn't have the 4 tac channels so they would always switch over. It was almost three years before the Uniden BC 250d and the RadioShack rebranded GRE Pro 96 came out in 2003.
That was a very odd feeling for three years, I had no Bucks County Police radio at home. I was thrilled when the digital scanners came out.
bill31089
Member
Yes I did not hear that down on the south part of the county and I have yet to hear a dispatcher be encrypted. I'll look into it and ask around what's going on on the Central and North part of the county.
They do of course have the option of switching to each zones Ops Channel which is totally encrypted but my understanding is you're saying that they want to encrypt the Zone frequency entirely instead of going to Ops. I have always known they had the ability to encrypt a Zone dispatch frequency of course and in zone 1 2 3 + 8 they have been selectively going encrypted as individual units at will. As I say I listen constantly so I'll keep my ear on what they're doing in the lower part of the county. I wonder if they have different plans for the Ops channels that are intended for them to switch to when they want to go to encryption.
It looks like a developing situation and it may be different in different parts of the county. As I say it's been several months now that each officer has the option to go encrypted at will. They seem to do it a lot on Zone 1 and Zone 8.
Let's keep our eye on it and Report what we find on the thread here.
Zone 8 just turned on encryption
bill31089
Member
it seems like all zones when to encryption 4 a little less than 1 hour a message from the county said on authority of 81 d delta zone 8 is operating in encryption mode then I proceeded to turn my other scanner on to monitor all zones of pd
trentbob
Silent Key W3BUX
Okay guys I've been listening all night to Zone 1, 2, 3, and Tac one. I only listen to Zone 8 when I'm home and I'm turning it on now. They are often encrypted at the discretion of the officer who is transmitting, that has been policy for months and months now on all zones. I would hate to see them go totally encrypted but I'll let you know tomorrow what I hear as I've been on Northern zones today at work.
bill31089
Member
They are operating in clear traffic mode now
trentbob
Silent Key W3BUX
Yep just like I've noticed since this encryption stuff has been discussed. A while ago some decision was made that if an officer wanted to go encrypted with their own transmission they could choose to do that.
Keep in mind we're talking about officers who are just now after three or four years of using the radios are able to actually go to tac1. Not everybody is proficient with the radio even though they're not even going to be supported anymore and are old.
What I find is on my sds100 I hear the garbled transmissions and on my apx 7000 it's silent but there are more and more Transmissions being encrypted by those officers who choose to do it and even more important, know how to do it. I monitor Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, Zone 8, Tac 1 for years and years and years now. I haven't really noticed any difference whatsoever except for an occasional misssed or encrypted signal.
That's the new policy, if they choose to go encrypted with what they have to say they will and can.
It's something we need to keep a close eye on for those few of us who are interested.
To the o p thank you for your observation let's keep an eye on this situation as we are obviously skirting on the inevitable. It seems for now the county is sticking to their official declaration but have given the option to individual officers at their discretion.
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