Encrypted voice on SPEN-1

[daedalus]

Heard both yesterday and this morning - what sounded like encrypted voice on SPEN-1.

It was a strong signal that seemed to peak in the area of Berkeley Heights and New Providence.

First time I've heard encrypted transmissions on SPEN

 

[Analogrules]

I sure hope they're not going encrypted on SPEN 1. It really doesn't make sense, because not all of the police departments who share SPEN 1 in this state even have encrypted capabilities and the point of SPEN is to communicate between different departments throughout the state.

 

[GM]

Is the encryption heard in analog or digital format? If it's digital P25 mode, maybe I'll get an NAC and inquire further.

 

[daedalus]

It sounded like analog to me, but I'm not an expert. I could hear occaisonal syllables in the clear

 

[bezking]

It sounded like analog to me, but I'm not an expert. I could hear occaisonal syllables in the clear

Sounds like voice inversion or scrambling.

 

[kb2vxa]

I see no purpose for encryption on any interop frequency, could be pirates. I sometimes hear encrypted P25 between two standard railroad frequencies and it's certainly not licensed. Maybe you want to narrow the IF passband a bit and tune across it to see if it's actually on channel or off a bit to avoid detection by authorized users.

 

[Analogrules]

I would have to agree with KB2VXA on this one

 

[Highpockets]

I sure hope they're not going encrypted on SPEN 1. It really doesn't make sense, because not all of the police departments who share SPEN 1 in this state even have encrypted capabilities and the point of SPEN is to communicate between different departments throughout the state.

I heard a radio conversation that SP may be using UHF spen radios in their cars, car to car, I guess comms could patch it to vhf spen. I don't know if they will, maybe radios are apco25 with encryption if needed, maybe that's what we are hearing?

 

[nosoup4u]

UHF? They just installed vhf radios in the cars, at least up here anyway.

 

[jaymatt1978]

Are we sure it's ENCRYPTED and not just DIGITAL? I have heard the NJSP testing some digital talkgroups on the trunked system and they sometime cross patch to SPEN1

 

[Highpockets]

Are we sure it's ENCRYPTED and not just DIGITAL? I have heard the NJSP testing some digital talkgroups on the trunked system and they sometime cross patch to SPEN1

I heard 2 tech's in a very short conversation talk about UHF spen radios, and car to car. That's all I heard, then they went digital.

 

[daedalus]

UHF? They just installed vhf radios in the cars, at least up here anyway.

Just for SPEN or do you know if they are using other VHF frequncies as well?

 

[jaymatt1978]

I am not c onvinced SPEN is going digital much less encrypted. As N2ZGE correctly states the whole reasoning behind SPEN is for departments to communicate no matter what kind of radio is used. Let's backtrack here, ALL digital non-trunked radios and even trunked ones have the ability to do analog, I don't see this going away. If they choose to use the analog is another story. Digital and encryption hinder interoperability no matter what people say because not all departments have digital radios. SPEN is designed for interoperability so it will never be digital or encrypted
While I don't doubt you heard digital and maybe even encryption on SPEN. I think you heard a digital talkgroup on the NJSP system got crosspatched to SPEN. It was more likely just an experiment rather than a sign of something coming down the road.