Feds Using Business DMR Trunked System

[Oakland_Tower]

Here in the S F Bay Area I have been monitoring what sounds like federal agents on a trunked DMR business system. They don't sound like local law enforcement (no use of codes, not familiar with suspects, local streets, etc). I have listened to a lot of FBI surveillance over the years (when talking in the clear, of course) and this is what these guys sound like. They did make one reference to "the district on the other channel". The current surveillance I"m listening to seems to be drug related...so maybe DEA. Talk now about a warrant for a tracker and assembling a complete team later to do "take aways". They probably think their system is secure, and was pretty much, until Whistler came out with the TRX 1 & 2. Any thoughts?

 

[ChrisP]

I have heard of various federal task forces using a non-law enforcement radio system in the past. Sometimes it was an easy solution when multiple agencies with different radio systems were working together. And yes, they probably don't think too many outsiders can hear them.

There were some federal narcotics task forces using business SMR systems in the '80s and '90 in South Florida.

This wouldn't surprise me too much, but it is unusual to catch them...

- Chris

 

[teufler]

In the early 2000's, The Drug Task Force in Memphis used our Companys 800 mhz trunking, that was a business frequency primarily. No scanner monitor wanted to monitor a business frequency so they operated pretty much in cognito. Memphis, at that time only had vhf and uhf repeaters but what the Drug Task Forced needed was a wide area comm system. They had radios programmed to have priority on the trunking system, but at night they had the network pretty much to themselves,

 

[RayAir]

Here in the S F Bay Area I have been monitoring what sounds like federal agents on a trunked DMR business system. They don't sound like local law enforcement (no use of codes, not familiar with suspects, local streets, etc). I have listened to a lot of FBI surveillance over the years (when talking in the clear, of course) and this is what these guys sound like. They did make one reference to "the district on the other channel". The current surveillance I"m listening to seems to be drug related...so maybe DEA. Talk now about a warrant for a tracker and assembling a complete team later to do "take aways". They probably think their system is secure, and was pretty much, until Whistler came out with the TRX 1 & 2. Any thoughts?

Yes, completely possible. It's about the worst opsec failure they commit when they think they're hiding on the system or think they're "secure".

Sometimes when you find stuff like this it's best kept to yourself as if word gets out your monitoring will likely cease.

They ARE watching this site. Many system admins read this site.

 

[slicerwizard]

They probably think their system is secure, and was pretty much, until Whistler came out with the TRX 1 & 2. Any thoughts?

Because Uniden doesn't offer DMR decoding??

The Whistler/Uniden/DSD+/real radio users appreciate you ruining a good thing...

 

[SCPD]

One problem we have had is persons in field going own way in a group, buying a few portables such as NXDN or DMR and using a input in digital for simplex on a digital format. While they believe they are secure they are not.

 

[RayAir]

Yep. Hiding off the main system.

Well, at least they didn't use FRS.

 

[dave3825]

Here in the S F Bay Area I have been monitoring what sounds like federal agents on a trunked DMR business system.

They did make one reference to "the district on the other channel".

The current surveillance I"m listening to seems to be drug related...so maybe DEA

They probably think their system is secure, and was pretty much, until Whistler came out with the TRX 1 & 2. Any thoughts?

One problem we have had is persons in field going own way in a group, buying a few portables such as NXDN or DMR and using a input in digital for simplex on a digital format. While they believe they are secure they are not.

And yet people wonder why there is less and less to listen to nowadays.. Why not just call the agency on the phone and tell them you can hear them. It would save them time.

S M F H

 

[teufler]

WHAT mEMPHIS WAS DOING WAS LONG BEFORE THEY GOT A WIDE AREA TRUNKING SYSTEM. This was perhaps 10 years ago, they didn't have any system that would do for what they wanted to do. Just to make things alittle safer, we serviced the radio once a month, while doing this they were assigned a new talk group. Sometimes they would get a different radio, that operated on our 900 mhz systems. Since the drug task force operated pretty much at night, an officer brought all the ht's in , in the morning and a few hours later they were ready to go again. Just all the things we had to do before encryption was available.

 

[bailly2]

judging by other people who heard the feds using business frequencies, they seem to do this where there is drug distribution hubs or gangs big enough to be on the show gangland