Former enthusiast getting back in to the hobby

[riveter]

I see. I just noticed the "encrytpion type" for florida highway patrol was listed as "Provoice DES"

It makes you wonder though, if this trend continues to grow, may we reach a time in the future where nearly all radio transmissions from law enforcement agencies is encrypted?

For a sense of scale on the above comment, and how many threads have been derailed by that discussion, make a search of the forum for the word 'encryption'. You'll find thousands of references in hundreds of threads, some started about that very question, most started in completely different intent and derailed by the resulting flood of opinions. It's a hot-button discussion on here

 

[tornado82]

For a sense of scale on the above comment, and how many threads have been derailed by that discussion, make a search of the forum for the word 'encryption'. You'll find thousands of references in hundreds of threads, some started about that very question, most started in completely different intent and derailed by the resulting flood of opinions. It's a hot-button discussion on here

Well its a trend I could see spreading, especially with law enforcement under so much fire from the media, you know there are sherrifs all across the country that would love to lock down their radio comms from peoples ears. Looking down the list for Florida Im surprised I see baker country in florida as having all their sheriff department comms encrypted. Baker County is a very rural county in Florida, its not a big metropolis. Its inevitable I think that additional agencies will go to encrypted systems. It could impact the scanning hobby substantially I would think in the future.

 

[frazpo]

The primary sherrif/police I would want to monitor is a good 20/21 miles from me. I may end up having to put up an external antenna sooner than I thought. we will see. I plan to do lots of testing these next many days that im off for new years holidays. One thing I was curious about is the digital systems. What is the typical range of these Phase 1 and Phase 2 systems? Digital communication is a whole different ball game than traditional analog. With digital you either get it or you dont, and im curious how these radio systems perform. I am within about 10 miles of a major interstate, and wondering how I might fare in receiving the state patrol in Florida.Anyone know information on Florida highway potrol? I see 2 state wide law enforcement listings in the database.

A lot will depend on the quality of the system and setup of what you are trying to monitor and the terrain between you and the antenna. I can monitor a P25 system with the stock rubber duck antenna that is 21 miles away with no problems. With an 800mhz HT antenna I can monitor a system that is about 30 miles away. Like I said though the terrain will effect this quite a bit.

 

[tornado82]

A lot will depend on the quality of the system and setup of what you are trying to monitor and the terrain between you and the antenna. I can monitor a P25 system with the stock rubber duck antenna that is 21 miles away with no problems. With an 800mhz HT antenna I can monitor a system that is about 30 miles away. Like I said though the terrain will effect this quite a bit.

So it sounds like digital coverage is about the same as I remember old conventional systems being. The sheriff department im wanting to listen to most is still on a conventional system - most of the frequencies in the 150-155mhz range..Its the same department i listened to years ago, Ive just moved a good 20 miles out of town now, and Ive not had a scanner since ive moved. I'll know in afew hours hopefully. UPS showing out for delivery now. I should have it when I get home after work. Cant wait to start testing. I still have my pro-64 radio shack scanner, though it doesnt work anymore, so I have a 2nd rubber duckie antenna. I will see which rubber duckie works best, the one on that scanner always performed very well.

 

[tornado82]

Well got the scanner, and been playing with it a lot. So far im really impressed with it. There is still a lot i need to learn about it. I managed to get several favorites lists built and get them on quick keys. Im receiving better than I thought I would. I dont some testing between the two rubber duckies and the old radio shack rubber duckie from the pro-64 is out performing the included uniden antenna. Its not a massive difference but there is noticeably less static on the weather channels and on law enforcement dispatch stations in the 150-150mhz range. I have not tested anything in the 800mhz range, or any digital, or even any trunked systems for that matter. All the law enforcement in my area are still on conventional FM and NFM systems.

I would like to upgrade the antenna even further. I was hoping to get a recommendation on what the best all band antenna is? Even if it is a big telescoping antenna im fine with that. I want something for all bands, that will improve on the rubber duckies I have. Any suggestions?

 

[hiegtx]

The "best" antenna is going to depend on the frequency ranges of the systems you are interested in the most. Here in my metro area, Dallas-Fort Worth, I use the Radio Shack 800MHz antenna. That gives me the best results on the multiple 700 & 800MHz systems here. Dallas PD/FD are both on strong signal Uhf frequencies, so reception is not a problem. That antenna also performs acceptably on the Vhf-high channels used by Dallas County S.O. and some of the smaller neighboring cities and adjacent counties.

For my trips out west to rural West Texas, where almost everything is on Vhf-high, I shift to the Diamond RH789. It is a telescoping antenna, with markings on it to show how far to extend for specific bands. I also used the RH789 on my HP-1 during a month long hospitalization back in 2013. It worked very well on all the local systems, regardless of frequencies used.

There are a number of other antennas out there, from various manufacturers. You probably would get a wider variety of antenna suggestions with a post asking for antenna recommendations over in the Antenna forum. I use the SMA->BNC adapter that comes with the scanner because the majority of my antenna collection is BNC, not the SMA default on the 436HP.