BCD325P2/BCD996P2: Hearing encrypted activity

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N1GTL

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It seems that the 996P2 will mute the incoming transmission if it is encrypted. Is there a way to unmute it so I can tell if there is activity on the channel? NAC F7E?
 

N1GTL

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Yeah, I was afraid of that. It would be helpful at times to know. The service monitor will RX it but sometimes that's just too much to lug around.

Thanks.
 
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When Encrypted towns show up on the CSP system, I can sometimes HOLD on it and catch the UID, but that's about it.
 

n3obl

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Yes uniden has never decide to allow through the menu to turn off encryption muting. I would prefer to be able to turn off so i can see which talkgroups are popping up secure.
 

hiegtx

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Yeah, I was afraid of that. It would be helpful at times to know. The service monitor will RX it but sometimes that's just too much to lug around.

Thanks.
ProScan, and presumably ARC-536, will log encrypted transmissions so that you can see how much traffic is present, even if not monitorable. Of course, a PC using software to log activity, is not a portable solution, and might be impracticable even if using a laptop when in a vehicle.

The Whistler/GRE scanners can be set to play a tone when a channel is encrypted, but the scanner just sits on that activity until it's done, so you likely would be missing activity on other channels even though they are also encrypted.
 

n3obl

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Again this is a personal preference. maybe i just want to be able to note the group while driving.
 

cg

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If you are dragging a computer around, perhaps basic DSDPlus with a SDR and get the full info?

chris
 

n1chu

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Most encrypted signals are ignored by the scanner by law. But not all. The ruling states it’s illegal to receive an encrypted signal but its hardly enforceable unless you turn yourself in! Uniden hasn’t figured out a way for its products to ignore ALL types of encryption (or do it economically) and occasionally, it will even stop on an encrypted signal it recognizes and not ignore it. But the FCC has ruled to manufacture or modify is strictly taboo.
 

JStemann

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Most encrypted signals are ignored by the scanner by law. But not all. The ruling states it’s illegal to receive an encrypted signal but its hardly enforceable unless you turn yourself in! Uniden hasn’t figured out a way for its products to ignore ALL types of encryption (or do it economically) and occasionally, it will even stop on an encrypted signal it recognizes and not ignore it. But the FCC has ruled to manufacture or modify is strictly taboo.
this is not really true. Uniden chooses to mute encrypted audio, it isn't required to. The legality part comes in when you decrypt the audio without permission. Many receivers can legally receive encrypted transmissions without muting(Radio shack, SDR , nearly any modern ham radio), they just can't decrypt the audio, all you'd hear is garbled noises or static.
 

darkness975

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I been RX'ing Newtown Police lately off and on in the clear. I thought they went full encryption?
It's either accidental or deliberate for the particular transmisson.
In general though they are encrypted. My HPII and BCD325P2 will show their UID but not broadcast the transmission (for obvious reasons). But the rare times that an unencrypted transmission comes through it's clear.
The SDS100 & SDS200 won't show anything. I forget they are even on the lineup unless something actually comes through.
 

fxdscon

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Most encrypted signals are ignored by the scanner by law. But not all. The ruling states it’s illegal to receive an encrypted signal but its hardly enforceable unless you turn yourself in!
.

Not sure where you are getting your (mis)information from......

There is absolutely no law or regulation in the US that prohibits, prevents, or regulates the reception of encrypted signals.

.
 

ka3aaa

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what i want to know is how does the latest firmware handle encrypted comms. The website says it changed how it handels encryption but did not say specificaly what they did to it, does anyone know?
Is it now user selectable to be heard or not?
 

Russell

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ECPA 86 made it illegal to decrypt encrypted communications. However, it is not illegal to listen to the encrypted signal (data noise). Nor is it illegal to capture the RIDs from the data as that is not part of the *voice* encryption.

Also see;
Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) 1994
PATRIOT Act (2001) and reauthorization (2006)
FISA Amendments Act (2008)

Russell
 
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