SDS100/SDS200: Is the Uniden SDS200 still worth the investment?

[PCTEK]

Greetings,

I live in San Mateo, California. I am thinking of purchasing a second SDS200. I mainly listen to public safety traffic. From what I have read and observed, counties and cities are moving to encryption, which would make my purchase of another SDS200 a $700 flop. So far I am lucky. San Mato county and cities within have remained encryption free. For sensitive information, they use their MDT's. If there are any here who may know what San Mateo county has planned 5 years out, would the purchase of a second SDS200 be wise?

Thank you

 

[rf_patriot200]

Greetings,

I live in San Mateo, California. I am thinking of purchasing a second SDS200. I mainly listen to public safety traffic. From what I have read and observed, counties and cities are moving to encryption, which would make my purchase of another SDS200 a $700 flop. So far I am lucky. San Mato county and cities within have remained encryption free. For sensitive information, they use their MDT's. If there are any here who may know what San Mateo county has planned 5 years out, would the purchase of a second SDS200 be wise?

Thank you

It's worth the investment ... Depending on Where you live, and if your area is "encryption transparent" .

 

[N6JPA]

The CA DOJ is requiring all agencies in CA to protect PII by 2025. You would get six months of use maybe if your area isn't already encrypted. If you are going to listen to airplanes, trains & Ham Radio I suppose it will be useful for you.

 

[donc13]

Yes

 

[bearcatrp]

Only you can decide if its worth it. Roll the dice and see if encryption stays away. If it comes in hard and everything goes encryption, then you decided wrong.

 

[Randyk4661]

If you have a need for digital simulcast trunking that is not encrypted then yes.
If what you want to listen is not digital simulcast and not encrypted then a lower end scanner may be a better choice.
There's more to listen to than police and fire if you know where to look.

 

[StoliRaz]

The CA DOJ is requiring all agencies in CA to protect PII by 2025. You would get six months of use maybe if your area isn't already encrypted. If you are going to listen to airplanes, trains & Ham Radio I suppose it will be useful for you.

If that's the case I'd just get a good SDR like an Airspy and call it a day

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

The CA DOJ is requiring all agencies in CA to protect PII by 2025.

Source?

 

[PCTEK]

The CA DOJ is requiring all agencies in CA to protect PII by 2025. You would get six months of use maybe if your area isn't already encrypted. If you are going to listen to airplanes, trains & Ham Radio I suppose it will be useful for you.

Personal Identifiable Information, or PII, is being achieved by the use of Mobile Data Terminals (MDT) today. LE can and do run their own checks right from the front seat of their units. Voice encryption is not required

 

[Dewey]

If that's the case I'd just get a good SDR like an Airspy and call it a day

This was going to be my suggestion, but you beat me to it. If the OP is comfortable with a computer (and Linux in my case), I run 3 Nooelec RTL-SDRs, $102 for all three, coupled to an 8GB Raspberry Pi, $110 for the basic starter kit, that allows live monitoring and 30-day recording (my setting, can record much more) of an entire trunk system. Think of it as running your own personal Broadcastify. No, this does NOT replace a scanner but it is a great supplement that allows you to go back in time and listen to anything on the system you set to record. Also as already mentioned, if the system does go encrypted, I still have very usable hardware that I can repurpose.

 

[sempai]

This was going to be my suggestion, but you beat me to it. If the OP is comfortable with a computer (and Linux in my case), I run 3 Nooelec RTL-SDRs, $102 for all three, coupled to an 8GB Raspberry Pi, $110 for the basic starter kit, that allows live monitoring and 30-day recording (my setting, can record much more) of an entire trunk system. Think of it as running your own personal Broadcastify. No, this does NOT replace a scanner but it is a great supplement that allows you to go back in time and listen to anything on the system you set to record. Also as already mentioned, if the system does go encrypted, I still have very usable hardware that I can repurpose.

I'm so used to people just bypassing or defeating encryption in my work that it's downright wholesome listening to people being in compliance.