Listen to Encrypted PD possibility?

[Hammer12]

I've been listening to my local PD scanner since COVID, but recently my local PD decided to encrypt their radios. I saw on Reddit that there is a workaround to listen to an encrypted scanner as long as it is not fully encrypted with a capital "E". Here are the details

"The problem is that old-style scanners (made before... pretty well into this century) just have absolutely no idea what to do with that information. It's expecting to hear voices over a frequency, not a ****in' modem dial-up tone. A lot of people think this is encryption, but it's not - it's just encoding. Think of it as just being in the wrong language. You'd have to get a modern scanner, which is going to run you $300-500, or you can go the ultra-geek way - which is what i did - and get some software-defined radios (SDRs), two in my case, and do all of the decoding and broadcasting using a piece of free (and incredibly powerful) software called SDRTrunk. Setting it all up is not for the faint of heart. But, my total cost outlay was about $80 all told, and it's worked flawlessly."

Is this possible? Specifically for Newport News Police Department. Thanks everyone

 

[FFPM571]

No No and No

 

[pboissy]

And NO!!!

 

[mmckenna]

Is this possible? Specifically for Newport News Police Department. Thanks everyone

You are confusing encryption and digital. There are scanners and SDR's that will easily decode digital. There are not scanners that will decode encryption.

 

[prcguy]

The city of Newport News appears to use P25 Phase II with encryption for the police. There is no scanner or receiver you can buy that will receive that.

 

[wtp]

i see that NO has been covered...

 

[n3617400]

You are confusing encryption and digital. There are scanners and SDR's that will easily decode digital. There are not scanners that will decode encryption.

AOR DV scanners can decrypt NXDN Scrambler

 

[mmckenna]

AOR DV scanners can decrypt NXDN Scrambler

There's a mighty big difference between 15-bit NXDN scrambling and AES256 encryption used for public safety. And last I heard the AOR NXDN descramble function wasn't available in the USA, but maybe that's changed?

 

[Blackswan73]

There is no is no way for anyone who is not an authorized recipient to decode a modern digital encryption system. However, there are still a few widely scattered small town PD systems that are analog and that still use the old speech inversion encryption method. That system is able to be decoded, however it is illegal to do so.
It is a federal offense to decrypt any broadcast for which you are not an authorized recipient. This law was written for the satellite TV industry, but can be applied to any electronic transmission.

B.S.

 

[tsalmrsystemtech]

If you run the mathmatics on FIPS compliant AES-256 its impossible. Not maybe. Absolutely mathmatically impossible.

There is a reason why it is FIPS compliant and its Military Grade Encryption for a reason. Its certfied. If it was able to be broken you better take all of your money out of the bank and move it to your matress. It means our financial insitutions and the world would be screwed.

This is why you will not see Uniden or Whistler coming out with any newer models most likely on scanners. There is no big want and need for these radios anymore. You have seen Uniden come out with a non trunked scanner for DMR and NXDN for a reason. More for people that still can receive. All these big cities and counties are slowly locking everything up. Sad to say FIRE is on its way too.

We never thought FIRE agencies would get touched but its happening. Trust me. Look at Lower part of SoCal and Florida and some other states and you are starting to see the new trend digging deeper into the trenches of not just Law Enforcement but Fire and even Animal Control and really the whole trunking system period. Prime examples. Denver-OC-Honolulu-NYPD-FDNY-RIVERSIDE CO PSEC. You think FDNY after 911 would even dare touch AES-256 but they did. Even when their UHF radios failed. Scary but that's the world we will live in forever now. We did see Washington DC reverse FIRE years ago for certains reasons but never have seen any other agency reverse ever. You are going to see more and more cities and big counties around bordering cities and counties that surround the Mexico borders just lock everything down including FIRE and their whole Phase I and Phase II systems as these older VHF and UHF conventional systems come to EOL. END OF LIFE.

Also, look at the first Harris Phase II TDMA system for Duke Energy. Even the Sites and the Control Channels are fully encrypted. The rubber has really met the road for sure now. Not sure if anyone has noticed over the past few years or so that there is absolutely no good news that ever comes out anymore in the scanner industry and or cities or counties with any good balanced approach that I have seen that gives any hope to the industry and the hobby. It just seems that the wood chipper is slowly chipping away.

I always want to stay positive and see the light at the end of the road and keep the hobby alive but I just can't see it as you keep seeing the RR.com database just looking a little bit more ugly as the days and weeks and months and even years keep passing.

Also, I just remember when I could buy a Ku-Band 3 foot satellite dish back in the late 80's and 90's and could watch all the backhaul feeds to the news channels all around the US. Just pull out the KU band chart and point the dish and boom. It was great. The C band dish which was called the BUD. BIG UGLY DISH had to be at least 8ft to 12ft big to receive C band Satellite which was cool too. Then they scrambled and encrypted C band and then the Ku-Band too. Always wonder if anybody is really using all those old Satellites up there in space anymore. You would think everything is being fed thru the internet and Fiber Optics now for High Def and Speed now instead of using Sateliite much anymore. Just some fun stuff I got to play with. Ku-Band 3 foot dish was easy and cool to watch. No commericals ever.

 

[LeSueurC]

Newport News Police uses ADP encryption on all their channels. There's no work around for it. Topics like this is why PD's goes encrypted on everything, vs, just encrypting tactical channels. If you didn't know, you already answered your own question, if their not all the way encrypted, NNPD is encrypted both ways. I wouldn't believe everything you read on Reddit, especially when it comes to decoding encryption, if they don't want to be heard, you won't hear them..

 

[buddrousa]

@Hammer12
You have only 1 option to listen to the Encrypted Police and it will work 100%
Go to a Donut Shop sit at a table and listen to the Walkie the Police carry while in there eating Donuts and drinking Coffee.

 

[prcguy]

AOR DV scanners can decrypt NXDN Scrambler

I have a left over descrambler card from an AOR 8200 MKIII that will decode voice inversion. But who uses that?

 

[marcotor]

You think FDNY after 911 would even dare touch AES-256 but they did. Even when their UHF radios failed. Scary but that's the world we will live in forever now.

Can you please give us all a link to the source of your information that AES-256 encryption causes a dangerous degradation of a signal?
You have fantasized all over these forums about some mass casualty incident due to encryption, so let's see your proof.

REAL, controllable, repeatable PROOF. Not some "it's well-known.." non-answer.

We'll wait.

 

[prcguy]

Can you please give us all a link to the source of your information that AES-256 encryption causes a dangerous degradation of a signal?
You have fantasized all over these forums about some mass casualty incident due to encryption, so let's see your proof.

REAL, controllable, repeatable PROOF. Not some "it's well-known.." non-answer.

We'll wait.

Maybe he’s thinking DES or DVP with CVSD?

 

[manda1993]

I have a left over descrambler card from an AOR 8200 MKIII that will decode voice inversion. But who uses that?

I need that for the city of Franklin jk

 

[wtp]

I have a left over descrambler card from an AOR 8200 MKIII that will decode voice inversion. But who uses that?

OK, now back to manda1993...

 

[prcguy]

I need that for the city of Franklin jk

This is not the swap page so I don’t want to discuss pricing in this thread, it wouldn’t be right.


























But $50 shipped would take it.

 

[Blackswan73]

I have an original Ramsey descrambler that has never been assembled. Don’t ask me why, but I do. No, it is not for sale either

B.S.

 

[kayn1n32008]

There is a reason why it is FIPS compliant and its Military Grade Encryption for a reason. Its certfied.

AES isn't 'military grade' JFC, it was designed by 2 Dutch guys. It's not even an American designed encryption algorithm.

The origional name of AES256 was 'Rijndael' after the 2 guys that created it, it was then renamed the Advanced Encryption Standard after it won the NIST competition to replace 56 Bit DES. AES256 is allowed to the 'Secret' level.