Lone Tree Encrypted, Just heard for the first Time

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Ryfly

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Ok, so i never have heard what encrypted sounds like but finally, Lone Tree PD started to bounce of Riley Peak. Well, i have to say it pretty intresting, i'm getting of course it being garbled 90% of the time but every once in awhile all hear a burst of clear voice. I don't know if thats normal, but it's pretty amazing what you can do over the airwaves these days.
Bummer it's encryped though, Lone Tree would be intresting to listen too, it being near a mall and all but i just wanted to hear what encryption sounds like.
 

abqscan

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Lone Tree is dispatched by Parker PD and they are not encrypted. They use the C/S "Lima Tango."
 

RodStrong

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If you are hearing some in the clear, I doubt it's encrypted. Maybe you were just hearing some digital distortion.
 

captaincraig44

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RodStrong said:
If you are hearing some in the clear, I doubt it's encrypted. Maybe you were just hearing some digital distortion.

What he said. Encryption is either completely on or completely off for entire transmissions. If you are hearing garbage and then a second of clear audio, then more garbage, then you have a weak signal that doesn't have enough good data to decode the voice 100% of the time. If you've talked on a digital cellphone and heard the Donald Duck effect when you hit a dead spot (or right before you drop the call), then you've experienced this for yourself.
 

MikeyB

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captaincraig44 said:
What he said. Encryption is either completely on or completely off for entire transmissions. If you are hearing garbage and then a second of clear audio, then more garbage, then you have a weak signal that doesn't have enough good data to decode the voice 100% of the time. If you've talked on a digital cellphone and heard the Donald Duck effect when you hit a dead spot (or right before you drop the call), then you've experienced this for yourself.

I heard the same thing he was talking about. On TG 1009, most of the conversation was encrypted and then a different radio would come on and say "Turn left at the corner" or something like that. Also on Parker PD, I heard LT say they were doing a traffic stop and dispatch said go ahead and then the location and license plate were what sounded like encrypted, then the reply from dispatch was back clear. Later hearing LT cars doing other stuff it was all clear. I've heard drop-off before, and this definitely sounded different than the garble from a weak signal.
 

RodStrong

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MikeyB said:
I heard the same thing he was talking about. On TG 1009, most of the conversation was encrypted and then a different radio would come on and say "Turn left at the corner" or something like that. Also on Parker PD, I heard LT say they were doing a traffic stop and dispatch said go ahead and then the location and license plate were what sounded like encrypted, then the reply from dispatch was back clear. Later hearing LT cars doing other stuff it was all clear. I've heard drop-off before, and this definitely sounded different than the garble from a weak signal.

Maybe they are doing things like some places where dispatch is clear and street units are encrypted.

The Parker deal sounds really weird. Certainly possible (if enabled) for a guy to make a stop in the clear, and then switch to encrypted to read off the plate and location, but man, that shouldn't be the norm. I suppose they could have been trying to be secure about a specific case they were working on, but doing that on a uniform basis is not wise. Officers don't need to be messing with their radios while in the middle of traffic stops. That's just one more thing to distract them.
 

MikeyB

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RodStrong said:
Maybe they are doing things like some places where dispatch is clear and street units are encrypted.

The Parker deal sounds really weird. Certainly possible (if enabled) for a guy to make a stop in the clear, and then switch to encrypted to read off the plate and location, but man, that shouldn't be the norm. I suppose they could have been trying to be secure about a specific case they were working on, but doing that on a uniform basis is not wise. Officers don't need to be messing with their radios while in the middle of traffic stops. That's just one more thing to distract them.

I wish somebody else would confirm that they've heard this going on. Maybe I was just really tired! I then heard Lone Tree running calls on Parker in the clear later including clearing names.

Also, for agencies that would run clear on channel 1 and encrypted on channel 2, etc., is there something on the radio that tells it to go encrypted when switching channels, or is this done manually on the radio?
 
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scanlist

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You guys weren't using PRO-96 or PRO-2096 scanners at the time you heard the crypto by any chance?

Phil.
 

n0nhj

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Encryption

Could also have been that he/she called in the stop with the mobile (set to operate in the clear), and then called in the other traffic on the handheld that had the magic button pushed and it was encrypted.

Chuck
 

RodStrong

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MikeyB said:
Also, for agencies that would run clear on channel 1 and encrypted on channel 2, etc., is there something on the radio that tells it to go encrypted when switching channels, or is this done manually on the radio?

It depends on how the radio is programmed. They can make the user manually go encrypted/clear as desired, or they can be automatically encrypted by simply switching to a TG that is full time encrypted.
 

captaincraig44

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The PRO-96, PSR-500, etc allow encrypted comms to come through. The Unidens simply ignore the encryption, so if it was encryption, you would not hear anything on the Unidens. Sometimes with the GRE radios you might initially think you have a weak signal, when it is in fact really encryption.
 

firescannerbob

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captaincraig44 said:
The PRO-96, PSR-500, etc allow encrypted comms to come through. The Unidens simply ignore the encryption, so if it was encryption, you would not hear anything on the Unidens. Sometimes with the GRE radios you might initially think you have a weak signal, when it is in fact really encryption.
Didn't know that. Thanks!
 

scanlist

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What Craig said plus the annoyance with the voice channel hang-time delay on sites with heavy radio traffic.

Phil.
 
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