Mesa PD Law Tac

[kingshootr]

I just moved from Safford to Mesa, and man, learning to program the radio systems down here is CRAZY compared to the ancient systems still used in SE AZ.

I'm using Freescan with my Uniden 996T and the little metal "off the back" extendable antenna, and am doing OK; I'm getting things figured out little by little, but had a question about the Mesa PD "system". I can pick up the Law Dispatch, FD, Municipal, etc., but the Law Tac ones just chirp and squeal.

Is this a function of something special with their radios? Shortcomings of my antenna? I can't do an exterior antenna here (love HOA's) but have one I can suction cup to the window on the way to see if it helps this as well as with other signal acquisition issues. Should I just lock them out or is there some setting I am overlooking to hear them?

Thanks.

More noob questions will be forthcoming, but only after I've exhausted my patience!

 

[Astrak]

The talkgroups labeled with an E after the talkgroup number are encrypted. Mesa often switches anything that requires a seperate "HOT" channel to A5 HOT, at the moment I can't remember the talkgroup number but later on I can look around at some WIN500 files and see if I can pull it up.

 

[kingshootr]

The talkgroups labeled with an E after the talkgroup number are encrypted. Mesa often switches anything that requires a seperate "HOT" channel to A5 HOT, at the moment I can't remember the talkgroup number but later on I can look around at some WIN500 files and see if I can pull it up.

On the RR database that I'm pulling from, none of the TGID's have an "E", just identified as a 4 digit number. What is a "HOT" and/or "A5 HOT" channel? I appreciate you responding and thanks for taking the time to look into it for me.

 

[Astrak]

In the database under Mode there should be an E this indicates it is an encrypted talkgroup. HOT or tactical channels are used for incidents where the incident is serious enough that having the traffic on a standard dispatch channel would take up to much radio time and dispatcher time. If you listen in for a little while you'll hear the dispatcher put out the hot traffic and have everyone responding switch to HOT.

 

[kingshootr]

In the database under Mode there should be an E this indicates it is an encrypted talkgroup. HOT or tactical channels are used for incidents where the incident is serious enough that having the traffic on a standard dispatch channel would take up to much radio time and dispatcher time. If you listen in for a little while you'll hear the dispatcher put out the hot traffic and have everyone responding switch to HOT.

And there it is, staring me in the face! Thanks again. So I take it if they are encrypted, there isn't a way to listen to them with my equipment? If so, should I just take them out of my database on the scanner?

 

[Astrak]

The only thing that will be able to monitor those talkgroups is a radio programmed by the department's radio shop. I would take them out, but that is up to you.

 

[AZScanner]

Don't take them out... LOCK them out. The reason why is because on more than one occasion the encryption prevented the units from being able to talk to one another and they had to turn it off temporarily to allow the units to communicate. Leave them in the scanner and unlock if needed.

-AZ

 

[InlandAZ]

Don't take them out... LOCK them out. The reason why is because on more than one occasion the encryption prevented the units from being able to talk to one another and they had to turn it off temporarily to allow the units to communicate. Leave them in the scanner and unlock if needed.

-AZ

Wouldn't it be great if GRE muted those encrypted frequencies with a DSP/Firmware update? I hear it's possible, I just don't understand why they haven't.

 

[kingshootr]

Ok, just locked them out. New antenna arrived today, we'll see what it can do tonight. Thanks everyone.