MI - Police scanners go silent

[kd8ati]

One would do it.

Thats the scary part of this whole mess. Law enforcement looks at one success and thinks they can do it.

Ok, there's my disclaimer. Best information I'm able to find in a 5 minute internet search is, Fedex has 19 systems; Orange County Transit Authority; Newton County, GA; Detroit Department of Transportation (?); Oakland County, MI;Cumberland County, PA, State of PA, statewide; Ozaukee County, WI... and a dozen more under construction.

I will not define any of these as "successful" because I have no facts regarding that, pro or con, and I'm not trying to sell anyone on Open Sky. Again, my entire point is merely to state that there are enough systems out there that agencies making tough decisions are apparently (on occasion) finding cause to justify selecting Open Sky.

Fedex= successful... I would hope so since opensky was designed around Fedex's needs
Orange County Transit... Successful? no data there
Newton Co GA.... Successful as of 2008 data
Detroit DOT... No local reports of success or not
Oakland County, MI... Still under construction... currently not successful, with many dead sports. 6 years late and who knows how many millions over budget.
Cumberland Co PA... I heard recent info that they got rid of the system due to poor coverage
State of PA.... Partial operations, still not working as planned
Ozaukee Co WI... Successful with Data ONLY. Stuck with EDACS voice due to poor coverage on OS

A few extra bits of info....
Milwaukee... not successful... operational with very poor coverage.
Palm Beach County... Contract terminated with Opensky
Lancaster Co PA... Contract terminated with opensky

 

[zz0468]

Thats the scary part of this whole mess. Law enforcement looks at one success and thinks they can do it.

It's not just law enforcement. Remember, with any "new" technology, SOMEBODY has to be the first. And SOMEBODY ELSE has to be the second. This is not unusual at all in public safety. It's just that here on RR, Open Sky is always under unusual scrutiny because it can't be monitored.

Fedex= successful... I would hope so since opensky was designed around Fedex's needs
Orange County Transit... Successful? no data there
Newton Co GA.... Successful as of 2008 data
Detroit DOT... No local reports of success or not
Oakland County, MI... Still under construction... currently not successful, with many dead sports. 6 years late and who knows how many millions over budget.
Cumberland Co PA... I heard recent info that they got rid of the system due to poor coverage
State of PA.... Partial operations, still not working as planned
Ozaukee Co WI... Successful with Data ONLY. Stuck with EDACS voice due to poor coverage on OS

A few extra bits of info....
Milwaukee... not successful... operational with very poor coverage.
Palm Beach County... Contract terminated with Opensky
Lancaster Co PA... Contract terminated with opensky

It sounds like you found the exact same data I did. In a 5 minute search, I was unable to locate any other ready sources to corroborate any of this without further digging. And since I'm not getting paid for this, I'm not going to bother. I don't know how accurate or current that source is.

I'd also like to add that dead spots in coverage are not necessarily an indictment against a particular type of system. Rather, it's an indictment against the system planners, and those who funded it.

 

[tencom]

Thats the scary part of this whole mess. Law enforcement looks at one success and thinks they can do it.



Fedex= successful... I would hope so since opensky was designed around Fedex's needs
Orange County Transit... Successful? no data there
Newton Co GA.... Successful as of 2008 data
Detroit DOT... No local reports of success or not
Oakland County, MI... Still under construction... currently not successful, with many dead sports. 6 years late and who knows how many millions over budget.
Cumberland Co PA... I heard recent info that they got rid of the system due to poor coverage
State of PA.... Partial operations, still not working as planned
Ozaukee Co WI... Successful with Data ONLY. Stuck with EDACS voice due to poor coverage on OS

A few extra bits of info....
Milwaukee... not successful... operational with very poor coverage.
Palm Beach County... Contract terminated with Opensky
Lancaster Co PA... Contract terminated with opensky

In Milwaukee,, Tne Milwaukee Police Department, is almost surely entirely, on the OPEN-SKY, system. All Milwaukee Police vehicles ,observed, in the last few months are sprouting OPEN-SKY tubular Antennas.. All observed walking officers are carrying OPEN-SKY portables..Their is no proof of use of the old Motorola analog UHF system. They had coverage Problems when they started to introduce the portable units a year ago, but apparently solved that problem. Let"s not be so negative towards OPEN-Sky and hope for the best, because it could be a valuable crime solvuing tool.

 

[reedeb]

OK This is my opinion encryption in todays worlsd is crazy with the cellphone and nextell technology, encryption is unnessesary [yes I have been in public saftey communications since 1978] This is just a way for the goverenment to control everything and communications companies to get money for these super duty great systems.
Should PD encrypt? Sometimes it may be needed [undercover and sensetive stuff,YES] But FD shouldn't be, nothing needs to be encrtypted at a fire scene that a cell phine call can't handle [ and yes I've been at many scenes so I know].

Imagine what an encrypted system would do when Policw are looking for a vehicle or a lost child or something like this and folks can't hear what is going on in "scannerland" Where is the assistance they need? Where is the Community trust when NO ONE in the community can hear what the police or fire are doing, This breeds mistrust in the population "Gee why are the cops or fire encrypting their frequencies are they doing someting they don't want folks to know are they doing something illegal ?"

We had a neighboring town get an scrambler for their channel once and would use it once in a while. One day the officer on duty called the dispatcher and scrambled. I was sittng by a local Dunkin Donuts, the next thing [in a matter of a couple of minutes] the cruiser pulled into the DD, up to the window, got an order and drove across the road to the dispacth center!! They scrambled to find out if the dispatcher wanted coffee and donuts? Is THIS the sensetive information they didn't want the public to know about? What else do they consider sensetive info to scramble a channel, [As it so happened the town manager was talking to me and heard it and saw it ,2 weeks later the scrambler was removed]

 

[crippledchicken]

I'm expecting all, scanners to wind up being useless paper weights one of these days due to the increased national security these days. therefor in the small town I live in with one police department and one sheriff's department which both, have tac. channels now we can't monitor I'm not about, to invest in anything digital. I have two triple trunking bases and a trunking handheld and pretty much anything worth listening to goes to tac channels any more any way. There's not even any analog trunking in this area to speak of.

 

[freqs]

Just because they go to a tac freq doesnt mean you cant monitor it do you know its encypted .but you can bet digital of some form is the future

 

[Allan_Love_Jr]

I'm expecting all, scanners to wind up being useless paper weights one of these days due to the increased national security these days. therefor in the small town I live in with one police department and one sheriff's department which both, have tac. channels now we can't monitor I'm not about, to invest in anything digital. I have two triple trunking bases and a trunking handheld and pretty much anything worth listening to goes to tac channels any more any way. There's not even any analog trunking in this area to speak of.

Your wrong. Not everything is going Digital,yet.

 

[JoeyC]

Yep, there are THOUSANDS of departments outside your small town that HAVEN'T gone encrypted, or have NO intention of doing so. In some cases, it may take 10 or 20 years before that is a reality (if it is even being considered) so why deprive yourself? Many agencies have already come forward and stated they are NOT going to encrypt either. Also, there is some monitoring that will likely always remain analog. The sky is not falling chicken little.

 

[crippledchicken]

Oh I'm not depriving myself I just don't see buying a digital scanner at those prices,with my health/age for my location even, if I could get the two tac channels for the local law enforcement if they were digital. I have no idea if the tac channels are encrypted or not the county can scramble or, go to their tac channel and a lot of times they both just go to cell phone. These are just my opinions for area. If I were in a big city, it might be worth going digital for a lot more channels to listen to. I just hope, if we are ever under a large terrorist attack they won't be able to monitor any, law enforcement conversations of any kind by using our scanners. That would be a large hole in our national security. Therefore, it wouldn't surprise me if all scanners became useless some day for this reason but, as I said it's just a thought and may never happen. I still, plan to search for my local tac channels with conventional trunking but if I find out they are digital, It's not worth investing in a digital scanner at this present time just for those two channels. Thanks for the replies!

 

[mel5051]

I've been listening to the Oakland County Sheriff here in Michigan for quite a few months now. Radio Repair has been trying to convert them over, as they are going Open Sky very shortly. The hand helds are having problems being heard by Dispatch, Dispatch is having problems being heard by cars and handhelds, the whole thing is comical to listen to. The contract for the Open Sky antenna's went to A T & T to be installed on their towers. That in and of itself is funny. Most of those towers provide less than optimal coverage over the county as it is now. Some days I get full signal strength some days none at all ie. No Service.
I have a friend in Radio Repair and I guess that I'll not be able to listen to Oakland County who does my local policing very much longer.
Such is life.

Going off topic, why are the Moderator's allowing Trolls to cause confrontational issues on here?

Mel

 

[DRich17]

Bloomfield Township

Bloomfield Township (MI) 'disappeared' from their former Public Safety freqs. (853.16250 / 853.21250) several weeks ago as well. Does anyone know whether they perhaps also made the move to M-A/COM / OpenSky?

Thanks!

 

[KB8QDM]

Bloomfield Township (MI) 'disappeared' from their former Public Safety freqs. (853.16250 / 853.21250) several weeks ago as well. Does anyone know whether they perhaps also made the move to M-A/COM / OpenSky?

Thanks!

Yes, they did. I want to say it was around the first of November. If you still monitor their legacy frequency, they transmit the station tones on that system to alert the stations, but the info broadcast is over OpenSky.

 

[capemt]

Speaking of digital and encryption, I work for Cumberland County EMS int Cumberland County, TN. I am also a Firefighter in Bledsoe County TN. Cumberland County is on a brand spanking new digital P25 system (if you look it up here on RR, you will see that our county is the only one in the nation that has it) and Bledsoe has just an old Analog VHF system. Bledsoe will actually tone severe weather warnings, public safety announcements, and other messages out over our primary channel specifically for scanner listeners. Typically, it goes like this:
"Central to all scanner listeners, central to all scanner listeners. There is a (name your warning here) in effect for Bledsoe county TN until (put your time here). (put rest of advisory here) Central clear."
Now, they use it also to announce road closures, missing persons, pretty much anything and everything for scanner listeners. But please remember, it is also our county's main LE frequency. Heck, they even bolo santa on xmas eve every year (primarily for the kids) in Bledsoe and several neighboring analog counties.
Encryption here=Bad public safety idea.
Just a thought...

 

[DRich17]

Bloomfield Township (MI)

Yes, they did. I want to say it was around the first of November. If you still monitor their legacy frequency, they transmit the station tones on that system to alert the stations, but the info broadcast is over OpenSky.

Thanks, Chris!

 

[alpinestars_2002795]

Why?


Why? You have no legal right to listen.

"This is where I agree your wrong. Thomas Jefferson believed fully in the ability to monitor govt." I believe the saying is, "A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference." What ever happened to "freedom of information?" Another Jefferson quote for you since apparently you don't believe in what this country was founded on, nor seem to recollect it. "Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny. "Meaning the police have one agenda." To make your scanner useless. It is in their best interests. Especially since we don't want another Rodney king incident being seen via media outlets. The better question you need to ask yourself sir since you obviously oppose the use or authority of a citizen to monitor their govt is, if you don't like it so much why are you here? You obviously lack a valid argument as Americans are all in uproar over this encryption hot button topic issue. Why? We have always had the right to monitor our govts actions in some form. Thus one should really be asking what in a traffic stop is so pertinent to a terrorist that it is a matter of national security? No. For that matter it is not can be the only logical answer and any other response you heed shall be seen as uber bull s@it just as it should there mr N Jay.


Where did you get the impression it is a right?

Um where don't you get this impression? The right of the press, this is obviously a feeble attempt to silence the press. Are you blind as a bat? I am guessing n jay it is time to call the eye doctor again. Now does the 1st amend Guutentee a direct right to monitor in a way yes it does. The media was designed so that it would expose abuse and in my opinion it already is exposing abuses. Why else would they need to silence them? Benjamin Franklin did not believe in any silencing of the press, nor Jefferson. This is made clear in our constitution and the Declaration of Independence most certainly. If you can't grasp that perhaps you need a hypothetical day off of being such a bigoet to read up on papers 99 percent of close minded Americans such as yourself are obviously too inept to value. As far as making scanners illegal for a criminal. Most states it already is if your a convicted felon or, in use in furtherance of a crime. It's just another charge to slap on someone though as the definition of crime is blank. Meaning it could be so much as the use of speeding. Which is how the officers like it these days in this tyrannical govt you love n jay. They love grey law. Because then if you don't comply in a stop as they feel they can slap on 5-7 charges instead of one. Want your proof of that n jay look in you local police beats section of your local news paper at the charges section.



Rights violated? Well first off have you ever considered people haven't added in the advent of technological advances always in our bill of rights was established in 1776. Therefor I believe firmly by reading Jefferson's statements this is not the intention of the way our law is interpreted rather instead of written. That can be two separate things n jay.

 

[rdale]

N_Jay hasn't been posting in quite a while... Way to bring up a dead thread

 

[WayneH]

Um where don't you get this impression?

Um I guess you missed his "Not Posting". And the age of the thread.

We don't permit bringing old threads back up just to argue with other members in the threads. Thread closed.