MSD Perry now E[ncrypted]!

INDY72

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Was checking on all my listings and seeing whats new in the radios. MSD Perry Township School Police are now FULL TIME ENCRYPTED, on ALL TG's! They are still clear on the IDPS radios when they interop, but they are dark on the DMR. In fact, ONLY the buses are in the clear from what I can tell. ALL other TG's are E.
 

Mattnik

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That's how it is in Vigo County too. Buses are analog, everything else is encrypted DMR.

With school systems buying all new systems and radios at the same time (probably but not certainly from ARP funds) there's no reason NOT to go encrypted. Just buy a new system, plug in, install new radios, throw the old ones in the White River (kidding) and you're good to go.

Sigh. I started scanning in the ninth grade (1989) listening to my school system. Soon even that pleasure will be gone. At least I still have my shortwave to listen to :cool:
 

Mattnik

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Can't see Speedway Schools ever going encrypted, half of the time they aren't even on the right channel.

Maybe (hopefully) not. I would like to think that I'll be able to listen to SOMETHING in a few years that interests me.

But if the school corporation decides to use ARF money (or any other slush fund/grant handout) to purchase ALL NEW radios with an ALL NEW repeater, what is their reason to NOT go encrypted?

In the past it was mostly a monetary decision to not encrypt.
Then it was an interoperability issue, usually.

Now with ADP and other stuff built in, there's no reason except for backwards compatibility. And if that is not an issue, and the radio vendor goes "Hey Stanley SchoolDude, do you want people on scanners to be able to listen to your communications" then the answer is gonna be some version of "Nope"; that's my point.

I'm not wishing it on anyone or any system. But absent any other barrier, the reasons to remain "in the clear" aren't exactly compelling.

Matt
 
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INDaviation

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AFAIK the Kenwood NXDN portables they use already have an option for 15-bit scrambling but it's not used. I can't imagine anyone else even listens to them except me (and that's rare). But the possibility is always there that for whatever reason they go encrypted, I suppose.
 

Mattnik

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AFAIK the Kenwood NXDN portables they use already have an option for 15-bit scrambling but it's not used. I can't imagine anyone else even listens to them except me (and that's rare). But the possibility is always there that for whatever reason they go encrypted, I suppose.

That's awesome. If I ever get a NXDN scanner (eventually I keep telling myself) and a decent outside antenna, I'd for sure like listening in. LIke I said, I started with school buses and since listening to police/fire is too much like being at work now (lol) it's the lions share of what I listen to now. I also like hospital stuff for some crazy reason (spent quite a bit of my life in and out of them, and the drama factor I suppose).

I know railroad is flirting with NXDN a bit. I could see myself becoming a train nerd. But just not there yet.
 

INDY72

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That's awesome. If I ever get a NXDN scanner (eventually I keep telling myself) and a decent outside antenna, I'd for sure like listening in. LIke I said, I started with school buses and since listening to police/fire is too much like being at work now (lol) it's the lions share of what I listen to now. I also like hospital stuff for some crazy reason (spent quite a bit of my life in and out of them, and the drama factor I suppose).

I know railroad is flirting with NXDN a bit. I could see myself becoming a train nerd. But just not there yet.
Air and rail are some fascinating monitoring, and you can hear some pretty cool stuff some times. With all the school shootings and the Karen's running the show these days, the big ole fat E is going to become VERY common in school radio systems. I find it humorous that school bus comms are not the main one going E except in places like TN where they are on the TACN and those guys are getting E happy a lot more. Its part of some of our training to think like the bad guys, and my guts in "wargaming" always have me going for the biggest bang for the buck.. A bus is a single point of hit for up to 20 or more hits. A school is somewhat hardened and some schools are finally moving from the hide in place easy targets to the fight back style.... Similar to how the mall shootings are now becoming more popular... In training scenarios I always made folks mad since I had malls, and wal-marts as the scene to hit... And everyone was like "never going to happen"... Read any books folks? Now its starting to happen, and why is no one prepared for it? Anyway.
 

Mattnik

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Logged a few hits on TG 5 Maintenance today, all in the clear. Strange.

OK, maybe I'll go with my first instinct, and use the small E system wide. In fact I'm going to change my personal policy in doing these, unless someone can prove to me they are actually bootstrapped, it's going in small e. Annoying but necessary.
 
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