Nashville going encrypted

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motohead10

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I don’t see that sitting well with the civilians that enjoy listening. I wonder if they’ll receive backlash like they did when they tried it in 2014?
 

allend

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Its just a matter of time until all of public safety is gone. One of our local counties went LE encrypted almost 20 yrs ago and the switch to P25 for the fire departments 100 percent end to end encryption for fire departments too coming in the next couple of months. They will say that all of public safety should go silent to due safety for LE and Fire.
 

nashscan

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We're kind of the last to know things at dispatch. Sometimes we find out what happened to a call we took by watching the news. I'm sure sometime soon they'll ask me to turn in my portable radio to be re-programmed. If I find out more, I'll advise. It's pretty sad that metro feels they have to go this route. Scanning is what got me interested in this career.
 

RadioJonD

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We're kind of the last to know things at dispatch. Sometimes we find out what happened to a call we took by watching the news. I'm sure sometime soon they'll ask me to turn in my portable radio to be re-programmed. If I find out more, I'll advise. It's pretty sad that metro feels they have to go this route. Scanning is what got me interested in this career.
Thanks for all you do, nashscan! I probably hear you from time to time when I visit the Music City.

Me too. Scanned as a teenager and broadcast from 1977 to 2010. (I still do, though not for a public safety agency.)

Sad to see dispatch and traffic channels go encrypted. Those are the ones I listen to for awareness and an extra margin of safety.

Seemingly Nashville is becoming Memphis in terms of crime. I quit going to Memphis for events several years ago. Now I'm avoiding downtown Nashville as much as possible. I am made to think that agencies nationwide are encrypting other than sensitive channels in an attempt to cover the fact that their cities are growing more and more violent.

If I am ever an innocent victim of a high speed chase crash or major crime incident broadcast over an encrypted channel, I will consider a law suit against the encrypted agency. I can't understand why an agency would forfeit extra eyes and ears anyway. Surely the criminal element isn't tuning in en mass enough to affect officer safety. The reason some folks are criminals is because they are not smart enough to program these mega systems into a scanner anyway.
 

jpryor

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Indeed disappointing. Won't need to worry about poor simulcast reception and/or spending money on an SDS now.

Will be looking to see the updated Metro Radio SOP. As currently documented and published, the SOP reflects the encryption policy that requires "primary dispatch and interoperable talkgroups will not be encrypted at any time".

Metro Emergency Radio Management Committee (MRAM)/800 MHz Radio Systems Standard Operating Procedures:
Nashville > Information Technology Services > IT Services > Radio Communications > Metropolitan Radio Management Committee

Will see further what metro and police versus citizens, media outlets, community oversight has to say about the use of encryption matter-- considering balancing safety and security versus interoperability, openness, transparency, media and citizen access.

For what it's worth, based on Unitrunker logging, looking like the new Metro Nashville PD primary dispatch zone will be at least talkgroups 10201 through 10210 as channels 1 through 10 fully encrypted. Seeing what may be new radios and/or newly reprogrammed radios at least for Metro PD in the 36xxx and 38xxx ranges, mostly associated with South Precinct, so these initial radios/updates may be rolling out by precinct. Besides some affiliation and likely accidental use, had not yet seen any full time use of the encrypted zone. Seeing that all the radios in the new range have access to the encrypted zone, however will using the clear zone. I would suspect all the radios need to be updated before they can make a full switch.

There are also a significant number of potential future Davidson County/Metro Nashville talkgroups between 10000 and 10500, in the event further activity is shifted in the future. This is possibly a range of talkgroups that is not conflicting with current TACN talkgroup ranges in the event of formal merging of those systems. Similar to the 20000 to 20500 range being seen with Williamson County that would also align with open TACN ranges. Still not sure on Radio ID ranges though, odd there is not a better system for numbering down here. Up north, in Ohio and Michigan at least, all Radio IDs with the State systems, and even on more local systems were including county number as part of prefix for radio IDs. IE like 19xxxxx for Davidson, 94xxxxx for Williamson, etc.
 

nacsr

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I don’t see that sitting well with the civilians that enjoy listening. I wonder if they’ll receive backlash like they did when they tried it in 2014?

Eventually when everyone is encrypted, we'll have our own secret police. No oversight and the having the pesky publicly knowing what they're doing. I think in a free society that this is a big mistake. After encryption, the public will know what the police want them to know and nothing more.
 

CORN

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Do you have a timeline, Preston? Before I moved I noticed several TGIDs popping up corresponding with the current ones and encryption was popping up on the new TGId’s. I was fearful this day was coming. Sad. I wonder how many criminals are actually caught with a scanner in the act. I bet it’s less than .0005%. As for the apps referenced, it’s on a delay and if it’s a big deal then send cease and desist orders to the live feed sites!
 

KR7CQ

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Eventually when everyone is encrypted, we'll have our own secret police. No oversight and the having the pesky publicly knowing what they're doing. I think in a free society that this is a big mistake. After encryption, the public will know what the police want them to know and nothing more.
No backlash, there just aren't as many scanning as the old days to make a fuss. If the media cries enough tears they may get media radios, maybe. I made the "encryption and the secret police" reference years ago and we are steadily moving that way today.

Here in Phoenix, between how difficult it is to receive PPD due to simulcast, and the fact that all hot calls are now being encrypted, there are often violent crimes that take place without being reported at all. I sometimes hear about these things happening on "Nextdoor", and then look to find that they didn't even make the media. I'm sure that doesn't hurt the feelings of those running these municipalities one bit, and it's part of the reason encryption continues to gain acceptance. There is no turning back now on this and many other things that are changing in our country. I look at the scanner hobby as "slowly dying", but will enjoy what is left while there is something left. I've contacted multiple agencies to say my two cents on encryption and even interviewed with the AZ Republic to discuss the move to encryption, but I'm just a grain of sand on the beach to these bureaucrats. We all are.
 

allend

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Also, too there have been some media outlets in California that had media radios and the county or the cities mandated that they return the radios even though the media paid for the units. In most cities and counties they do not want anybody to have radios anymore, nor will they issue them. You just live with what you have left and that's it. And as time evolves and the older generation dies off less and less people are using scanner radios as the popularity is just not there and there is no really use for them anymore for not much enjoyment due to the use of encryption. I can say in the last 5 years the encryption rate has gone crazy and will never end at this point. Not only is Law Enforcement been encrypting now but Fire Departments over time are in the process. It's just a matter of time. Enjoy every moment you have left of your hobby. One of our big surrounding county have been LE encrypted for almost two decades now and the Fire Departments are next to encrypt end to end by the end of March of 2019. It's been approved and will happen. See how that goes over in time. This is our new world. I see this will be the normal for government to lock everybody out. We already see it happening hand over fist now. Also, too you can see that there are already Fire Departments in TN that are already encrypted. So its already happening but at a slower rate so far. Just give it time. Maybe another 5 to 10 years and then it will be in full force too.

Its these auditors and stringers that come to the scene of calls and get in the way of public safety that has ruined it for all of us. So thank them.
 
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nashscan

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Also, too there have been some media outlets in California that had media radios and the county or the cities mandated that they return the radios even though the media paid for the units. In most cities and counties they do not want anybody to have radios anymore, nor will they issue them. You just live with what you have left and that's it. And as time evolves and the older generation dies off less and less people are using scanner radios as the popularity is just not there and there is no really use for them anymore for not much enjoyment due to the use of encryption. I can say in the last 5 years the encryption rate has gone crazy and will never end at this point. Not only is Law Enforcement been encrypting now but Fire Departments over time are in the process. It's just a matter of time. Enjoy every moment you have left of your hobby. One of our big surrounding county have been LE encrypted for almost two decades now and the Fire Departments are next to encrypt end to end by the end of March of 2019. It's been approved and will happen. See how that goes over in time. This is our new world. I see this will be the normal for government to lock everybody out. We already see it happening hand over fist now. Also, too you can see that there are already Fire Departments in TN that are already encrypted. So its already happening but at a slower rate so far. Just give it time. Maybe another 5 to 10 years and then it will be in full force too.

Its these auditors and stringers that come to the scene of calls and get in the way of public safety that has ruined it for all of us. So thank them.

I think it's more than that as far as who has ruined it for all of us, but you are correct. The old timers who paved the way for radio hobbies would not enjoy today's world. We are more connected than ever as a society, but at the very core, we are less connected than ever before.
 

hitechRadio

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Perfect storm happened.
With the combination of this sites own broadcastify. And the move to digital in many PS systems across the country which made it easy to go encrypted with no degradation of audio compared to analog encryption.

Funny how a large scanning community and it's own member providing feeds, was it's own down fall to the scanning hobbie. If only they would have implemented or allowed a 10 or 15minute delay in feeds, it may have helped and maybe even been a positive thing. Keeping criminals using an app, one step behind.

However, even without broadcastify, I believe with digital encryption would have happened. Although slower migration to encryption.

The fact is you have no right to the transmitted audio. RadioJonD mentioned lawsuit in post#9, if he was in an accident and his incident was over an encrypted channel would file lawsuit..LOL Ummmmm for what, because looky loos did not show up to see your incedent? And second you could just request the recorded audio of the incident!!

I am all for encryption to protect our PS people, of which I have many friends. Anything to make them a little bit safer is worth it.

The people who think that PS agencies are covering up things and become corrupt by going using encryption are full of it. The only thing that changes is that they can start using clear speech and able to give very detailed information personal info without worry using encryption. I am sure NASHCAN being a dispatcher can agree with some of what I have said, being he is a dispatcher.
 
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allend

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Encryption already started before streaming audio and the internet. Right after 911 happened the move started and never looked back. Plus technology has grown so much that its pretty simple to implement it now and use it. The only thing is our hobby and consumer grade radios will never have the ability to keep up with the technology at this point. Laws are put into place so this does not happen. Scanner radios will be a thing of the past in the next 5 to 10 years. Just be careful how much time and effort you put into this arena at this point. Scanner radios just have no future. Plus over time business radios will use encryption too since it will become cheaper and they will want privacy too. Just saying.

Trust me I am not happy about and I am not in favor of it, but we have no choice to make any decisions at this point. Either scan whatever else is left or find a new hobby and move on. Its just common sense. Between lawyers,media,stingers, and auditors and allowing streaming to continue was the kill of our hobby. I already bet if you run a report on Broadcastify that you will find there is a decline of broadcasting PS since its going away. This is what PS intent was. Kill streaming audio so it doesn't get blasted accross CNN and FOX News.
 
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sprman1955

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Long time scanner user.I for one will not be buying a new scanner.Once my PSR 500 becomes useless im done with scanning.Sad day scanning used to be fun but now with all the encryption and other digital modes its not as fun.
 
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