P25 Scrambled Channels

[ffemt1098]

I recently acquired a RS Pro 106 and I program it with WIN500 software. My local sheriff's office uses, what I believe, is a non-trunked P25 system for their communications. The sheriff's office also has an encryption key they can turn off and on if they want their communications to be encrypted. When the encryption key is activated on their radios I receive radio traffic that is garbled. Obviously when it is not enabled I receive clear audio that is understandable.

I also am a member of a local Vol. Fire Dept. I have a Motorola XTS-2500 two-way radio. The local sheriff's office is programmed into this radio but without the security key function ability (i.e. I can talk and receive but do not have the ability to encrypt my radio traffic). On my Motorola I receive only clear radio traffic that is not encrypted; the unit is somehow able to "skip over" any traffic that is encrypted. Thus, on my Motorola I do not receive the garbled communications as I do on my Pro 106.

All of this to ask the following question. Is there a way I can program my Pro 106 so that I do not receive the garbled encryption and only receive the clear audio? Or is this just something I must deal with when the sheriff's office is using their encryption feature?

FFEMT1098, ESQ.
Pro-106 (and lots of older models)

 

[Ensnared]

No

I recently acquired a RS Pro 106 and I program it with WIN500 software. My local sheriff's office uses, what I believe, is a non-trunked P25 system for their communications. The sheriff's office also has an encryption key they can turn off and on if they want their communications to be encrypted. When the encryption key is activated on their radios I receive radio traffic that is garbled. Obviously when it is not enabled I receive clear audio that is understandable.

I also am a member of a local Vol. Fire Dept. I have a Motorola XTS-2500 two-way radio. The local sheriff's office is programmed into this radio but without the security key function ability (i.e. I can talk and receive but do not have the ability to encrypt my radio traffic). On my Motorola I receive only clear radio traffic that is not encrypted; the unit is somehow able to "skip over" any traffic that is encrypted. Thus, on my Motorola I do not receive the garbled communications as I do on my Pro 106.

All of this to ask the following question. Is there a way I can program my Pro 106 so that I do not receive the garbled encryption and only receive the clear audio? Or is this just something I must deal with when the sheriff's office is using their encryption feature?

FFEMT1098, ESQ.
Pro-106 (and lots of older models)

If they are using encryption on an intermittent basis, then I suppose the only way to rid yourself of the encryption sound is to engage the lock out function. If it is continuous encryption, you might as well hand it up. There is no way to intercept these transmissions on your scanner. I don't know what to say about your Motorola.

 

[ffemt1098]

Thanks for the reply. I was just wondering if there was a way to filter out the unwanted garbled transmissions without having to lockout the entire channel. It looks like I will just have to deal with it since it is used sporadically. (i.e. one side of the transmission may be encrypted and the other side an open transmission.) Thanks again for the help.

 

[Ensnared]

Encryption Disease

Thanks for the reply. I was just wondering if there was a way to filter out the unwanted garbled transmissions without having to lockout the entire channel. It looks like I will just have to deal with it since it is used sporadically. (i.e. one side of the transmission may be encrypted and the other side an open transmission.) Thanks again for the help.

Yeah, unfortunately, some agencies have resorted to encrypting mobile units. It seems to be a national trend. There are surely some sensible LE agencies using "E" with more sensitive transmissions. I don't mind this as much as encrypting routine traffic.

When I encounter "E" during an intermittent signal, I still use my lock out function.

 

[Thunderknight]

All of this to ask the following question. Is there a way I can program my Pro 106 so that I do not receive the garbled encryption and only receive the clear audio? Or is this just something I must deal with when the sheriff's office is using their encryption feature?

I believe the PRO-106 will just pass that encrypted audio as you experience (no mute). The PSR-800 has various options for what to do when coming across encrypted audio. I think at least some of the Uniden scanners can mute it entirely.

 

[jim202]

Yeah, unfortunately, some agencies have resorted to encrypting mobile units. It seems to be a national trend.

What your really seeing is a trend for the radio vendor to line his pockets with the hard earned tax money the agency has acquired. The sales force sees nothing but dollar signs when they find a department that doesn't have a radio system wise person that will be consulted with. The rouse that is used is the common thing today of being able to use your cell phone to start an application and be able to hear the almost live radio transmission of that agency. They play on the ease of doing this and all the criminals will be able to keep away from the long hand of the law.

What they don't bring up is that many of the agencies use the mobile data terminal (MDT) to do the dispatching all the calls over. You can't get into this data stream. But they still get told you need to encrypt the radio transmissions. This puts minimum of several hundred dollars per radio into the sales person bank account. On a radio system that may have 300 to 500 radios at a minimum, that comes out to between $60,000 and $100,000 in their pocket for nothing more than doing a spin on keeping the crooks from hearing a radio transmission. They don't mention anything about the MDT's that are already in the vehicles doing the same thing.

Talk about the agencies being stupid. The tax payers should stand up and revolt for the foolishness that just cost a bundle. But it happens country wide. Until us poor empty pocket tax payers take notice, it will continue.

I will give you another stupid stand that a radio manager is doing. Talked with him yesterday. The discussion came up about encryption of his radio system. I asked how often the encryption keys were changed. The answer was we have no intention of ever changing the key. Oh well, as the saying goes, you can bring a mule to the water trough, but you can't force him to drink.

 

[aps_ak]

PRO-106 does not have the ability to mute encryption. So to answer your question straightforward- no, there is no way to skip over the garbling. You can lock out the talkgroup if you want, but then you obviously won't get anymore.

PSR-800 and latest Uniden models DO mute encryption, on the other hand.

 

[SCPD]

the DOD system, some of the security mobiles are encrypted and I'll press the over button to skip over it, but for systems where the encryption is entirely selectable, such as the York and JCC system all the law enforcement is lock outed.

 

[c5corvette]

There are scanners that will mute encryption!

 

[fredva]

PSR-800 and latest Uniden models DO mute encryption, on the other hand.

The PRO-18 has that option as well. The options for digital encryption are Digital Noise, Silence, or Audio Tone.