Programming Encrypted

[natedawg1604]

Your 700p was monitoring the EDACS TGs that were Provoice, not encrypted. ABQ PD has transitioned to the new P25 system and is no longer using EDACS. I would recommend in invsting in a SDS-100 or a G4 to monitor the new system.

For quite a while Provoice was basically a form of ENC, as no scanner supported it for a VERY long time, ironically until it was used by hardly anyone, and now the Uniden Provoice upgrade is utterly worthless for the vast majority of people.

Yeah there was also the SDR option but that had a higher barrier to entry, especially 10+ years ago. I can't remember offhand when the first provoice decoding software came out, but I have a general sense it was never that widely used. So clearly it was a smart idea to get a Harris NAS radio for your local EDACS system back in the day.

 

[trentbob]

So joebu... relax, you are not in trouble, your radio is not capable of picking up encrypted police transmissions because you're not picking anything up, right?

It's been confirmed that your police are not using the system that your radio was programmed with... "years ago". It appears at that time dispatch was in the clear. SWAT, CID, narcotics and other sensitive talk groups were encrypted. Did you ever hear them or just dispatch years ago? That's a hypothetical question, you don't have to answer it .

It would appear as we have the classic Cool Hand Luke situation, we definitely have a failure to communicate here. Maybe it's not working because the police are not using the system that was programmed into the radio years ago.

Looks like the radio could be worth a few bucks. Sell it and buy a scanner LOL. Good luck.

 

[HavenBTS]

Um, you might want to talk to some guys in Ohio who were in possession of radios programmed with encryption on the Ohio MARCS system. Law enforcement did in fact come after them with charges. Perhaps that legal advice others were giving in this thread has some value after all?

In this case, the OP may not have had a radio programmed with encryption after all. But warnings to others that it is illegal to monitor encrypted communications without authorization should not be taken lightly.

Or you and everybody else with this attitude might just answer a person's question and not worry about what consequences that person faces. Everybody here is a radio hobbyist not fcc agents and not lawyers.

 

[HavenBTS]

So joebu... relax, you are not in trouble, your radio is not capable of picking up encrypted police transmissions because you're not picking anything up, right?

It's been confirmed that your police are not using the system that your radio was programmed with... "years ago". It appears at that time dispatch was in the clear. SWAT, CID, narcotics and other sensitive talk groups were encrypted. Did you ever hear them or just dispatch years ago? That's a hypothetical question, you don't have to answer it .

It would appear as we have the classic Cool Hand Luke situation, we definitely have a failure to communicate here. Maybe it's not working because the police are not using the system that was programmed into the radio years ago.

Looks like the radio could be worth a few bucks. Sell it and buy a scanner LOL. Good luck.

Now this guys gets it.

 

[trentbob]

Now this guys gets it.

I'm staying out of the middle of it, I was only trying to figure out what exactly the situation was. I had to read the whole thread a few times. Everybody's observations and comments were valuable in their own way.

 

[joebu]

Your 700p was monitoring the EDACS TGs that were Provoice, not encrypted. ABQ PD has transitioned to the new P25 system and is no longer using EDACS. I would recommend in invsting in a SDS-100 or a G4 to monitor the new system.

So the P25 could be heard on the SDS100? I tried to look into the P25 system and it sounded like that was an encrypted system...Just wanting to make sure because thats a pricey scanner and i wouldnt want to buy if i'm not able to listen to all channels. Thanks in advance.

 

[joebu]

I'm staying out of the middle of it, I was only trying to figure out what exactly the situation was. I had to read the whole thread a few times. Everybody's observations and comments were valuable in their own way.

I had to read a few times too! Definitely lots of great input.

 

[Enjoi19]

So the P25 could be heard on the SDS100? I tried to look into the P25 system and it sounded like that was an encrypted system...Just wanting to make sure because thats a pricey scanner and i wouldnt want to buy if i'm not able to listen to all channels. Thanks in advance.

I'd wait for someone more local to confirm it, but if you take a look at the database entry, it looks like police dispatch is not encrypted, but tac channels are. Fire and EMS in the clear! Phase 2 and simulcast in ABQ, so the SDS series would be the better option.

Anything in there with "TE" under the mode column is encrypted, while "T" you can listen to:

New Mexico DTRS Trunking System, Various, New Mexico

New Mexico DTRS Trunking System Profile

www.radioreference.com

 

[GTR8000]

Or you and everybody else with this attitude might just answer a person's question and not worry about what consequences that person faces. Everybody here is a radio hobbyist not fcc agents and not lawyers.

Sorry, but that's simply not true. There are a number of real-deal public safety system admins who are very active around here, as well as people at all levels who work for various companies and organizations such as Motorola, Harris, Kenwood, APCO, etc. You can't honestly expect industry professionals to "just answer the question" when it involves questionable or potentially illegal activity, right? Surely you get that, right?

 

[mrohrbacher]

Sorry, but that's simply not true. There are a number of real-deal public safety system admins who are very active around here, as well as people at all levels who work for various companies and organizations such as Motorola, Harris, Kenwood, APCO, etc. You can't honestly expect industry professionals to "just answer the question" when it involves questionable or potentially illegal activity, right? Surely you get that, right?

Nice Location on your profile there GTR8000

 

[HavenBTS]

Sorry, but that's simply not true. There are a number of real-deal public safety system admins who are very active around here, as well as people at all levels who work for various companies and organizations such as Motorola, Harris, Kenwood, APCO, etc. You can't honestly expect industry professionals to "just answer the question" when it involves questionable or potentially illegal activity, right? Surely you get that, right?

I actually don't.

 

[GTR8000]

I actually don't.

Well that's too bad, but probably not surprising since you're looking at it purely from a hobbyist point of view. Perhaps if you did this stuff for a living you would have a broader perspective. 🤷‍♂️

 

[HavenBTS]

I understand. It really doesn't matter. I just had to state my opinion again on these people that chime in on things that I believe, in my opinion, is unnecessary and extremely annoying. But one last thought and then I will be quiet. They are in the radio industry not in law enforcement.

 

[GTR8000]

I understand. It really doesn't matter. I just had to state my opinion again on these people that chime in on things that I believe, in my opinion, is unnecessary and extremely annoying. But one last thought and then I will be quiet. They are in the radio industry not in law enforcement.

Once again, you're making assumptions. You'd be surprised at how many on these forums are active law enforcement, including at the federal level. Oh and at least one of our active members is a bona fide attorney, and I believe one other specializes in communications law. There are thousands of members of this site from all walks of life, so don't be too quick to assume that everyone is a hambone whacker buff who has no actual experience in public safety or the industry. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but not to your own facts.

 

[HavenBTS]

Once again, you're making assumptions. You'd be surprised at how many on these forums are active law enforcement, including at the federal level. Oh and at least one of our active members is a bona fide attorney, and I believe one other specializes in communications law. There are thousands of members of this site from all walks of life, so don't be too quick to assume that everyone is a hambone whacker buff who has no actual experience in public safety or the industry. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but not to your own facts.

Fair enough.

 

[Lebowski]

FWIW @joebu...I looked around at the secondary market for my 700p a while back...you can buy 3-4 of them for under $100 bucks now. I found one with all my former features enabled for $39 on Ebay. So needless to say...I just use mine to hold paper stuff down, works perfect since it weights a ton.

Highly recommend the G4 pager over the SDS unless you like to listen to things beyond public safety. As others have said, APD makes frequent (like today) use of their TE channels but most everyone else is pretty wide open.

I'll add that the DTRS system is kind of amazing. ABQ Simulcast is REALLY great signal citywide, indoors with a stubby antenna everywhere I've tried and the signal strength is essentially maxed. Occasional weird stuff on audio quality but overall, doesn't even compare to the EDACS system.

 

[ten13]

Lately I tried to listen to it and nothing is picking up.

Look at this posting here:

Bergen County: Three EMS Radios Stolen

....and see what happened to those radios as soon as they were discovered missing: "they have been inhibited..."

Chances are, that's what happened to yours.

 

[Enjoi19]

Look at this posting here:

Bergen County: Three EMS Radios Stolen

....and see what happened to those radios as soon as they were discovered missing: "they have been inhibited..."

Chances are, that's what happened to yours.

You may want to read through the replies - he had an old radio and they moved to a new system. We’ve realize it was unlikely encrypted talkgroups in the first place and a mix up of terminology.