San Antonio ESK Back on (5/4/2004)

[blantonl]

ESK is back on the San Antonio EDACS system.

 

[precoislen]

So much for listening to the SATX system for me next week. What else is there to listen to in the area. Looking at the database it doesn't appear to be much to listen to, unless you can pick up Comal and the surrounding counties.

 

[mr_hankey]

Lindsay,

the way i heard, this was an expected move.

after the Dailey Wells techs finished ironing out some problems with a couple LCN's, ESK was to be reactivated systemwide.

sucks though, with flood and fire season coming up and no way to hear SA Fire Department...

 

[blantonl]

Go figure, it's back off now (5/6/2004)

 

[hotbob62]

ESK QUESTION

I have a question concerning this type of system. Correct me if I am wrong. ESK is control channel encryption where a scanner can't follow the conversation on a trunked basis. Here's my question: Can you still hear action on the system frequencies if you program them conventionally locking out the control channel?
ESK ON = you can't follow the conversation.
ESK OFF = you could follow the conversation. ?????
Bob
hotbob62@aol.com

 

[Thayne]

You could hear the audio that way only if it is not ProVoice; but it is hard to follow conversations--darn near impossible when the system is large

 

[tex_mex_dude]

ok so im new to having my scanner but i have a radio shack pro-94 is there ne way i can listen to anything from san antonio on it ???

 

[precoislen]

I am kinda confused about the ESK thing. I plugged in the freqs for the Blue and Gold systems in two different scanners last night, and set them to open mode. I heard absolutely nothing on the Blue freqs. I manually stepped thru the 19 freqs, and would hear squelch on channels that were signalling activity. I take it that was digital/encrypted activity.
On the Gold system on open mode I picked up the following TG ID's
1046- Bexar SO Central Open
820- Airport
788- ?
792-?
948- ?
1044- Bexar SO Central Open
256- Some type of tones
818- Airport
824- Airport
529- Tones
851- ?

I monitored from 7-9:30 last night. I guess these were non-ProVoice comms that you could listen to. If the ESK is cut off, can you monitor any comms at all?
Just curious as I am new to the area.

 

[rdale]

ESK disables the trunking abilities of your scanner -- that's it...

 

[blantonl]

...however it's not on right now so you can trunktrack until they turn it back on.

 

[precoislen]

So what am I missing right now. I have all 19 freqs in order, or at least how they are listed on the database, so that should be the LCN order, and had my Pro-95's in an open mode, but I heard very little last night, except for the medical call at the airport.

 

[blantonl]

That's because there is very little analog communications on the system. You can't monitor any of the digital commuications, since the scanner will skip over them.

 

[precoislen]

Okay. So everything I heard last night was analog comms. Correct?
Is this going to be typical for this system? Digital communications for the most part for PD and Fire/EMS services?
If that is the case then living in SA is going to be tough on scanner hobbyists.

 

[blantonl]

You hit the nail on the head.

However, reports indicate that SA Fire will probably go analog in the coming weeks, due to the issues reported in the News Express.

-LB

 

[precoislen]

So the ESK is just an added security option. You wouldn't be able to follow the conversations anyway if it wasn't an added option to the system. Correct? Because of the digital option?

While on this topic, were certian TG's given assignments for digital use only, like dispatch channels, or is their some flexibility by the end-user or system controller (dispatcher) to go from digital to analog and vice versa based on need or circumstance? Or is analog TG's assigned to non priority traffic channels such as public works, airport police, etc....? (If that is the case have they been identified and posted. At least that will be something to listen to)

I would be just as happy to monitor FD comms, if they go analog anyway. Will EMS make the migration also to analog if the FD does, or are they seperate entities with seperate issues?

 

[blantonl]

So the ESK is just an added security option. You wouldn't be able to follow the conversations anyway if it wasn't an added option to the system. Correct? Because of the digital option?

Hehe... this is starting to sound like a broken record.

ESK encrypts the control channel, which means your trunktracker scanner would not track any conversations at all, period. No analog, no digital, you would not be able to trunktrack.

ESK is not enabled right now, so you can trunktrack monitor analog talkgroups ONLY on the system. If they re-enable it, you won't be able to trunktrack anything.

You cannot monitor digital talkgroups because the scanner skips over them -- no scanner on the market can monitor a digital ProVoice talkgroup or channel. The scanner skips provoice digital talkgroups so you don't hear the digital noise on the scanner.

While on this topic, were certian TG's given assignments for digital use only, like dispatch channels, or is their some flexibility by the end-user or system controller (dispatcher) to go from digital to analog and vice versa based on need or circumstance?

There is flexibility by the dispatcher, but not the end units.

Or is analog TG's assigned to non priority traffic channels such as public works, airport police, etc....? (If that is the case have they been identified and posted. At least that will be something to listen to)

You got it.

All Fire and Police operations are digital, with the SO opens as the exception, and Park PD I think is in analog mode. Some of the dispatchers will sometimes go into analog mode, like the Airport PD/EMS etc.

Again, see the RR database for the details.

Whew!

 

[precoislen]

Okay. Now I fully understand. Everybody's patience and guidance has been appreciated on this.
Sucks for all of us here in SATX, but Uniden and RS will hopefully come out with an software, scanner, or something to help us here with monitoring. Isn't technology grand? Hope I can explain another $500 + scanner purchase to the missus down the road

Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!

 

[crayon]

Hope I can explain another $500 + scanner purchase to the missus down the road

What!? You did not include equipment upgrades in your FY05 budget proposal?

tsk tsk

 

[precoislen]

FY04/05 is another Lump Sum budget. Penalty for that type of committment.

 

[ifyc576]

I just hope Austin does not jump on the encryption bandwagon too quickly. Although we all know that eventually that will happen.