Saskatoon Police now Digitally Encrypted

[saskatoonscanner]

Since the police in Saskatoon have gone mostly silent for the past couple weeks I thought I should re-join some scanner groups and get educated again! Having run a web-site broadcasting the scanner on the net since just after 9-11, it has been a really enjoyable experience which I hope simple gets enhanced with new technology.

Does anyone know for sure what type of system Saskatoon is now using and what scanner would be best to monitor the goings on of our public servants. I have a Radio Shack Pro 29 and a Pro 94. Would the Pro 96 follow Saskatoon Police and what are the legal implications of owning one?

Jared

http://www.saskatoonscanner.com

 

[scnnr]

Jared


Are you sure that Saskatoon has gone encrypted. If you don't have digital scanner do you run trunker on your computer to get a system Id?

They may just be digital with some encryption. The pro 96 or the Uniden digital scanners will monitor the non encrypted talk groups then.

Randy

 

[saskatoonscanner]

Jared


Are you sure that Saskatoon has gone encrypted. If you don't have digital scanner do you run trunker on your computer to get a system Id? ...

Randy

Nope! I'm really no sure of anything these days! How do I "....run trunker ...to get a system Id?"

I have been told that other people have found Saskatoon cops on APCO signals but without a digiscanner how would I know for sure what is what...I was told over and over before I bought my first scanner that it was illegal to have any kind of scanner and that it would be garbled or other non-sense..

I'm hoping this is the forum where I'm really going to clear a lot of things up in my mind and hopefully educate the public with my now very popular web-site!


Jared

 

[RBerezowski]

When I was up in Saskatoon earlier this year, I did run DEMO88 on the system. At that time, there was a small amount of digital traffic, and it was not encrypted. At that time, almost all operations were still on the analog talkgroups, with only occasional digital traffic on unencrypted talkgroups. That might have changed since then.

Also, with Regina Police going fully encrypted, that might have convinced the Saskatoon PD to do the same.

As for running Trunker, there is information on this website that you can read through:

http://www.trunkedradio.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=19

Rob

 

[SCPD]

It should be noted that in Canada (unlike the USA) it is illegal for you to be rebroadcasting their communications on your site. So dont be surprised if one day you get a call from Communications Canada indicating your site must be shut down.

 

[saskatoonscanner]

Correct, if you do not have permission, they can shut you down.

 

[scnnr]

Also, with Regina Police going fully encrypted, that might have convinced the Saskatoon PD to do the same.



Hi Guys,

That would also depend on what type of radios Saskatoon Police have upgraded to. Don't forget if they just upgraded to entry lever Hand Helds such as the XTS 2500, it is a digital radio but not encryption capable.

XTS 3000's are big bucks I guess time will tell how much they have received for upgrades from the city, Govt.

Randy

 

[saskatoonscanner]

Interestingly, today at 12:10am the Saskatoon Police have switched back what seems like most or all of their talk groups....it's a bit hard to tell at this point why or exatly what is going on. Both my Pro 29 and Pro 94 are picking them up.

16 - Channel 1 Dispatch
48 - Channel 2

so far that's all I have seen but I gotta get some sleep after a long pizza delivery day/night/morning

Jared

SASKATOONSCANNER.COM

 

[RBerezowski]

That's a little odd. They're back on analog again? Equipment failure? Perhaps they're having trouble with the digital radios?

I'm pretty certain they have both analog and digital talkgroups programmed into their radios, and they can easily flip back and forth by simply changing channels. But why go back to analog now?

Please keep us posted Jared.

Rob

 

[saskatoonscanner]

Update:

So far not much has changed here since December. I have heard that there were problems with the digital system but I think they just wanted to work out the bugs. As for now, the Saskatoon police are using both digital and analog on a daily basis as far as I can tell. I still don't have a Pro 96 but I have heard them comment about the digital channels nearly everyday. The problem I am having however is that my Pro 94 does not seem to be trunking properly on some days. I bought another Pro 94 off ebay to find out if it was the scanner and this one doesn't trunk at all. Is this a common problem with the Pro 94 or am I missing some frequencies?

Jared

 

[saskatoonscanner]

Of course after I made that previous post, I found the Saskatoon database on this site has recently been updated. It says that Saskatoon is using "Motorola ASTRO 3600 baud". So do I need a digital scanner to properly follow this system? I have the frequencies all correct but it is a challenge to hear everything properly. At least I think I'm getting a bit closer now with this new pro 94, trunking is working for edacs now!

 

[scnnr]

Of course after I made that previous post, I found the Saskatoon database on this site has recently been updated. It says that Saskatoon is using "Motorola ASTRO 3600 baud". So do I need a digital scanner to properly follow this system? I have the frequencies all correct but it is a challenge to hear everything properly. At least I think I'm getting a bit closer now with this new pro 94, trunking is working for edacs now!

Since the new system is a 3600 baud system that would mean that it is a mixed system. Some in analog ,some in digital and or ecrypted digital. You should be able to pick up those that are in analog just fine with the scanner that you have now. you will get the very distinct noise for the digital tg's. Trust me you will know.

As to whether or not you need a digtial scanner it would depend on who and how much they are on digtial Tg's. Personally I would get a digtial scanner just the same.

Randy

 

[peteman]

hey all

it was myself who submitted the info to tis site for saskatoon, you can still listen fine with the scanner that you have. i was monitoring with my pro 96 and i can tell you that there are only 2 ddigital tgs one seems to be vice and the other is a special project called shocap or something. it is some kind of repeat offender program that the police have going there it seems to be in use mostly in the evenings only. but other than that everything else is analog




happy scanning

 

[bush_man]

HAS ANYONE FIQURED OUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING, IS THERE ANOTHER CNTRL CHANNEL? I FIND I CAN HEAR THEM MOST TIMES. REGINA ON THE OTHER HAND HAS GONE DIGITAL, DOES ANYONE HAVE THE ABILITY TO HEAR THEM?

 

[RBerezowski]

The Saskatoon Police have digital talkgroups, of which only a couple are actually used. They have digital talkgroups for dispatch and regular operations, but for some reason are still using their analog talkgroups for regular operations. As noted earlier, some discrete surveillance operations are digital, but that is all. I have not heard for certain why they are sticking to analog.

The digital talkgroups are on the same trunked system as the analog, so the same control channel is used.

As for Regina, yes it is true. The Regina Police are fully digital, and encrypted. All police operations are digital and encrypted, so there is no way to monitor them with a scanner, or even with Motorola radios. Now, they do have backup analog talkgroups in case the digital trunked system crashes, but the system hasn't crashed yet, and these analog groups are only briefly tested once a week.

Rob

 

[saskatoonscanner]

Update:

This morning at 3am, I heard the Saskatoon Police switch over from digital back to analog. It was nice to hear them again on a K-9 track but was it just training? It is kinda quiet right now but you can listen in on my site with a new "big pipe" server.

http://www.saskatoonscanner.com

Also, CBC News is working on a story about my site and the scanner hobby. They are looking for people to interview this week so check my site for the latest. The contact e-mail address for CBC is on my site until they tell me to take it off so don't delay if you are interested in making your opinion heard.

cheers,

Jared Mysko

 

[peteman]

So what is happening there now, are they encrypted in saskatoon or just completely digital with no encryption. The last time I was in Saskatoon I was listening to a couple of the digital tgs but they were just vice and sometimes a tac op against the gangs in the west end. whats up there now

 

[richster]

Saskatoon Police is digital but is on the most part unencrypted. There are a few TG's that are encrypted like major crimes and such. All other agencies are analog. All the system information for Saskatoon's new system including TG's and weather they are digital, analog, or encyrpted are in the RR database.

Regards,
Richster.

 

[10echo3]

Im very new to this scanning, but i bought a pro 93 scanner off ebay, can i scan saskatoon police and fire department, with this scanner ?

 

[RBerezowski]

Im very new to this scanning, but i bought a pro 93 scanner off ebay, can i scan saskatoon police and fire department, with this scanner ?

The PRO93 will trunktrack the Motorola system in analog mode. Therefore, you can receive Saskatoon Fire on the Motorola system. You can also trunktrack MD Ambulance who operate on the SaskTel Fleetnet EDACS system.

However, the Saskatoon Police are using digital modulation. The PRO93 cannot handle digital modulation, so you will not be able to hear the Saskatoon PD on their digital talkgroups.

Rob