Some database statistics

[BinaryMode]

I was always curios so did some data massaging in Notepad++ and came up with the following:

In my September, 27 2023 copy of the database for the Colorado DTRS, I count 2408 total talk groups. Of those, 367 are encrypted. Making 15% of the DTRS encrypted. Nine, count them 9 fire departments chose to encrypt their dispatch. And those 9 fire departments from the database are:

FremontCo

DeerMtn

Royal Gorge

Tallahasse

CanonCity

Florence

Penrose

La Junta

Pueblo


All in Southern Colorado.


I have compiled a CSV list of all the encrypted talk groups from the DTRS.

 

[icemantim8]

Those are very interesting statistics. Thank you for the time and energy involved in doing this. I am on the South side of Colorado Springs and occasionally monitor Pueblo traffic on Cheyenne Mtn site. I did not realize the Pueblo FD was encrypted. I know Pueblo PD has been encrypted for quite some time. I also can hear Canyon City, Penrose, Fremont county (what's not encrypted). I'm glad that Pueblo SO is still in the open as well as Pueblo West Fire and Rural Fire. It's amazing how far Cheyenne Mtn covers. I grew up in Trinidad and can hear their PD, SO, Fire and EMS as well as Walsenburg when I want to know what's happening in my hometown...lol. I can also monitor Woodland Park and Teller County on Cheyenne Mtn. Happy monitoring and thanks again for the data!

 

[_ka0txw]

Makes me wonder why a Fire/EMS Department would encrypt their traffic. Except for maybe HIPPA protected information back to a Trauma Center or aomething like that.

 

[RaleighGuy]

Makes me wonder why a Fire/EMS Department would encrypt their traffic.

With as many wanna be news reporters around the country, thinking chasing scanner traffic (or now phone app traffic) will let them get that one video on YouTube or Tik Tok that leads to fame and fortune, but actually just gets in the way of the PS heroes. At least that'd be my guess.

 

[mmckenna]

Makes me wonder why a Fire/EMS Department would encrypt their traffic. Except for maybe HIPPA protected information back to a Trauma Center or aomething like that.

Radio traffic for emergency medical stuff like that is exempted from HIPAA, although many agencies realize that privacy is important.

The more common reason, in my experience is:

With as many wanna be news reporters around the country, thinking chasing scanner traffic (or now phone app traffic) will let them get that one video on YouTube or Tik Tok that leads to fame and fortune, but actually just gets in the way of the PS heroes. At least that'd be my guess.

 

[BinaryMode]

Makes me wonder why a Fire/EMS Department would encrypt their traffic. Except for maybe HIPPA protected information back to a Trauma Center or aomething like that.

Nah, not really an issue.

EMS et al are well aware of radio communications in terms of HIPAA and don't ever share names and whatnot. All you hear are the obvious radio Comms during the emergency and patient care reports in route to the ER which do not have names and whatnot. Just vitals like blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, etc. Nothing that could ever reveal a person's name until possibility after the fact if it were in the news.

 

[BinaryMode]

With as many wanna be news reporters around the country, thinking chasing scanner traffic (or now phone app traffic) will let them get that one video on YouTube or Tik Tok that leads to fame and fortune, but actually just gets in the way of the PS heroes. At least that'd be my guess.

Just a guess would be just that. Reason being is because while it may be an issue to a lesser extent, the fact Bismark, North Dakota of all mundane places has their FD/EMS full on top secret makes zero sense once so ever. In my opinion at least. In fact, North Dakota is building out a digital trunked P25 phase II system I think it is. And damn near all of the talkgroups are, well you guessed it, full on NSA level AES 256 bit eyes only.

I guess there's a real problem with scarecrows and Canadian geese operating ABOVE the law. The hammer MUST come down on this atrocity.

I have family that live up there and I used to live there so know the area of Bismark, Minot, etc...

Anyway...

 

[a417]

Except for maybe HIPPA protected information back to a Trauma Center or aomething like that.

HIPAA protected information is not transmitted during patient updates to trauma centers.

 

[BinaryMode]

Updated the list from my July, 29th copy of the database.

Back when I posted my OP on January, 14th there were 367 encrypted talk groups. Now there are 410 encrypted talk groups. 33 talk groups being partly encrypted which I added at the top of the list in the CSV file attached. Also attached are the differences from January, 14th - 43 in total.

There's mostly partly encrypted talk groups added since the last OP on January, 14th.

Still, this makes about 14.5% of the known DTRS encrypted. Of which 1.2% are partly encrypted.

 

[n0nhj]

I've also heard of situations where a group of burglars were monitoring EMS calls on Broadcastify, and showing up a half hour after the call and hitting the home while everyone was at the hospital. That is one justification I've heard from an agency in the PNW.

 

[BinaryMode]

Some more interesting data from my July, 28th copy of the database.

There are a total of 1,833 frequencies (with duplicates) in the DTRS.

Of those, 931 are control channels (with duplicates).

Without counting any duplicate frequencies for the DTRS across Colorado we have 323 control channels, and 642 voice frequencies.

If you count all voice frequencies with duplicates you have 902.

Attached is a text file for all possible control channels in the entire state minus duplicates, and a text file of all possible frequencies for control channels and voice channels combined leaving out the duplicates. Keep in mind that a voice channel can turn into a control channel at any time and I've seen that happen in my history log for ProScan. That's why I never use control channel only scanning and just program all frequencies for the towers I'm interested in. It's very easy to do using copy/paste from Notepad++ into ProScan.

 

[BinaryMode]

So, I entered all possible frequencies (without duplicates) into my scanner and set it to Search ID. Lo and behold I found two towers I could monitor that I never knew I could monitor. The most interesting is the Mestaa’ehehe (Owl Woman) tower (formerly Squaw Mt.) I can hear it in Northern Colorado full quieting. Which must be due to the fact that tower is some 11,500' feet high! Increadable range, and I'm sure damn near all of Colorado on the Eastern divide can hear it.

 

[Spirit]

What Freq's can we put in to hear it?

 

[RMason]

What Freq's can we put in to hear it?

Here is the site information for Mestaa’ehehe on Colorado DTRS:

State of Colorado DTRS Site: Mestaa’ehehe

State of Colorado DTRS Site: Mestaa’ehehe Details

www.radioreference.com

See other info (including estimated coverage map) in the wiki:

Individual CO DTRS Sites/Squaw - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

 

[buddrousa]

Just to stir the pot.
1. Dispatch Address
2. Nature of Call
3. How many times Dispatched to the same address.
4. How much information about you Name, Address, Family Members, is available on Google it does not take a College Masters Degree to figure out who and what is wrong with the patient.
All you need is address and patient information to start putting together the info.
Take that you have to update Dispatch for extended on scene time or call for additional resources and OC/IC shoud not use their personal phone as then your phone can be subpoenaed into court and all your personal information becomes public information and most cities do not or will not put a City owned cellphone in every firetruck or ambulance.

 

[BinaryMode]

Here is the site information for Mestaa’ehehe on Colorado DTRS:

State of Colorado DTRS Site: Mestaa’ehehe

State of Colorado DTRS Site: Mestaa’ehehe Details

www.radioreference.com

See other info (including estimated coverage map) in the wiki:

Individual CO DTRS Sites/Squaw - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

Yeah, @Spirit use all those frequencies and set to ID search. You'll be amazed.

Very, very interesting on the denied affiliations. See how Poudre Fire Department, Poudre Schools, Poudre Valley Hospital are denied access? That's all the way in Fort Collins! LOL

Note the counties covered: Clear Creek, Jefferson, Denver, Douglas, Arapahoe. That's a lot of listening potential.

Note: It's not the Poudre Fire Department. It's the Poudre Fire Authority.

 

[Spirit]

What Freq's can we put in to hear it?

BinaryMode, I cant hit them from my house

Updated the list from my July, 29th copy of the database.

Back when I posted my OP on January, 14th there were 367 encrypted talk groups. Now there are 410 encrypted talk groups. 33 talk groups being partly encrypted which I added at the top of the list in the CSV file attached. Also attached are the differences from January, 14th - 43 in total.

There's mostly partly encrypted talk groups added since the last OP on January, 14th.

Still, this makes about 14.5% of the known DTRS encrypted. Of which 1.2% are partly encrypted.

BinaryMode, I can't hit Mestaa’ehehe sight on their CC's. It has 0% hitting them Thanks anyway!

 

[BinaryMode]

That's odd as I believe you're in Berthoud.

Your sure you programmed ALL of these frequencies as a trunked P25 system?

State of Colorado DTRS Site: Mestaa’ehehe

State of Colorado DTRS Site: Mestaa’ehehe Details

www.radioreference.com

Quick tune of the control channel and it's full quieting in Loveland. And I'm hearing talkgroups related to Denver and the surrounding area. Antenna is outside about 10' above the ground.

 

[Spirit]

The 3 red CC's I did. If they have phase 2 I don't have that one just 2096/96 & 197/106. that might be why I don't have a antenna outside .

 

[scanlist]

DTRS is still phase one and the legacy 2096/96 amd 197/106 will work.

FRCC, Denver and Some of the West Metro Harris system are phase 2 and not compatible.

The Mesta site signals are marginal to non-existant in Boulder County and close to the foothills in Larimer county so I am not surprised Spirit is NOT receiving the site at his location.

For Spirit: If you are recieiving the Thorodin Site with the control channel on 853.975 this site carries practically all metro area DTRS Fire, Boulder County and includes the East Metro fire groups in Eastern Adams and Arapahoe Counties that Mesta DOES NOT carry.

Same goes for the Lookout Mountain site with control channel on 853.775.

.