Some JoCo Fire/EMS encrypted?

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ham54guy

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Recently heard numerous Johnson County Fire/EMS units having their radios reprogrammed.
A few days ago I heard them fighting a fire on Tac 3, which is normally not used unless Tac 4 is busy, but I heard nothing on Tac 4. This morning, multiple units dispatched to a building fire on Tac 4, but no copy. Then later I heard a Med-Act unit checking his radio on Tac 3 because he couldn't access Tac 4.
Dispatch said he was readable but "Tac 3 in not encrypted, try Tac 5." No copy on Tac 5 eitherr.
Any idea why they are encrypting Fire Tac channels, other than they can?
Larry
 

PVPD730

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Recently heard numerous Johnson County Fire/EMS units having their radios reprogrammed.
A few days ago I heard them fighting a fire on Tac 3, which is normally not used unless Tac 4 is busy, but I heard nothing on Tac 4. This morning, multiple units dispatched to a building fire on Tac 4, but no copy. Then later I heard a Med-Act unit checking his radio on Tac 3 because he couldn't access Tac 4.
Dispatch said he was readable but "Tac 3 in not encrypted, try Tac 5." No copy on Tac 5 eitherr.
Any idea why they are encrypting Fire Tac channels, other than they can?
Larry

Not sure the reason, but they deployed encryption about a week ago on Tac channels 4-9. Kinda bizarre for fire and medical to do this.
 

factorone

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Stupid and ridiculous. The only question is, what are they hiding? Unless JoCo has a "torch" running around with a scanner monitoring his/her arson fires (which I very highly doubt), this is just the big four departments and MedAct shutting out the public from any accountability during big incidents.
 

ham54guy

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Tuesday morning (6/24/14) I heard two KHP units on the Johnson County system going in for "radio reprogramming."

I should have probably started this thread undfer Encryption - how do I get it moved over?
 

PVPD730

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Tuesday morning (6/24/14) I heard two KHP units on the Johnson County system going in for "radio reprogramming."

I should have probably started this thread undfer Encryption - how do I get it moved over?

Just a guess: they're probably reprogramming to add KCK's P25 groups. Troop A does work closely with KCKPD, so it would make sense.
 

ham54guy

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Thanks for both of your replies. That makes sense, I just get a little paranoid about the encryption. I take it you've heard nothing about your department doing any additional encryption other that what they already have?
 

opsvisor

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I have lost all JoCo Fire (dispatch as well as all Tac channels). I understand that they were indeed re-programming their system, and that the Tac channels were going encrypted but was told that the dispatch was NOT going to be encrypted. If this is true, then I would like to at least be able to listen to fire dispatch.
Have they gone to new freq's and or new TG's designators? If so, does anyone have the new info?
Larry
 

PVPD730

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I have lost all JoCo Fire (dispatch as well as all Tac channels). I understand that they were indeed re-programming their system, and that the Tac channels were going encrypted but was told that the dispatch was NOT going to be encrypted. If this is true, then I would like to at least be able to listen to fire dispatch.
Have they gone to new freq's and or new TG's designators? If so, does anyone have the new info?
Larry

Larry, JOCO Fire Dispatch is still on 30101 and is not encrypted. Control channels for the JOCO system are still 853.775, 853.9625, and 774.73125.
 

KCoax

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Just a guess: they're probably reprogramming to add KCK's P25 groups. Troop A does work closely with KCKPD, so it would make sense.

KHP has 996T's and 996XT scanners in their vehicles. I wonder if they are going to be able to patch Troop A Dispatch with KCK PD Dispatch channels. In JOCO they can patch the encrypted channels (i.e. LW PD 2 with OP Tac 2) but they cannot patch with clear channels. They will probably add the channels and the trooper would have to scroll through the channel list. Perfect for a car chase.
 

opsvisor

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JoCo Fire still lost!

Larry, JOCO Fire Dispatch is still on 30101 and is not encrypted. Control channels for the JOCO system are still 853.775, 853.9625, and 774.73125.

Thanks PVPD730 for your response. I have double and triple checked all the freq's and the TG id's in my BCD996XT and all looks good, but still not receiving anything from JoCo Fire dispatch at all. I am hearing lots of activity on the live internet (Broadcastify) feed, but nothing at all on my own scanner. It had been working just fine till they (JoCo) started their re-programming activities and at that point, I have not recieved anything since. Just really totally confused and frustrated at this point.

Thanks again, Larry
 

PVPD730

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Thanks PVPD730 for your response. I have double and triple checked all the freq's and the TG id's in my BCD996XT and all looks good, but still not receiving anything from JoCo Fire dispatch at all. I am hearing lots of activity on the live internet (Broadcastify) feed, but nothing at all on my own scanner. It had been working just fine till they (JoCo) started their re-programming activities and at that point, I have not recieved anything since. Just really totally confused and frustrated at this point.

Thanks again, Larry

Based on what I've seen and heard using a 396XT and the pro96com logs, everything remains the same talkgroup-wise. Hopefully your 996XT hasn't gone deaf. Are you receiving any of the other P25 agencies?
 

opsvisor

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Based on what I've seen and heard using a 396XT and the pro96com logs, everything remains the same talkgroup-wise. Hopefully your 996XT hasn't gone deaf. Are you receiving any of the other P25 agencies?

Regarding receiving other P25 agencies, yes I am on this radio, and now I think I have discovered the problem as suspected coax has gone bad as I tried another antenna and started receiving dispatch again. But still not receiving any of the Fire Tac-channels. So is it true that they (the Tac channels) are now all encrypted?

Thanks,Larry
 

PVPD730

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Regarding receiving other P25 agencies, yes I am on this radio, and now I think I have discovered the problem as suspected coax has gone bad as I tried another antenna and started receiving dispatch again. But still not receiving any of the Fire Tac-channels. So is it true that they (the Tac channels) are now all encrypted?

Thanks,Larry
]

Yes.
30101-Fire and Medical Dispatch (not encrypted).
30102-Fire and Medical Channel-2 (not encrypted).
30103-Fire and Medical Channel-3 (not encrypted).
30104-Fire Tac-4 (encrypted).
30105-Fire Tac-5 (encrypted).
30106-Fire Tac-6 (encrypted).
30107-Fire Tac-7 (encrypted).
30108-Fire Tac-8 (encrypted).
30109-Fire Tac-9 (encrypted).
 

teufler

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HAY JOHNSON Cty is Johnson Cty. They got the money, they will encrypt the dog catcher and the trash man claiming its security. With whats happened in the JoCo, KCK and KCMO areas, ought to be some good buys on scanners.
 

KCoax

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PVPD730, all of the JOCO and JOCO cities FD stations have their own talk group. Would you happen to know them. I tried logging them a couple times. They run from 302xx to around 3025x.
 

PVPD730

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PVPD730, all of the JOCO and JOCO cities FD stations have their own talk group. Would you happen to know them. I tried logging them a couple times. They run from 302xx to around 3025x.

I haven't logged any Fire Station talkgroups yet. Everything I've seen and heard gets dispatched on 30101 only. Very doubtful JOCO ECC patches their main dispatch talkgroup with a fire station alerting group like KCKFD does.
 

factorone

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I haven't logged any Fire Station talkgroups yet. Everything I've seen and heard gets dispatched on 30101 only. Very doubtful JOCO ECC patches their main dispatch talkgroup with a fire station alerting group like KCKFD does.

Correct. JoCo ECC uses a locution system in conjunction with their radio dispatching for station alerting. I've been in several different stations around the county when calls have gone out, and usually the locution system (which is station specific) goes out about a minute before the radio dispatch does.

What we ultimately need to do is file a FOIA request with the county in regards to the setup of the radio system, much like was done with KDOT regarding the KSICS. It'd also be prudent to inquire as to why ECC felt the "need" to encrypt public safety tac channels that have been publicly monitored for at least two decades in various forms.
 

PVPD730

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Correct. JoCo ECC uses a locution system in conjunction with their radio dispatching for station alerting. I've been in several different stations around the county when calls have gone out, and usually the locution system (which is station specific) goes out about a minute before the radio dispatch does.

What we ultimately need to do is file a FOIA request with the county in regards to the setup of the radio system, much like was done with KDOT regarding the KSICS. It'd also be prudent to inquire as to why ECC felt the "need" to encrypt public safety tac channels that have been publicly monitored for at least two decades in various forms.

I'm not sure how JOCO operates, but a resident who lives/pays taxes over there might need to make the request. I live in Platte County, MO and tried to do a FOIA with Buchanan County for their talkgroup template a couple years ago. They kindly told me to "kick rocks" because I wasn't a business owner/taxpayer/resident up there.
 

ham54guy

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Is it just me?

Last week I heard several KHP units going in for reprogramming, including the MAVs. This was after KCK went active.

Today (Mon, 7/28) since about noon I have heard nothing on any of the JoCo frequencies, including dispatch channels. BCD 396XT. Reloaded the radio and still nothing.

Have they encrypted everything, is the system down or have I messed up somehow?
 

PVPD730

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Last week I heard several KHP units going in for reprogramming, including the MAVs. This was after KCK went active.

Today (Mon, 7/28) since about noon I have heard nothing on any of the JoCo frequencies, including dispatch channels. BCD 396XT. Reloaded the radio and still nothing.

Have they encrypted everything, is the system down or have I messed up somehow?

They just swapped out control channels recently (they were using 853.9625 for the longest time, now it's back on 774.73125). As far as agencies going encrypted, I'll have to re-check with pro96com tomorrow. I'm only running 5% decode at my current location North of the River and can't log much. Within the last 5 minutes, I've logged Olathe PD-1, Merriam PD Car to Car, and JOCO Sheriff South-1 as being in the clear.

On another note, they have been doing periodic 7.14 P25 software upgrades over the past week on the MARRS system. As such, end users have been experiencing "burps" and Site Trunking Messages on their radios at various times. Not sure if/how this has affected scanner operations.
 
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