The Official Thread: Live audio feeds, scanners, and... wait for it.. ENCRYPTION!

nickgavin

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If they were using a scanner and still got apprehended then having one or not having one wouldn't have mattered. Plus how are they going to pay for more training that the public is demanding if they have to pay to encrypt their radios. There are better ways of keeping information from going over the air that departments already have, same as ems, in my area ems agencies don't send pt information by radio anymore its all sent to the receiving hospital starting at the time of call. Most people with a scanner are not trying to interfere with or run from police, they just like to know what's going on
 

chrismol1

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I can't tell if this in tongue in cheek, or a dig at Broadcastify, but...

Chris, you are more than welcome to start Broadcastification, put your years of experience in doing this stuff to work, and help agencies get online.

You know, agencies still have choices for social media profiles, but I haven't seen my city on Truth Social or Google+.
It wasn't meant to be negative, but I understand how defensive you take everything because many people take digs all the time so I understand, but it is perfect for broadcastify. The people that complain that streaming brought encryption can now listen to official feeds on broadcastify in the name of transparency, Chicago in example and now getting other agencies on board. Its now all about getting those agencies on board with official feeds. They can control those feeds and really everyone can get something out of it, on both sides and your company can be the only ones providing those feeds, so that it better for you
 

newtohamradio

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Civilians do not have a right to listen in on police and ems calls. Everyone now has a scanner good and bad people have them. It is their life on the line. As far as EMS goes the call to the hospital transmitting health information must be protected for violation of HIPPA. The only right I know we all have is " The right to remain silent and the right to have a attorney present before questioning."
I personally enjoy living iin the city of Pittsburgh, where all of our emergency services are on an analog system, and can be heard about 20 miles away. If they go encrypted, then i get my midland STP-404, and begin the FPP game. you know what? a Scanner capable of listening on encrypted channels ought to have a license and back ground check to obtain. There should also be a police database of who has them so that if scumbag joe wants to screwoff on the county systems, they can round up the suspect quicker and throw him in the slammer.
 

eg153wftx

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My post was a "dig".... I just find it very ironic that agencies use the excuse of Broadcastify and scanner apps to encrypt, then Broadcastify in turn gives them a platform to provide a useless "official feed" that has significant delays and no archives just so they can claim transparency.

The pot calling the kettle black......
 

mmckenna

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My post was a "dig".... I just find it very ironic that agencies use the excuse of Broadcastify and scanner apps to encrypt, then Broadcastify in turn gives them a platform to provide a useless "official feed" that has significant delays and no archives just so they can claim transparency.

The delay gives the agency some control over the stream. They can redact/block info they don't want going out to the public, while still having the traffic in the clear.
Some of the recorder systems used in the dispatch center will stream audio, so it's pretty simple to point those at Broadcastify.

Also, using Broadcastify puts the cost of supporting the user interface on someone else other than the agency. From an agency standpoint, it's a pretty good deal.
 

blantonl

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Sounds like the perfect monopoly to me. Lol.
Like I said in an earlier thread to someone else, you are more than welcome to start up Broadcastification and get things rolling yourself. Anything else is either jealousy or smirking admiration.

This isn't standard Oil or Bell Telephone bud. And we have competitors that kick our a** in certain genres of feeds.

eg153wftx said:
then Broadcastify in turn gives them a platform to provide a useless "official feed" that has significant delays and no archives just so they can claim transparency.

We've had numerous official feeds, law enforcement official feeds that were even delayed, that have had tens of thousands of listeners during major incidents where the agency never took down the feed and the public stayed informed during the incident. "Useless" trope posts such as yours aren't helpful to the process and are not warranted around here. Just think before you speak in someone else's house man.
 

Larry-G

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Like I said in an earlier thread to someone else, you are more than welcome to start up Broadcastification and get things rolling yourself. Anything else is either jealousy or smirking admiration.

Hang on there fella, it was a joke, hence the LOL. Chill out and get a sense of humour instead of instantly being on the defensive.
 

AB5ID

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I would expect every new radio system or major upgrade to be encrypted now. It's just gotten very easy to implement. And nothing is telling agencies they cannot encrypt. So given the opportunity, I can see an agency saying yeah let's go ahead and encrypt. Why would they not?
 

GTR8000

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I would expect every new radio system or major upgrade to be encrypted now. It's just gotten very easy to implement. And nothing is telling agencies they cannot encrypt. So given the opportunity, I can see an agency saying yeah let's go ahead and encrypt. Why would they not?
You'd be off base with that assumption. There have been numerous new trunked systems installed in my region over just the past year, with very little encryption in use (used sparingly on sensitive talkgroups), despite the subscribers being more than capable (APX 8x00 series).

"Why would they not?" Because, thankfully, some agencies still have common sense and realize what a hassle encryption can quickly become when it comes to interop and sharing of keys.
 

RTmed519

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"Why would they not?" Because, thankfully, some agencies still have common sense and realize what a hassle encryption can quickly become when it comes to interop and sharing of keys.
Not only this, but some agencies regularly monitor other agencies on other systems, sometimes even on scanners, to keep in the know about what's going on. I know for a fact multiple agencies in Illinois regularly scan State Police on in-vehicle scanners, or in dispatch centers, in case they're needed to assist. None of the ISP Patrol TalkGroups are encrypted.

I know that ISP monitors counties they work in or near, for the same reason. Adding encryption makes this impossible, unless they program in all of their encryption keys and allow those users to scan on their radios... which means more zones and more headache with coordination.
 

AB5ID

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Moving forward into the future I think encryption will become more common and interoperability will soon follow. Here in Kansas City they're laying out the groundwork for encrypted pursuit talk groups. Currently pursuits happen on a regional common talk group that's in the clear but talk group placeholders are already established for regional pursuits for departments with encrypted radios.
 

Giddyuptd

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There is a old idea of users "Scanning" only saves at most 3 seconds so users should only use their own dispatch who get the call and relay. Not sure what moron thought of this but I can tell you there is good dispatchers but among chaos even they arent super heroes in speed dispatching information out. But hey lets spend millions on a all band radio with endless features only to use analog and or simple digital and everyone is closed out from another with a zone of interops nobody ever uses or knows how to switch to lol.
 

blindowl1234

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I personally can't stand apps that let you listen "live" to police, fire etc...When you had an analog scanner back in the day you'd listen to it all the time. You didn't run your mouth to everyone you knew what you were listening to, or what you heard. Thankfully there was no way to upload the info for all the world to see. Yeah I'm probably a lot older than most of you here lol. I remember the days of the big C band satellite dish when everything was unencrypted including the Spice Channel etc...Oh but the advent of hey lets publish lists on the web, of how to get all this for free and bam encryption started. So when the county government etc...figure out why some people listen, and then show up just minutes after a crime has been committed, well of course they'll want the communications all made private. When its upload on the web of course they want it encrypted. So the more the info is just a phone app away for anyone to listen to, you watch slowly county governments and others will encrypt it all. All this stuff I've seen about how some will say at least let us have a delayed feed an hour later. What kind of nonsense is that. I don't want to know what happened in my little neck of the woods an hour later. Crap by that time I can look on Facebook and read all about it lol. You may not agree and that's fine but I've seen all this stuff happen over the years. Remember loose lips sink ships folks
 

bendakila

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The advent of the internet and rebroadcasting any police call over it is the one that made all of this things go crazy in encryption. Long time ago you have to buy your own scanner to listen to the police and emergency calls. If cost a hefty amount to buy one. If we all rebroadcast all the emergency calls in real time in the internet of course the bad people who own a smart phone can use it for their crimes. If we had put a delay on rebroadcasting police call like 1 minute delay, we would still be informed but not in real time. I know that broadcast TV have those delays so that they can still edit the broadcast let say if someone cursed or said something over the microphone that would cost them a fine from the FCC. What happened here is that we said oh we can just connect our scanner to the internet and let everyone know what is happening may they be the GOOD People who just want to be informed and the BAD People that would use it to their advancetage to commit a crime. All of these encryption was our own fault the listenners. We have to man up and admit it. Just my two cents here about what had happened here.
 

CurtisPayne145

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I hate shady departments like this, YOU ARE A PUBLIC SERVANT, WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO TRANSPARENCY, YOU CUTTING THE CITIZENS OUT IS NOT A GOOD LOOK ON THESE DEPARTMENTS, JUST MY OPINION
 

tonyguevara

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I am personally not against encrypted radio when it comes to special tactical and information channels. I too, have assisted law enforcement when I am able to hear and observe activities in my area. I truly believe encryption is a dis-service to police officers and citizens alike. If someone near an area of activity can help the police, it could save a life. Hiding behind encryption prevents the public from being pro-active in police activity. I am not suggesting that a citizen become directly involved with a situation but help from the sidelines can be big in protecting a life or property. Are police officers actually safer with encrypted radios? I would have to disagree for the most part. You still respond to the same calls with or without it.
 
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