Trunking System Question

[RMA74]

It seems while monitoring a control channel in my area. I can hear EMS and such but the local RCMP come up 'enc' which mean encrypted. But under system info it is registered as a Motorola system and under encrypted it says none. Is it possible that the police radios are the only encrypted voice channels within this trunked system. Is that possible?

 

[n5ims]

It seems while monitoring a control channel in my area. I can hear EMS and such but the local RCMP come up 'enc' which mean encrypted. But under system info it is registered as a Motorola system and under encrypted it says none. Is it possible that the police radios are the only encrypted voice channels within this trunked system. Is that possible?

Yes, individual talkgroups can be encrypted while others sent in the clear. Actually, it can be done where some radios using a talkgroup can be encrypted while others on that very same talkgroup are sent in the clear. A radio can be programmed to activate or deactivate encryption at the push of a button (often to allow interop communication on a normally encrypted channel where the assisting agency doesn't have the correct key to use the normal encryption).

 

[mmckenna]

Yes, but that can be a function of the individual radios, not necessarily the trunking system.
The repeaters just pass what they hear. On a digital system, the encrypted 1's and 0's are no different than the unencrypted 1's and 0's.