Why Is PSTA Encrypted?

[CanesFan95]

The RadioReference Database is showing that the PSTA bus talkgroups on Pinellas P25 are all encrypted. Why? What on earth could the local county busses of all things be talking about that is so important that they had to go dark on us?

 

[SCPD]

Bus " Um Bill,I think I left Little Jimmy over at School 6"

Base "Well go get him you dope,he belongs at School 16"

With people watching and putting everything on the internet this will make this conversation impossible to hear.
Oh yeah dont forget the bus will be utilized for FEMA camps.....LOL!

 

[KG7PBS]

I have heard the Bus Channel in California and Nevada and they say the name and address of the kids all the time, and if mom and dad are there or not so its a safety issue in my opinion.

 

[tampatracker]

The RadioReference Database is showing that the PSTA bus talkgroups on Pinellas P25 are all encrypted. Why? What on earth could the local county busses of all things be talking about that is so important that they had to go dark on us?

Good question. The OP is referring to public transportation, not school buses.

 

[RayAir]

The RadioReference Database is showing that the PSTA bus talkgroups on Pinellas P25 are all encrypted. Why? What on earth could the local county busses of all things be talking about that is so important that they had to go dark on us?

The answer is probably simple- because they can.

Have you verified they're actually encrypted?

 

[CanesFan95]

Yeah, these aren't school busses.

 

[tpredmore]

I'm sure the conversations being had aren't anything too exciting anyway. One less channel that I have to avoid, IMO.

 

[CanesFan95]

I used to listen to them and they actually have some interesting comms. A lot of nonsense those drivers put up with.

 

[SCPD]

PSTA school bus or public bus company,they just want to protect themselves from a nasty polictically correct society that take videos,recordings,and jump at the oppurtunity to sue.

 

[Andrew]

I think PSTA [which is the public bus, NOT the school bus] is encrypted because when the Pinellas P25 system first came online and was still in testing phase, PSTA was one of the very first users of the then new system and at first they were in the clear, then they went encrypted as a way to test the system capabilities, then they just never turned it off.