Worth it to get back into scanning Twin Cities Metro?

[Limapoint]

Not a complaint post about MN ARMER encryption. Used to have a Unication G4 to scan ARMER a few years ago. Looking to get back into it. Mostly listen to Minneapolis Police/Fire, metro EMS agencies, St Paul PD and Metro Transit, UMPD and State Patrol. Am I gonna be sitting with a $600 brick in 6 months or are these agencies still likely to be in the clear moving forward?

thanks!

 

[mmtstc]

Look into SDRs if you aren't going to be using it walking around. $100 cheapo Elitebook and two $35 SDR dongles and my radio monitoring experience is much more enjoyable than it was with a $600 scanner...

 

[wogggieee]

Look into SDRs if you aren't going to be using it walking around. $100 cheapo Elitebook and two $35 SDR dongles and my radio monitoring experience is much more enjoyable than it was with a $600 scanner...
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I second this. SDRs are the future, I cant see going back to a traditional scanner at this point.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Yeah SDRs are great & cost efficient if you remain stationary but for those who roam everywhere with their radios like myself it'd get to be a pain having to lug a laptop/tablet & cabling everywhere you go as your only means of monitoring the airwaves. Just my two cents

 

[wogggieee]

Yeah SDRs are great & cost efficient if you remain stationary but for those who roam everywhere with their radios like myself it'd get to be a pain having to lug a laptop/tablet & cabling everywhere you go as your only means of monitoring the airwaves. Just my two cents

Streaming to myself takes care of most of my mobile listening desires. Most people do not routinely travel far from home so a solid base setup which they stream to themselves would serve them well

 

[miked9372]

Look into SDRs if you aren't going to be using it walking around. $100 cheapo Elitebook and two $35 SDR dongles and my radio monitoring experience is much more enjoyable than it was with a $600 scanner...
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so looking at this how dose it work why do you need two dongles what software is this ill be looking into this now!!

 

[mmtstc]

Software Defined Radios - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

 

[KA0XR]

With encryption "encroaching" onto more and more agencies can someone confirm that Xcel Energy's new P25 trunking system is also encrypted? I believe I read this somewhere. Why would they need to encrypt their comms - I never heard anything that was that sensitive on their previous analog system.

 

[bearcatrp]

With encryption "encroaching" onto more and more agencies can someone confirm that Xcel Energy's new P25 trunking system is also encrypted? I believe I read this somewhere. Why would they need to encrypt their comms - I never heard anything that was that sensitive on their previous analog system.

I worked there years ago as security. It’s a nuclear facility. Encryption should have been done years ago. You get a small element in there, able to listen to coms for what’s going on so they can adjust, they will take it over. The biggest fear is blowing the fuel pool. Blow that into the air and that whole area is screwed. It’s not a weapons grade plant like some others around the country. But the fuel pool is almost as dangerous.

 

[stmills]

Xcel energy 800 trunked in the Twin Cities is encrypted. As a critical infrastructure it makes sense to have the system encrypted but it was. Sure helpful during power outages to listen to the crews to get a clue on how long things would be down.

 

[KA0XR]

Thanks for the responses. Makes sense that encryption would be used around power plants, especially nuclear. It's the post-storm power restoration crews that made for fun listening but with encryption sounds like those days are over. Their 800 MHz analog signals always seemed "staticy" despite a decent carrier from a repeater.

Not that it's relevant to this thread, but does anyone know what Xcel (then NSP) used for radio communications back before their 800 MHz analog trunking system, going back a few decades from the 60's until when Xcel took-over around 2000? I ask because the book "Life on the Line" that documents NSP's operations during the January 1975 "Storm of the Century" blizzard frequently references NSP's use of two way radio as a critical lifeline.

 

[sonm10]

Thanks for the responses. Makes sense that encryption would be used around power plants, especially nuclear. It's the post-storm power restoration crews that made for fun listening but with encryption sounds like those days are over. Their 800 MHz analog signals always seemed "staticy" despite a decent carrier from a repeater.

Not that it's relevant to this thread, but does anyone know what Xcel (then NSP) used for radio communications back before their 800 MHz analog trunking system, going back a few decades from the 60's until when Xcel took-over around 2000? I ask because the book "Life on the Line" that documents NSP's operations during the January 1975 "Storm of the Century" blizzard frequently references NSP's use of two way radio as a critical lifeline.

I think outside of the metro, Xcel uses VHF. There is a lot of licensed VHF frequencies for Xcel. However, I believe these are for backup communications only. Maybe at one time VHF was primary for Xcel???

 

[NVAGVUP]

Out state NSP (XCEL) used VHF for electrical division. Add VHF net for gas division in the 90's? Prairie Island and Monticello were stand alone VHF systems until ~1994. PI went to 800 Smartnet in 1994. (Not sure when Monti went Smartnet, but timing was similar) XCEL also used some high power VHF transmitter for load management.

 

[radionut44]

Look into SDRs if you aren't going to be using it walking around. $100 cheapo Elitebook and two $35 SDR dongles and my radio monitoring experience is much more enjoyable than it was with a $600 scanner...
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What software are you using with the SDRs?

 

[stmills]

Metro Xcel was on 451.xxx prior to 800MHz - I know they were on uhf in the late 80’s not sure when they switched from vhf.

 

[iowajm780]

Yex, inquiring minds want to know.. SDR’s on the way!. Not spending $600 for an SDS to listen to one talk group on a simulcast system.

What software are you using with the SDRs?

 

[sonm10]

I think most people in this thread use Unitrunker for logging purposes. A couple other options are DSD+ fastlane, SDRTrunk, OP25 (the latter used with linux).

Yex, inquiring minds want to know.. SDR’s on the way!. Not spending $600 for an SDS to listen to one talk group on a simulcast system.

What software are you using with the SDRs?

 

[iowajm780]

It's my goal in life to use a Raspberry Pi4 with an SDR as a cheap way to listen to a VHF Phase2 system. I don't have many goals in life, but this is one I am going to meet (hopefully).

 

[bearcatrp]

It's my goal in life to use a Raspberry Pi4 with an SDR as a cheap way to listen to a VHF Phase2 system. I don't have many goals in life, but this is one I am going to meet (hopefully).

Please post your success with details when your up and running. Have read others doing this.

 

[wogggieee]

I think most people in this thread use Unitrunker for logging purposes. A couple other options are DSD+ fastlane, SDRTrunk, OP25 (the latter used with linux).

Add trunk recorder to that list, also liniux, which is what I'm using.