Is there a scanner that will listen to TG’s that are encrypted? I noticed tonight my SDS100.. I was held on my local sheriff TG but only hearing one side of a conversation. I could hear the dispatcher, and not always really. But I never heard the officer talking. Then I saw where it usually says P25 it was saying ENCRY.. usually I listen to this very TG with no problem. Is it possible that only the radio the officer had was transmitting in encryption? I assumed if I normally hear all the traffic then the TG wasn’t encrypted, but maybe I’m misunderstanding how actual encryption works. Thanks for any input
The way encryption works is that encryption mode selection by the field unit can be programmed as slaved to a specific talkgroup or can be user selectable by a switch. The same options exist with the console. Regardless of how the system is set up, the receiving party will always hear the encrypted audio if the transmitting party has switched it on. The same goes for hearing clear audio when one party has selected an encrypted mode and the other has not and is transmitting.
In the case that you describe, the officer had activated encryption by either a toggle switch on the radio, or had selected a talk group on the rotary knob that has encryption slaved. The dispatcher either forgot to engage their encryption (because it sounds same as clear in P25) or did not feel it necessary for a short exchange to do so. Likely the officer had some confidential information to convey and switched the encryption on for that moment.
Operating in this way can cause confusion and potential to leak confidential information, if the dispatcher were to repeat the info. Normally the radios should be programmed to slave the encryption mode on when selecting a specific, dedicated encrypted TG. The dispatcher would have that same encrypted TG on the console screen for selected or unselected audio path, and would use either the main PTT button or Instant Transmit button as required to reply.
Clearly there may be training issues going on.
Be happy the department has not engaged full time encryption.
Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk