[Scan-DC] Pasadena PD encrypts but promises media access

Tue Jan 10 14:46:31 EST 2012

Well, of course. However, unless you have a bunch of scanners set to all 
the Have Quick frequencies, you're not going to understand those 
transmissions anyway. There are other examples I could have written 
about such as some Army helos that use low VHF band FM transmitters but 
I was trying to give a general overview of the most common listening 
types. K.I.S.S. was my aim.

Alan
Maryland

On 1/10/2012 1:59 PM, John Wilson wrote:
> Not exactly 100% AM.  The Va. Army National Guard uses HAVE QUICK 
> which involves digital spread spectrum comms.
>
> Alan wrote:
>> For many, many years I've been using my scanners to listen to military
>> air traffic along with local PD/FD traffic. However, with the advent of
>> digital radios and scanners, along with encryption, the PD/FD listening
>> is starting to get to be more trouble than it's worth. As a result, I
>> have found myself migrating to almost strictly listening to military air
>> traffic other than when some big event happens in the police/fire world
>> of listening.
>>
>> In addition to the ability to easily listen to this traffic with even
>> the most basic scanner, it's also provides a lot of very interesting
>> listening. It is all AM analog mode (and it's critical you have your
>> scanner set to AM), there is no trunking and almost no encryption (other
>> than very occasional uses when practicing classified type exercises).
>> For those not familiar with the frequencies used, here's some very basic
>> information:
>>
>> While I could write a book on the subject, to give a quick and dirty
>> overview, here's what you should know.....
>>
>> 1, Most fighters move through the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system using
>> UHF freqs (225-400 mHz)
>> 2. Most transport and tanker aircraft use VHF (118-136 mHz) for ATC
>> 3. Bombers use both.
>> 4. Both freq ranges are also used for tactical/operational use with the
>> addition of the 138-144 mHz range for F-16/A-10 tactical use - and
>> there's a lot of that due to the Andrews and Atlantic City F-16s and
>> Martin State A-10s.
>>
>> To get started, I would suggest you just start scanning those two freq
>> ranges (138-144 and 225-400) and see what you come up with. Keep in mind
>> that the military aircraft that use VHF for Air Traffic Control will
>> also be mixed in with all the commercial air traffic in the 118-136
>> range so it's more difficult to segregate them which is why I suggest
>> starting with the freqs used almost exclusively by the military.
>>
>> In the local area at Andrews we have F-16 fighters, KC-135 tankers and
>> various Navy transports along with constant arrivals/departures of large
>> transport aircraft and a variety of aircraft used for VIP flights -
>> including the Presidential fleet of aircraft.
>> At Martin State Airport, we have A-10 ground attack aircraft and the
>> C-27J light transport aircraft.
>> Patuxent Naval Air Station has aircraft of almost every type in the
>> Navy's inventory.
>> Martinsburg WV has C-5 heavy transport aircraft as does Dover AFB DE
>> along with C-17s
>> McGuire AFB NJ has C-17A transport and KC-135/KC-10 tanker aircraft
>> Then there are the fighters from Langley and Atlantic City
>> There is no shortage of military air listening opportunities in this
>> general area.
>>
>> For beginners, I would suggest checking out RadioReference.com, look for
>> the Discussion Forums link, go to the Maryland page and check the
>> "Sticky Thread for MilAir VII (2012). It will give you a good start for
>> an explanation of the traffic and frequencies used for specific
>> operations in this area. Other states have similar threads. The
>> RadioReference database also contains frequency lists for specific
>> military units.
>>
>> Ease of listening, no expensive equipment necessary, a very basic
>> omni-directional antenna will suffice and loads of enjoyment. Isn't that
>> why most of us bought our scanners in the first place? Even your 20 year
>> old scanners will work. Give it a try if you haven't already.
>>
>> Alan (TinEar)
>> Maryland
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 1/10/2012 12:32 PM, Jeffrey Embry wrote:
>>> I have the feeling that scanner listening as a hobby...one that I have
>>> known for some 40 years is going away.  And technology, primarily the
>>> internet and smart phones are the root cause.  I wonder if changes
>>> would be made if streaming scanner feeds were not so readily
>>> available?
>>>
>>> Which makes me wonder...I have always believed that it is okay to
>>> listen so long as one didn't divulge what was heard to a 3rd party.
>>> Yep it is the honor system, but perhaps divuging what one hears to
>>> people you don't even know via the Internet or other means is just
>>> plain wrong.
>>>
>>> I do know this, I will NOT be putting anymore money into scanners,
>>> scanning equipment or other such items.  I am certainly not enjoying
>>> listening they way that I use to enjoy it.  In fact, I am finding
>>> commercial air traffic and railroads to be quite enjoyable.
>>>
>>> Just my measly .02 cents.
>>>
>>> 73es
>>>
>>> Jeff
>>> K3OQ
>>>
>>> On 1/10/12, lepine15 at comcast.net<lepine15 at comcast.net>   wrote:
>>>> I was thinking about starting a post on RR to start a dialogue with 
>>>> the site
>>>>
>>>> owners and the group as a whole, that maybe it's time to shut down 
>>>> the audio
>>>>
>>>> feeds for a little while.   Dept after dept is using this as the 
>>>> excuse to
>>>> encrypt all comms.
>>>>
>>>> Thoughts?
>>>>
>>>> Paul
>>>> Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone
>>>>
>>>> -----Original message-----
>>>> From: Alan Henney<alan at henney.com>
>>>> To: Scan DC<Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
>>>> Sent: Tue, Jan 10, 2012 04:57:20 GMT+00:00
>>>> Subject: [Scan-DC] Pasadena PD encrypts but promises media access
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Pasadena Star-News (California)
>>>>
>>>> January 7, 2012 Saturday
>>>>
>>>> Pasadena's digital scanners can't be monitored
>>>>
>>>> BYLINE: By Brian Charles, Staff Writer
>>>>
>>>> SECTION: NEWS
>>>>
>>>> LENGTH: 688 words
>>>>
>>>> PASADENA - As of today, the Pasadena Police Department's radio
>>>> communications will switch from analog to digital, preventing media 
>>>> outlets
>>>> and amateur radio enthusiasts from monitoring police calls.
>>>>
>>>> The police department will make its $7 million leap forward from 
>>>> analog to
>>>> encrypted digital transmission of radio conversations in a move city
>>>> officials insisted was not about secrecy but safety.
>>>>
>>>> "We are not out to avoid detection, but we are here to keep 
>>>> everyone safe,"
>>>> said Steven Page, Pasadena's telecommunications supervisor.
>>>>
>>>> Aided by cell phone advances that - in terms of technology - change 
>>>> every
>>>> few months, criminals are monitoring police activity constantly, 
>>>> Page said.
>>>>
>>>> "With the advent of iPhones and other devices, you can use an 
>>>> (application)
>>>> to figure out where the police are at any given time," he said.
>>>>
>>>> Shawn West, who owns West Information Services, a company that 
>>>> monitors
>>>> radio traffic, said "people listening to scanners aren't committing 
>>>> that
>>>> many crimes" and those employing scanners to aid in a criminal 
>>>> activity are
>>>> themselves breaking the law.
>>>>
>>>> And while police seek privacy in switching to digital transmission 
>>>> of their
>>>> conversations, doing so will hinder the work of journalists, West 
>>>> said.
>>>>
>>>> "Newspapers will have to wait on press releases," he said.
>>>>
>>>> Meanwhile, a digital revolution of sorts is underway in law 
>>>> enforcement,
>>>> with agencies from Pomona to the Pacific Ocean adopting new radio
>>>> technology. And as they do, many news agencies will be at least 
>>>> temporarily
>>>> left in the dark.
>>>>
>>>> Pasadena city officials promised to come up with a plan to arm area 
>>>> media
>>>> outlets with digitally equipped scanners. Pasadena officials said 
>>>> they will
>>>> likely replicate the plan used in Orange County, where news outlets 
>>>> and law
>>>> enforcement agencies enter into agreements to lease or receive the 
>>>> scanners
>>>> on loan, Page said.
>>>>
>>>> However, the city has not formulated criteria for what constitutes 
>>>> as a news
>>>>
>>>> agency.
>>>>
>>>> For now, the Pasadena media will depend on the discretion of police 
>>>> officers
>>>>
>>>> in reporting the agency's activities.
>>>>
>>>> "We will put the information out that the public needs to know," 
>>>> Pasadena
>>>> police Phillip Sanchez said.
>>>>
>>>> "That may be one of the unintended consequences," Pasadena City 
>>>> Manager
>>>> Michael Beck said about the encryption which will keep residents 
>>>> and the
>>>> media from listening in on police frequencies.
>>>>
>>>> Sanchez surmises that the public prefers the improved response times
>>>> associated with the technology to open access for the media and the 
>>>> public.
>>>>
>>>> "I guess the balance to that is the benefit to the victim; that we 
>>>> get there
>>>>
>>>> quickly and can coordinate our response," Sanchez said. "Ultimately 
>>>> time
>>>> will tell whether the media feels excluded."
>>>>
>>>> While California requires government bodies to operate openly under 
>>>> the
>>>> scrutiny of the press and the general public, police departments 
>>>> are not
>>>> required to make the same concession when it comes to radio 
>>>> transmissions.
>>>>
>>>> "I have never seen an obligation to keep scanner traffic 
>>>> transparent," said
>>>> Terry Francke, CalAware attorney and government watchdog.
>>>>
>>>> "Assuming of course that the police are doing what they are 
>>>> supposed to do
>>>> ... I don't know it's inherently suspect anymore than it would be 
>>>> for police
>>>>
>>>> to use the phone or email to secure communications," Francke said.
>>>>
>>>> The new digital radio system works much like a cell phone. A 
>>>> computer system
>>>>
>>>> assigns a frequency to a radio in the field and switches that 
>>>> frequency
>>>> assignment as traffic on the entire system increases or as the 
>>>> officer moves
>>>>
>>>> across the coverage area. In short, more people can talk along a 
>>>> more narrow
>>>>
>>>> spectrum of bandwidth, West said.
>>>>
>>>> By April 1, the Pasadena departments of Public Works, Water and 
>>>> Power and
>>>> Code Enforcement will have adopted the new encrypted system.
>>>>
>>>> The Pasadena Fire Department will not adopt a fully encrypted 
>>>> system, as the
>>>>
>>>> department works closely with other agencies that have not gone 
>>>> digital,
>>>> Page said.
>>>>
>>>> In the Bay Area, the new radio systems have been crippled by cell 
>>>> phone
>>>> jamming equipment, proof that the system is not foolproof, Page said.
>>>>
>>>> "If someone really wants to jam our system, they can," Page said.
>>>>
>>>> brian.charles at sgvn.com
>>>>
>>>> twitter.com/JBrianCharles
>>>>
>>>> 626-578-6300, ext. 4494
>>>>
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