Silent Running...
Submitted: Monday, Apr 11, 2005 at 21:04
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Andi
Hey all,
Has anybody heard, and is there any truth in the rumour that for those of us who enjoy having a little scan of the emergency
services band on a Friday night may soon have our fun curtailed.
I am told that Emergency
services (
Police etc) are soon to change to some sort of unscannable system thus rendering the upper 20 Channels on my GME 4400 useless.
I was going to launch into some long diatribe about it being probably just as
well, as anybody who listens to
Police chatter on a regular basis will know that most of 'em treat the general public as just one step up from common crims. And I won't even mention the complete confussion that seems to reign when they are faced with a genuine crisis situation, ( I refer to the recent security guard shooting in Blackburn, Victoria, just two minutes away from where I live. Amazing stuff to listen to on radio!!!).
I'm sure it is just as
well that if they are moving their frequency or scrambling their signal then they will now be able to feel safe in their mediocre treatment of the general public and their trivial problems like theft or burglaries. After all whats one more or less tradesmans tralier stolen or 4by broken into per shift to them.
Yes I am a little peeved at the minute but my origianl question remains.
P.S My best mate is a cop and he agrees with over half of my statement.
PPS Who will now guard the guards if we cannot.
My rant ends.
Andi
Reply By: locallaw - Monday, Apr 11, 2005 at 21:46
Monday, Apr 11, 2005 at 21:46
Gidday,All
Police ambos etc are going digital.When that happens you wont be able to listen in.
Seeya Locallaw
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Follow Up By: firestang - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 23:35
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 23:35
Yep you are right on the money ,Vicpol ,Ambo and MFESB are all going digi but not the poor ole CFA!
They are the poor relo's when it comes to really good equipment.Especially for all volunteer Brigades
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Reply By: Rosco - Bris. - Monday, Apr 11, 2005 at 22:07
Monday, Apr 11, 2005 at 22:07
Pretty sure it's been that way up here in Qld for quite some time.
Cheers
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Reply By: ferris - Monday, Apr 11, 2005 at 22:14
Monday, Apr 11, 2005 at 22:14
Must be a fairly dull life, if your excitement is listening to the coppers all day.
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 00:04
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 00:04
Who said he listerns to them all day? Have you ever had a listern yourself? It can be interesting, I used to run a scanner in the background while working instead of listening to music on occasion.
A Dull person is one that listerns to commercial FM radio and thinks it is actually "All new".
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Follow Up By: Nudenut - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 07:57
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 07:57
ditto Jeff M
wonder what ferris listens to?
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Follow Up By: Andi - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 11:19
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 11:19
No, I have used it numerous times to avoid traffic jams, road blocks, accidents and even the shooting I mentioned in my original post.
As I am driving to many different jobs through the day, 5-6 days a week, even one traffic jam which can be avoided is a good thing.
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Reply By: Colonial boy - Monday, Apr 11, 2005 at 22:16
Monday, Apr 11, 2005 at 22:16
I have also had the same concerns, and have been reading as much as I can on the subject. It would seem that the every day stuff will be able to be heard with a suitable scanner such as "Radio Shack Pro-96 APCO25 Digital Trunking Scanner" (have look on ebay), but if there is any thing important happening the Police etc can encrypt it and that is not scan-able. I think SA and NSW already use such systems, but here in Vic they intend to have the new system in operation before the Commonwealth games.
Note: All this info has been obtained by reading forums, websites, I cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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Follow Up By: Nudenut - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 07:59
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 07:59
yep SA gone from the airwaves
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Reply By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 00:02
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 00:02
Andi I've got to agree with you on some of your statement. They do tend to be a bit shabby on the radio, I guess it's another day another dollar to them but somtimes you've got to wonder, especially the way they treat B & E's. Around work there a generally a couple of B & E's each morning and it's just all too hard for most of them.
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Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 08:45
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 08:45
I'm not sure it's just the Police that are shabby on their radios.
Most of the channel chatter I hear on UHF is CRAP or worse, especially around suburbia.
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Reply By: muzzgit (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 00:58
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 00:58
I too have a scanner on my UHF and I love listening to what goes on.
I don't have a problem with the cops, or how they behave. I have a problem with all the low lifes who rape women, commit violent
home invasions, rob little old ladies in their house at night.
It freaks me out when a cop will call in for an ID check, and the answer comes back that the individual in question has a habit of needlestick attacks on police and unprovoked violence against police. ( I hear this fairly regularly)
All in a days work ? no thanks.
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Reply By: Member - Brian (Gold Coast) - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 02:10
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 02:10
muzzgit (WA) said " I don't have a problem with the cops, or how they behave. I have a problem with all the low lifes who rape women, commit violent
home invasions, rob little old ladies in their house at night."
Hear Hear!!
Well said!!
Poor old Mr plod gets a bad rap all of the time...... except when it's your house that gets burgled and suddenly you're Mr Plods BEST mate!!! My old dad used to say "everyone hates coppers till they need one!" How true this is!!
They're damned if they do and damned if they don't.... Lucky we've got ANY police at all on the force!!
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Reply By: Member - Wim (Qld) - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 07:27
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 07:27
Hi all.
The police........ a necessary evil I guess.
Any respect I ever had for the police has long past since they tried to railroad me.
Have a nice day.
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Follow Up By: Nudenut - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 07:58
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 07:58
well tell us Wim....or do we have to guess?
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Follow Up By: Member - Wim (Qld) - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 08:53
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 08:53
Nudenut
The short version is it took me 6 months to clear my name over a trafic accident which had nothing to do with me.
They (the police) even told the insurance companies that I was responsible for the accident.
It turns out the they had a vague discription of the vehicle and a partial license plate. So I was there man, they just had to convince me to confess.
End of story.
PS. the 20 programmable channels on the TX4400 are scan only.
Regards
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Reply By: Nudenut - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 08:05
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 08:05
when they disappear form these channels think about getting your radio reprogrammed to have a 'private channel' on one of the 'silent ones' for you and a couple of mates?
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Follow Up By: Andi - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 11:17
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 11:17
Thats not a bad idea, I gather it would be fairly straight forward for a comms joint as these channels are currently receive only.
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Follow Up By: Nudenut - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 11:21
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 11:21
It should only be a programming thingo...but make sure they are not being used....or else!
As uhf is losing favour to mobile phone i doubt if these channels will ever get used again.
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 14:42
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 14:42
Yep, you watch the commercial channels free up when "push to talk" get's activated on the GSM network, will probally be some good philips, icom and tate radios on the second hand market cheap too!
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Follow Up By: Nudenut - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 15:44
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 15:44
i thought full duplex was the next thing to come...meaning you dont need to push to talk when you've engaged in a conversation?
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 16:05
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 16:05
"Push to talk" means you can have selected people on your phone that you can just push a button and talk to them like using a CB or Commercial Radio. ie. Hold down button #1 and talk to your van driver instantally, push #2 and talk to your boss or push #0 and broadcast to all members in your group.
Sounds pretty cool. Don't know how expensive it will be though. But at least couriers etc would always have coverage in the metro areas.
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Follow Up By: BenSpoon - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 16:06
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 16:06
PTT is already out and widesperead- the nokias have it, esp the shock resistant series.
Bloody hefty fines for transmitting on commercial bands without a license, but yes it can be done, within a certain range.
In regards to the old radios, most of them need to be reprogrammed, and unless you have the rib box for reprogramming, or can get it cheap, the general cost of about $50 isnt always worth it, especially considering most of the commercial radios have a lower number of channels selectable than common public band UHF (8 or 16, as opposed to 40 in the public spectrum)
If you are concerned about privacy- check the features of your current radio- you may even have something in there that can help you out now.
A useless bit of info- The Motorolas that are now being dished out to UK plods have built in GPS, LCD screen, GSM PTT and the motorola privacy plus feature. Hit an alarm on the radio, and the nearest radios get sent your location, also base can send mug shots of wanted people to your radio LCD screen. Wouldnt mind a couple of those things!
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 16:11
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 16:11
I was under the impression that PTT was still being tested in
Sydney only, maybe melborne and
sydney now, was not aware it was in
Perth.
Heafty fines only count if you get caught. The ACA are so slack you would have to be an idiot or very un lucky to get caught talking car to car on a private channel.
Re-programing most radios is a simple matter of getting the correct pin outs, solidering up a cable and downloading the software off the web. Older radios can be a bit more of a mission but Taits and Icoms are very easy.
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Follow Up By: Nudenut - Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 16:22
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005 at 16:22
only if you get caught...almost zilch probabilty of getting caught away from major cities.
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