Strange Radio Silence on Local Scanner Frequencies for EMS Fire and Police

Switched to IP secure comms system. It'll all be there with 5G and starlink

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

It almost sounds like you have antenna problems.
Your CB antenna isn't going to pickup VHF and UHF frequencies to well, no matter how high it is.

If they switched systems, maybe it's your scanner, it could be outdated or blocks encrypted transmissions etc. If that is the case, your best bet is to get an SDR radio for your computer, there is plenty of software hacks for decoding digital encryption.

Check with www.broadcastify.com... maybe someone is broadcasting the bands you listen too, plus+ some users broadcast encrypted systems.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Very good info, thanks. This explains much and gives my research some direction.

originally posted by: CraftyArrow
a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

It almost sounds like you have antenna problems.
Your CB antenna isn't going to pickup VHF and UHF frequencies to well, no matter how high it is.

If they switched systems, maybe it's your scanner, it could be outdated or blocks encrypted transmissions etc. If that is the case, your best bet is to get an SDR radio for your computer, there is plenty of software hacks for decoding digital encryption.

Check with www.broadcastify.com... maybe someone is broadcasting the bands you listen too, plus+ some users broadcast encrypted systems.

Even though the CB ant is a mismatch, it received well enough. I'm back to the proper ant, I've got another I can try, one designed for the Baofeng, a magna-mount for the vehicle. Still, I should be getting something, even on a mis-matched CB ant.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

A mismatch receiver would have to be fairly close to the transmitter, if you live a few miles away then maybe.

Yeah your Baofeng mag mount would be good, they usually cover VHF-UHF.

You could call them and ask if they switched systems, I've done that before with our fire department and they gave me all the info I needed.

a reply to: CraftyArrow

That's a good point, just ask, probably wouldn't hurt to try. I've talked to EMS and city police and they we're cool with me about their radio coms. I'll keep looking into it until I get the chance to ask someone. Hell, I probably know a few people that could tell me.

originally posted by: RKWWWW
Perhaps they changed from an analog system to a trunked, digital system.

That is likely the best explanation. My county changed to trunked unencrypted many years ago for about 10 years, but last year they upgraded and made it all encrypted.

Citizens may not listen to their public servants at work.

a reply to: NightFlight

I checked out radio reference and it shows that only Consumers Power and State are using the digital trunk system. The rest are local analog stations.

CraftyArrow: Right now I'm testing out that little magna-mount antenna made for the Baofeng. It actually picked up something pretty quickly. Maybe it was an antenna problem and I was just paranoid, but maybe this paranoia is the shape of things to come. Time will tell, I'll post after I get a list of stations I'm receiving.

ETA: I hope it is an antenna problem and this antenna will work OK. At least I'll have some ears on for a little while yet.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

Right on, a nice radio without a good antenna is heresy...vice versa too, especially when the SHTF. ; )

Hope you get it all worked out.

a reply to: CraftyArrow

LOL: A crappy Baofeng and a crappy antenna!

I can design a better antenna, make the balun too. If I were all that serious, I'd be spending the bucks for better equipment.

I find I enjoy using available resources. (scarc) There is always local chatter on FB I can turn too when the scanners go dead. (/scarc)

I'm not worried, I got two other scanning units for as long as that will last, probably not too long.

PS. So far the tiny magna-mount is picking up 3 freqs, up 2 from the one I noticed before. Good reception, yet still incredibly quiet. That's only three out of the 20 I programmed in. I'm going to update the channels soon and see if that helps.

Well, what do you know? No hope for the scanners now.

The three counties I've been monitoring have switched their police, fire and EMS services over to Michigan's Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS), a Multi-State Public Trunked Radio System. They now only use their original analog VHS frequencies if necessary to call units that then switch over to the new digital system up in the 700-800 MHz range.

Well, I guess I was right, no need to blame the antenna. I suppose I should find out who still uses analog and scan them. Private businesses and organizations still use them, repeaters and HAM operators do too. Got to go through the lists and reprogram the scanner and get what scraps of information I can.

Damn this sucks!

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck


Hmm... According to Joe Biden , it is Caused by Incredibly High wind Speeds ....

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck
I was just looking Michigan's Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS)

Looks like most Counties the public can listen in.

Mode D = the public can listen
Mode E = encrypted the public can’t listen.
www.radioreference.com...

It could be temporary radio silence for upgrades, local problems etc. Check the "News Update." Some might use analog for backup...

There are scanners out there that can decode encrypted transmissions, even better with SDR. But that is whole other subject that can get pretty deep.

a reply to: CraftyArrow

So even though this system is digital, not all of them encrypt? So that must mean a digital receiver must be use then to hear these unencrypted signals?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
P-25 Programmable radios are expensive, very few people would want to spend the money just to “listen in” more agencies are going digital too. Plus they’d need to know the TX/RX freqs and tones. Also Pretty soon frequency hop will be the new rage, we don’t like bad guys or nosey people listening in. But those radios, such a pain in the rear to program.

My area swiched to digital enryption signals after a person kept on showing up to EMS and police calls and taking pictures/video and posting them on FB before family was notified. for some reason the police could not stop him, it got so bad that that fire trucks blocked and put up tarps so he coulnd't take video or pics, and when they stopped broadcastimg publicly he stopped as well.

originally posted by: MichiganSwampBuck
a reply to: CraftyArrow

So even though this system is digital, not all of them encrypt? So that must mean a digital receiver must be use then to hear these unencrypted signals?

Yes...
APCO P25, MOTOTRBO, ProVoice or any digital voice signals...

I would get an SDR dongle, then download some free software and plugins for SDRSharp and a digital speech decoder” (DSD).

For less than 20 bucks you could be hearing almost everything, you can even track airplanes in your area with an plugin called ADS-B Aircraft RADAR. You could do shiz loads of stuff, (search for aliens) SDR is way better than those $500 dollar police scanners.

The analog scanners still have a use. I can monitor the license free chatter going on at the parks and from hunters out in the field. I can still listen in on the local repeaters the covers half the state.

I have the FRS, MURS, marine call frequency, the frequencies the electric utility I have service with uses, the ARES/RACES Skywarn frequencies, two EMS services and one local fire dispatch that still make a few calls on the old analog system. Just to see if I can pick it up, I put the International Space Station's frequency on there too.

I'll likely find more, hopefully some of the neighbors are on the unlicensed frequencies. Quite a few locals still use the CB, esp the jeep guys out on the trails along with truck drivers on the interstate. I always see a few mobiles when I'm out on the road and there is a base station around every ten or so miles, more if you include the HAM operators.

Not all hope is lost for analog transmissions. I've been listening to commercial Clear Channel AM radio stations at night from Detroit MI, Chicago Ill, Louisville KY, Cincinnati OH, Pittsburgh PA, basically all over the mid west. There are still a number of international stations on the short wave when you can pick them up. FM, or course, but iHeart Radio owns most of that, along with the AM stations, truly a monopoly IMO.