What is good for picking up military radio signals?

I want to buy something that will pick up military radio communication signals. I do not want to spend a whole lot of money on it but i want to spend enough that it will pick up signals from the military easily. Can any one give me ideas on what to get.

My guess would be a military radio... just kidding. Im sure most of those transmissions are secure anyway.

I think it would be tough to hear anything worthwhile. If it was possible the enemy would intercept them and have information that could be important.

Military communications are encrypted/scrambled....as far as hearing anything good...

You can pick up military/police scanners, and get regular traffic, but these aren't that cheap...(not outrageous, but not cheap either).....

Can you give me an estimate in price range please.

You trying to get your self placed in a Federal Pen?!

It is not recommended that you attempt any such thing!
I say this for your protection, not because something is being kept hidden either.

I'm serious, if you want to get into radio transmissions, go to radioshack or a pawn store with about $100. Tell them you want two way radio equipment or even a homebase if you plan on useing at your house.

If your serious, look into a ham licence. They are more expensive, but you can talk to people all over the world.

But what ever you do, don't mess with military stuff unless you enlist that is ofcourse. Because you will be viewed as a potential criminal, and you DO NOT want to be Bubas little friend...

[Edited on 30-10-2003 by ADVISOR]

A good scanner, last time I looked, went for around $200 or so...though it's been a while since I priced them... I'm sure there are those far more into such things than I here, that could likely suggest brands, and models...

Nothing wrong with them...but you'll get normal uncoded chatter, such as guards on perimeter patrol, that kind of thing...but some of the police stuff (especially if you learn the crime codes), can be pretty interesting....

I want to listen in on the military radio communications. Once a radio signal goes in the air it is free for any one to listen to. There is nothing any one can do legally if someone intercepts that signal.

As Gazrok said, most military signals are encrypted. I think the best you can do is with a scanner radio to pick up police signals and stuff like that. Or you can invest in a shortwave radio, which lets you hear stuff from around the world. It's really cool. I also heard alot of these strange transmissions on shortwave that sound like codes and stuff. It's really weird. People theorize that they're coded messages from intellegence agencies form around the world. Alot of these are called number stations.

www.dxing.com...

Lots of different recordings of them here:

home.freeuk.com...

Actually yes pizza, your right. Anyone can listen to military frequencies and transmissions, nothing illegal about that infact. That is why they are encrypted, but what I fear you may do with them is. So just be careful, and be sure you don't do anything that will jepardise your well being.

Just saw this on the Discovery Channel the other day. The Military uses digital communication...highly encrypted...plus..the communications devices change frequencies every few seconds or so..making it even harder to intercept a signal. So...S.O.L. on that idea...sorry to break the news to you.

Only partially true, the military still uses the old standard comms for training. The digital stuff is for operational usage, not to mention way expensive! I did a thread in military programs about the new digital comms. I'll see if I can find it...brb

Yuppers found it, check this out.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

[Edited on 1-11-2003 by ADVISOR]

You shouldn't try hard to get into military or government radio frequencies, because if you get caught, you may get put on the spot, even if you don't have any ill intentions. I guess police and emergency signals are okay to listen in to because they're local. You can listen to them at your pleasure, but as long as you don't use the information you get from listening.

If i intercept a radio signal i can do what i like with it. If i am going to buy a short wave radio i will first have to learn how to crack encrypted signals that i might hear. If any one knows how to do that and can teach me please send me a u2u.

The chances of cracking military radio encryption are slim, and if you do, you are in a serious world of #. If I remember correctly, its considered treason, and you will probably face charges as a terrorist, not something anyone would want to face :X Even if you werent tried for treason, the DMCA would be brought to bear, and I know for a fact circumventing encryption or any other form of data protection is defiantely illegal.

So all i can do is listen to the radio signal that is encrypted. How am i supposed to understand it?

Your not supposed to understand it, thats why its encrypted Plus breaking it would be in violation of not only the fedreal DMCA, but probably the Super DMCA of your state as well.

[Edited on 2-11-2003 by alternateheaven]

Is there any thing legal i can that will allow me to understand it?

Once i intercept the radio signals i own them. Since i own them i can do what i want with them. So how could it be illegal to crack and encryption of my own file?

Unfortunately the concept that once you capture a broadcast signal its yours to do with as you please doesnt work too well for encrypted transmissions. If it were that simple, then you could capture cell phone converstaions just as well, but as far as I know only the government is "allowed" to capture such trasmissions, and only under certain circumstances. Also something else to take into account is the fact that the government probably doesnt use frequencies open to the public, and I know that seems strange, but since all communications devices have to be checked thru the FCC the government has a certain ammount of control over the hardware you can legally obtain, therefore keeping civilians from having access to sets of freqs, ie how HAM radio people can use frequenceis above the CB (Citizens Band)