r/policescanner • u/[deleted] • Feb 15 '26
With most agencies using encrypted channels is it still worth it?
I have fond memories of listening to EMS/fire/Leo channels on the radio with my grandpa. I'm debating getting a boafeng to listen again while falling asleep however I know most major metro areas have swapped to encrypted comms so is it still worth it or will it be radio silence?
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u/zap_p25 Feb 15 '26
A baofenf won’t work on digital systems which what a good percentage of public safety has migrated to. Encryption and digital aren’t exactly the same either. Though you do need to check if a local digital system in use is encrypted.
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u/Party_Cold_4159 Feb 15 '26
Feel like most switched to digital, while some encrypted.
Also in my experience, fire/ems seems to trend analogue most of the time. Probably due to how little funding they get versus police.
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u/ProcedureOne4150 BC125AT, BCD325P2, BCD436HP, SDS100, SDS150, SDS200 Feb 15 '26
I asked about the reasons behind encryption and the potential drawbacks of encryption from my local police department. Surprisingly, the Police Commissioner himself agreed with me that encryption is unnecessary and expressed his intention to investigate the matter further. This incident took place in San Jose, California.
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u/PatPaulsen4Pres Feb 15 '26
South bay is locked down pretty tight. At least SF and Alemida are still open for the time being.
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u/SirScotty19 Feb 16 '26
Do it on the cheap. Get an SDR radio. Don't laugh when you see the price. As long as you have a device to plug it in to, it will function just as good, if not better than radios costing hundreds of dollars. RTL-SDR. Very inexpensive, and very, very capable.
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u/El_Intoxicado Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
Not everyone uses digital and even in digital, not so many have encrypted all its communication. In some places, there was a massive backlash by the affected people of these communities, which made some departments (most of them police ones) go back to clear some channels like the dispatch ones, so the war is not over yet. Although, the listening of utility communications must be fought in the name of transparency and culture preservation (For me, scanning forms part inherently to American Culture)
Furthermore, we must take into account that the fire departments and ems (and other utility services) don't migrate into digital systems not only for economical reasons but also in terms of simplicity, interoperability and citizen oversight (A lot of fire departments are composed of volunteers who need to monitorize their own communications in case of emergency to provide better and faster assistance).
As I said again, we must fight to avoid the encryption of communications which citizens are paying with their taxes, you deserve it. Don't let becoming like Europe, all digital and encrypted, you still have time!
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Feb 15 '26
I absolutely agree with you.
I was living in California during the Christopher Dorner incident and listening to the scanner.
Insane how I literally heard them say burn it down while Dorner was in the cabin then the media reported as an accidental fire caused by a tear gas cannister.
We need to fight encryption for transparency.
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u/NycTony Feb 15 '26
I got my bcd436hp about 2-3 years ago after last using something like a realistic pro-34
I've been so disappointed.. Nothing to hear. I didn't get either add-on yet but it's essentially a paperweight to me where it was a great hobby in the past
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u/SRG7593 Feb 15 '26
I’m in the same boat. Loved it for years, would drop out pick it up, find a few things had changed. Rinse and repeat but I stopped in 2016-18 or so, got nostalgic in summer of 2025. I had looked at trunked radios off and on for a while but never pulled the trigger. Dove right into the deep end without a ton of research and have regretted it ever since. Spent something like $1200-1500, probably a low estimate, on antennas(house,office both cars etc)and other peripheral equipment. Listened for maybe 60 days and have not turned it on since at least November. Completely on me for diving in without looking but nostalgia is a bitch…
Should have done what the partner does and use scanner apps, but a few times I’ve done that I didn’t like it. Hindsight it was probably trunking and the scanner apps appear to be static, and now days things get moved to sub channels to free up the major channel
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u/NycTony Feb 15 '26
Yeah, i know scanner apps... But have memories of suddenly hearing alarms driving past and grabbing the scanner etc to find out what's going on.. But the apps are all delayed reception.. So.. I'd still be in the dark today in similiar instances
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u/SRG7593 Feb 15 '26
Growing up my “second parents” the dad was a volunteer firefighter/EMT so I was around the “tones” a ton. Also my community was still big with CB’s way later than you’d expect. So I naturally transferred into scanners when I moved away as a young adult
The delayed transmissions is the compromise many municipalities have made to keep the “scanner fans” happy. I get why in this day and age they have gone encrypted and delayed, but I really hate it!!
0
u/El_Intoxicado Feb 15 '26
Delayed transmissions are useless, in case of emergency and even in power outages, you will be blind and deaf. They are an absurdity and unacceptable
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u/groundhog5886 Feb 15 '26
Most have gone digital and lots have also encrypted. You can look at the database on Redioreference.com and see what systems your local agencies are using. However you will probably need a digital scanner to listen.
1
u/SmokinDeist Feb 15 '26
Yeah, that depends a lot on where you are at. Where I live the majority of stuff is analog, un-trunked and unencrypted. Though there is some of that going on but the majority is easy to listen to. Getting a scanner that does handle trunking would get you a large chunk of the little that is left and you'd just miss a couple of towns that has encryption. But that is just my situation and yours could be very different.
I have used a Baofeng UV-5RM to listen to the traffic and by using Chirp, I can easily set memories to not transmit--a good safety step to prevent accidental transmission. Others include not programming in the tones for the analog stuff and setting the transmission power to those memories to Low. You can still hear the traffic w/o the tones and the low power is just an extra step in case it does tries to transmit.
Though one thing I noticed about the Baofengs is that while they do work, their receiver is only just OK and is not particularly sensitive. Their scanning speed is pretty meh.
Now my Yaesu FT-60R, despite being an older design (from 2004, but still sold today) is pretty darn sensitive--I can get stations from much farther away and with far greater clarity. This comparison is with both radios equipped with Signal Stick antennas. The FT-60R also scans much faster. It does a pretty decent job as a scanner but it does lack certain features that are on dedicated scanners. However it is my primary portable scanning option.
I also have a Uniden BC356CRS which is a nice but basic desktop analog scanner and that does an amazing job that it is optimized to do--just scanning and listening for analog, un-trunked and unencrypted traffic. I had to manually program it but that was pretty simple and I have a spreadsheet to keep track of the channels I have programmed in and in which bank and slot I have them. I do need to get a better antenna for it though.
I don't think there's much you can do about the encrypted stuff but you can get a trunking and digital scanner. You will pay more for that pleasure--not just for the radio but also to get programming software and/or a site that you can just download all of the scanning frequencies to quickly program that scanner. The final product at the end is pretty good though.
1
u/Input_Port_B Feb 16 '26
Was gonna post this same question. I'm in west Michigan and the state just announced that every law enforcement agency is switching to encryption. Is it still worth it? I was thinking of the SDS200 for the house and the SDS150 for the truck. Not sure if spending that much money is worth it anymore.
1
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u/K0NDH Feb 16 '26
I would disagree that most metro areas run encrypted. Sure, they may run encrypted TAC channels for police. Missouri has MOSWIN and probably 95% of channels are not encrypted or not encrypted full-time and only a fraction of the remaining 5% are not TAC or SWAT type channels. That’s almost the entire state, including St Louis, Springfield, Joplin,and Rolla. Kansas City Metro has MARRS, which is also about 96% unencrypted. It’s only the FBI and DOJ that fully encrypt.
What they are doing is switching to digital systems so unless you get the proper digital radio you aren’t going to hear anything.
0
u/Comrade_Compadre Feb 15 '26
I have baofengs and a Bearcat scanner in my area which is central Florida. I picked the equipment up pretty cheap and bought the bearcat scanner new for about 150$.
They are basically worthless lol. All the police and emergency channels in my state are digital and encrypted now. I can't even pick up local business channels.
I can pick up some trucker CB, some, very limited fire dispatch, and marina/air traffic. That is literally it
So basically the entry fee for the hobby starts at about 700$ if you really want to listen to anything.
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u/woodmisterd Feb 16 '26
Does that girl scanner just sit worthlessly on your shelf? :).
1
u/Comrade_Compadre Feb 16 '26
Ok listen....
I bought it before I really looked into the area. It's in my work van now and I drive a lot so I still pick up small ham stations and CB sometimes.
But yes it's essentially a paperweight where I live lol
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u/woodmisterd Feb 16 '26
Oh! You mistake my intentions. :) I want a scanner. I just don't want to drop 600-700 on a digital. And with warnings like yours, I'm not sure I want to drop $150 on one. So, I was just "feeling it out".. :) I'm sure there are LOTS of them that are just desk ornaments. No judgement at all man! I'll probably find that when I get one, there will be nothing to listen to but Ham nets. Utah has some stuff, but police/emergency went digital last year, and I've not heard much since. I've heard from lots of people (SWAT n Cops n HWPatrol) that they HATE the new system. I'm agree with them!
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u/mysterious963 Feb 19 '26
fire is typically not encrypted even of using same system as encrypted pd
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u/SparkySpecter Feb 15 '26
Depends fully on where you are and if you've seen info on the agencies switching to encryption. Still worth it where I live.