Does the LAPD want their radio back?

[Mojave8899]

Im trying to figure out how a LAPD radio is for sale on Facebook?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/786021029119218/

[sealocan]

I think they're probably just listen to broadcastify.com, like everybody else.

That way they don't have to call in and they can listen to all the action going on around the world, without anyone bothering them about going to their next call.




And if anyone here hasn't tried that site I think you'll enjoy it but be warned, sometimes it takes a little while for it to load up and even when you're on the local police or fire or many other Emergency and regular services there's a lot of dead air with nothing's going on. You got to tune into some place where the action is happening all the time if you don't want to be bored.

This post has been brought to you by
"The world's largest source of public safety, aircraft, rail, and marine radio live audio streams."

[Mojave8899]

I think they're probably just listen to broadcastify.com, like everybody else.

That way they don't have to call in and they can listen to all the action going on around the world, without anyone bothering them about going to their next call.




And if anyone here hasn't tried that site I think you'll enjoy it but be warned, sometimes it takes a little while for it to load up and even when you're on the local police or fire or many other Emergency and regular services there's a lot of dead air with nothing's going on. You got to tune into some place where the action is happening all the time if you don't want to be bored.

This post has been brought to you by
"The world's largest source of public safety, aircraft, rail, and marine radio live audio streams."

What? I?m asking how a LAPD radio is in the hands of a civilian and now on sale on Facebook.

[sealocan]

And I was only making a joke that the LAPD doesn't need it because they don't use their radios anymore.

Lots of gear finds its way from City departments out into the civilian world. Sometimes it's outdated stuff or possibly stolen but I don't know what the reason or even if that radio for sale is legitimate.

[Old Marine]

While technically it is a radio, the transmit function has been disabled and now only receives on certain programmed frequencies. Functions only as a scanner, which are not illegal to own or operate, actually not much different than a FM transistor radio. From the looks of it, an old version of the radio and no longer meets the specs of the department, so sold at an auction.

[Superbri]

These radios require the appropriate encryption keys which are refreshed on a fairly regular basis (monthly for some departments). So even if it still had it's old programming intact it still wouldn't be able to transmit, receive, or utilize the current repeaters. This is an old XTS 5000 most departments upgraded to the APX 7000 or APX 8000 years ago. As another poster indicated they can pick up the tach channels and utilize it as a scanner for probably a few others but I imagine most would be operating on the net, not 100% sure how LAPD works but I imagine most departments are similar.

[hermosabeach]

Until the radio is turned on, who knows what it can broadcast and receive.


Many department radios are engraved with an inventory # / asset tag # on the face of the radio.


I believe the new standard police radios are over $5,000 so that is a deal!


New radios also transmit the radio information so dispatch knows who the radio is assigned to and it's status.

[DolphinFan]

It?s an older Motorola XTR5000 P25 radio.
They go for about $400-450
Un-programmed.
The one shown is a series 1 no front panel programming.
I have an identical one programmed with police and fire for all 15 dispatch areas that I scan.
I hear what they hear in real time.
The encryption doesn?t change that regularly because they can?t reprogram over 10,000 radios regularly.
If you are interested in a police scanner this is a good one to get.
I have the programming software and code plug.
And the encryption is Public Knowledge, not hard to get if/when they change.
Now if you can find a newer Motorola 8000 4 band radio, they go for around $4,000-$8,000 new.
I also have a level 3 radio with front panel programming.
Love Motorola radios.
I have a XTR 5000 as a base unit on a GP9 antenna.

[TJW]

I can shed a little light. That's an obsolete radio. It's end of life and Motorola or any authorized Motorola contractor will not touch or repair that radio. That radio is at least 14 years old.

They are generally wiped of any frequencies and sold as scrap metal at auction. So that's how someone can get a hold of one.

Also on occasion some cop will accidentally leave the radio on the car bumper or rooftop and drive off and someone will find it.

Certainly they will be some people with radio knowledge who can make it operable, most agencies have their radios encrypted nowadays, so even if someone can figure out how to reprogram it, they won't have the proper encryption key to listen.

Someone with moderate radio experience would need to know how to load the codeplug (radio frequencies).

The encryption keyloader cost 12K.

If it is capable of transmitting, it gives off a unique ID. The radio tech of the PD can remotely disable any radio rendering it useless.

Anytime a radio is reported lost, the radio tech remotely disables the radio.

The encryption doesn't change often, but with Motorola's radio management system the PD radio tech can change anything on that radio remotely via wifi. Change encryption, change programming or just disable it.

Someone mentioned APX 8000 pricing. Its actually more expensive for gov pricing. They are 12K each at a LA County discount price (33% discount). But that included all the special features including wifi, gps etc.

The radio iteslf without any feature or functionality is 8K.

The radio in the picture shows the the channel on the display, that's just jibberish. Not likely an LAPD frequency. No agency will have their PD channel displayed as jibberish. It would normally say PD1, Tac1 , Tac2 etc.

[TJW]

I clicked on the FB link. It may not have ever belonged to LAPD. It was probably programmed by an amateur radio guy to receive various LAPD frequencies. Likely not programmed with any encryption keys so it can't receive any encrypted radio traffic.

[Mojave8899]

Wow, lots of interesting radio intel here, thank you.

[Matixten]

Someone needs to push the e-trig button and see if it opens up all frequencies.

[yzErnie]

While technically it is a radio, the transmit function has been disabled and now only receives on certain programmed frequencies. Functions only as a scanner, which are not illegal to own or operate, actually not much different than a FM transistor radio. From the looks of it, an old version of the radio and no longer meets the specs of the department, so sold at an auction.

Honest question...how do you know this particular radio has been disabled?

[ronbwolf]

So far as "encryption" goes, like locks on doors, it only keeps the amateurs out. I took a class years ago, taught by one of Oakland P.D.'s SWAT commanders. He related that they had acquired a new "encrypted" radio frequency. About a week after having it up and running he passed a news truck at the scene of a callout, and heard his guys talking on their frequency, coming from the news truck. He stopped and asked the news guy how they got the "encrypted" frequency. The news guy said," How mich do you have in your budget to spend on this stuff, I guarantee we have more, and we pay the same guy you do."

[mej16489]

Looking at the pictures, I don't see any indication that LAPD ever owned the radio.

Anyone with the proper knowledge can easily program a radio to work as an LAPD radio...even with full transmit capabilities.

To my knowledge no laws would be broken unless the radio actually transmitted (which if programmed for LAPD it would take effort to make *not* transmit)

Interference with a public safety agency can certainly get someone in hot water.

I'm curious if there is any possible prosecution possibility for using leaked AES encryption keys. Something related to the DMCA or similar?