On Sat, 3 Sep 2005 08:23:05 +0100, "Andy100" said in
rec.radio.scanner:

Surely, even though the scanners you mention can receive digital signals,
broadcasters such as the police would still be unintelligible ??

Not at all. Not unless they're running an encrypted system, and that
has nothing to do with whether they're using analog or digital
modulation. You can encrypt anything and you can use digital
modulation of one kind or another for anything - one is completely
independent of the other.

I hope so,
after the amount of money the local police force have spent on encrypted
airwave radios !!

You're confusing "digital" and encrypted". Digital is only
"encrypted" if all you have is an analog scanner. But if you don't
understand French, I can "encrypt" what I'm saying (from you) by
speaking French.

PS Are the 'digital' frequencies you mention still within the 0-1300MHz band
scope ??

Of course, except for those above 1300 MHz and those not on radio. You
can encrypt any communication - 10 GHz, 50 GHz, laser light going
through fiber optic cables, audio telephone conversations - anything.
Gordon Pugh could even encrypt his voice, but that's another
conversation.