Des Moines, Iowa - Phony calls clog police radio

jimlawrence · #1 (**permalink**) 11-22-2012, 10:06 AM

A Webster Township man programmed a radio to the Des Moines Police Department’s communications frequency and used it to impersonate an officer while calling in nonexistent car crashes and fires, police said.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/art...s-police-radio

rapidcharger · #2 (**permalink**) 11-25-2012, 8:51 AM

Thanks to this punk, this radio system will probably soon be encrypted and join the ranks of the growing number of unmonitorable systems.

Spitfire8520 · #3 (**permalink**) 11-25-2012, 12:28 PM

I'm rather surprised anyone heard him if the article is remotely correct with how they described "the lack of a special code that accompanies a real police radio transmission." While I don't generally live in a VHF/UHF heavy area, I was under the impression that CTCSS tones aided in filtered out potential interference by others on similar frequencies. I'd expect the lack of a tone would be ignored by most radios programmed with a CTCSS.

I do find it rather sad that they're talking about encryption however, and it is is definitely not the solution they are seeking. Encrypted radios can still hear unencrypted traffic, and that wouldn't prevent the current issues. I don't even understand the point of mentioning WestCom TRS to support encryption, it's not even related. Just another example of the lack of understanding of radios as a whole by both reporters and officials.

stmills · #4 (**permalink**) 11-25-2012, 12:42 PM

The special code they are referring to is MDC not the CTCSS.

Kingmobileaudio · #5 (**permalink**) 11-25-2012, 12:57 PM

Is this guy a ham? If not, how did he have the knowledge to program?

Also are they a Trunk system?

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stmills · #6 (**permalink**) 11-25-2012, 1:01 PM

No mention of this guys radio knowledge base. Des Moines uses analog conventional Uhf for police and fire.

RADIOGUY2002 · #7 (**permalink**) 11-25-2012, 1:04 PM

This article is poorly written. When they say code, they mean specific id assigned to radio and/or officer. Hints the reason they state the times varied and were inconsistent of when quote officers worked. It quite clear he had an axe to grind with certain officers more then likely he had dealings with in the past. The communications supervisor for westcom has the best and by far response from every point of view. "Special Code", if your going to write an article about communications educate yourself first. As far as encryption I don't think their going that way for a little while. Its an isolated incident and was handled properly and efficiently to stop it.

Kingmobileaudio · #8 (**permalink**) 11-25-2012, 1:06 PM

I see, we'll I'd bet if it was Trunk, he'd probably never got it programmed "maybe"?

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ts548 · #9 (**permalink**) 11-25-2012, 7:10 PM

If its trucked its not hard. Heck there are stickies on here telling you how to program a radio to a trunk system.

Kingmobileaudio · #10 (**permalink**) 11-25-2012, 7:12 PM

I did not even know on conventional unit ID numbers come up? I never see any one my scanner

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ofd8001 · #11 (**permalink**) 11-25-2012, 7:47 PM

One doesn't "see" and MDC on a scanner. Sometimes you may "hear" it in a data burst at the beginning or end of a transmission.

Some trunked systems can be programmed with just a little more effort than programming a conventional system. However newer systems have a little more security. Motorola offers a thing called an Advanced System Key. Johnson (I think) calls theirs Enhanced system key.

One can have a radio, programming software and cable, but if they don't have that little security device plugged into the computer programming the radio, they're stuck.

http://www.motorola.com/web/Business...n_Solution.pdf

Motorola Advanced System Key

MTS2000des · #12 (**permalink**) 11-25-2012, 8:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ofd8001

One doesn't "see" and MDC on a scanner. Sometimes you may "hear" it in a data burst at the beginning or end of a transmission.

Some trunked systems can be programmed with just a little more effort than programming a conventional system. However newer systems have a little more security. Motorola offers a thing called an Advanced System Key. Johnson (I think) calls theirs Enhanced system key.

One can have a radio, programming software and cable, but if they don't have that little security device plugged into the computer programming the radio, they're stuck.

http://www.motorola.com/web/Business...n_Solution.pdf

Motorola Advanced System Key

ASK doesn't prevent unauthorized programming of radios by outsiders using their own radios and knowledge gleamed from various sources, it only prevents unauthorized persons from making changes to your agency owned radios that are programmed with an ASK.

Astro 25 system authentication is a new enhancement on Astro 25 trunking networks that just became available last year. It does not have anything to do with conventional radios, digital or analog, that were the subject of what happened in Des Moines.

Anyone with a $50 Baofeng and 15 minutes of time can figure out how to program a conventional radio up on a conventional repeater system like Des Moines PD uses. The lack of MDC signalling only confirmed it was an outsider, good old fashioned direction finding nailed the little prick.

glideslope · #13 (**permalink**) 11-25-2012, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingmobileaudio

Is this guy a ham? If not, how did he have the knowledge to program?

Also are they a Trunk system?

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You don't need to be an amateur radio operator to know how to reprogram a radio. I could reprogram most Motorola units before I had any real radio knowledge, it's not that hard really. It only becomes easier if the radio used was designed for ham use since its probably front panel programmable.

902 · #14 (**permalink**) 11-26-2012, 9:06 AM

When I was in the 9-1-1 business, we played a big role in convicting an arsonist who set a fire and then called it into the dispatchers, impersonating a fire official through a made up unit ID. At the end of the day, the person was caught in a shopping mall carrying a stolen radio. Listening to not only his voice, but his speech patterns - how he pronounced certain words, etc. - and then forensic spectroscopy (a "voice print") connected him to the fire. The real danger is not someone who's getting up on unauthorized frequencies. It's someone who's usually insane in the membrane and lacks the inhibition to be responsible with (albeit inappropriately programmed) radio equipment.

He wasn't a ham.

Kingmobileaudio · #15 (**permalink**) 11-26-2012, 10:24 AM

Does Des Moines have a feed? Maybe someone can look in the archives and download the radio transmission of this guy?

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newsphotog · #16 (**permalink**) 11-27-2012, 4:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingmobileaudio

Is this guy a ham? If not, how did he have the knowledge to program?

Also are they a Trunk system?

He's not a ham, and it's not hard to program a conventional repeater in (this system is not trunked).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingmobileaudio

Does Des Moines have a feed? Maybe someone can look in the archives and download the radio transmission of this guy?

There is a feed but times to listen to have not been gathered. It's more likely that you'll hear one of his "open mic" sessions -- I heard two of his open mics over the air.