FCC License for Voice Scramble/Inversion

[BlueDevil]

Do you need special emissions listed on your FCC License in order to use a frequency for Voice Scramble/Inversion.

Scenario: We currently have repeater and simplex radio frequencies licensed as a standard/generic conventional, analog, voice, narrowband emissions. If we were to use a proprietary system like the Voice Scrambling/Inversion feature offered by Icom would we need special emissions classifications listed on the licenses?

 

[sfd119]

I don't believe so unless its no longer a 12.5khz signal.

 

[gewecke]

Scrambling is not permitted on certain bands, and you didn't mention where you wanted to do this? You could get away with this on MURS or FRS but anywhere else might not be legal. Also single inversion scrambling is not secure at all. There's a android app which will decode your radio traffic with ease... 73, n9zas

 

[mmckenna]

Do you need special emissions listed on your FCC License in order to use a frequency for Voice Scramble/Inversion.

Scenario: We currently have repeater and simplex radio frequencies licensed as a standard/generic conventional, analog, voice, narrowband emissions. If we were to use a proprietary system like the Voice Scrambling/Inversion feature offered by Icom would we need special emissions classifications listed on the licenses?

Even if you are running scramblers or encryption, the emission designator isn't any different than non-scrambled/encrypted emissions. If scrambling/encryption is legal on the services you are using, you do not need to change your license.

 

[BlueDevil]

This would be for Law Enforcement/Public Safety use. We currently have the following emissions designators: 11K2F3E, 4K00F1D, 4K00F1E, 8K10F1E. Right now we are not operating in a digital or P25 format. We are using conventional analog voice using narrowband. We would continue to use these parameters however would adjust the settings within the radio programming itself so that the voice would be scrambled or inverted. We could continue to operate in using narrowband in conventional analog voice.

 

[sfd119]

If that's the case, you should be good to go.

Scrambling is not permitted on certain bands, and you didn't mention where you wanted to do this? You could get away with this on MURS or FRS but anywhere else might not be legal. Also single inversion scrambling is not secure at all. There's a android app which will decode your radio traffic with ease... 73, n9zas

OP has an FCC license, not ham, not GMRS, not FRS. He didn't ask if it was secure or not. He asked if he could do it within his FCC license type.

 

[gewecke]

If that's the case, you should be good to go.




OP has an FCC license, not ham, not GMRS, not FRS. He didn't ask if it was secure or not. He asked if he could do it within his FCC license type.

I personally do not condone scrambling but its his license, and the rules are specific for whatever band his repeater is in, so it his choice, and his license. I simply wanted to point out that single inversion scrambling won't keep your comms secure. 73, n9zas

 

[Voyager]

Service restrictions aside, a normal Narrowband FM Voice transmission is 11K2F3E. A normal Narrowband FM Inversion Voice transmission is 11K2F3E.

There would be no specific license for voice inversion modulation since both are 11K2F3E.

 

[freddaniel]

Don't help the hobbyist

Since inversion is fairly easy to decode, I would suggest only using it when actually necessary, and just for the time it is necessary. Otherwise, using it on your dispatch channel would provide a steady source of encrypted audio for a hobbyist to get his decoder working. Maybe program it as another channel.

 

[ecps92]

If you have a Valid Part 90 License, for Analog then You are all set.

Since this is Scrambling and not Encryption (P25/ENC) your good to go
Even using DVP/DES would be valid for an analog narrowband license.

Do you need special emissions listed on your FCC License in order to use a frequency for Voice Scramble/Inversion.

Scenario: We currently have repeater and simplex radio frequencies licensed as a standard/generic conventional, analog, voice, narrowband emissions. If we were to use a proprietary system like the Voice Scrambling/Inversion feature offered by Icom would we need special emissions classifications listed on the licenses?

 

[N4DES]

This would be for Law Enforcement/Public Safety use. We currently have the following emissions designators: 11K2F3E, 4K00F1D, 4K00F1E, 8K10F1E. Right now we are not operating in a digital or P25 format. We are using conventional analog voice using narrowband. We would continue to use these parameters however would adjust the settings within the radio programming itself so that the voice would be scrambled or inverted. We could continue to operate in using narrowband in conventional analog voice.

You could run into some performance issues (coverage) attempting to encrypt in a narrowband analog world scenario and you also have infrastructure updates that must occur as well. If your agency has any plans of going Phase I P25, that is covered by your 8K10F1E emission, you could utilize ADP, AES, or DES OFB with no loss of performance and no need to do any license modifications.

You didn't say what brand of radios or infrastructure you are using so would be difficult to judge the upgrade costs to add encryption.

 

[BlueDevil]

We operate in the VHF high band. We are only looking for to have a couple channels with voice scrambling or inversion for LE operations. Not for routine or daily use.


Cheers,

Brandon