Southern Colorado Encryption - Site Loading Question

- Encryption and site loading question

This encryption in southern Colorado is getting ridiculous. Pueblo PD, SO, and FDs are fine. They don't encrypt unless they really need to but these other Pueblo agencies and also Fremont County and a few others are not monitorable (is that a word?).

Is there a limit of how many channels on a site can have encryption versus non-encrypted traffic? From my military communications experience, encryption had always used more resources and was more software/equipment/CPU intensive than clear comms. Maybe not on these new communications though.

On a related note: I think my Pro96Com has froze up my laptop.

dw2872 said:

On a related note: I think my Pro96Com has froze up my laptop.

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Ha, that's some pretty monitoring you've got going there!

dw2872 said:

Is there a limit of how many channels on a site can have encryption versus non-encrypted traffic? From my military communications experience, encryption had always used more resources and was more software/equipment/CPU intensive than clear comms. Maybe not on these new communications though.

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As far as I know, there isn't a limit unless one of the system manufacturers includes it as a proprietary feature. I think that P25 only sees encryption as any other voice data packet being transmitted back and forth. If you look at the raw data, you'll see that all P25 transmissions include encryption algorithm and key regardless of being clear or encrypted. Clear transmissions have these fields zeroed while encrypted packets include a valid algorithm and key ID. The increased resource usage would probably be on the subscriber units in the field that has to do the work encrypting and decrypting the data rather than on the system itself.

Only limited by normal site capacity. ADP is widely used (since its cheap and/or free for Motorola radios) but DES and AES is also widely used on DTRS. Either way as its a P25 system and its already a digital system, there is no more or less issue between in the clear or secure transmissions.

During one of the conference calls, it was noted that there are more non-Motorola radios on the system than Moto's. I found that to be interesting. ADP is a Motorola only algo.

Mil systems used quite a bit of custom and service specific solutions. Also depended on what mode of transmission and security of the information was.

I noticed that "PBO STREETS" was listed. I can understand why that TG needs to be encrypted. Nobody wants to hear city employees laughing about potholes.

Probably worried that Paula Woodward will follow them around.

Old enough people will know what that means.

Ah, yes! Channel 9's version of having Dan Rather show up on your doorstep for a surprise 60 Minutes interview!

Kevin_N said:

Probably worried that Paula Woodward will follow them around.

Old enough people will know what that means.

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I was coming home from work one night on Speer Blvd and some woman in a red Honda prelude tried to squeeze in front of me to avoid turning on Logan. My Mazda had a turbocharger and she couldn't do it and out of the drivers' window came Paula's arm and she pointed her middle finger right at me--imagine that