Convert L3Harris MKF AES encryption key to a Motorola key?

[mtraviswatkins]

Hello,
We use L3Harris for our radio network. I am trying to assist another agency that uses our network with their troubleshooting, and provide them a new copy of our encryption key. They already have the key, but believe it may have become corrupted. I have all the software and the key for our L3Harris system, and sent it over to the agency. They cannot use that format, and have requested a Motorola compatible key. How would I go about converting the key from L3Harris to Motorola? I am using the L3Harris KeyloaderR8B, and the key is AES.

 

[KevinC]

Motorola uses no special format for key variables, it’s plain ol hexadecimal.

 

[nikronzo]

Did they enter the key manually into a KVL? It is easy to fat finger all the chars of a AES key when putting them into a moto KVL. Also Harris keyloader is just that, a loading program not a Management program. Did you send the raw string, KID, and CKR to them in clear format?

 

[prcguy]

Did they enter the key manually into a KVL? It is easy to fat finger all the chars of a AES key when putting them into a moto KVL. Also Harris keyloader is just that, a loading program not a Management program. Did you send the raw string, KID, and CKR to them in clear format?

With my limited experience the only time you will see a raw key is when entering it into the Harris software or Motorola KVL the first time then it can't be read ever again. That is by design. You would have to know the key characters entered into the Harris software then manually enter those into the KVL.

 

[Toad_77]

It honestly sounds like someone has confused system keys with encryption keys. I am an admin for a small Motorola trunk system, to be able to add Harris radios I had to get with Harris and have them attach the system keys they created for RPM2 to my license/serial number to allow me to program Harris radios to my system. Motorola is much simpler where you either have a physical dongle or a software key.

As far as encryption goes I load both radios from a KVL4000.

 

[n3obl]

I forget in my notes but the CKR is decimal in one vendor and Hex in another.

 

[prcguy]

It honestly sounds like someone has confused system keys with encryption keys. I am an admin for a small Motorola trunk system, to be able to add Harris radios I had to get with Harris and have them attach the system keys they created for RPM2 to my license/serial number to allow me to program Harris radios to my system. Motorola is much simpler where you either have a physical dongle or a software key.

As far as encryption goes I load both radios from a KVL4000.

On Harris radios that can keyload via a programming cable like the XG-100M, the Harris Key Admin and Key Loader software seem much easier to use than a Motorola hardware KVL.

 

[wa8pyr]

It honestly sounds like someone has confused system keys with encryption keys. I am an admin for a small Motorola trunk system, to be able to add Harris radios I had to get with Harris and have them attach the system keys they created for RPM2 to my license/serial number to allow me to program Harris radios to my system. Motorola is much simpler where you either have a physical dongle or a software key.

Harris isn’t limited to a software key tied to a computer; they also offer usb dongles. The usb dongle holds the license key for the programming software (both RPM and RPM2) as well as any system keys.

Using multiple computers for programming I always went with the usb dongle, which is safer in case of a computer crash. If that happened all I had to do was install the software on another computer, and I was up and running again without a call to Harris TAC; that way I didn’t have to worry if the crash happened someplace without phone or internet access (necessary for activating a new computer if you don’t have a dongle). I don’t know how many other people like me pointed out this little shortcoming to Harris, but six months after I brought it up at a group meeting when they were entering the market in my area, they had usb keys.

 

[wa8pyr]

On Harris radios that can keyload via a programming cable like the XG-100M, the Harris Key Admin and Key Loader software seem much easier to use than a Motorola hardware KVL.

Much easier. Kept me from having to crawl into a cruiser trunk many times. Just hook up the regular programming cable to the mic port on the control head and load the key. Zip, zip, done.