I would think a radio would automatically switch to encrypted mode for transmit when responding a TG that was encrypted. It might also be a good idea to have the radio with encryption enabled, give some indication that the radio(s) responding did, or did not have encryption enabled.
There are some options (at least for Motorola). Trunked radios/systems might have some more clever idiot-proofing features that I'm unfamiliar with, too.
You can program the radios to give a tone on key-up
if the radio is uncoded. Now, it's up to your operators to listen for that tone and know what it means.
You can also program your radio so that it doesn't pass clear audio unless you have your switch properly selected. This could be bad if one of your guys is goofing around, takes his battery off, loses the key and gets into trouble. His calls for help would go unheard.
I think there's another indicator that an incoming tx is encoded, too. Maybe an LED lights or something.
mrova said:
And, at this point, I haven't heard a single conversation where both parties were encrypted. thanks for the insight.
That's pretty lucky. In my experience, it's one or two team members who forget to encode and you only hear a very small portion of the traffic. Still, this is pretty uncommon. Around here, I typically encounter encryption during surveillance and other smaller team operations. In other words, no dispatcher is involved.
I've heard short range, simplex surveillance with a helicopter involved. They had it completely backwards: the guys on the ground were coded but the heli was clear. The guy with the high power radio and an antenna a mile up was transmitting positions and target headings for all of Chicagoland to hear.