Grainger DMR Now Encrypted

[zachgallop]

Grainger County Law Enforcement and the Ambulance Authority has recently started running encryption on their dispatch channels on their linked conventional DMR system. Supposedly, Grainger County believes that someone “hacked” their encryption so they had to reprogram their radios. This is not surprising because a number of the County Public Safety Admins and Public Safety Personnel always thought they were encrypted when they were not. Also, there were other recent factors that appeared that they figured out that was probably not the case. My guess that got digital and/or RAS confused with voice encryption. Fire is still analog and in the clear.

 

[ki4hyf]

County Public Safety Admins and Public Safety Personnel always thought they were encrypted when they were not.

And these are the people making decisions. I guess in some (most?) places, it's typical.

 

[robertsdoug]

There’s a government agency that is using DMR? That’s shocking. I thought P25 was the absolute standard.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

There’s a government agency that is using DMR? That’s shocking. I thought P25 was the absolute standard.

Interesting discussion regarding the matter on this thread

 

[Coffeemug]

I guess it's about 25 years ago when the City of Philadelphia was getting ready to switch from their old analogue conventional systems to a New P-25 Digital Trunked System. I do remember hearing about how the News Media outlets were pleading with the city of Philadelphia officials to wait until those Media Outlets could upgrade their Analogue Conventional Scanners to P-25 Digital Trunked Systems. I realize the importance of keeping sensitive information related to a crime private. If encryption is necessary to keep sensitive information away from knuckleheads and law breakers on land, then encryption should be used.

OTOH, I think as Law-Abiding citizens, we do have a right to be informed of what's happening in the communities in which we live and work. Of course, it's our responsibility to use commonsense when we monitor Public Safety Systems, either on a Mobile or Handheld Scanner.

 

[Btatham]

Grainger County Law Enforcement and the Ambulance Authority has recently started running encryption on their dispatch channels on their linked conventional DMR system. Supposedly, Grainger County believes that someone “hacked” their encryption so they had to reprogram their radios. This is not surprising because a number of the County Public Safety Admins and Public Safety Personnel always thought they were encrypted when they were not. Also, there were other recent factors that appeared that they figured out that was probably not the case. My guess that got digital and/or RAS confused with voice encryption. Fire is still analog and in the clear.

Has this been confirmed? Because I’m trying to program a baofeng dm1701 for an ambulance service employee. This is the first time I’m programming a digital radio

 

[zachgallop]

Has this been confirmed? Because I’m trying to program a baofeng dm1701 for an ambulance service employee. This is the first time I’m programming a digital radio

I have confirmed that the Law Enforcement side is encrypted. However, I have not yet checked the Ambulance Authority side. Grainger County, in addition to their encryption, has also used Restricted Access to System (RAS), a proprietary feature of Motorola radios. RAS was implemented on the system even before encryption was added. This feature was originally used to prevent unauthorized radios, including those from employees, from accessing the system—at least according to what I have been told. Even a digital Baofeng radio would not work, whether or not encryption is enabled, due to RAS. The RAS functions as a password protection mechanism for the system.

 

[d119]

Has this been confirmed? Because I’m trying to program a baofeng dm1701 for an ambulance service employee. This is the first time I’m programming a digital radio

You authorized to do that? This is how people get into big trouble and cause problems for system operators. Tell the guy to have his agency do it. You realize it is unlawful to program radios to transmit on systems for which you are not licensed, right?

Man this smacks. "Never programmed a digital radio before, first time is on to a public safety system"...

I love my job.

 

[Hit_Factor]

Has this been confirmed? Because I’m trying to program a baofeng dm1701 for an ambulance service employee. This is the first time I’m programming a digital radio

Don't do it.

 

[pddispatcher]

Has this been confirmed? Because I’m trying to program a baofeng dm1701 for an ambulance service employee. This is the first time I’m programming a digital radio

And this right here is why systems are switching to what they are. People that don't have a clue trying miserably to program junk and even don't have a clue WTF they are doing.