This document was shared on our local Firefighters Association Facebook page. It seems to suggest that we may be blocked from hearing radio traffic after July 1, 2025. See 2nd paragraph.
MARCS Radio Authentication
- Thread starter AMDXP
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What they are saying is that all legit Radio ESN's need to be turned into the State so they can be added to the Authentication List so your Department Radios will continue to work on the MARCS System. Looks like they are starting to crack down on CLOAN and ILLEGAL RADIOS and start killing UNKNOWN to THEM. Your Department needs to have the Radio person that Programmed all the Department Radios send the list of OFFICIAL Radios to the listed address so your Radios will Continue to work on the MARCS System.
This will not affect SCANNERS or other RECEIVERS just COMMERICAL RADIOS.
This will not affect SCANNERS or other RECEIVERS just COMMERICAL RADIOS.
Thank you! This was the clarification I was expecting and hoping to see!
Link layer authentication is two factor authentication. If the feature wasn't purchased originally, the user can add it to radios which support this feature. An encrypted key is programmed into the radio and sent to the system as part of the affiliation process. The user does not need to supply MARCS with the ESN of their radios.
see my comment below
Ok I was only part correct so the old Radios will have to be replaced before the listed date. That could get trouble seeing some Radio users are waiting 6 months to get Radios they order. With others having to apply for Radio Grants that could take up to a year then the wait time for the Radios.
Still not correct. P25 Authentication needs to be added to the FLASHcode of radios that don't currently have the feature. That doesn't mean "old radios will have to be replaced", unless they are so old that they don't support the option.
PS - The word radio is not a proper noun, so I'm not sure why you keep capitalizing it.
Depends on what models they have. APX can be upgraded via a flash, owners of older "AN" models of APX need to order the flash before 12/31/24. If they have XT series, they need replaced. Certain models from Kenwood can be upgraded. The OP needs to contact their radio shop to see what their options are.
Also, this is a process that has been ongoing for nearly two years. All agencies on MARCS have been informed and kept in the loop the entire time. Everyone has had time to work on the process of either getting this put in or getting new radios if needed.
But it's also true that it's a guarantee that some radios will get missed. Anytime there is something that involves a large number of radios like this, radios will get missed. Always.
Once the deadline hits and they flip the switch, it will be obvious rather quickly if a radio got missed.
I view this like the Analog/DTV transition. Agency heads will panic. They'll call their General Assembly reps, and DAS will be forced to pushback the deadline.
You were wrong, and @GTR8000 was right. MARCS has all the radio ids already... This is common sense. LLA is a flash code option. If you have been "doing this all your life", you should know this. I love when people out of state think they know what they are talking about.....
Did you not read the other post where I stated I was wrong? Of course you did not but it is about time to KILL THE CLONES.
Depends on the mfg. Kenwood is an option purchase/upload rather than firmware, just like other options.
I would agree, nobody who wants to remain employed by the state is going to kill LEO and FD radios.
Hasn't there already been 1 extension, and they have given years of warning.
I don't recall an extension. On 03/03/19 they announced all new radios purchased after 07/01/19 were required to have LLA but had not made a decision on existing radios. On 12/20/20 they updated MPP 31.1 to address the requirement of LLA on existing radios and setting a deadline of 07/01/25.
lone77wulf
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There was at least one extension on the deadline from 1/1/25 to 7/1/25, but that's the only one I've heard of. I believe that was due to an attempt to get MARCS to foot more of the cost, which went nowhere as I recall. I think we paid about $125 a radio to add it.
Actually not correct; unfortunately Moneyrola didn't go down the ESN route even though that would have been easier. You are correct in that they're doing this to prevent cloned or extraneous radios from accessing the system.
The process for Motorola is to use a keyloader to generate and load an authentication key (which is completely separate and apart from encryption keys) into each radio, and then load those authentication keys from the keyloader into the system. Very time consuming.
Actually a lot longer than two years; we started at my agency in 2020. As of the time I retired in 2023 I was still trying to get some agencies to commit to budgeting the money to do it; unfortunately they're going to do as they've always done and wait until the last minute, counting on an extension to save them.
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The Kenwood NX-5000 Radios I see have the same option.
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