It does not matter it is ENCRYPTED and the law is clear on that point. It is against the law unless they (the owner of the system) gives you the code.
I had no idea you were a member of the bar, Budd. Thank you for your unsolicited legal opinion but it raises as many questions as I suspect you perhaps intended that it ought to answer.
I note that somebody addressed the format, it's basic encryption. I have the manuals and the system planning guide that Motorola graciously provided to me at no expense. After reading through about a volume and a half of material, I can't but help ask a few more questions and take advantage of you extensive technical and legal accumen. Thank you for obliging. There are so many ersatz, fake and phoney people who pretend to know about law these days that you can never be too careful, isn't that right?
Basic encryption stores a single 8 bit key on the target radio code plug image. I found both the part number for the radio and the encryption options. I Skyped to a distributor I've done business with off and on for about twenty years. He confirmed price, availability and had only two questions, did I want to charge to the card I have on file and how would I like it shipped?
So Budd, in your opinion, as a lawyer, does possession of the radio equipped with the correct options constitute sufficient probable cause to merit a search warrant and if so how soon can we roll with this? I'll even send you the tracking key on the shipment.
Hypothetically speaking, a radio without the system information (talk groups, rest channels, etc etc) probably wouldn't work too well. An encryption key on a radio that won't tune wouldn't really do anything though I suppose a good lawyer could find twelve people stupid enough to believe it unless the case went to trial in Los Angeles.
So I guess I'd need to know just enough about the system to work out how the radio needs to be programmed for all that stuff too. Am I right?
Or is there some kind of constructive possession like there has been for ages on precursor and formulas or mixing M-16 parts in AR-15 assemblies?
But back to the key. An eight bit key has total number of 256 possible combinations (more if you had common core math, but in the programming world, 256, no more, no less).
I am absolutely certain based on decades of programming experience that I have in my possession right now, every conceivable combination of 8 bits that is known to man. I would voluntarily provide an affidavit attesting to that effect.
So, Budd, would THAT be enough to get an arrest warrant, in your opinion as a lawyer?
Thanks in advance. It's awesome to have somebody who knows about the law.