TSA Encryption

[riveter]

You'd be very surprised by what most field agents radios have programmed in them.

Yepperdoodles.

Zones and zones and zones of stuff. Only a few zones are their own agency's usually.

 

[ecps92]

Correct. I've not seen TSA stuff in other agency radios.

The only thing close had been FAM but then they are DHS and it was a DHS VHF agency anyway

Yepperdoodles.

Zones and zones and zones of stuff. Only a few zones are their own agency's usually.

 

[K4SVT]

There is your answer..

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[Citywide173]

Yet it's against your contract to disclose this information?

 

[ecps92]

Guess we have another one to add to the IGGY list :wink:

Yet it's against your contract to disclose this information?

 

[K4SVT]

Its my radio and im authorized to put it in there..but there is more info i cant release..

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[K4SVT]

But whatever im done talking about it...

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[gewecke]

I doubt its anything we don't already know. The tsa isn't exactly a cloak and dagger organization, but you hang on to those deep dark secrets ok? . 73, n9zas

 

[KevinC]

Its my radio and im authorized to put it in there..but there is more info i cant release..

Sent from my LGMS631 using Tapatalk

I don't really care what you post (as long as it doesn't violate RR rules), but a word of wisdom from the old wise man...loose lips sink ships (and are RGE's).

And when you ask to have these posts deleted, keep in mind it won't happen. :wink:

 

[FFPM571]

Wouldn't be the first time a Tech lost his job because of a big mouth.. wont be the last..

 

[Josh]

I think the TSA is probably one of the least interesting groups to listen to... encrypt away, I just won't be able to hear about a bag being rescanned or a problem with a metal detector.

 

[PJH]

Violating NDA's usually has a nice civil penalty and most HSA employees also sign a security agreement consistent with federal law which typically have a criminal bite to it.

Typically they have been hiring contractors with the possibility of coming on full time.

 

[sflmonitor]

Ok, so TSA rolls out 100% encryption, nationwide or otherwise. From the OP's radio screenshot, the encryption key is called TSA AES 1. That implies that it is a generic key, possibly nationwide, not airport specific. So what happens when a radio has been compromised? Theoretically all radios nationwide would have to be rekeyed. Are they able to OTAR? Does TSA even have that capability? I've never heard they do, but I may be wrong. But if they don't, that would be a lot of radios to touch with a KVL. Even if there is no radio compromise, commonsense would dictate that the keys get changed out every so often. Again, OTAR or KVL? Just curious because I know from experience that managing a large encrypted system is not the easiest thing to do.

 

[methusaleh]

Typically they have been hiring contractors with the possibility of coming on full time.

Interesting to know. Which would explain why Mr. K's name isn't in the federal email system...then again, my agency only lists some contractors there, not all. That's presuming his RR profile is honest. We will find out soon enough

 

[PJH]

I'd be more believable at times...

Yeah, the Fed thing for some time now with DHS, FEMA and a couple of other .gov's is that you prove your worth as a contractor and if they like you - and there is an available GS slot open you *might* transition into a true .gov employee.

Contrary to popular belief, even though the .gov agencis have their own radio people, more often than not large radio shops (be it Motorola, Harris, etc) are still contracted to provide local service. Radios and infrastrure are provided/warehoused/inventoried by .gov, but the local shops tend to do service calls - depending on agency and mission.

 

[nr2d]

For servicing our FM network at the FAA Tech Center we use a local contractor who's been doing it for 20+ years.

Those radios that are being purchased by the TSA have they been approved by the NTIA for use on the US Government frequency bands? Our contractor wants wants the FAA Tech Center to by new radios but the radios he is pushing is has not been approved by the NTIA.I can't think of the name of the manufacturer, a Japanese company, but Harris markets them in the US.

 

[riveter]

Hytera, rebadged as Harris Momentum series. They're DMR, and not compatible with Project 25 digital networks.

 

[nr2d]

Hytera, rebadged as Harris Momentum series. They're DMR, and not compatible with Project 25 digital networks.

Your correct on the Hytera name. But the comm contractor here at the FAA Tech Center is wanting to use a Hytera unit specifically for P25 Phase II comms. I had at 1 time a picture of 2 of the units installed but I lost them last year in a virus attack.

I just dug up my 2" thick file on the radios. They are the Harris HD-RV1B and Hytera RD982 VHF. This is from the Harris data sheet for the radio (http://pspc.harris.com/SandSE/HDR100.aspx):

"The HDR100 is a software-defi ned, multimode conventional repeater that
provides digital (DMR) and analog signaling. While in digital DMR mode the
HDR100 operates in a 2-slot TDMA format on 12.5 kHz channels to provide
6.25 kHz equivalent efficiency."

And this is from the Hytera RD982 Data sheet (http://www.hytera.us/Download/Private/file/WebFiles/WF_RD982_121813_Small.pdf):

"The application of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) technology
greatly enhances spectrum efficiency, which allows twice the users
compared with that of traditional FDMA."

From both quotes they do appear to be compatible with APCO .25 Phase II systems if I read the info correctly.

 

[DaveNF2G]

Hytera makes DMR and MotoTRBO-compatible equipment. 2-slot TDMA is a feature of DMR. Without a specific reference in the docs to P25, I doubt they are anything more than DMR/TRBO radios.

 

[riveter]

nr2d, not all quadrilaterals are rectangles.

Two system types can be TDMA without being compatible, and that is the case with DMR and P25. DMR and P25 encapsulate and encode their data differently, and do not mix. I have not yet seen a subscriber or repeater capable of both DMR and P25. While Harris does make P25 subscribers (P7300, etc) and repeaters, Hytera does not- they only vend TETRA and DMR.