Topic: Bad news

[grant]

Somebody is having a lend of your .... ie talking crap
You won't decode their encryption ... DES-OFB
Look it up on the net
It is even more secure than the old DVP

"DES-OFB is a Project 25 Digital Encryption system allowing secure compatiable communications with Project 25 digital radios in narrowband channels
The DES-OFB algorithim operates on 64-bit input vectors with a 56-bit key variable to produce 64-bit output vectors.
The DES key variable consists of 56-bits but is always represented as a 64-bit number of 16 hexadecimal characters with each pair of hex characters having odd parity. The odd parity checks provides some assurance of manually inputting the correct characters into a key loading device"

Even if you have a encryption module (hardware) fitted to a P25 radio unless you have the correct software key (there are billions of combinations) you are stuffed.

Occasionally the dispatcher audio may come back into the clear while the techs work on something (I don't understand why they do that) but just as quickly as it appeared it will revert back to encryption without warning
All radios were upgraded to encryption receive and transmit over 12mths ago
Observant folk would have notice that the car's 458-459Mhz input signal was encrypted during that time
For a technical reason the techs chose to rebroadcast the dispatchers audio in the clear as output until the network was ready for full encryption which happened on May 6
Now both TX and RX are encrypted

You can listen to non-police agencies (eg RTA, SES etc) and private rescue organisations (eg VRA, rescue heliocopters etc) call up on the designated Analogue Liaision channel which is known as X Ray and listen to them liaise with VKG who will pass messages to and from the digital encrypted working channel

These are the three main analogue Xray channels in Sydney

467.9250   Eastern Sydney
468.5750   
468.8750   Western Sydney



Grant

PS So far I have only noticed that there is one car on alpha that has a problem (ie we can hear it)

[BuNtEr]

i hear there is a work around for the unencrypyted channels, and i hear that the tandy scanners can unencrypyt with some work.

this is coming from a few tow truck drivers that have paid to get this work done but i am yet to to see it working.

[grant]

Only November Digital (Lower Hunter LAC) and Victor Digital (The old India South) remain unencrypyted.
All other digital channels (A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,R, 2,4,5 + special ops & back channels) are now running DES - OFB encryption
At the moment there is no OTAR (over-the-air rekeying of the encryption key) because it is expensive to set up - however I suspect that may change eventually given the numbers of thefts involving police portable radios.

Grant

[trash]

Many of the country cops are still analog UHF.
I still hear Tamworth, Armidale, Tenterfield, Narabri, Gunnadah, Dubbo cops on 468MHz. 
No need for a fancy scanner, a cheapy $20 one will do !
107.2Hz CTCSS still works just fine for those in the know.

[BuNtEr]

i hear a few days ago that the police in nsw/Sydney have gone encrypted, so all those people/tow truck drives that rushed out and bought a Tandy digital scanner just found out they cant hear the cops anymore, BUGGER

i have been behind the times with radio and scanning as late but i have a few people i know in the tow truck industry that rang me asking for help if i knew a way of getting around the new encryption.

well i don't, but give it time some one should be able to crack it and have the software on the market, or one of the nerds for Tandy may figure it out.

i know that wollongong hasn't gone encrypted yet but they anent far off it, and i know that the far westurn (outback) cops still use VHF as well as flying doctor freqs. there is a hint there for all you peole that go deep west.